imported post
everyone in VA that is a gun owner should be on the VCDL alerts.. MANY times there is a call to action to write senators, and congressmen about pressing issues of the moment. As a gun owner everyone should take part in these action items.. if you dont get the alert.. you dont know about the items (including dinners).
sign up at VCDL.org.
Here is a SAMPLE alaert:
- - - - -
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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
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VCDL Update 4/18/08
1. Contact DOI - they are under pressure to delay changing
regulations in National Parks!
2. Next week is empty holster week - a request
3. VCDL bumper sticker spotted in Qatar!
4. AP article on the search for solutions to Virginia Tech massacre
5. VCDL represented at the Shad Planking
6. VT President admits that there is no prevention if someone is
willing to die in an attack
7. Article and picture of VCDL presentation at GMU
8. Wal-Mart caves in to Bloomberg
9. Florida passes law to keep employers from banning guns in cars in
parking lots!
10. Good LTE in the RTD
11. Charles City County looking at banning rifle hunting!
12. Niteline story on college carry
13. VCDL President interviewed on the "lie-ins" last Wednesday
14. Shameless gun-haters protest at VT despite sentiments by VT and
students
15. More TV coverage of college carry
16. Gun shows and events!
**********************************************
1. Contact DOI - they are under pressure to delay changing
regulations in National Parks!
**********************************************
The Department of the Interior (DOI) is under pressure from various
groups to delay with its commitment to allow carry in National Parks
as per VCDL's Petition for Rule Making (PRM):
http://www.commondreams.org/news2008/0417-12.htm
Supreme Court Decision on Heller Case May Impact Firearms Safety Regs
in Our National Parks
Letter to Interior Secretary Asks That Any New Regulations on Guns in
Parks Be Postponed Until After Supreme Court Ruling
WASHINGTON, DC - April 17 - Another shot has been fired in the battle
to prevent loaded guns in national parks that don't allow hunting. In
a letter sent to Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, a
coalition of groups has asked that the Department of the Interior
postpone issuing its proposed new regulations until the United States
Supreme Court has rendered its opinion in the pending case of whether
the District of Columbia's gun code violates Second Amendment rights.
Under intense political pressure orchestrated by the National Rifle
Association, the Bush Administration has decided to re-open firearms
safety and anti-poaching regulations in the national parks, which were
last updated during the Reagan Administration, for public comment on
April 30. The current regulations allow for guns in the parks as long
as they are unloaded and properly stowed.
The National Parks Conservation Association, the Association of
National Park Rangers, the Ranger Lodge of the Fraternal Order of
Police, and the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees stated in
the letter that the Supreme Court case, not likely to be decided until
late June, affords the first opportunity in 70 years to interpret the
scope of the Second Amendment and that it could have profound affects
on gun laws across the country and therefore could affect regulations
in national parks.
As a result, the groups "are concerned that the issuance of a proposed
firearms rule and comment period beginning on April 30 is
premature . . ." and they "request in the strongest possible terms
that the Department of the Interior delay issuing a proposed new rule
regarding Park Service firearm regulations until it is able to fully
take into consideration the Supreme Court's decision in District of
Columbia vs. Heller."
A copy of the letter can be viewed here.
Since 1919, the nonpartisan NPCA has been the leading voice of the
American people in protecting and enhancing our National Park System.
NPCA, its 340,000 members, and many partners work together to protect
the park system and preserve our nation's natural, historical, and
cultural heritage for generations to come.
--
ACTION ITEM:
CALL the DOI Legislative Affairs and leave a message for the Secretary
of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne.
Say something like this:
"I urge Secretary Kempthorne to ignore pressure that would delay the
proposed firearms rule and comment period scheduled to being on April
30. Please move forward with implementing the Virginia Citizens
Defense Leagues Petition for Rule Making."
PLEASE MAKE THAT CALL - WE WANT DOI'S TELEPHONE LINE LIT UP BIG TIME!
Mr. Kempthorne's telephone number in Washington, DC is: 202-208-7351.
**********************************************
2. Next week is empty holster week - a request
**********************************************
Next week the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC) will hold
another "empty holster" protest at colleges and universities around
the state and around the country.
The Virginia Tech chapter of SCCC requests that no one open carry on
campus during the week - empty holsters only.
More info here:
http://concealedcampus.org/
**********************************************
3. VCDL bumper sticker spotted in Qatar!
**********************************************
I'm really glad that someone put this sticker on a door at the airport
in Qatar. It serves to remind the brave members of our armed forces
that we are protecting their rights here while they are protecting all
of us over there...
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=8&f=24&t=305574
"So, I was on my way home and was waiting in line at the terminal at
Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Line wasn't moving, so I was looking at all
the unit stickers plastered on the door standing between me and
freedom and what do I see? A VCDL bumper sticker! Yet another positive
sign I was going home."
**********************************************
4. AP article on the search for solutions to Virginia Tech massacre
**********************************************
Reporter Kristen Gelineau tagged along with me to dinner after my
talk at GMU to get some pictures of open carry at a restaurant for
this article:
http://tinyurl.com/69nv6l
A year after Va. Tech killings, the search for a solution remains
elusive
By Kristen Gelineau
ASSOCIATED PRESS
10:11 a.m. April 11, 2008
NARROWS, Va. - Allen Neely eases his Chrysler Pacifica onto the bridge
named in honor of Jarrett Lane, who grew up in this tiny town near the
West Virginia border. Jarrett, Neely says quietly, always wanted to
build a bridge.
Under the back seat are two pistols. Neely keeps them close these
days. He and his construction crew were in Virginia Tech's Norris Hall
on April 16 when a mentally ill student went on a rampage - killing
Jarrett Lane and 31 others.
Since then, Neely feels safer if his guns are within reach.
Over the past year, people here have questioned the mental health
system, which allowed killer Seung-Hui Cho to fall through the cracks.
