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

08/04/09 - VCDL now on Twitter / new survey shows strong gun support

Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. VCDL now on Twitter 2. New Zogby poll: 83% of Americans support concealed carry! ************************************ 1. VCDL now on Twitter ************************************ VCDL now has a Twitter account (twitter.com/vcdl_org) that I will be using to let people know what VCDL is up to and what is happening with gun rights in Virginia - all in a more timely fashion than is possible with VA-ALERT. Using Twitter, for example, I will be able to "tweet" information on gun bills as they are being discussed and voted on in committees, giving you the blow-by-blow details as they are happening. (Tweets are short little messages sent out documenting something. Tweets are purposely constrained to be very, very short and, thus, have to be to the point.) I will use Twitter to let you know about gun related events (rallies, protests, picnics, dinners, meetings, etc.) that are coming up and what transpires at those events before the information hits VA-ALERT. If there is a critical or urgent situation, it will hit Twitter immediately, follow by VA-ALERT shortly thereafter. There is a lot that is done by VCDL every week and much of it never makes it to an Alert or an Update, as I don't want to overload those that are sensitive to high email traffic levels. Some of these "unsung" items are local issues that we quietly fix. Some are things your fellow VCDL members fix on their own. No surprise there, as VCDL members have to be among the most knowledgeable and political savvy gun owners in the country. I will use Twitter to keep you apprised of places where I will be either speaking or attending on behalf of VCDL, for those who might wish to know. I am going to do my utmost to keep the tweets interesting and timely. So if you want to be on the technological "bleeding edge" of what's going on in Virginia, here's your opportunity. To follow VCDL with your Twitter account, go here and click "follow": http://twitter.com/VCDL_ORG Twitter accounts, for those of you who might be new to this, is a powerful way of social networking and is free. A lot of young people are really into twittering and VCDL feels that this is an important way to reach out to the younger crowd, as well as a great way to make sure that gun owners in Virginia continue to lead the way in using technology to organize in the protection of our right to self-defense! Just to be clear: the Twitters are NOT meant to replace VA-ALERT, but to supplement it. Onward we charge into the 21st century! ;-) ************************************ 2. New Zogby poll: 83% of Americans support concealed carry! ************************************ Thanks to EM Matt Gottshalk for link: http://www.prweb.com/releases/Second_Amendment/Supreme_Court/prweb2706544.htm Zogby/O'Leary Poll Reveals Majority of Voters Will Oppose Senators Who Vote to Confirm an Anti-Second Amendment Supreme Court Nominee Strong Majority of Independents, Democrats and Obama Voters Support the Right to Carry a Firearm Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) August 3, 2009 -- Next week the full U.S. Senate will vote on whether or not to confirm President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor. Many analysts are predicting a mostly party-line vote, however, a recent poll conducted by Zogby International and The O'Leary Report may give Senators from both parties some pause. (The poll was conducted July 21-24, surveyed 4,470 voters, and has a margin-of-error of plus-or-minus 1.5 percentage points.). Judge Sonia Sotomayor Judge Sotomayor does not believe the Second Amendment right to "keep and bear arms" and the right to self-defense are fundamental rights of all Americans. Specifically, Judge Sotomayor believes the Second Amendment only applies to the federal government and does not apply to the States, as indicated by her recent testimony and past rulings. Zogby/O'Leary asked voters: "Would you support or oppose a U.S. Senator who voted to confirm a Justice to the U.S. Supreme Court who does not believe in the right to keep and bear arms and the right to self-defense?" Fifty-two percent of American voters would oppose the re-election of any Senator who votes to confirm a Supreme Court nominee who does not believe in the right to keep and bear arms. Only 26 percent of voters would support such a Senator. Among Independent voters, 57 percent would oppose such a Senator, and only 17 percent would support. Forty-nine percent of young voters (age 18-29) would oppose a Senator who votes to confirm a nominee who does not believe Second Amendment rights apply to all Americans, and just 31 percent would support such a Senator. A plurality of Hispanic voters (42 percent) would oppose such a Senator, and only 28 percent would support. A large percentage of Hispanics (30 percent) are not sure. A majority of union members (54 percent) would also oppose, and 29 percent would support. The Right to Carry a Firearm An amendment that would have permitted law-abiding gun owners with concealed-carry permits to carry their firearms across state lines recently fell short in the Senate. Although the amendment received a majority of votes (58-39), a filibuster-proof 60 votes were required for passage. Zogby/O'Leary asked voters: "Currently, 39 states have laws that allow residents to carry firearms to protect themselves, only if they pass a background check and pay a fee to cover administrative costs. Most of those states also require applicants to have firearms safety training. Do you support or oppose this law?" An overwhelming majority of Americans (83 percent) support concealed- carry laws, while only 11 percent oppose them. A majority of Independent voters (86 percent), Democrats (80 percent), young voters age 18-29 (83 percent), Hispanic voters (80 percent), and those who voted for President Obama (80 percent) support the right to carry a firearm. ------------------------------------------- ***************************************************************************