18.2-280 - Willfully discharging firearms in public places. - Virginia Statutes

§ 18.2-280. Willfully discharging firearms in public places.

A. If any person willfully discharges or causes to be discharged any firearmin any street in a city or town, or in any place of public business or placeof public gathering, and such conduct results in bodily injury to anotherperson, he shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony. If such conduct does notresult in bodily injury to another person, he shall be guilty of a Class 1misdemeanor.

B. If any person willfully discharges or causes to be discharged any firearmupon the buildings and grounds of any public, private or religiouselementary, middle or high school, he shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony,unless he is engaged in a program or curriculum sponsored by or conductedwith permission of a public, private or religious school.

C. If any person willfully discharges or causes to be discharged any firearmupon any public property within 1,000 feet of the property line of anypublic, private or religious elementary, middle or high school property heshall be guilty of a Class 4 felony, unless he is engaged in lawful hunting.

D. This section shall not apply to any law-enforcement officer in theperformance of his official duties nor to any other person whose said willfulact is otherwise justifiable or excusable at law in the protection of hislife or property, or is otherwise specifically authorized by law.

E. Nothing in this statute shall preclude the Commonwealth from electing toprosecute under any other applicable provision of law instead of this section.

(Code 1950, § 18.1-69; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 1992, c. 735; 1999, c.996; 2001, c. 712; 2005, c. 928.)