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

09/30/09 - VCDL Update 9/30/09 - Part 2

sure wish I did, because of the enhanced service you have decided to offer: Riders can now carry firearms and concealed weapons on the train! (http://tinyurl.com/mbqyfk) There are so many reasons this is a good idea too many to list here. Mostly, it will make everyone who rides the train feel much safer. And despite what some may say, it's not really a problem that the firearm a District-bound Virginia resident boards with in, say, Quantico or Manassas cannot be carried legally in D.C. In fact and I'm sure you've already thought of this it's a potential revenue-maker for the state: Set up some kind of gun-checking station at the border, charge a few bucks for eight hour's worth of storage, and tack on a handling fee! Commuters will feel it's worth it to have their guns for a few stops [PVC: AND all the rest of the way home], and they can conveniently pick them back up after a hard day's work. NBC Washington reported that some members of your board were less than thrilled with having to make the change as required by state law partially because many riders will run afoul of the differing rules across jurisdictions, but also because guns plus big crowds equals disaster. For instance, Chris Zimmerman, an Arlington County supervisor, said, I think encouraging people to bring guns onto loaded trains is a stupid idea. That's short-sighted and silly. Bringing guns onto loaded trains is a good idea. Here's to hoping most commuters take advantage of the opportunity. We will all be better for it. ************************************************** 8. Senate tells Amtrak, "No guns, no money." Shenanigans in play! ************************************************** Jeff Knox of The Firearms Coalition emailed this to me: -- Philip, It surprises me that most of the mainstream gun rights crowd is celebrating the Senate vote on the Amtrak amendment. This is by no means a done deal and I expect that it never will be - at least not on this go around. This is actually the second time the amendment has passed. The first time it was subsequently killed. This time, the bill goes to a conference committee which is comprised on the Senate side of 14 "F" votes and 4 "A" votes with a couple of "B's, C's, and D's" thrown in. There were just too many "F" Democrats voting in favor of that one for my money. Take a look at my examination and the breakdown here: http://tinyurl.com/yafjhq8 I haven't seen a list of the House delegates to the Reconciliation Committee yet, but I expect it to be equally lop-sided. Jeff ************************************************** 9. Wilder is being shortsighted about guns ************************************************** Ms. Tucker seems to suffer from the same nightmares as Mayor Bloomberg. Where semi-trucks loaded with handguns from Virginia are headed north up I-95. The fact that both candidates for Governor of Virginia support the repeal of the "one gun a month" law should speak for itself. This law does nothing to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. -- http://tinyurl.com/yagkmyq blogs.ajc.com Cynthia Tucker September 24, 2009 Doug Wilder's fit of pique helps illustrate why Democrats can't consolidate power, even when conditions favor them. They don't understand the concept of unity (something the Republicans understand, even to their detriment). Even though Democrat Creigh Deeds has campaigned for months for an endorsement from the former Virginia governor and even though President Obama personally intervened and asked Wilder to endorse Deeds Wilder refuses, saying he won?t endorse anyone. Why?. He thinks Deeds is too far to the right on guns. Deeds has endorsed repeal of a Virginia law restricting gun purchases to one per month. "The present law [in Virginia] permits anyone of sufficient age, who is not a felon, to be able to buy one gun a month; twelve a year, twenty four a year for couples, etc. Mr. Deeds thinks that's not enough and signed a pledge to repeal that law. This action would allow the truck loads of guns to come back in exchange for drugs from those Northeastern states where gun laws are more stringent". Like Wilder, I find the one-gun-a-month restriction perfectly reasonable, and it's one that ought to stay in place. But what does Wilder think will happen on guns if the ultra-conservative Republican Bob McConnell, who has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association, wins? ************************************************** 10. Professor punished for stating that he has a gun ************************************************** Monty Oakes emailed me this: -- Anonymous fliers listing a professor's home address and accusing him of "White Supremacy" for opposing illegal immigration are okay at UNC, but the professor's response that he wasn't worried because he has a gun was over the line. -- http://tinyurl.com/la4o4g www.dailytarheel.com Andrew Harrell September 18, 2009 The faculty adviser for student group Youth for Western Civilization resigned Friday at the request of Chancellor Holden Thorp after joking in an e-mail that he had a gun and knew how to use it. The e-mail came in response to brochures speaking out against YWC, a conservative group that garnered national attention when it hosted campus speakers on illegal immigration who were met with protests. The home address of Elliot Cramer, YWC's faculty adviser and a retired psychology professor, appeared on the brochures. Senior Nikhil Patel, president of UNC's chapter of YWC, sent an e-mail to Cramer notifying him of the brochures. Cramer replied to the e-mail, writing "I have a Colt 45 and I know how to use it. I used to be able to hit a quarter at 50 feet seven times out of 