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Culpeper Considering gun control

Marco

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This is from the VCDL-Alert

******************************************************
1. ACTION ITEM: Culpeper considering gun control. We need a good
turnout next Tuesday, September 9th!
******************************************************

The Culpeper Chief of Police is pushing Town Council to ban all
discharge of firearms within the town.

That is a problem on many fronts:

1. There are many properties in the town that are large enough to
discharge a firearm safely
2. There are animals that can pose either a danger (such as a
copperhead snake) or a nuisance (raccoons, opossums, rats, etc.) that
can be dispatched safely by property owners with firearms
3. State law already makes firing a gun in a manner that is reckless
or dangerous to others a crime. No ordinance is necessary.

We need to turnout members and ask that Town Council reject proposed
town ordinance 26-1.

The meeting will be held at the Culpeper Town Hall, 400 South Main
Street, Culpeper, VA 22701.

The public will be heard at 7 PM, with the vote coming after 8 PM. I
suggest arriving at 6:30 PM and looking for someone handing out "Guns
Save Lives" stickers.

[line]
Anyone want to carpool?
I'm in Bristow/Manassas area, departing around 530pm.


Marco
 

Marco

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This is already on the books WHY do they need to further regulate:question::exclaim:


§ 18.2-280. Willfully discharging firearms in public places.

A. If any person willfully discharges or causes to be discharged any firearm in any street in a city or town, or in any place of public business or place of public gathering, and such conduct results in bodily injury to another person, he shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony. If such conduct does not result in bodily injury to another person, he shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

B. If any person willfully discharges or causes to be discharged any firearm upon the buildings and grounds of any public, private or religious elementary, middle or high school, he shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony, unless he is engaged in a program or curriculum sponsored by or conducted with permission of a public, private or religious school.

C. If any person willfully discharges or causes to be discharged any firearm upon any public property within 1,000 feet of the property line of any public, private or religious elementary, middle or high school property he shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony, unless he is engaged in lawful hunting.

D. This section shall not apply to any law-enforcement officer in the performance of his official duties nor to any other person whose said willful act is otherwise justifiable or excusable at law in the protection of his life or property, or is otherwise specifically authorized by law.

E. Nothing in this statute shall preclude the Commonwealth from electing to prosecute under any other applicable provision of law instead of this section.

(Code 1950, § 18.1-69; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 1992, c. 735; 1999, c. 996; 2001, c. 712; 2005, c. 928.)
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+18.2-280
 

nitrovic

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Agent, I have to work a midnight shift that night. However, I will email you my information. If there is anyway you can either have a petition or let them know I am there in spirit I would appreciate it. I live in that area but work about 1 hour away. This is TOTAL BS. I'll forward this to the local hunting and game club as well.
 

The_Side_of_Good

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I too wish to be there because I live in Culpeper County, and this sort of action will be compounded if the proposed merger of city and county governments goes forward.

The implication that this is to keep safe the people in a city environment would then be applicable to people that own large tracts of land. This is a subversive attempt to limit the freedoms of the people of this area and should not be tolerated. There is an element in the City of Culpeper that has increased the crime rate and inspired this sort of "government protection" of the citizenry as an act aimed at showing something is being done about the problem. Unfortunately, getting the criminals off the street is the task at hand, not restricting law abiding citizens rights. If the city would get behind the grassroots efforts that have attempted to rid us of the problem, then we wouldn't be dealing with this issue.

Lets let the Chief have his say, then move to remove him from his position for a more reasonable mind, and one that supports the people of Culpeper versus personal interest.

Unfortunately, I have to work out of town next week. I hope my wife can attend on my behalf be cause this is a big deal for all of Culpeper county, not just the city!
 

nitrovic

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The_Side_of_Good wrote:
I too wish to be there because I live in Culpeper County, and this sort of action will be compounded if the proposed merger of city and county governments goes forward.

The implication that this is to keep safe the people in a city environment would then be applicable to people that own large tracts of land. This is a subversive attempt to limit the freedoms of the people of this area and should not be tolerated. There is an element in the City of Culpeper that has increased the crime rate and inspired this sort of "government protection" of the citizenry as an act aimed at showing something is being done about the problem. Unfortunately, getting the criminals off the street is the task at hand, not restricting law abiding citizens rights. If the city would get behind the grassroots efforts that have attempted to rid us of the problem, then we wouldn't be dealing with this issue.

Lets let the Chief have his say, then move to remove him from his position for a more reasonable mind, and one that supports the people of Culpeper versus personal interest.

Unfortunately, I have to work out of town next week. I hope my wife can attend on my behalf be cause this is a big deal for all of Culpeper county, not just the city!
I think he was a former assistant Chief or Major for Va Beach or Hampton PD, I have to do a little research. Having seen the problems with OC down there, maybe that says something.....
 

