Anti-gun public meeting @ Westfield HS Lecture Hall (28 FEB 7 PM); empty holsters + ammo, anyone?

[bohdi]

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I've decided to type out what I received in my step-son's school folder last Thursday about this meeting. There are some interesting differences between the flier and what I'm typing:

The Westfields High School PTSA and Angel, a fund for education and advocacy, is hosting an educational forum on February 28 in the Westfields High Lecture Hall. Guest speakers include Dr. Roger Depue, member of the Virginia Tech panel and Founder of the Academy Group, Inc, Robert Ricker, Executive Director, American Hunters and Shooters Association, Joe Samaha, parent of Virginia Tech victim, Reema Samaha and founder of Angel, Andrew Goddard, parent of wounded victim Colin Goddard and president of the Richmond Chapter of the Million Mom March and Captain Susan McAllister of the Sully District Police station. Having served as an expert witness in the Columbine case and the Virginia Tech panel, Dr. Depue will speak to the early warning signs of young people who kill from a behavioral sciences perspective; Bob Ricker, former counsel to the NRA, will review gun legislation filed in the General Assembly this session. The event is free and open to the community. For further information about the educational forum on 2/28, contact LuAnn McNabb at l.Mcnabb@cox.net or goto angelfundva.org

It will be interesting to watch this forum as the Samaha's, Mr. Goddard, or Captain McAllister apparently aren't speaking, but are there for decoration (aka legitimacy). I wonder how well they will stay on topic of warning signs and gun legislation?

 

[bohdi]

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This is what's out in the newspaper about the meeting in the Centreview

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?paper=62&cat=104&article=93880

Prevention of Gun Violence
An educational forum on the Prevention of Gun Violence will be held Thursday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. in the Westfield High lecture hall. The event is free and open to the community. Speakers include Angel Fund founder Joe Samaha, father of Westfield grad Reema Samaha, killed at Virginia Tech.
Also speaking will be: Roger Depue, Ph.D., a member of the Virginia Tech Panel and an expert witness in the Columbine case. He will discuss early warning signs of young people who kill, from a behavioral-science perspective.
Robert Ricker, president of the American Hunters and Shooters Association, and former counsel to NRA, will review gun legislation filed in the General Assembly this session. And Andy Goddard, father of Colin Goddard, wounded at Virginia Tech, and the president of the Richmond chapter of the Million Mom March, will also speak.
Westfield High is at 4700 Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly. Contact LuAnn McNabb at L.mcnabb@cox.net or www.angelfundva.org.

 

[Tomahawk]

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*BUMP*

This is tonight, folks. Map here. Who's going?

 

[Mike]

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I will try to make it - bring a gun saves lives button if you have them - i will bring some stickers.

--

Directions: http://www.fcps.edu/WestfieldHS/about_whs/directions.htm

Westfield High School
4700 Stonecroft Blvd.
Chantilly, VA 20151

[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]
From the Capital Beltway (495):
Take Rt. 66 West
Take Rt. 28 North
Turn left onto Willard Rd.
Turn left onto Stonecroft Blvd.[/font][font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]

From the West/South:[/b]
Take Rt. 29 North
Take Rt. 66 East
Take Rt. 28 North
Turn left onto Willard Rd.
Turn left onto Stonecroft Blvd.[/font]

 

[vrwmiller]

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I will not be able to make it tonight. I have prior committments.

 

[bohdi]

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I want to be educated on the prevention of gun violence. I shall sit quietly and listen attentively.

 

[BobCav]

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Wish I was there guys. I'll be with you in spirit!

Does anyone have a few extraextra "GUNS SAVE LIVES" buttons they could send me? I never got one at any of the events I attended and would really like one.

In fact, how about adding some "GUNS SAVE LIVES" items (buttons, magnets, etc.) to the OCDO selection of articles for sale on CafePress? http://www.cafepress.com/opencarry

I think it would be a great fundraiser for the board!

Another button idea:

[align=center]"Yes, it's legal!"
www.OpenCarry.org[/align]
[align=left]Any other ideas?[/align]

 

[Tess]

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HUMAS until about 1700 when I got a voicemail from stryth. I had completely messed up the days.

I probably won't make it. Damn!

 

[unrequited]

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Jim Sollo was in top form as usual. You didn't miss much besides a couple low-blow insults directed at the "nice gentlemen in the crowd". Best phrase of the night?

"white male hero complex" (referring to CHP holders)

What was refreshing was a CrimJ professor asking about campuscarry.org's empty holster campaign week and getting zero feedback from any of the panel members. I walked over to hear her talking to another woman and explained what they were about and she seemed very open to it. The mother was explaining how she trusts her three kids who are all in college to carry a gun if they were allowed, and would feel safer if they could.

Also, there was the lone 2A supporter sitting by himself who couldn't take Jim's crap anymore and called him out on one point while asking a question (who I've never seen before). Good to hear.

IHOP afterwards was a blast. Naked, bohdi, Tomahawk, stryfe, and I were in attendance.

 

[stryth]

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unrequited wrote:

Jim Sollo was in top form as usual. You didn't miss much besides a couple low-blow insults directed at the "nice gentlemen in the crowd". Best phrase of the night?

"white male hero complex" (referring to CHP holders)

What was refreshing was a CrimJ professor asking about campuscarry.org's empty holster campaign week and getting zero feedback from any of the panel members. I walked over to hear her talking to another woman and explained what they were about and she seemed very open to it. The mother was explaining how she trusts her three kids who are all in college to carry a gun if they were allowed, and would feel safer if they could.

Also, there was the lone 2A supporter sitting by himself who couldn't take Jim's crap anymore and called him out on one point while asking a question (who I've never seen before). Good to hear.

