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URGENT: Williamsburg to consider repealing CHP applicant fingerprinting!

Mike

Site Co-Founder
Joined
May 13, 2006
Messages
8,706
Location
Fairfax County, Virginia, USA
imported post

Background: Williamsburg is voting on Thursday to repeal fingerprinting . . . but unfortunately the draft Motion only repeals fingerprinting for for CHP renewals, merely conmforming City Code to the Code of Virginia. See news item at http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/williamsburg/dp-97429sy0aug06,0,2677967.story.

But this news item fails to point out that 75% of VA localities do NOT fingerprint at all - it's time Williamsburg joins 'em!

See Today's VA-ALERT item below:

----------------------------------------------------------------------
VCDL's Gun Dealer Legal Defense Fund -- help fight Mayor Bloomberg's
scheme to cripple Virginia firearms dealers. See:
www.vcdl.org/index.html#DefenseFund
----------------------------------------------------------------------
VCDL's meeting schedule: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------

1. ACTION ITEM: Let's urge Williamsburg to drop fingerprinting!
2. Reminder: Goochland Zoning issue TONIGHT

************************************************
1. ACTION ITEM: Let's urge Williamsburg to drop fingerprinting!
************************************************

This Thursday, August 9th, at 2:00 PM the Williamsburg City Council will consider conforming their CHP fingerprinting ordinance to state code.

HOWEVER, this is a great chance to urge City Council to join the other 75% of Virginia localities that don't fingerprint at all!

Fingerprinting is NOT necessary to do a thorough background check according to the Virginia State Police and most localities agree.

If you can, come to the meeting and speak in favor of dropping the fingerprinting ordinance.

The City Council meets in the Stryker Building located at:

412 North Boundary Street
Williamsburg, VA 23185

Let's fire the first volley with emails NOW:

Email address to reach entire City Council:

council@williamsburgva.gov

Suggested email:

Subject: Repeal ALL fingerprinting requirements for concealed handgun permits

Dear Williamsburg City Council member:

I urge you to entirely repeal Williamsburg's fingerprint requirement for concealed handgun permit (CHP) applicants.

75% of localities in Virginia do NOT fingerprint any CHP applicants, including urban localities such as Fairfax County and Richmond! Also, Virginia honors concealed carry permits from other states which do not fingerprint their citizens.

Testifying in front of the General Assembly, the Virginia State Police stated that fingerprinting is NOT necessary to do a thorough back ground check for purposes of issuing a CHP.

Every time Williamsburg fingerprints a CHP applicant it sends 70% of the City's portion of the CHP applicant's fee to the FBI to process those fingerprints, instead of keeping those funds in the City treasury. Has the City staff informed you of this fact?

In summary, conforming Williamsburg's optional fingerprinting requirement to comply with state code is not enough - it is time to fully repeal fingerprinting for those seeking a CHP.

Fingerprinting burdens Williamsburg gun owners unnecessarily while wasting Williamsburg taxpayers' hard-earned money at the same time.

Please let me know what you are going to do.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME
YOUR ADDRESS

************************************************
2. Reminder: Goochland Zoning issue TONIGHT
************************************************

On Tuesday, August 7 at 7:00 PM, the Goochland Board of Supervisors
is going to be asked to change the County's zoning ordinance to
reinstate shooting ranges as a 'conditional use' requiring a special
permit.

This is a thinly veiled attempt to keep Andrew Dykers, owner of
Virginia's largest hunting preserve, Orapax, from being able to have
a sporting clays course on his vast acreage!

The individual driving this is apparently afraid Mr. Dykers is going
to win in court under the current ordinance. Thus, the change in the
ordinance is a hedge so that the County can simply deny the permit
for the range in the future.

While this tactic is not illegal, it certainly shows the shenanigans
a few well connected people will employ to further their agenda of
restricting shooting ranges.

Finally, this proposed change would adversely impact recreational
shooting ranges throughout the County since every range would have to
be approved as "Conditional Use" and thus require a "Special Permit."

The public hearing is located at:

County Administration Building
Village of Goochland Courthouse
Corner of River Road West (Va. Rt. 6) and Sandy Hook Rd. (US 522)

Please attend this meeting and show your opposition to the scheme to
change the County's zoning ordinance.

In addition, if you wish to contact the Board of Supervisors, here is
their information:

District 1
Andrew W. Pryor
(804) 457-4177
apryor*co.goochland.va.us

District 2
William E. Quarles, Jr.
(804) 556-2927
wquarles*co.goochland.va.us

District 3
Joseph T. Lacy, Jr.
(804) 556-4836
jlacy*co.goochland.va.us

District 4
Malvern R. Butler
(804) 784-4241
mbutler*co.goochland.va.us

District 5
James W. Eads
(804) 784-3944
jeads*co.goochland.va.us

Suggested email/message:

--

Please do NOT change Goochland's ordinance for Agricultural General
A-1 to reinstate shooting ranges as a "Special Use."