IanB

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I *might* go. Have to see what time I get outta work (in DC) tomorrow.
 

ed

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last time:

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2005/102005/10122005/136914

Gun lobby blasts Culpeper official
October 12, 2005 1:06 am

[align=right]



loculpeper2.jpg

Dennis O'Conner, a member of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, speaks to the Culpeper Town Council last night.
loculpeper1.jpg

Culpeper Town Manager Brannon Godfrey listens as Philip Van Cleave of Virginia Citizens Defense League criticizes Godfrey for an e-mail
[*]sent to a league member. Van Cleave said the manager was 'condescending' when he replied in German to Mike Stollenwerk's request that 'no firearms allowed' be removed from the rules posted at a town park.
[/align]
By DONNIE JOHNSTON

Despite strong words from members of a state gun lobby, Culpeper Town Manager Brannon Godfrey offered no apology last night for an e-mail that the group's leader called "condescending especially from a public servant."

Philip Van Cleave of Midlothian, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, told the Town Council that Godfrey's reply to VCDL member Mike Stollenwerk's e-mail addressing a gun ban at Yowell Meadow Park was inappropriate.

That reply, directed to "Herr Stollenwerk," was written in German and said, "Many thanks for serving as our moral conscience. Culpeper would be lost without the patronizing guidance of the people like you in Northern Virginia.

"Long live the state!"

It was signed by Godfrey.

"I had asked Mike Stollenwerk to send an e-mail telling Godfrey that the town was misleading its citizens," Van Cleave said.

The incident began when a local VCDL member noticed a sign at Yowell Meadow Park that, among a number of other rules, said firearms were prohibited in the town park. Van Cleave said he called Godfrey some months ago and reminded the town manager that a 2004 state law prohibits local jurisdictions from enforcing anti-gun ordinances.

After consulting with the town attorney, Godfrey conceded that the VCDL president was right but added that correcting the sign was "a low priority," Van Cleave told the council. When no action was taken and a similar no-firearm statement was discovered on the town's Web site, Stollenwerk sent Godfrey the e-mail to which he received a German reply.

Godfrey sat silently while Van Cleave and half a dozen other VCDL members attacked both the town manager's e-mail and the town's failure to change the sign in question. Stollenwerk did not attend the meeting.

But Mayor Pranas Rimeikis told the approximately 20 VCDL members at last night's meeting, that the sign "was not a deliberate attempt" to evade the state law.

"No one has ever been cited for carrying a gun in the park," Rimeikis said.

The mayor had defended Godfrey last week, when he was quoted in the Culpeper Star-Exponent as saying, "I wish I had made that statement."

Van Cleave said his group, which he says boasts about 3,000 members statewide, was only lobbying for the rights of gun owners.

"We simply asked you to obey the law," Van Cleave told the council. "Culpeper has been out of compliance for over a year."

Wayne Stephens of Culpeper called the town firearms ban "a constitutional issue" and added that it was a "bad example for our children to knowingly violate state law."

Dennis O'Conner of Prince George County quoted Thomas Jefferson and said the right to bear arms "was the mark of the free man." Regarding the delay in changing the Yowell Meadow Park sign, O'Conner added, "The right of civil liberties ought to be a priority."

Not everyone who spoke, however, was in sympathy with the gun lobbyists.

"I don't think we should be carrying pistols into a public family area like Yowell Meadow Park," said ex-Marine Ulysses Bush of Culpeper.

Roy Higashi, also of Culpeper, said maybe the VCDL needed to apologize for some of its reported remarks and assertions.

Regarding Godfrey's e-mail reply, Tom Letts of Culpeper, whose mother is German, said, "I was a little dismayed, but not offended."

In a VCDL e-mail to his group's members, Van Cleave said that Godfrey's reply was "clearly a slam at Mike [Stollenwerk] because of his ethnic German last name." He added that "Long live the state!" is "the closing line used by loyal Nazis of the Third Reich."

After last night's meeting, Van Cleave said he was disappointed that Godfrey had not issued an apology.

"I thought he would have had the decency to have done that," he said, adding that he thought the mayor also should have apologized.

"But the important thing is the sign, getting it changed," he said.

Town officials have said a contract has been awarded to take the "no firearms" line from the park sign and the work should be completed in about two weeks. Van Cleave said local VCDL members will check at the end of October to make sure the change has been made.



To reach DONNIE JOHNSTON:DJohn40330@aol.com
 

Marco

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Joined
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From VCDL ALERTS
Action Item reminder: Culpeper Town Council meeting tomorrow evening

*********************************************************

The Culpeper Chief of Police is pushing Town Council to ban all
discharge of firearms within the town.

That is a problem on many fronts:

1. There are many properties in the town that are large enough to
discharge a firearm safely.

2. There are animals that can pose either a danger (such as a
copperhead snake) or a nuisance (raccoons, opossums, rats, etc.) that
can be dispatched safely by property owners with firearms.

3. State law already makes firing a gun in a manner that is reckless
or dangerous to others a crime. No local ordinance is necessary.

We need to turn out members and ask that Town Council reject proposed
town ordinance 26-1.

The meeting will be held at the Culpeper Town Hall, 400 South Main
Street, Culpeper, VA 22701.

The public will be heard at 7 PM, with the vote coming after 8 PM.

I suggest arriving at 6:30 PM. I will be handing out "Guns Save
Lives" stickers.
 

AbNo

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Joined
Jun 8, 2007
Messages
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Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
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I seem to have picked up an upper respiratory infection over the weekend, and unless you want me to go up and get really buddy-buddy with the Sherriff, I think I'd better stay home.:(
 

Tess

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A few of the people who were at the crimes commission hearing in Richmond this morning plan to go.
 
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