Will council please come to order and will the clerk please call the roll?

Anderson, present.

Oliver's absent.

Ford?

Here.

Hager Smith.

Here.

Addingly.

Here.

Set Finn?

Here.

Watson.

Present.

Um I want to begin today with an update about some of our activities since the last time this group met in an evening meeting.

And that is that the members of town council did consent on a resolution to do with Gaza and a statement.

A statement.

And we sent it to President Biden, Senators, U.S.

Senators Warner and Kane, State Senator Morgan Griffith, and also Travis Hackworth and Chris Openshain.

And so we have heard back from Warner, Kane, Agriffe, and OpenChain's office.

And I uh just wanted to point that out that um we have taken that statement and elevated it to the next level of representation.

We'll begin tonight with a consent agenda, and that includes town council minutes uh approving for April 2nd, a resolution 4C 24 establishing a no-show fee for the Hill Golf Course, and also a resolution uh for D 24 concerning secure storage of firearms, and I'd like to ask our vice mayor to uh read that resolution.

Sure, and this is a resolution that's going to be um depending on the vote tonight, uh supported by the Blacksburg Town Council, Christiansburg Town Council, Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, and the school board.

Uh whereas an estimated 4.6 million American children live in households with at least one loaded unlocked firearm, whereas every year, roughly 350 children under the age of 18 unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else nearly one unintentional shooting per day, with 70 percent of those incidents occurring inside a home, whereas another 1200 children and teens die by gun suicide each year, most often using guns belonging to a family member.

Whereas in incidents of gun violence on school grounds, 70 percent of active shooters were current students or recent graduates, whereas evidence strongly suggests that secure firearm storage is an essential component to an effective strategy to keep schools and students safe, whereas research shows that secure firearm storage practices are associated with up to 85% reduction in the risk of self-inflicted and unintentional firearm injuries among children and teens.

Whereas the U.S.

Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center emphasizes the importance of appropriate storage of firearms since 76% of school shooters use firearms acquired from the homes of parents or close relatives.

Whereas across the country, lawmakers, community members, and local leaders are working together to implement public awareness campaigns such as the B Smart program that is being introduced in the Montgomery County public schools this month, which encourages secure gun storage practices and highlights the public safety risks of unsecured guns.

Whereas school districts across the country have begun to send materials home to parents and guardians informing them of applicable firearm storage laws and firearm secure storage best practices, whereas Virginia law requires adults to securely store their firearms to prevent a child from having unauthorized access to firearms, and whereas the town council believe that this is in the best interests of the town and its citizens to support the Montgomery County School Board's common sense efforts now, therefore be it resolved that the town of Blacksburg, Virginia supports the common sense efforts of the Montgomery County School Board to increase awareness among MCPS students, families, and staff about the importance of secure gun storage, the legal requirements of parents and guardians to securely store their firearms, and the best practice of keeping all guns unloaded, locked up and stored separately from ammunition.

Thank you.

Chief, I think it's true that your officers are applying for grants uh to obtain more locks, more gun locks.

That's correct.

Yeah.

Um 200 more gun laws.

Thank you for that, and all you do.

Okay, what is council's pleasure uh to do with the consent agenda?

I move approval of the consent agenda.

Second.

We have a motion in the second.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Ford.

Aye.

Eager Smith.

Aye.

Mattingley?

Aye.

Sutfin?

Aye.

Watson.

Aye.

Anderson.

Aye.

We have no public hearings uh scheduled for tonight's meeting.

We do have citizen comments as always.

And I want to begin by just mentioning a couple of uh housekeeping items.

There is always opportunity for disagreement in a free society.

And there might be some tonight.

I ask that you not applaud, snap your fingers, boo, or do any other demonstrative action as that as that could distract or intimidate someone who wants to speak.

We can disagree on issues, topics, etc.

But please show respect for one another as we disagree.

If someone should yell from the audience, or otherwise interrupt the meeting, I will give a warning to stop.