They've questioned the university's security procedures, the media's
glorification of violence. Fewer have questioned the state's gun laws.
The New River divides the town of Narrows, nestled in the Appalachian
Mountains about 30 miles west of Virginia Tech's campus in Blacksburg.
This is a typical southwest Virginia town: Many residents leave their
doors unlocked, everybody knows everybody's business, and there seem
to be as many churches as people.
And this is a community of hunters. Here, guns are tools to be
respected; children are taught how to handle them.
Vicki Jones sits at a table with her friends in Anna's Restaurant, the
town's gathering spot. Like most everyone in Narrows, she knew Lane, a
22-year-old senior majoring in civil engineering. He was high school
valedictorian, athletic, funny, full of promise. More than half the
town turned out for his memorial service.
Jones and her friends toss around suggestions for preventing tragedies
like the one at Tech: Mental health checks for prospective students.
Ridding TV shows of all the violence. They think the idea of allowing
students to arm themselves for protection is crazy. But they don't
believe gun control is the solution.
Thing is, Jones says as she picks at her salad, there's no simple
solution to any of this.
Take a tour of Virginia, a year after the worst mass shooting in
modern U.S. history. You'll find little has changed - the state
remains draped in memorial ribbons, bumper stickers and Tech flags,
and the debate over firearms rages on.
Was the easy availability of guns to blame for what happened on that
campus? Should the students have been allowed to carry firearms so
they could have protected themselves? Did gun laws have anything to do
with it at all?
In the weeks and months after the killings, there were protests and
counter-protests. Legislation was drafted to tighten oversight of
sales at gun shows, then quickly killed by Virginia lawmakers.
So the shows go on. On a recent weekend, an occasional flash of orange
or maroon peeks through the crowd at the Richmond Raceway Complex gun
show as someone in Virginia Tech attire passes through. The noisy
chatter among prospective customers - middle-aged men, mothers with
babies, fathers and sons - is occasionally broken by the crackle of a
Taser gun demonstration.
There are 88 vendors, hawking everything from modern-day Glocks to
18th-century rifles. Sherry Ramey is one of them. She's also wearing a
Virginia Tech sweat shirt. The 37-year-old is a proud alum.
Ramey was uncomfortable around guns until her husband bought her one.
Now she's one of the many people in this room who believe students who
are legally allowed to carry firearms should be permitted to have them
in class.
"If you have a way to stop somebody," she says, "you should use it."
Under state law, private sellers at shows don't have to run background
checks of prospective customers. After Virginia Tech, opponents
demanded that the law be changed to close what they called the gun
show loophole; their opponents argued that Cho didn't buy his guns
from a show, and lawmakers ultimately killed the legislation.
Terry Kirkpatrick leans back in his chair and watches customers pore
over his antique firearms. The 65-year-old Vietnam veteran has been
collecting guns since he was 12, when he found piles of broken Civil
War weapons on his farm.
He's of a generation that learned how to hunt young, but that doesn't
happen as much these days, he says. Land is being lost to
construction, and there are fewer places to hunt. That means fewer
people today are familiar with guns - and less understanding leads to
more fear.
He doesn't think there's much room in metropolitan areas for guns
unless they're locked up. But he doesn't believe in blanket bans on
firearms.
"We're always gonna have nuts," he says. "We had it at Virginia Tech,
we had it in Colorado."
Nearby, Ken Burton runs his hand along an antique pistol. To him, it
is a work of art. He doesn't carry or shoot guns, but he loves the
stories behind them - so much so that he moved to the U.S. from his
native Australia to sell them. After 35 people were killed by a lone
gunman in Tasmania in 1996, Australia instituted strict gun controls -
an ineffective measure, Burton says.
"I think this is the best country in the world, and I think it's one
of the safest countries in the world," he says. "And I think, well, if
people have got guns, it'll stay safe."
The bloodstains in front of Jeanette Richardson's two-story brick home
have faded. Her anger has not.
A cold wind is blowing through this middle-class neighborhood in the
eastern Virginia city of Newport News. Richardson wipes away tears and
stands where her eldest son was shot to death by a stranger with a
stolen gun.
It was New Year's Eve, and 18-year-old Patrick, home on Christmas
break from art school, was ringing in 2004 with friends at a nearby
party. Richardson and her husband were celebrating with neighbors.
She'd heard a lot of popping that night but dismissed the noise as
fireworks - until a neighbor came running up to her, screaming.
Richardson found her son splayed out on his back on the street. She
fell to her knees and crawled to him, but when she touched his leg, it
was already growing cold.
After Patrick's death, she was outraged - furious at a system of laws
she felt had done nothing to keep guns out of the wrong hands.
Richardson didn't feel rage like that again until April 16, 2007, when
she stood in an Illinois hotel room watching the breaking news of the
Virginia Tech shootings on TV. She sank to the couch and wept. And she
later told her friends, "Nothing's going to change. It's Virginia."
She'd already spent the two years since Patrick's death lobbying for
stronger gun control. Within weeks of his murder, she had contacted
the Brady Campaign and the Million Mom March, which was pushing to
renew a ban on assault weapons. She founded a local chapter of Parents
of Murdered Children. She attended rallies and protests, marched and
shouted and demanded change.
After Virginia Tech, she spoke at a protest held outside the Capitol
in Richmond in support of closing the gun show loophole.
She knows there's a great chasm in Virginia and in the nation over
guns. It's torn apart her own family. She hasn't spoken to her aunt, a
gun owner who vehemently disagrees with her views, in more than three
years.
"It's like civil war," she says, clutching a damp tissue. "It's a
divider."
On the mantle over her fireplace is a self-portrait Patrick painted
just hours before he died. Upstairs, one of her surviving sons is
playing a computer game and cheering loudly.
If need be, she says, he'll push her wheelchair to protests when she's
too old to walk.
