Welcome to Fairfax in Wonderland!

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OpenCarry.org Press Release – 17 May 2007
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Ø Fairfax County makes late hour arrest threat over the Bloomberg Gun Give-Away

Ø VA Citizens Defense League plans to duck threat by issuing new raffle tickets tonight

Ø Fairfax County Supervisor Penny Gross (D – Mason District) sends message to gun owners: “Your kind ain’t welcome here!”[/b][/b][/b]

References:
[/b][/b]
WUSA9 VIDEO:[/b] http://www.wusa9.com/video/player.aspx?aid=44636&bw=

WUSA9 News Item Summary: [/b] http://www.wusa9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=58727

VCDL VA[/b]-ALERT 05/16/07 – “Drawing is 'ON' for tomorrow!”:[/b] [/b]http://www2.vcdl.org/webapps/vcdl/vadetail.html?RECID=1722082[/b]

Welcome to Fairfax in Wonderland!

[/b]Said the King of Fairfax: “Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”

But warned the Doorknob of Fairfax: “Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction.”

1. So after reading yesterday morning in The Washington Post that Fairfax County had declared the Bloomberg Gun Give-Away illegal, leaders and attorneys of the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) met with the County & Commonwealth Attorneys to be told they would be arrested for holding a raffle without a permit if they proceeded as planned.

2. VCDL disagreed with the strained legal logic, but said OK, fine – it will just hold the raffle anyway with freshly issued tickets – and order more guns for yet another raffle.

3. Consider how this strange tale unfolded: Non-profit organizations are allowed to hold raffles in Virginia, and organizations expecting total gross raffle receipts to be less than $25,000 do NOT need a permit. VCDL asked the Virginia gaming commission if they needed a permit if no tickets were sold, and, no money was collected by the League at all, and the League paid for prizes with League funds - the answer was “no.”

4. Four months later on the day before the event, the County says “yes" you do need a permit. And at http://tinyurl.com/yuy9g3, The Richmond Times Dispatch[/i][/b] reports that "Virginia Attorney General Robert McDonnell's office said it's up to local officials to determine whether a raffle is legal."

5. And then came the candid on-video anti-free speech & assembly tirade of Supervisor Penny Gross (D – Mason District): "A gun? . . .A gun is not a prize . . . I don't like the feel of it, the taste of it, the smell of it. I don't like the idea that someone can take a concealed weapon into a public building, a police station for heaven's sakes!"

And the Mock Turtle of Fairfax concluded: “Well, I never heard it before, but it sounds uncommon nonsense.”

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Contact anytime on gun stories:
Mike Stollenwerk/John Pierce
[url]http://www.OpenCarry.org[/url]
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well, as long as you can legally hold the raffle.

you know, there was a time when things like this got my blood pressure up.

could it be that the extra media attention is not necessarily a bad thing?

good luck and enjoy the raffle, i wish i was there to participate. :lol:

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I bet it you were giving away something else... nothing would be said.

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Well, I just got back from the meeting; a great time was had by all. As usual Philip and the rest of the VCDL crew were very friendly and articulate to the vast numbers of press people and attendees.

The room was literally overflowing with media and VCDL supporters. The room was closed off due to the limit being reached for attendance, so many, many people stood outside and listened through open windows and cheered-on the VCDL.

Outside and off to one corner were about a dozen anti's who had to drag their children to make up for numbers. For the most part, the anti's just kinda stood there with a look of disbelief on their faces that such vast numbers of people were walking around armed.

Philip and the VCDL spoke and presented their reasoning for the raffle. A few reporters asked questions and Philip answered, as usual, very clearly and confidently. He presented a charming and eloquent point of view to the press and I believe they were satisfied with the answers. Then the meeting turned to the raffle and the numbers were called out. Cheers literally exploded from the crowd as the winners walked up to be recognized. The winners were asked to say a few words and then it was cake for all !!!!

The meeting wrapped up and groups of people split off; some to gather at a Fuddruckers nearby for dinner and others to go on their way. A feeling of friendship and group unity could be felt in the air as strangers became friends.

I'd say it was an excellent afternoon.

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News of this in the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/17/AR2007051701386.html?nav=hcmoduletmv

Van Cleave acted as master of ceremonies in front of tables displaying one of the two prize firearms: a .45-caliber Para Ordnance PX745E semiautomatic handgun. He also unveiled a cake with a picture of Bloomberg in the frosting, saying: "These are sick people!"

Van Cleave, saying his group includes many retired military personnel and law enforcement officers, said he was glad to be in their company. They hung signs calling for the mayor's prosecution for sending agents to stores posing as legitimate buyers.

"We're sending a message to New York, and this message is going to Mr. Bloomberg: If you think you have a problem, if you think Virginia's gun dealers are violating the law . . . come talk to the state police," Van Cleave said. "Guns in the hands of decent, law-abiding citizens is a good thing. In my opinion, you can't have too many kinds of those guns."

"Amen!" someone shouted.

Click to expand...

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And some more:

http://northernvirginia.cox.net/cci/newsnational/national?_mode=view&_state=maximized&view=article&id=D8P6JFMG0&_action=validatearticle

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Good job to all! Very well done!

I just wish I could have been there. But that's a little too far to go for just one night.

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gsh341 wrote:

Good job to all! Very well done!

I just wish I could have been there. But that's a little too far to go for just one night.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your support! Yeah, that would have been a real road trip.