CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- A number of new laws will go into effect on July 1, and some of the most anticipated in this area allow localities to remove Confederate statues and new gun laws.

However, localities cannot just immediately decide to remove a Confederate statue, and the localities that declared themselves Second Amendment Sanctuaries last fall still have to follow new gun laws.

Earlier this year, the General Assembly legislators passed a new law that no longer considers Confederate monuments untouchable war memorials. Now localities can choose to remove or relocate them.

To many in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, this was a big win, but legal analyst and criminal attorney Scott Goodman said the removal of the statues cannot just happen overnight.

"They have to go through a process,” said Goodman. “Advertise their intention to do it, they have to give people the chance to have an opportunity for comment, and then they can go ahead and make the decision."

Cities and counties cannot just throw out a statue either. They have to designate an organization that would be willing to take and care for the statue.

Also starting July 1, several new gun laws go into effect. Localities that declared themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries will still have to follow these new laws.

"They have to make sure that the gun show loophole is closed,” said Goodman. “The law that requires guns being secured away from children under 14. The one handgun a month. The localities have to enforce the gun laws where there is no local option."

The gun show loophole Goodman referred to is the new law that requires background checks to happen even at gun shows or through private sales. Previously, people were able to sell firearms without doing a background check through those two routes of gun purchases.

However, there is one law that gives localities the power to decide on the presence of guns.

"Localities now have the ability to ban firearms within certain public spaces where events are going on and that does change things in a state where it's been an open-carry state, where people have literally been able to walk anywhere with a gun,” said Goodman.

For example, the City of Charlottesville can ban guns from downtown and public parks. This was a big issue in 2017 when people attended the Unite the Right rally and went to other parts of town with various firearms.

Localities do not have to put such bans in place if they choose not to do so.