VCDL & Tea Party Convention - Richmond, 10/8 - 10/9

[Grapeshot]

VCDL was once again at the forefront of the activity - this time at the Richmond Convention Center for what is being billed as the largest Tea Party event anywhere in the United States to date.

Beginning prior to 6:00 AM a few hardy individuals met for breakfast at the 3rd Street Diner. By 7:30 the first of many GSL stickers were being handed out - by mid morning the Convention Center looked like the Orange Bowl.

CC or OC acceptability had been determined and indeed the day went without negative encounter. The level of acceptance and endorsement was palatable - you could feel the strong positive support for the RKBA. Comments heard: I appreciate what you are doing, I was looking for you, Thanks for being here, That should have been the 1st Amendment ....... and simply the best - "Thanks for carrying!"

Pleasant conversation with a Richmond PD Sgt. Several Boy Scouts and the leader asked a lot of good positive questions - they bemoaned the demise of the marksmanship merit badge. Offer made to set the scouts up with some instruction and range time - their faces lit up, think we'll likely see that happen.

I solid backing by VCDL members lead by Phil and Bruce manned the VCDL table in Exhibit Hall A. Phil, Skidmark and I were interviewed by the Times-Dispatch and two reporters from Finland. I had the opportunity to go live on Steve Batton's Freedom 1650 radio (Va. Beach) and WLEE radio from Richmond - interesting and positive conversation with plenty of good questions and points made.

Numerous other VCDL members made their presence know passing out stickers and engaging people in conversation. All morning long I kept running into other members - great job guys 'n gals.

BTW - a certain member was seen with a camera - she must have brought extra batteries with as many pictures as she took - maybe we'll see some of them here - hint, hint.

Tomorrow I expect an even bigger, more exciting day as people will be off work and coming out to offer their support.

[skidmark]

Grapeshot told me I had better post here or there would be dire consequences.

Folks, I was on my feet at the Convention Center from 7:30 AM till 3:30 PM yesterday and from 7 AM till 2:45 PM today, trying to find someone who did not yet have a GSL sticker and would not either turn their head or literally run away when offered one.

I also was interviewed by just about every press rep there, and some students doing school projects, and some bloggers and two folks who I think were pretending to be reporters so they could get someone to talk to them (wonderful approach, folks - "Do you damn Teabaggers have anything intelligent to say?"). It was either the GSL vest and neon orange embroidery on black VCDL hat or mistaking me for Santa Claus with a gun. I'm not sure.

Dire consequences be darned - I'm tired. I'm off for a nap and then maybe I'll share.

stay safe.

[Grapeshot]

Whaaat? I missed that. Lately the media has tried to appear neutral - these "pretend reporters" weren't even civil apparently.

Found the people to be enthusiastic, inquisitive and supportive - enjoyed the interaction very much. Some were already well schooled in the RKBA and the responsibility that accompanies it. Others wished to discuss home defense or how to obtain a CHP - lots of questions about the laws and OC specifically.

All in all, it was a great opportunity to interact with people of similar minds - for the most part I was impressed with their sincerity, dedication and willingness to stand up and be counted.

Oh and did I say that a large percentage of the attendees freely supported our position - GSL stickers were everywhere! I met and talked to a number that were carrying themselves.

[skidmark]

OK, I've had a dose of ibuprofin, my nap, more ibuprofin, a light supper, more ibuprofin, a peaceful night's sleep dreaming of a restored constititional republic where public offices are filled only by people who refuse to take pay for their service, refuse to spend a penny of taxes unless there is a constitutional authority to do so that does not devolve back to the Commerce Clause, and get no medical care coverage or pension they did not purchase/invest in out of their personal funds. And more ibuprofin.

Both Friday & Saturday started off with breakfast at the 3rd Street Diner, a Richmond bastion of 24-hour food served by young(er than Grapeshot or I) women and patronized at that hour of the morning by a completely different demographic than one normally sees around town. One young man, seated across the room, admired Grapeshot's S&W 1911 so much he had to yell how much he thought it was "purty". Fortunately we are both deaf, so it was a while before he got our attention.

