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

09/06/09 - Important - gun owners attending 9-12 Project

Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. IMPORTANT: for those attending the 9-12 Project Rally in DC Saturday 2. Reminder: VCDL President speaking at Yorktown Tea Party tomorrow (Monday) 3. Richmond Coliseum changes gun policy again! ******************************************************* 1. IMPORTANT: for those attending the 9-12 Project Rally in DC Saturday READ THIS! ******************************************************* If you are going to be at the 9/12 Project rally in DC this upcoming Saturday, please read this! I have suggested that gun owners who are going to the event should wear an empty holster to protest DC's unconstitutional ban on your right to carry a gun for self-defense. PLEASE NOTE: DO ***NOT*** bring any AMMUNITION into DC! It is a felony for every unregistered round! I could see myself carefully taking my gun out of my holster, securing the gun in the car, jumping on the metro, and totally forgetting the spare magazine on my hip! Hmmm - seven felonies just waiting to happen. :-( It's always such a great feeling to reenter American when that metro crosses back into Virginia on the way home! ******************************************************* 2. Reminder: VCDL President speaking at Yorktown Tea Party tomorrow (Monday) ******************************************************* For those of you in the Yorktown area, hopefully I will see you tomorrow at the Tea Party where I will be speaking guns being "the canary in the coal mine" of our civil rights: http://www.yorkteaparty.org/next ******************************************************* 3. Richmond Coliseum changes gun policy again! ******************************************************* About the time of the Republican Convention, the Richmond Coliseum changed its "no weapons" policy to allow for lawful carry of handguns, openly or concealed, as per state law. About a month or so ago the policy was changed to once again say "no weapons of any sort" In frustration, the Board voted to begin the process of taking Richmond to court in order to end the violation of state law by the City and the Coliseum. Accordingly I met with a Richmond area attorney last week. I also contacted City attorneys to put them on notice that if this problem isn't fixed, we are going to court. (If the City simply fixes the problem, VCDL would be happy to let the issue drop.) I was told to talk to the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA), who actually owns property, The RRHA attorney said that Richmond leases the property and sets the rules, pointing me back at the City as the one to sue. And now a member tells me that the policy has just been changed to say that "ILLEGAL weapons" are banned! Upon checking sure enough: http://www.richmondcoliseum.net/visitor_policies.asp There are some localities that have used that same wording. Note: I am not a lawyer and can't give legal advice. My law understanding of the law indicates that the wording is valid as it allows for the otherwise lawful open or concealed carry of a handgun as per Virginia law. The wording simply states the obvious - illegal things are not allowed in the Coliseum. Hopefully the Richmond Coliseum staff understands the law and their own rules if they encounter a gun owner lawfully carrying a gun. I am hoping that the City got the message that VCDL was tired of playing games. Anyway, we will keep an eye on their firearms policy in case it changes yet again. We also want to hear first-hand reports from any of you attending events at the Coliseum who choose to carry as to what you experience there. ------------------------------------------- ***************************************************************************