Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL)

Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc.
PO. Box 513, Newington, VA 22122 • 804-639-0600 • 703-372-3285 • 757-271-3705 • 540-446-5783

11/12/07 - Bye-Bye DD at VCDL meeting on Thursday!

1. VCDL membership meeting - Devolites-Davis going-away party and election wrap-up 2. Spotsylvania members - a chance to get rid of fingerprinting! 3. Results of 1st Congressional District Convention ************************************************************* 1. VCDL membership meeting - Devolites-Davis going-away party and election wrap-up ************************************************************* At this Thursday's VCDL membership meeting, we will be having a going away party for Senator Jeannemarie Devolites-Davis! We will have a specially decorated cake and cookies, as well as soft drinks. You're going to want to see the cake and cookies. ;-) We will also be discussing the election results and what they mean to gun owners. Larry Pratt, Executive Director of Gun Owners of America, and Jeff Knox's wife, representing The Firearms Coalition, will be there to celebrate with us! If you haven't met Larry, this would be a great time to meet him and thank him for all that he does. The NRA has also been invited, but we have not heard if they will send a representative. The meeting will be held at the Mason Government Center in Annandale this Thursday, November 15th at 8 PM. Fellowship will start at 7:30 PM. We need to get an approximate head count so we have plenty of food. So if you can think you can make it, please send an RSVP with the number in your party to Jim Snyder at: vp*vcdl.org. Even if you don't RSVP, you can still come to the meeting. We just want an approximate count. The meeting is open to the public and the press will be invited, so bring along friends, family, and coworkers. Directions to the meeting can be found at: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings.html ************************************************************* 2. Spotsylvania members - a chance to get rid of fingerprinting! ************************************************************* The Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, November 13 at 6:30 PM for the purpose of revising county ordinances, including conforming their concealed handgun permit fingerprinting ordnance to Virginia law which forbids localities from requiring fingerprints of anyone holding an existing Virginia concealed handgun permit, expired or not. But why is Spotsylvania fingerprinting gun owners at all? Fingerprinting causes gun owners in Spotsylvania to take an additional day off of work (or be away from the kids at home) for something that 75% of the localities in the state don't require. That's right, 75% of Virginia localities, even Fairfax County and the City of Richmond, DO NOT fingerprint - it's a local option, not a requirement. So just like Virginia's hated abuser fees for traffic infractions, the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors is set to continue gun owner "abuser printing" of Spotsylvania residents, while non-residents from Fairfax County, Richmond, or the entire state of Pennsylvania, can carry concealed in Spotsylvania without ever having been fingerprinted! Action Item #1 for a VCDL member, but especially those living in Spotsylvania County: Stand with VCDL members at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, November 13 at 6:30 PM at in the Holbert Building, 9104 Courthouse Road, Spotsylvania, VA. We will ask the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors to simply join most Virginia localities and repeal entirely the County's ongoing gun owner abuser printing. Please also, especially Spotsylvania **residents**, consider standing up and make comments during the hearing - you will have 3 minutes to make your comments. See talking points below in the suggested email to the Supervisors (Action Item #2). Action Item #2 for Spotsylvania County residents or those thinking of moving there only: Email the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors and urge them to simply join most Virginia localities and repeal the County's ongoing gun owner abuser printing. Sample message: TO: BOS*spotsylvania.va.us, cyakabouski*spotsylvania.va.us, Spotsyebm*aol.com, hconnors*spotsylvania.va.us, jlogan*spotsylvania.va.us, vonorato*spotsylvania.va.us, spotsytcw*aol.com, garyjackson*spotsylvania.va.us SUBJECT: Please end FBI fingerprint registration of concealed handgun permit applicants! Dear Supervisors: It's time that Spotsylvania County join 75% of localities in Virginia, including Fairfax County and Richmond, and repeal the optional local fingerprinting requirement for concealed handgun permit applicants. Due to the recent increase in cost of FBI fingerprint processing to $32.50, Spotsylvania is sending the FBI a huge chunk of the $50 concealed handgun permit application fee it could keep instead to fund County programs, including public safety initiatives. THREE QUARTERS of all Virginia localities, and some reciprocally accepted permit states like Pennsylvania, DO NOT fingerprint concealed handgun permit applicants at all! Permit holders are equally law-abiding in all localities. Nobody gets fingerprinted to buy guns. Nobody gets fingerprinted to carry guns openly. So why is Spotsylvania one of the few localities fingerprinting gun owners at all, causing permit applicants to take an additional day off of work, or away from the kids at home, for something that nonresidents of Spotsylvania don't have to do in order to get the exact same concealed handgun permit? Fingerprinting is a waste of time that, in practice, does not result in any additional applicant disqualifications beyond the disqualifications rendered anyway via the 45 day Virginia State Police investigation and records check. In conclusion, when you meet on Tuesday, November 13, I urge you to eliminate all fingerprinting for concealed handgun applicants! Sincerely, YOUR NAME YOUR ADDRESS ************************************************************* 3. Results of 1st Congressional District Convention ************************************************************* Robert J. Wittman was selected as the Republican nominee for the 1st Congressional District in a party convention held on Saturday, Nov 10. Just a few days earlier, he was reelected to the House of Delegates in the Virginia General Assembly. Unfortunately, in his Delegate race, he declined to answer the VCDL Candidate Survey -- keeping his position on key gun issue in Virginia hidden. He does have an NRA "A" rating, but an NRA "A" rating isn't always an accurate indicator of how a legislator will vote. Several VCDL members stepped up to the plate and became delegates at the convention! If you are curious about how a convention works, here is a blog describing Saturday's convention: http://tinyurl.com/27xjwt ------------------------------------------- ***************************************************************************