Lily Habtu works a pair of scissors through orange and maroon fabric,
the tendons of her wrist moving under skin still scarred by a bullet
from Cho's gun. Around her, a dozen mothers are hunched over plastic
tables in a hot, cramped art room of an Alexandria preschool, piecing
together hundreds of memorial ribbons. A wall covered in children's
handprints is partly obscured by a banner advertising the group's Web
site: ProtestEasyGuns.com.
This has become an unlikely headquarters for a grassroots gun control
contingent, the result of an idea generated by two moms standing next
to a sandbox a day after the Virginia Tech shootings.
Most of these women had never been to a demonstration or thought about
gun control. Now they are loud proponents of closing the so-called gun
show loophole.
Alexandria, in northern Virginia, is a wealthy and largely liberal
enclave. But the members of this group fall everywhere on the
political spectrum, from far left to far right. Some have never been
comfortable around guns, others grew up with them. They have made
thousands of ribbons in the past year, worn by protesters nationwide.
Tina Gehring made so many her hands blistered. Then she made some more.
The leader of this pack, 42-year-old Abby Spangler, a willowy cellist
and mother of two, is calling out updates: They now have commitments
for more than 80 "lie-ins" nationwide for April 16. At each event, 32
people, the number of people killed by Cho, will lie down for three
minutes, the amount of time it took Cho to buy his guns. This group
will lie down in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
"We are FIGHTING BACK!" she shouts. The women drop their scissors and
glue guns and burst into applause.
Spangler makes no apologies for her anger. "You don't kill my fellow
Virginians," she says, "and not expect us to fight back for change."
Habtu graduated last year and now lives at home with her family. She
suffers from post-traumatic stress, scans unfamiliar rooms for the
nearest exit, worries that another mass shooting could happen at any
time. Her jaw, shattered by another bullet, never healed, and she was
left with the face of a stranger.
This cause has become her life. She fills her days drumming up support
and organizing lie-ins. It would be naive to think that changing one
law would stop school shootings, she says. But it is a start.
A few hours later and 20 miles to the west in the equally liberal city
of Fairfax, Philip Van Cleave stands in front of a room of around 30
rapt listeners. On his coat is a large, orange button: "Guns Save
Lives."
Van Cleave, president of the pro-gun Virginia Citizens Defense League,
is delivering a lecture, "Concealed Carry - Changing the Debate," at
George Mason University. In the audience are members of the College
Republicans and Students for Concealed Carry.
He details the horrors of a 1991 mass shooting at a Texas restaurant
where 23 were killed. Just like at Virginia Tech, he points out, none
of the victims was armed. They died helpless and powerless.
There isn't time to wait for police in these situations, Van Cleave
says. A gun is an equalizer, a lifesaving tool. But the other side, he
says, doesn't understand that.
"Rule No. 1 for those of you that are new to this: Don't ever, ever,
EVER apply logic to gun control," he says. "Gun control is about
emotion."
Later, Van Cleave and seven friends stroll into a Fuddruckers
restaurant, their guns openly displayed on their hips. Most customers
look up briefly, then return to their dinners.
A few members of a Pittsburgh college tennis team are eyeing Van
Cleave's group. Some think the guns are funny, others are unsettled.
They had no idea firearms were allowed in restaurants.
"I just don't see the need," says 19-year-old Emily Himmel.
The need is clear, says Van Cleave: You never know when your life will
be on the line.
"To some degree, if somebody is nuts and they're determined to kill
other human beings, there's nothing you can do to stop them," he says.
"But you can at least protect yourself."
At the convenience store back in Narrows, cashier Jessica Perdue
pauses while ringing up customers.
"I don't know that there is a solution," she says finally. "People are
gonna be sick, they're gonna do things. It's like - I don't know."
She trails off and stares at the counter.
Across the street at the MacArthur Inn, Allen Neely nurses a soda and
watches CNN. He doesn't really know how to move on from the tragedy,
doesn't really know how to stop another one.
"It's gonna happen again somewhere," he says. "I just hope I'm not
there."
**********************************************
5. VCDL represented at the Shad Planking
**********************************************
We had a booth at the Shad Planking again this year. (The Shad
Planking is a major political event that is held in Wakefield every
year.)
VCDL is mentioned in this Daily Press article that is too long to post
here:
http://tinyurl.com/4zbbos
**********************************************
6. VT President admits that there is no prevention if someone is
willing to die in an attack
**********************************************
"...the bottom line is... if you have a student willing to take their
own life, I don't know what defense you can have"
I'm glad he seems to finally understand that nothing can stop a
deranged person from initiating violence. But like an ostrich with
his head in the sand, he still refuses to hear our message about "what
defense you CAN have."
Richmond Times Dispatch (RTD) coverage:
http://tinyurl.com/59xc6w
The article is too long to include the text here...
**********************************************
7. Article and picture of VCDL presentation at GMU
**********************************************
This article, which has several mistakes, has a picture of me holding
a cut-away gun, which I used to show the students the elements of gun
safety in preparation for their trip to a local range:
http://www.connect2mason.com/concealedcarry_cleave
Van Cleave Emphasizes the Need for Self-Protection
By Broadside Staff Reporter Erica Terrini
Photo by Broadside Photographer Molly Maddra
The final event in support of concealed weapons on campus, hosted by
the George Mason University College Republicans, assisted by Mason's
Students For Concealed Carry on Campus and Shawn Deehan, took place in
the Johnson Center last Thursday.
This was the last event held on campus to represent those who support
a Mason student's right to carry a concealed weapon and who argue for
less restricting gun laws in the national gun debate.
"Our main goal is advocating for Mason to change its policies to allow
students to carry hand guns on campus," said active member of Mason's
Students For Concealed Carry on Campus Andrew Dysart. "We're only a
branch of the national group of students which has over 23,000 members."