IHOP afterwards was a blast. Naked, bohdi, Tomahawk, stryfe, and I were in attendance.

Always a pleasure to hear Jim Sollo blatantly lie and remind me why it is that I turned from supporter to activist.

Most of the talk was Mr. Depue from the review panel discussing fantasies, warning signs, etc. Even more interesting was that he 1) indicated that other far more dangerous and less regulated weapons were used at columbine 2) indicated that one of the most important factors in an active shooter situation is to get an armed individual (he said officer) facing off against the shooter as quickly as possible, and 3) the victims of an active shooter situation would do well to fight back however possible (like throwing things at him). While a long speech, it showed a degree of openness regarding solutions to these issues which I hadn't expected to see.

 

[Neplusultra]

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unrequited wrote:

IHOP afterwards was a blast. Naked, bohdi, Tomahawk, stryfe, and I were in attendance.

That's ok, you guys have fun. I'll just sit here all by myself, in the dark, in Pearisburg.

Wish I could have made it but the five hour drve is a killer :^(

 

[Tomahawk]

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Yes, Sollo was in rare form, it was tough to keep my trap shut when he was spouting off. I thought his anti-gun ranting was inappropriate and embarrassing to at least one of the panel members, who, after wincing through it, pointed out that he wasn't completely close-minded to exploring options for arming, if not students, then perhaps some of the faculty and staff, citing the armed pilot program by the TSA. He was headed off by Goddard. There should be some good stuff on the video to pick over later.

The whole thing had a pretty anti-gun feel about it, and Sollo didn't waste his opportunity to get on the soapbox and whine about the Chantilly gunshow and insult those of us he recognized. "White male hero complex" is what all you folks in Students for Concealed Carry have. Even if you're not white and not male. I know this because Sollo said it was so.

The gathering at IHOP afterwards was fun.

 

[Neplusultra]

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stryth wrote:

Most of the talk was Mr. Depue from the review panel discussing fantasies, warning signs, etc. Even more interesting was that he 1) indicated that other far more dangerous and less regulated weapons were used at columbine 2) indicated that one of the most important factors in an active shooter situation is to get an armed individual (he said officer) facing off against the shooter as quickly as possible, and 3) the victims of an active shooter situation would do well to fight back however possible (like throwing things at him). While a long speech, it showed a degree of openness regarding solutions to these issues which I hadn't expected to see.

Wow, did he open himself up to comment with that. Like someone already on the scene, aka a teacher? One of my biggest complaints about Columbine was how long it took the police to enter the building. I assume, hope, that this policy has changed since then.

It's good to hear that there was some openess instead of rabid opposition. Seems you can only argue against sense for so long.

 

[bohdi]

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I thought it would have been more interesting, but Mr. Ricker failed to show, and they had two School Resource officers instead of Captain McAllister. It ended up being a very long night of listening to Dr. Depue talk, a very long night. Not that he didn't say some interesting things, he just said them very very slowly. I wish the Q&A session had been longer. IHOP was a good time though

I'm not sure I'm going to post all 90 minutes of the video from the meeting lastnight though. I don't know if I want to torture anyone with that. A good deal of Dr. Depue's talk revolved around charecterising the profile of a person who would massacre a large group of people (warning signs), the planning that both went into Columbine and VT, comparing and contrasting the difficulties of securing (lock downs) Columbine vs. VT, SWAT response vs. active shooter (first LEO on scene respond quickly), and what can realistically be done (other than talking to your kids) to prevent something like this happening again - which is very little. I'm going to try and cut it down to about 30 minutes and catch the highlights of the entire meeting. It's going to take a few days.

 

[wchiang]

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ugh damn it. I need to read this forum more often. I wish I saw this earlier because Westfields is only like 5 minutes away... :X

 

[Marco]

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I too, got the days mixed up, thought it was this evening not yesterday.:X

 

[Mike]

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bohdi wrote:

I'm not sure I'm going to post all 90 minutes of the video from the meeting lastnight though. I don't know if I want to torture anyone with that.

Please do post the relevant parts - like with Sollo talking about white men hero complex, blaming Chantilly gun show, the one panelist saying you must get the murderer confronted ASAP, and that he was open to the idea of arming some prof/students - etc.

i like the anaolgy to arming pilots.

And sorry i could no tmake it.

 

[bohdi]

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Those were the parts I was planning on putting out Mike, I'll make sure I include them.

 

[stryth]

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Neplusultra wrote:

Wow, did he open himself up to comment with that. Like someone already on the scene, aka a teacher? One of my biggest complaints about Columbine was how long it took the police to enter the building. I assume, hope, that this policy has changed since then.

It's good to hear that there was some openess instead of rabid opposition. Seems you can only argue against sense for so long.

He was speaking directly to the experience at Columbine at that point and the tactical issue with securing an area room by room when an active shooter is involved, as a room to room sweep will delay the swat team by hours in arriving on scene. That's when he discussed SWAT arrival even being too slow and that the first two or three officers simply needed to get in and kill the shooter.

As far as rabid opposition goes though, don't forget Jim Sollo as he blatantly lied about the most recent time a CHP holder went toe to toe with an active shooter. He completely ignored Jeanne Assam in the New Life Church shooting and discussed instead the gentleman in Washignton, I believe it was, who was shot several times while shooting the perpetrator. Sollo is also the same gentleman that commented on the danger of highwaymen and brigands when driving from Winchester to Richmond when discussing firearms in vehicles.

Edit: clarifying a subject.

 

[bohdi]

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Yeah, Jim Sollo is a peice of work Wish I was allowed to get the facts as discombobulated as he does.