Friday we got to the Convention Center just after the doors were opened, so a few folks got inside without being offered a GSL sticker right away. Some judicious scouting (Stalking? Who's stalking?) remedied that. We took up station in the Registration area and pretty much just tried to remember that the folks bearing down on us were seeking GSL stickers and not out to run us over. Some of the folks who were speaking during the early morning sessions commented about not wearing a sticker during their presentation. About half of them that mentioned that to me came by later to get a sticker if they could not be convinced to take one not yet peeled off the backing paper in the first place. Two of the Concention Center security guys got talked into wearing badges on the inside of their suitcoats, and one seemed to enjoy coming by and "flashing his badge" at me. Many other folks asked for additional GSL stickers to take home to their kids, their neighbors, or mail off to relatives/friends.

There were a few folks who did not want GSL stickers. Most of them politely passed by saying "No, thanks" and that was it. A few turned their heads away - perhaps hoping that if they did not see us we would not exist? One nice attendee very harshly got up in my face and told me she was a Harry Ried supported. I thanked her for the information and wished her a pleasant day.

Sometime after the opening speech the press started to wander the reception area and start interviewing folks. Between the two of us I think we got interviewed by half a dozen different reporters, who asked us to explain how guns save lives and why we were at the event. Besides the usual answers it gave me the chance to inform them about the Battle of Ahens http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Athens_(1946) - a nice tie-in between the Tea Party and firearms.

Grapeshot called an end to the day - because my legs were worn out and I didn't have the strength to say anything.

Saturday was pretty much a repeat of Friday except that most of the folks were saying that they had hoped we would be there pasasing out stickers - because when they peeled them off the preceeding night they found out they lost their stickiness. I did not observe as many folks actively turning away from us if they did not want to take a sticker. Maybe it was because the day before we remained polite when they turned down our offer of a sticker? Who knows?

There was some minor scuttlebutt that one of the foreign press teams was, on Friday, trying to focus on some negative issues - I never really understood just what those were supposed to have been. They came by on Saturday and asked for an interview - nothing but interest in why I was at the Convention. Typical government-is-too-big responses provided and they seemed happy. Some filming of the sidearm but I was not aware of more than about 15 seconds of them doing that. On the other hand, the guys from Finnish TV were trying to make the two of us into international stars. Lots of questions about gun rights and how that issue tied into politics in general. No, they did not ask us if we were ready to storm Congress with our guns drawn or anthing like that. They were disappointed, though that I refused to take my revolver out of the holster and show it to them. I do not think it was a setup, but t was a nice opportunity to demonstrate knowlege of the law and that not even for the press would a law-abiding gun owner break the law. ::skidmark accepts the accolades of the masses, blushes::

Closing thoughts -

Met a small number of folks on Friday who were open carrying, and a few more who were carrying discretely, who came up to talk about their concern that carry might not have been allowed at the event. Met a much greater number of folks Friday who commented that they had not carried (either "Left it at home" or even worse "Left it in the car") because they thought it would not be allowed. Those in the second group promised to come back Saturday carrying, and if my estimate is correct about how many were in that second group at least 2/3rds came by to show me they were carrying.

As usual many folks view VCDL as a source of information on guns and laws relating to firearms. Sometimes I wish I carried the Va. Gun Laws book with me so I could show them the law. I do hope all those I urged to look up the information to verify the very basic and brief (yes, brief. stop your giggling.) answer I gave them.

Almost forgot about Lou Dobbs and his entourage as they passed through the lobby. It was fairly easy to pick out the folks who were the security detail (get your suitcoats tailored to accomodate your vests, guys!). I was a bit surprised to notice that they dd not move to put themselves between me & Grapeshot as they passed by us. Could it be they did not perceive us as potential threats??

Also, Rep. Ron Paul was there signing his book. Did not see any Secret Service guys that stood out as such, but also they did not come over to interact with us and out sidearms mere yards away from the Congressman.

We had fun. We gave out stickers. We talked to the press and got videotaped. We're gonna be big stars on Finnish TV.

Oh, and we not only did not get arrested, we were not hassled by any of the cops in any way. How times have changed since Glenn Beck's visit to the Coliseum or the Republican Convention.

stay safe.

[Grapeshot]

Well done Skid.

More from this corner later - off for a late breakfast (ibuprofen first) and then to the Richmond Folk Festival (did I say after ibuprofen?) to indulge in a little 1A and 2A activity - will take GSL stickers and ibuprofen.