This event was presented by Philip Van Cleave, president of Virginia
Citizens Defense League, who spoke about concealed carry and the
national gun debate. Van Cleave also provided a brief gun safety
course after the discussion.
Van Cleave began the forum by providing a broad history on the laws
pertaining to guns and the public's access to them through the decades.
It was during the span of the two decades prior to the year 2000 that
gun laws nationwide were very constrictive. By 1986, many states were
less tolerant and only Vermont allowed citizens the right to carry
with a permit. As years progressed, many states became somewhat to
moderately tolerant with guns and presently only Alaska and Vermont
are unrestricted while most states remain a step below with limiting
laws of where citizens can carry guns.
"I thought going through the history provided a range of insight,"
said Katrina Petz, undergraduate freshman and history major. "I've
been curious as to what the counterargument [opposing Mason's current
policies] was."
Van Cleave went on to discuss the skepticism felt by many citizens
about the presence of guns, especially now that many feel the gun laws
are relaxing.
"Many people don't apply logic to gun control," Van Cleave said. "Gun
control is about emotion. Good people will not harm other people. You
don't touch your gun unless your life is in jeopardy."
Van Cleave also presented the general perspective shared by the Mason
students for concealed carry on campus.
"An adult student with a permit should be able to carry," Van Cleave
said. "What is the difference between this room [and] anywhere else?"
Throughout the course of the discussion, there was a prominent aspect
of defending one's self that was the shared priority of the speaker
and audience. One point made regarded law enforcement and the cost
citizens pay for relying heavily on local law enforcement officials to
arrive on the scene.
"People should be allowed to protect themselves and why should I
expect a police officer to defend me when I could do it myself," Van
Cleave said. "The truth is, you don't ever know... when things happen
they happen so fast that you don't have time to call 911."
Van Cleave went on to encourage Mason students who are fighting for
the right to carry concealed guns on campus to educate others and talk
to others.
"There is so much hypocrisy when it comes to talking about guns,
especially in universities, places where you should be free to talk
about anything," Van Cleave said.
The final statements for the forum were aimed at personal defense, as
well as basic rights. In addition, there were remarks examining and
evaluating the ways in which the debate on guns and the laws have
evolved over time.
**********************************************
8. Wal-Mart caves in to Bloomberg
**********************************************
Smile - you're on Candid Camera.
Wal-Mart is going to video tape gun sales and turn over the tapes to
the police if the gun is used in a crime.
http://tinyurl.com/6ebgnq
Wal-Mart Gun Policy Courts Big City Mayors
By Al Norman
Wal-Mart has often found itself on the wrong end of a gun.
The company sells more firearms than any retailer on the planet, but
this week Wal-Mart took aim at its own lax guns sales policies---and
hit the target with some powerful potential political allies.
Wal-Mart told the media that it has joined New York Mayor Michael
Bloomberg's group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, in an initiative
called The Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership. Wal-Mart pledged
to implement new gun sale rules at less than one-third of its American
stores. The retailer said it will create a new record and taping
system for guns that are subsequently used to commit a crime. If the
gun purchaser returns to Wal-Mart to buy another firearm, the system
would warn the clerk not to make the sale. The system would also allow
the police to view the tapes as part of a crime investigation. Wal-
Mart said it would also institute tougher background checks for its
"associates" who work in the firearms department. Wal-Mart admitted
that the new policies would cost the company money. "The costs are, we
think, part of what it takes to be responsible. Everything is not pain-
free," the company's spokesman told the Associated Press.
Wal-Mart has had its own troubled history with guns. For example, in
January of 2005, an investigation by the California Attorney General's
office revealed that Wal-Mart allegedly violated the state's gun laws
2,891 times over a three year period. Wal-Mart illegally sold a gun to
someone in California 2.6 times everyday from 2000 to 2003. The
violations included selling to 23 people prohibited from owning guns,
selling guns before waiting for a criminal background check, failing
to identify the buyer's identity, and allowing people to make "straw
purchases" on behalf of another person prohibited from owning guns.
Wal-Mart violations of gun laws were so bad, the state--at taxpayer
expense--set up a special training program for Wal-Mart workers to get
them to follow state law. Apparently that training misfired. State
agents found so many violations at numerous stores, that Wal-Mart
eventually decided to stop selling guns in California. There are only
two other states where Wal-Mart doesn't sell guns--New Jersey and
Hawaii. Under the terms of the settlement with the California Attorney
General, Wal-Mart paid $14.5 million to the state, and spent at least
$4.5 million to comply with state and federal regulations, plus $3
million for a public relations campaign promoting firearm safety and
to encourage other gun dealers to do what Wal-Mart failed to do: check
the ages of people buying guns. The California AG said that compliance
with the laws was necessary to keep "ex-felons, mentally ill and other
prohibited people" from getting weapons.
If this California lawsuit is any indicator, similar violations could
be happening all across the nation at thousands of Wal-Mart stores,
and people who are not supposed to be buying guns, are walking out of
superstores armed with Wal-Mart guns.
The National Rifle Association took immediate aim at the new Wal-Mart
policy. The group's CEO called Wal-Mart's move "a public relations
stunt". "I honestly think it's a corporation trying to curry favor
with politicians as opposed to doing anything meaningful about
stopping crime," said Wayne LaPierre of the NRA.
And he's probably right. Wal-Mart, after all, needs Michael Bloomberg
strongly on their side if they are to have any hope of breaking into
the Manhattan market. The retailer's efforts to site a store in
Manhattan have been shot down.
"We didn't pressure them," Mayor Bloomberg told the media, " they're
doing it because they think it's the responsible thing to do." No,
they did it to declare a cease fire with the Founders of Mayors
Against Illegal Guns---Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Tom
Menino---the latter an outspoken critic of Wal-Mart who kept them out
of Downtown Crossing.
