Suffolk may ban guns from public housing

Josey1

Suffolk may ban guns from public housingBy SUSIE STOUGHTON, The Virginian-Pilotc September 10, 2001 Commonwealth's Attorney C. Phillips Ferguson hopes the local Exile program will be a warning for those illegally possessing guns. John H. Sheally II / The Virginian-Pilot SUFFOLK -- Hundreds of city residents could soon face a choice: Forfeit their constitutional right to keep and bear arms, or find another place to live. In a crackdown on gun violence, housing officials are considering banning firearms from the city's five public housing complexes. Suffolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority could review a draft policy by November, after input from residents of the 466 apartment units, said Clarissa E. McAdoo, executive director. P O L L Should Suffolk officials ban legal firearms from its five public housing complexes?YesNoUndecided View results TalkNet: Discuss guns in America More Suffolk news Thelma Hinton, the housing residents' non-voting representative on the SRHA board, says such a ban would violate the residents' rights. Living in public housing shouldn't prevent them from being able to protect themselves, she said. ``I've got to fight for my residents' rights if they want a gun,'' Hinton said. SRHA officials last week also launched a drive to eliminate illegal guns from public housing and Section 8, privately owned rental properties whose rents are subsidized through the housing authority. Both efforts come in response to last month's accidental shooting of a 4-year-old whose 5-year-old brother found a loaded gun in their mother's bedroom at Hoffler Apartments. The younger child, who was struck in the finger when the gun discharged, was not seriously injured, McAdoo said. Police did not charge the mother, she said. The incident, however, sparked interest in gun safety. A newsletter distributed to public housing residents a week later included this warning: ``Guns are not allowed in or on SRHA property under any circumstances.'' The item said a resident's lease would be terminated and criminal charges could be lodged if a resident or guest had a gun on the premises. Hinton, however, brought her lease to the August board meeting. She said the document does not address possession of guns. ``We should have a policy,'' said Helivi L. Holland, a housing commissioner and an assistant commonwealth's attorney. What about security guards whose jobs require them to be armed? Hinton asked. ``They can't leave the gun in the car.'' The weapon could be stored in a locker at work, Holland said. SRHA attorney Jeffrey L. Gardy said any landlord can place restrictions -- such as no animals -- on tenants. ``It's your option whether you lease it or not,'' he said. ``It's not infringing on anybody's rights.'' Leroy Reynolds, who works for Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority, disagrees. ``They're stepping on some dangerous ground there,'' said Reynolds, PRHA's security and risk management program director. ``The Constitution doesn't give you the right to bear animals,'' he said. ``It does give you the right to bear arms.'' Neither PRHA nor the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority prohibits residents from having guns, officials of those agencies said. Reynolds said he would be surprised if Suffolk adopted such a ban. The proposal is ``in the very early, formative stages,'' Gardy said. He has not received anything to review, he said.Trying to protect residents without infringing on their rights is difficult, he said. ``It's hard to hit a happy medium.'' SRHA chairwoman Mary V. Richardson said the board wants to hear how the residents feel. She could not say whether a compromise plan would be considered. Last week, Commonwealth's Attorney C. Phillips Ferguson spoke at Hoffler Apartments about Suffolk's Exile Virginia program to eliminate illegal guns. Anyone who possesses a gun after being convicted of a felony, carries a gun onto school property or is caught with a gun and drugs will receive a mandatory prison sentence of up to five years, he said. Housing officials will distribute refrigerator magnets with that information to all public housing and Section 8 residents. The magnets will be ``a constant reminder that the illegal possession of firearms in Suffolk will not be tolerated,'' said Diana Klink, community outreach coordinator for the commonwealth's attorney's office. Since the local Exile program began in March, more than a dozen Exile arrests have been made, Ferguson said. ``We are really working on the educational process,'' Ferguson said. But his office won't hesitate to prosecute, he said. ``They can either be educated or go to prison.'' Reach Susie Stoughton at 222-5555 or sstought@pilotonline.com