[zoom6zoom]

a peaceful night's sleep dreaming of a restored constitutional republic where public offices are filled only by people who refuse to take pay for their service, refuse to spend a penny of taxes unless there is a constitutional authority to do so that does not devolve back to the Commerce Clause, and get no medical care coverage or pension they did not purchase/invest in out of their personal funds.

Are you sure that was ibuprofin? (just kidding, many of us have the same dream).

Check out this great video by Bill Whittle on the beliefs of Conservatism and the Tea Party. A great link to share with people who don't quite understand where we are coming from. Worth the ten minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLD6V...layer_embedded

[user]

It's a helluva thing, ain't it, when the news media of all stripes routinely identifies a movement in support of the Constitution of the U.S. as "extreme", as opposed to the "moderates" like, say, Hillary Clinton.

I wished I'd'a been there. I consider myself a Constitutional fundamentalist. Hence the avatar.

[skidmark]

But we aare "extremists". Least ways I am about RKBA/2A and personal defense, among other things.

Extreme, as in not wishy-washy but full out there on the far end of the bell curve.

Wish more folks would understand that the media's use of the word is a compliment and not, as they apparently wish it were, a derogatory term.

stay safe.

[Grapeshot]

But we aare "extremists". Least ways I am about RKBA/2A and personal defense, among other things.

Extreme, as in not wishy-washy but full out there on the far end of the bell curve.

Wish more folks would understand that the media's use of the word is a compliment and not, as they apparently wish it were, a derogatory term.

stay safe.

It's a lot like "extremely faithful" or being "extremely pleasant." Adherence to one's principles is frequently referred to as being extreme - that says as much about the other person's attitude and morals as he implies about mine.

Keeping everything in perspective, qualify the words and their meanings by the speaker's agenda.

[user]

good point - though they're clearly using the word in a derogatory sense; sort of like saying people who support the Constitution as written are terr'ists.

[skidmark]

good point - though they're clearly using the word in a derogatory sense; sort of like saying people who support the Constitution as written are terr'ists.

You say toe-may-toe, I say you are full of [expletive deleted].

Herr Goerbels once opined that if you repeat a lie often enough everyone will start believing it. That might have worked better in the days before TV and YouTube videos, but except for the Left it does not seem to be true any more. Just ask the grannies in Quincy, Illinois http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com...party-protest/ .

The whole "people who support the Constitution over the current administration and occupant of the White House are terrorists" meme is collapsing.

stay safe.

[richarcm]

I'm glad to see the OCers being a bit more supportive of the tea baggers...and visa versa. It will only grow our movement through education and recruitment and give the tea baggers a better understanding of how the gun rights movement has been so successful and hopefully enable them to apply similar ideas.

[45acpForMe]

I'm glad to see the OCers being a bit more supportive of the tea baggers...and visa versa. It will only grow our movement through education and recruitment and give the tea baggers a better understanding of how the gun rights movement has been so successful and hopefully enable them to apply similar ideas.

To be more supportive you might not use "tea baggers" as much! It is a leftist-****-deragatory name applied to Tea Partiers!

I support both OC & the Tea Party movement because they both work toward reintroducing the concept of a constitutional republic to the masses who have fallen asleep at the wheel in the voting booth. Imagine actually following (instead of reinterpreting) the constitution?!? What a concept!

[VApatriot]

I got to help work the VCDL table on Saturday morning, and I had a lot of fun. I saw a handful of other OC'rs, as well as one or two guys not trying very hard to CC. While handing out GSL stickers and the blue VCDL "carry cards," I got tons of positive comments, several individuals who indicated that they were already members or at least CHP holders, and a few brief conversations on Virginia's gun laws. I also encountered more than one person who noted that they had left their firearm(s) in a vehicle or at home. However, one gentleman, on learning that it was ok to carry in the convention center, seemed to indicated that he planned to retrieve his firearm from his car.

On the negative side, one gentleman I briefly encountered did not seem to understand the concept of a regular citizen being armed for personal protection. He did a double take while asking out loud if that was a firearms on my side. As he examined me further, he quickly answered his own question by exclaiming "Why yes it is!" He proceeded to ask if I was a security guard, to which I replied with the standard "No, just a guy." He responded with "Well you must be some sort of guard," as he hastily moved on, not giving me a chance to further explain the situation to him.