Wal-Mart assured the NRA that it is not getting out of the lucrative
business of selling guns. That includes selling guns to people who
should not own them. Like every decision at Wal-Mart, the only
behavior that is responsible is behavior that swells the bottom line.
On that subject, Wal-Mart has deadly aim.
**********************************************
9. Florida passes law to keep employers from banning guns in cars in
parking lots!
**********************************************
What a contrast in Governors between Virginia and Florida :-(
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080415/BREAKING/803495987/1661
Crist signs guns at work bill
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Charlie Crist has signed a bill into law that
allows Florida residents to keep guns locked in their cars at work.
The bill says businesses cannot prohibit employees or customers from
keeping a legally owned gun locked inside their cars, as long as the
owner has a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Guns would still be off limits at some sites: schools, prisons,
nuclear power plants, military facilities and buildings that store
explosives.
Supporters of the bill say people have a constitutional right under
the Second Amendment to carry firearms and should be able to keep guns
in their cars for protection. Business owners have argued they have a
constitutional right to set the rules on their own property. They say
they should be able to ban guns there if they choose, in order to
protect employees and patrons.
The governor signed the bill Tuesday.
--
But there is opposition:
http://tinyurl.com/4bn9c5
Opposition Builds To New Florida Gun Law
Reporting
Ted Scouten
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ―
Opposition to a new law which allows Florida residents to keep guns
locked in their cars while they are at work plan to take their case to
court.
In Broward, one opponent of the bill, attorney Charles Caulkins,
explained he believes it violates employers' rights. "We represent
clients around the country, and most clients do not want to have their
employees on their property with firearms."
The Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Retail Federation have
hired legal representation to file a suit against the state for a new
law which bars businesses from prohibiting employees or customers with
a permit to carry a concealed weapon from keeping a legally owned gun
locked inside their vehicle.
"For about a month now we've been talking to a legal team to shape
strategy for a legal challenge. We believe this is a clear,
unconstitutional bill and we will be taking that to federal court,"
said Rick McAllister with the Florida Retail Federation.
But not every agrees that the law is unconstitutional.
"It makes sure that the right of self defense is protected no matter
where you park your car. The legislature was sworn to uphold the
constitution and the laws of the state of Florida. They took that
action when they passed this bill and the governor signed it, so this
is a good bill for the people of the state of Florida," said Marion
Hammer with the National Rifle Association.
The law, which was signed by Gov. Crist on Tuesday, does have some
exceptions; guns would still be banned from the parking lots of
schools, prisons, nuclear power plants, military facilities and
buildings that store explosives.
Those who support the law say under the second amendment of the
Constitution, believe they have a constitutional right to carry a
firearm and should have access to it for protection.
Business owners counter that they have a constitutional right to set
the rules on their own property.
**********************************************
10. Good LTE in the RTD
**********************************************
http://tinyurl.com/3rbfw8
Gun Rules Left Students Defenseless
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
I agree with everything in Robert Grosz's letter published about the
Virginia Tech massacre, with one exception. In the third paragraph he
states that he didn't believe there was "any action that could have
been taken by any human being that would have prevented what happened
on that fateful day."
But there was action that could have saved most, if not all, of the
victims that day. If there had been even one armed person with a
concealed-carry permit, either in the hallway of the dormitory, or the
classroom, I believe the outcome of that day would have been very
different.
More gun laws affect only the law-abiding gun owners, not the
criminals they're intended to control. We don't need any more gun
laws. In fact, none of the more than 20,000 gun laws on the books now
would have made a difference in the tragedy at Virginia Tech, because
of the very nature of some mentally disturbed people and criminals
intent on hurting others.
Kathleen Beattie Watkins. Richmond.
**********************************************
11. Charles City County looking at banning rifle hunting!
**********************************************
The Charles City County is considering banning or severely restricting
the use of rifles for hunting.
You can download the proposed ordinances by clicking here:
http://tinyurl.com/4t5rdz
If you wish to speak against this matter, the meeting will be held at
the Charles City Government and School Board Administration Building,
10900 Courthouse Road, Charles City, VA 23030 on April 22nd at 7:45 PM.
If you can't attend, you can email the following Board members a
message. As always, be polite:
Timothy W. Cotman, Sr.
Email:
tcotman@co.charles-city.va.us
Sherri M. Bowman
Email:
sbowman@co.charles-city.va.us
Gilbert A. Smith
Email:
gsmith@co.charles-city.va.us
**********************************************
12. Niteline story on college carry
**********************************************
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Story?id=4656379&page=2
Conceal and Carry at VA Tech?
One Student Group Fights for the Right to Carry Concealed Weapons on
Campus
By TERRY MORAN and HOWARD L. ROSENBERG
BLACKSBURG, Va., April 16, 2008—
On that windy April day last year, when death descended on Virginia
Tech, students, faculty and staff confronted one of America's worst
nightmares: A mad, broken young man, armed to the teeth. The memories
are still raw.
"Hokie Nation," as they called the school's close-knit community, came
together, rallied, and mourned with dignity and a distinctive spirit.
One year later, the Virginia Tech campus is once again an idyllic
place, and Norris Hall, where 30 people were murdered by Seung-Hui
Cho, and where he took his own life, is being transformed into a
Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention.
So, it might come as a shock to learn that, for some students at
Virginia Tech, the answer to Cho's gun rampage is concealed handguns
on campus.
"A lot of people don't understand the aspect of carrying for self
defense," said Ken Stanton, a 30-year-old engineering graduate student
at Virginia Tech, and the head of the Vermont chapter of Students for
Concealed Carry on Campus. University policy prohibits students or
employees, except campus police, from carrying concealed weapons,
though visitors who have a valid permit are allowed to keep their guns.
Stanton says concealed weapons can protect students from muggers,
rapists and even deranged school shooters like Cho.
