Alamosa work session leans to allow open carry in parks but to ban long guns and restrict special-event carry

Alamosa City officials discussed how to regulate weapons in parks, trails and special events during a work session in which staff said the recreation board recommended a total ban but police advised a narrower approach.

A staff member (S2) told the council the recreation board had passed two motions: one to set park hours, which is complete, and one recommending “a total weapons ban across parks, open space, and trails.” The staff member said council had asked for maps and options but that no consensus had yet been reached on a total ban.

Council discussion focused on options: where to prohibit carrying (a citywide ban versus segmented limits), how to handle long guns, and whether the parks director should retain authority to set facility-level rules such as hours and dog-park regulations. “Our recommendation is you continue to delegate that to leadership,” S2 said, referring to detailed facility rules while urging council to decide the broader ordinance scope.

Several council members and staff described a shift in the police perspective. One council member (S3) relayed the police view that they are “okay with open carry on the trails, parks, and open space” but still favor restrictions on long guns. A staff speaker with law-enforcement background (S4) explained that long guns travel farther and “steal a lot more fear to people,” saying that banning long guns in parks would reduce intimidation even if handguns remain permitted.

Speakers also discussed special events. S2 said many events already have policies prohibiting weapons and that staff generally supports banning weapons at large gatherings for crowd safety, while noting a practical limit: people who intend violence do not typically openly carry.

The group debated how the city’s existing ordinance language interacts with other regulations. S4 told the council the state recently enacted a law limiting carry in certain “sensitive public facilities” (examples named in the discussion included city hall and the recreation center) and that municipalities can specify allowances for those spaces; the present conversation, S4 said, centered on parks and open space rather than those facilities.

Council members asked practical questions about enforcement and unintended consequences — for example, whether a rule against carrying machetes or hatchets in a park would capture someone carrying a tool for legitimate use — and emphasized distinguishing intent and context when drafting any prohibition.

By the end of the work session, S3 summarized the likely direction staff should prepare for council consideration: prohibit long guns in parks and open space, prohibit open carry at special events, and allow the parks director to continue setting nuanced facility rules such as hours and dog-park guidelines. Council asked staff to prepare ordinance language and return for a second reading or further review.

The work session produced no formal vote; council directed staff to draft language for a future meeting.