To the editor:

On June 20, the Alexandria City Council voted to ban the carrying of firearms on city property.

Because of all the talk about defunding or reforming the police, it seems to be an odd time to be giving the police more reasons to make contact with citizens.

Suppose someone inadvertently enters a no-gun zone with a gun. A police officer notices and issues commands to the suspect, who complies as best as can be expected under the stress of the interaction with the police.

The officer, perhaps on edge, misinterprets aspects of the compliance and the situation escalates. We would hope for a non-tragic outcome, but if the suspect is harmed, it would have happened because of the ordinance, a solution looking for a problem.