"The reality is that it was probably the one thing that could have
turned the tables. Many people tried to attack Cho while during this,
and stop him. People closed doors, threw things at him ... so
realistically speaking, there needed to be a stronger weapon of some
kind for someone to have been able to stop him in the situation,"
Stanton said.
It's a tough sell in a community as traumatized by gun violence as
Virginia Tech, but Stanton is convinced guns in the hands of licensed,
responsible students would make the campus safer. He also believes
that parents may come to accept the idea.
"The first reaction might be, 'Oh, my gosh, there's gonna be guns on
campus.' But if you flip that around and understand that there are
people there ready to defend themselves and possibly others if there's
an attack, it actually becomes a safer place, in that sense, so it
becomes an issue of understanding for parents," Stanton said.
Gaining Support Across America
Students for Concealed Carry on Campus is a nationwide movement that
claims 25,000 members, and organizes, as most advocacy groups on
campus do nowadays: on Facebook.
One of the 11 campuses that allows students to carry concealed
weapons, Blue Ridge Community College, is just an hour away from
Virginia Tech, outside Staunton.
Stanton points to that campus, and others, as examples of effective
conceal and carry. "There has never been a shooting, there has never
been a gun stolen, there has never been any of these speculatory [sic}
situations where we say, 'oh, everything is going to go wrong,'"
Stanton said. "It actually has been shown quite the contrary that
students have been even more responsible with their right to carry on
campus than others."
But Virginia Tech is different. It's a place scarred forever by gun
violence.
"Nightline" met with several officers of the Students for Concealed
Carry on Campus group at Virginia Tech. Nearly all of them knew
someone who was killed by Cho last year, including Nina Camoriano.
When she came to Virginia Tech, she accepted the school's ban on
carrying concealed guns, but not any more.
"Since April 16th, I've realized that's really not an option and
wanted to get involved to let the world know that we need the right to
defend ourselves and we need it now. We can't be sitting ducks, and
that's what all college campuses are right now. The more we hem and
haw and just let things go, people are dying over this issue," she said.
Self-Defense or Unnecessary Danger?
And how do the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus members feel
about college students carrying guns when they go out to party?
"Well, the funny thing about that is, you know people are already
allowed to [carry] concealed off campus and that's where all the
drinking happens," said Kenneth Anderson.
In fact, state regulations governing concealed weapon permits prohibit
carrying a firearm into elementary schools, middle schools and high
schools, places of worship, courthouses or places where alcoholic
beverages are served or consumed.
Fellow member James Kenny added, "Also, a lot of the people you hear
making that argument are people who don't know much about firearms and
project their fears about firearms on others and say, 'oh, well, I
don't trust myself with a gun, so why should I trust anyone else with
a gun?'"
The students said it's all about self-defense.
"The beauty of concealed carry is that you don't have to carry to be
protected by it," Camoriano said. "So, just the element of uncertainty
makes a lot of these would-be criminals change their minds and choose
a different place to attack."
Virginia is one of 39 states that issue concealed carry licenses to
qualifying residents. Virginia requires a permit applicant to be at
least 21 years old, and pass a firearms safety course and a background
check, before carrying a gun.
School officials adopted a strict policy and established the rule
banning guns from campus in 2006 a rule that obviously did not stop
Cho.
But most Virginia Tech students ABC News spoke with said that
licensed, concealed weapons are not the answer.
"I think it's definitely a step in the wrong direction," said
sophomore Jessica Blint, of Pittsburgh. "I think we should be teaching
other things, like getting along with each other and ways to deal with
anger and depression, instead of saying that the way we deal with that
is to have a weapon on you."
After a year of trauma and grief and recovery, the school is moving
forward, debating how best to stop such violence in the future, and
how best to keep everyone safe.
**********************************************
13. VCDL President interviewed on the "lie-ins" last Wednesday
**********************************************
I showed up at the Richmond "lie-in" to provide a counter-point to the
press and they took me up on it.
Here is Richmond channel 12 coverage (with video). I was given a
decent amount of time and got the last word:
http://tinyurl.com/3jdbqo
Peaceful protest against gun violence at state capitol
By Rob Richardson, NBC12 News
To mark Wednesday's anniversary, about 75 people attended a peaceful
protest against gun violence at the state capitol. It was one of 80
across the country calling for tougher gun laws.
Using the state capitol as a backdrop nearly three dozen people staged
a lie-in Wednesday morning to protest gun violence in Virginia and the
U.S.
One by one, 32 people began lying down in the grass.
A crowd watched the men and women on the ground be still for three
minutes. The time they said it takes to conduct a background check to
buy a gun.
It was Bobbie Ansell's first "lie-in." Her neice, Emily Hass, was one
of the Virginia Tech students injured during last years campus
shooting.
"I think most Americans are not aware of these loopholes," says Hass.
In Virginia, it's legal to buy a gun without a background check at gun
shows - when buying from an unlicensed dealer. Governor Tim Kaine and
others pushed hard this year to change that.
The bill failed.
Ansell told today's crowd her neice survived last year's shooting
because the gunman thought she was dead. Twelve others in the class
died.
"You can't close everything, you can't protect everything. But, are we
just going to turn away things and say it's not going to work. We've
got to do what we can to eliminate the guns. I know this won't fix
everything but, we've got to start somewhere," says
Susan Miller is a family doctor whose been treating gunshot victims in
Richmond for more than 20 years. She says, "I take care of families
who have lost loved ones, people who have been injured, spinal cord
injuries, all because of the availibility and non-sensical way in
which we manage gins in this country.
Philip Van Cleave, a member of Virginia Citizens Defense League, wore
the button "Guns Save Lives." He said he opposes more restrictions on
gun sales.
"When you see those 32 people lying down, it reminds me of what
happens when you disarm people, when you take away their right to self
defense, that's what you get," says Philip Van Cleave.
The protest at Capitol Square lasted about an hour.