As I was walking back to my truck, I also got a glare from a lone protester, who was standing on a corner, holding a sign that read "Tax the angry rich." I was smiling as I went by, and to be honest, I was trying hard not to laugh at the guy.

[Snazuolu]

i was at the con for both days, CC on Friday, and OC on Saturday. i only noticed about 2 people starring at my gun, other than that, it was just all small talk. but i did learn that even at a TP con like this, a gun is still a great ice breaker. i got to meet Herman Cain, and the security for him NEVER even asked me about the gun or if it was loaded. they were laid back enough to take pics of me and herman for me. while it was good that people didnt harrass me about carrying, it was easy to see who knew guns and who didnt. 1911 is a 1911 no matter what brand of gun it is, but i was just happy to be around people who werent scared or running the other way when i came around the corner.

[Grapeshot]

i was at the con for both days, CC on Friday, and OC on Saturday. i only noticed about 2 people starring at my gun, other than that, it was just all small talk. but i did learn that even at a TP con like this, a gun is still a great ice breaker. i got to meet Herman Cain, and the security for him NEVER even asked me about the gun or if it was loaded. they were laid back enough to take pics of me and herman for me. while it was good that people didnt harrass me about carrying, it was easy to see who knew guns and who didnt. 1911 is a 1911 no matter what brand of gun it is, but i was just happy to be around people who werent scared or running the other way when i came around the corner.

Glad you had fun Snazuolu and the help is always greatly appreciated. OC does spread the word and invites conversation because it is seen - dare say I would not have had 1/100th of the people approach me with questions if I had been CCing.

[Repeater]

But we aare "extremists". Least ways I am about RKBA/2A and personal defense, among other things.

Extreme, as in not wishy-washy but full out there on the far end of the bell curve.

stay safe.

Perhaps we activists are the Six Sigma of Freedom Fighters.

"Six Sigma" -- 3.4 defections (cowards) per million activists.

We are the outliers of activism. Be proud.

[Grapeshot]

Perhaps we activists are the Six Sigma of Freedom Fighters.

"Six Sigma" -- 3.4 defections (cowards) per million activists.

We are the outliers of activism. Be proud.

σ - lower case of the 18th letter in the Greek alphabet.

Interesting use as it applies to us, as the projection could easily be a emblematic of our willingness to defend.
Compare my avatar with the Greek letter σ and NO comments about short barrels.

[Repeater]

σ - lower case of the 18th letter in the Greek alphabet.

Interesting use as it applies to us, as the projection could easily be a emblematic of our willingness to defend.
Compare my avatar with the Greek letter σ and NO comments about short barrels.

It DOES rather look like a cannon, or howitzer perhaps.

[richarcm]

To be more supportive you might not use "tea baggers" as much! It is a leftist-****-deragatory name applied to Tea Partiers!

I support both OC & the Tea Party movement because they both work toward reintroducing the concept of a constitutional republic to the masses who have fallen asleep at the wheel in the voting booth. Imagine actually following (instead of reinterpreting) the constitution?!? What a concept!

Ah but to call yourself a teabagger neutralizes their tactic. I got to all of the events as well. I just don't mind being called cracker, tea bagged, racist, extremist or anything else. The desired effect is to spin you into defensive mode. So I've learned its best to just use their terminology in a manner that renders it useless....

Anyways...my point is that for several years now there has been a refusal to contribute to the tea party movement because the tea partiers were not aware of gun rights or law and hosted some of their events on property where guns were not allowed. I'm just glad to see that the two movements are now working together. It will only strengthen the two exponentially.

[The Wolfhound]

I was working there for about 4 hours on Friday. Great job on the stickers! They were everywhere in quantity.

[Repeater]

Well, see for yourself -- from Style Weekly.

[skidmark]

Well, see for yourself -- from Style Weekly.

Yeah, but that's about the ponly thing "right" about the article.

Gads, but their panties got bunched up over at Style Weekly!

stay safe.

[Grapeshot]

Well, see for yourself -- from Style Weekly.

What is really funny about that photo example of the GSL sticker is the "Don't Believe the Liberal Media" button. Those two together deliver a great message - suprised Style Weekly used it.

[Wc]

Yep, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRzJ2LAWpyA and please notice the TEA's staff in background didn't helps.