Such a change would make it harder for shooting ranges to be
established, at a time when it is already hard for citizens to find
places to shoot.

Protect our ranges and our ability to have safe places to shoot!

Please let me know what you are planning to do on this matter.

Sincerely,

-------------------------------------------
***************************************************************************
VA-ALERT is a project of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc.
(VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization
dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to
Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.

VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org
***************************************************************************
 

AbNo

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2007
Messages
3,805
Location
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
imported post

Email sent in response to Council of Williamsburg's flagrant insults towards VCDL members...

I was planning on taking a three day vacation with a friend in Williamsburg this week, Tuesday until late Thursday. Because of the grossly ignorant, and downright insulting actions detailed below, we will be spending our free dollars in another city.

It is absolutely reprehensible that any appointed public figure would behave in such a way, and I, for one, will not spend my time, nor my money on a place that is so brazenly hostile to law-abiding citizenry.


The only question I have for the Council of the City of Williamsburg is: Does anyone there have the guts, the courage to respond to this email with something other than a copy-and-paste, or a "we take safety very seriously."

I take safety very seriously, too. Unfortunantly, I can't take a cop with me everywhere I go, so I choose to be able to protect myself and my loved ones anyway I can, and personal bodyguards are just too expensive.

-{AbNo},
{Where I live}
 

AbNo

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2007
Messages
3,805
Location
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
imported post

Response received...


The "I am still opening e-mails received yesterday and today".

I'm not sure what makes mine special, though. Maybe it's the fact I put a DIRECT financial penalty on the city because of it (lost tourism dollars).

Apologies to Kendo for having to miss out on a Williamsburg trip.


---------------
"Zeidler, Jeanne" <jeanne.zeidler@jyf.virginia.gov> to {AbNo} , SHELIA, Clyde, Robert, Paul, Mickey
show details Aug 14 (5 days ago)
Dear {AbNo} ;

I regret that you have decided to change you travel plans to
Williamsburg on the basis of a report of our City Council meeting. I
cannot speak for the individual comments of other members of the City
Council, but can only say that they were expressing their opinions and
beliefs, as well as trying to learn more about the issue and why it was
before the Council for action. The action taken by the City Council was
to change the city ordinances to be consistent with the Commonwealth's.

I would like to correct one statement: I did not see anyone in the
audience at the Council meeting raising their hand and indicating a
desire to speak. However, the Council always provides an opportunity to
speak at the regular meetings and that individual could have availed him
or herself of that opportunity at the appropriate place in the agenda.

Thank you for sharing your concerns.

Jeanne Zeidler
Mayor

-----Original Message-----
From: SHELIA CRIST [mailto:SCRIST@williamsburgva.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 2:20 PM
To: CLYDE HAULMAN; JEANNE ZEIDLER; Mickey CHOHANY; Paul FREILING; Robert
BRAXTON
Cc: Jackson TUTTLE; Jodi Miller
Subject: Fwd: VA-ALERT: Williamsburg spits on gun owners

Dear Mayor and City Council:

I am still opening e-mails received yesterday and today about Council
action re concealed weapons ordinance--another 100 or so. Most are
repeats of the same--this one is different. The e-mails are signed,
some include locality, but nothing from city resident.

Shelia Crist, MMC
Clerk of Council/Exec. Assistant
757-220-6103

>>> "{AbNo} " <{AbNo} @{AbNo}.com> 8/12/2007 11:43 pm >>>
I was planning on taking a three day vacation with a friend in
Williamsburg this week, Tuesday until late Thursday. Because of the grossly ignorant,
and downright insulting actions detailed below, we will be spending our free
dollars in another city.

It is absolutely reprehensible that any appointed public figure would
behave in such a way, and I, for one, will not spend my time, nor my
money on a place that is so brazenly hostile to law-abiding citizenry.


The only question I have for the Council of the City of Williamsburg is:
Does anyone there have the guts, the courage to respond to this email
with something other than a copy-and-paste, or a "we take safety very
seriously."


I take safety very seriously, too. Unfortunantly, I can't take a cop
with me everywhere I go, so I choose to be able to protect myself and my loved
ones anyway I can, and personal bodyguards are just too expensive.

-{AbNo} ,
{SomethingOrOther}


---------------

*paste of the VCDL alert that prompted this email, the Williamsburg council meeting*
 
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