--
Here is coverage by the Richmond Times-Dispatch that also includes
video:
http://tinyurl.com/3pxtdq
Protestors lie down for tougher gun laws
A lie-in at Capital Square today attracted about 50 onlookers
supporting tougher gun laws to help avert future gun tragedies.
On the first anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings, 32 people
dressed in black lay still on the grass for three minutes to represent
the 32 victims of gunman Seung-Hui Cho and the time it took him to buy
a gun.
Organizers asked Virginia legislators to close the so-called "gun show
loophole" in state laws. At a gun show, an unlicensed, private dealer
can sell a gun without doing a background check on the purchaser. Cho
did not buy either of his two guns at a gun show.
The lie-in was supported by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
and ProtestEasyGuns.com.
Pam Carnahan, a family friend of injured Tech student Emily Haas,
offered thoughts and prayers for the families of Tech victims and for
"all who have lost their lives or been injured as a result of gun
violence."
Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League,
was the only visible opponent of gun control in the crowd. He said
that if students at Tech had been armed, then Cho may have been
stopped before he killed 32 people.
**********************************************
14. Shameless gun-haters protest at VT despite sentiments by VT and
students
**********************************************
http://tinyurl.com/5fdrw4
Gun control advocates hold lie-ins on Drillfield and at Richmond's
Capitol Square
BLACKSBURG — They lay down on the grass of the Drillfield, roughly
halfway between the places where two groups of victims lay one year
ago in Norris and West Ambler Johnston halls.
In silence, the 50-some protesters stayed down for three minutes,
about the time they said it takes to buy a gun.
Unlike the other vigils and ceremonies held on campus and around the
region to mark the one-year anniversary of the Virginia Tech
shootings, this one did more than commemorate the dead: It appealed to
the living to do something about the ease with which guns are
purchased in America.
"I have no fear of firearms," said Peter Read, a U.S. Air Force
veteran whose daughter, Mary, was one of the 32 victims of last year's
shootings on the Tech campus.
"But I am afraid of what can happen in this country when we don't take
the most simple, common sense precautions," said Read, who spoke to
about 100 people attending the protest.
At Tuesday's lie-in and about 75 others like it across the country,
participants called for better gun control laws, including one that
would require background checks for all potential buyers at gun shows.
"Dangerous individuals, mentally ill people and even terrorists can
buy guns today at a gun show unchecked," said Omar Samaha, who lost
his sister, Reema, to the shootings.
"That should not be allowed to happen in this country."
In the context of April 16, perhaps the biggest failing of Virginia's
gun laws was a gap in the reporting system for a database intended to
prevent mentally ill people from buying guns.
Before the shootings, only people who had been committed to a mental
institution were included in the database used to run background
checks on gun buyers. That allowed two handgun purchases by Seung-Hui
Cho, the troubled Tech student who had been ordered to receive
outpatient treatment 16 months before he committed the mass murders.
The gap Cho slipped through has already been closed. But protesters
said Tuesday that more needs to be done — including closing the
so-called gun show loophole.
Lori Haas, the mother of shooting victim Emily Haas, made a plea
before lying down in the grass: "Let your voices be heard," she said.
"Please let our legislators know how you feel. They can close the gun
show loophole, and they will if we let our voices be heard."
Cho did not buy his guns at a gun show, where unlicensed dealers are
not required to run background checks on potential customers.
Even before it started, the protest generated controversy.
Some worried that political activism would mar the day's somber tone.
After the Student Government Association passed a resolution last week
urging students not to protest, a compromise was reached. Organizers
agreed to push the event back several hours to avoid a conflict with a
morning commemoration ceremony, and to hold it on the opposite end of
the Drillfield.
The event drew a lone counter-demonstrator. Joe Painter, a Blacksburg
attorney and Virginia Tech graduate, stood at the edge of the crowd
wearing a sign that read: "Brady Go Home; Show some respect."
Although the lie-in was organized by students, it had the backing of
the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and ProtestEasyGuns.com, a
grassroots organization formed after the Tech shootings.
"This is pure politics," Painter said of the lie-in. "It has nothing
to do with the memory of the 32 who were murdered."
**********************************************
15. More TV coverage of college carry
**********************************************
Activist Bruce Finkelstein is interviewed in this WVEC news story on
college carry (video included):
http://tinyurl.com/4jku2l
Va. Tech sparks students' desire to carry concealed weapons on campus
11:16 PM EDT on Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Reported by Brian Farrell
NORFOLK -- In the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, more Americans
have applied for concealed weapons permits and a growing number of
college students are trying to get permits to carry concealed weapons
on campuses.
Some Old Dominion University students say concealed weapons are the
only way to protect themselves from a gunman.
"Park in a public garage. You walk on a public street and then you go
into a building," said Bruce Finkelstein, TCC student, of student
life. "Your right for self defense shouldn't stop at the door of that
building."
He is more than one of 25 members of Students for Concealed Carry on
Campus . The Navy vet attends TCC in Downtown Norfolk.
"You're not gonna get more people carrying," he said. "You're just
gonna have the same people who would already have concealed permits."
In Virginia, the number of permits issued exploded between 2006 and
2007. In 2006, the figure was a little more than 25,000. In 2007, it
topped 41,000.
"I think people should have the right to have a weapon, but at the
same time, I don't know," said ODU student Trisha Hemenway. "It can be
stolen. It can be used for something, more ways than one, you know,
more than protection."
The concern is shared by a lot of people on the other side of the
debate, including police on local campuses.
Also Online
For Finkelstein, the non-traditional student, the issue is pretty
simple; "They cannot be everywhere at every time. The only person that
I can guarantee would be able to come to my assistance, should I
confront, you know, somebody confront me armed, would be myself."
There are currently 153,178 active permits in the Commonwealth of
Virginia.
**************************************************
16. Gun shows and events!
**************************************************
The Virginia Citizens Defense League thanks the following
member-activists who generously gave of their time to advance and
help defend the rights of their fellow gun owners by working our
recruiting and information booth at the Showmasters gun show in
Richmond, Mar. 29-30:
Carl Shuler, Sue Brush, Debra & Brian Weidman, Chuck Williamson, Paul
Henick, Billy and Jan Donald, Clint and Margie Kritzer, and Audrey
Muehleisen
We also thank the volunteers at the SGK show in Hampton, Mar. 29-30:
John Young, Ronald Maurice III, Bill Slifer, Jon Geel, Chris Oxley,
Monty Oakes, Ed Burton, Curtis Stone, Lee Affholter, Daniel Balderas,
Douglas Kelsey, and Mark Aul
Thanks to the VCDL volunteers at the Showmasters show in Norfolk, Apr.
5-6:
Hugh Cain, Glenn & Bridgette Jornov, Ed Burton, Monty Oakes, Mark
Spruill, Dan Reeves, Denny Olson, Marshall Lyall, Curtis Stone,
Gary Mann, Charlie Grose, Jon Van Dermark, Joel Michello, Craig
Rutherford, Carolynn White, and Ron & Jean Hyson
Finally, we would like to thank the volunteers at the C&E/Showmasters
show in Chantilly, Apr. 11-13:
Ken Bullock, TJ Parmele, Curtis Winter, Alan Gideon, Jay & Margot
Alexander, David Spencer, Hank & Deborah Buchanan, Donna Plummer, Max
Padon, Margaret Marcus, and David Park
As an all volunteer organization, VCDL depends on YOU to volunteer
your time at our area events, where we recruit new activists and keep
gun owners informed. No experience necessary; if it's your first time
we'll pair you with a veteran volunteer. To find out more about
helping at our gun show tables, go to:
http://www2.vcdl.org/cgi-bin/wspd_cgi.sh/vcdl/gs.html
and click on any of the blue links, or contact the coordinator for
the show/event listed below with which you are interested in helping.
Here are the upcoming events with which we need YOUR help:
a. FISHERSVILLE
http://www.showmasters.us, April 26-27
Saturday, April 26 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 27 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Please contact Bob Schmidt at
Shenandoahgunshows@vcdl.org to help
in Fishersville.
b. FREDERICKSBURG
http://www.guns-knives.com, April 26-27
Saturday, April 26 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 27 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
We still need volunteers for this show! If you can spare some time,
please
Contact Robert Herron at
Fredericksburggunshows@vcdl.org to help in
Fredericksburg.
c. RICHMOND
http://www.cegunshows.com, May 17-18
Saturday, May 17 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 18 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Contact Audrey Muehleisen at
CentralVAgunshows@vcdl.org to help at
the Showplace in Mechanicsville.
d. DALE CITY
http://www.olddominionshows.com, June 14-15
Saturday, June 14 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 15 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Please contact our Northern Virginia coordinator at
NOVAgunshows@vcdl.org to help in Dale City.
e. FREDERICKSBURG
http://www.guns-knives.com, July 12-13
Saturday, July 12 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 13 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Contact Robert Herron at
Fredericksburggunshows@vcdl.org to help in
Fredericksburg.
f. RICHMOND
http://www.cegunshows.com, July 12-13
Saturday, July 12 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 13 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Contact Audrey Muehleisen at
CentralVAgunshows@vcdl.org to help at
the Showplace in Mechanicsville.
g. SALEM
http://www.cegunshows.com, July 19-20
Saturday, July 19 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 20 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Please contact Al Steed, Jr. at
SWVAgunshows@vcdl.org to help in
Salem.
h. CHANTILLY
http://www.cegunshows.com, July 25-27
Friday, July 25 3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 26 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 27 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Please contact our Northern Virginia coordinator at
NOVAgunshows@vcdl.org to help in Chantilly.
i. DALE CITY
http://www.olddominionshows.com, August 2-3
Saturday, August 2 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 3 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Please contact our Northern Virginia coordinator at
NOVAgunshows@vcdl.org to help in Dale City.
j. RICHMOND
http://www.showmasters.us, August 16-17
Saturday, August 16 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 17 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Contact Audrey Muehleisen at
CentralVAgunshows@vcdl.org to help at
the Richmond Raceway Complex.
k. ROANOKE
http://www.showmasters.us, August 16-17
Saturday, August 16 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 17 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Please contact Al Steed, Jr. at
SWVAgunshows@vcdl.org to help in
Roanoke.
l. VIRGINIA OUTDOOR SPORTSMAN'S CLASSIC
http://www.vaoutdoorsportsmensclassic.com/, SALEM CIVIC CENTER,
August 22-24
Friday, August 22 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 23 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 24 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
The VCDL table is being paid for again by Grahme Anderson,
Empire Siding And Windows, Roanoke. Please contact Al Steed, Jr.
at
SWVAgunshows@vcdl.org to help at this big show in Salem.
m. HARRISONBURG
http://www.showmasters.us, August 23-24
Saturday, August 23 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 24 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Please contact Bob Schmidt at
Shenandoahgunshows@vcdl.org to help
in Harrisonburg.
n. NORFOLK
http://www.showmasters.us, September 6-7
Saturday, September 6 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 7 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Please contact Ron and Jean Hyson at
Norfolk-VBgunshows@vcdl.org to
help at the Norfolk Scope.
o. CHANTILLY
http://www.cegunshows.com, September 12-14
Friday, September 12 3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 13 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 14 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Please contact our Northern Virginia coordinator at
NOVAgunshows@vcdl.org to help in Chantilly.
p. HAMPTON
http://www.guns-knives.com, September 20-21
Saturday, September 20 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 21 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Please contact Ron Lilly at
HamptonRoadsgunshows@vcdl.org to help in
Hampton.
-------------------------------------------
***************************************************************************
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
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