10." Cramer also sent his response to Thorp and Haley Koch, a senior who was arrested for protesting a YWC speech in April. Her case was dismissed Monday. Thorp then contacted Cramer and asked him to resign from the faculty adviser position. He said Cramer's statement was "highly inappropriate and not consistent with the civil discourse we are trying to achieve." "He said it was a joke, and I said, 'this just isn't something we joke about,'" Thorp said. Cramer said he copied Thorp and Koch to the e-mail because he wanted them to be aware of the brochures with his address. He stressed his comments about the gun were a joke. "Oh, of course it was a joke," Cramer said. "It's one thing to say that they simply ought to contact me, but to put my address is an implied threat." Cramer, who has been retired for 15 years, added he no longer owns a Colt .45, but said he used to be a target shooter in college. He said he thinks he owns a .22 caliber. YWC still plans to host former U.S. treasurer Bay Buchanan in October, Patel said. Thorp said he is willing to pay for the speech as reimbursement for last April's disrupted talk by Tom Tancredo, a former Congressman who came to speak about illegal immigration. The group's future is now uncertain. Jon Curtis, associate director of organizations and activities, said the group will have 30 days to find a new faculty adviser, which is standard for when a group loses its adviser. "I'm contacting some professors who might be able to help," Patel said. He added he hopes to meet with Thorp to discuss Cramer's resignation, and he said he disagrees with Thorp's request. "I thought it was kind of funny," Patel said about Cramer's gun comments. "I understood it to be a joke." ************************************************** 11. America armed, but guns not necessarily loaded ************************************************** http://tinyurl.com/musx3c news.yahoo.com Mary Foster September 23, 2009 NEW ORLEANS Bullet-makers are working around the clock, seven days a week, and still can't keep up with the nation's demand for ammunition. Shooting ranges, gun dealers and bullet manufacturers say they have never seen such shortages. Bullets, especially for handguns, have been scarce for months because gun enthusiasts are stocking up on ammo, in part because they fear President Barack Obama and the Democratic- controlled Congress will pass antigun legislation even though nothing specific has been proposed and the president last month signed a law allowing people to carry loaded guns in national parks. Gun sales spiked when it became clear Obama would be elected a year ago and purchases continued to rise in his first few months of office. The FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System reported that 6.1 million background checks for gun sales were issued from January to May, an increase of 25.6 percent from the same period the year before. "That is going to cause an upswing in ammunition sales," said Larry Keane, senior vice president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association representing about 5,000 members. "Without bullets a gun is just a paper weight." The shortage for sportsmen is different than the scarcity of ammo for some police forces earlier this year, a dearth fueled by an increase in ammo use by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We are working overtime and still can't keep up with the demand," said Al Russo, spokesman for North Carolina-based Remington Arms Company, which makes bullets for rifles, handguns and shotguns. "We've had to add a fourth shift and go 24-7. It's a phenomenon that I have not seen before in my 30 years in the business." Americans usually buy about 7 billion rounds of ammunition a year, according to the National Rifle Association. In the past year, that figure has jumped to about 9 billion rounds, said NRA spokeswoman Vickie Cieplak. Jason Gregory, who manages Gretna Gun Works just outside of New Orleans, has been building his personal supply of ammunition for months. His goal is to have at least 1,000 rounds for each of his 25 weapons. "I call it the Obama effect," said Gregory, 37, of Terrytown, La. "It always happens when the Democrats get in office. It happened with Clinton and Obama is even stronger for gun control. Ammunition will be the first step, so I'm stocking up while I can." So far, the new administration nor Congress has not been markedly antigun. Obama has said he respects Second Amendment rights, but favors "common sense" on gun laws. Still, worries about what could happen persist. Demand has been so heavy at some Walmarts, a limit was imposed on the amount of ammo customers can buy. The cutoff varies according to caliber and store location, but sometimes as little as one box or 50 bullets is allowed. At Barnwood Arms in Ripon, Calif., sales manager Dallas Jett said some of the shortages have leveled off, but 45-caliber rounds are still hard to find. "We've been in business for 32 years and I've been here for 10 and we've never seen anything like it," Jett said. "Coming out of Christmas everything started to dry up and it was that way all through the spring and summer. Nationwide, distributors are scrambling to fill orders from retailers. "We used to be able to order 50 or 60 cases and get them in three or four days easy, it was never an issue," said Vic Grechniw of Florida Ammo Traders, a distributor in Tampa, Fla. "Now you are really lucky if you can get one case a month. It just isn't there because the demand is way up." A case contains 500 or 1,000 bullets. At Jefferson Gun Outlet and Range in Metairie just west of New Orleans, owner Mike Mayer is worried individuals are going to start buying by the case. "If someone wants to shoot on the weekend you have to worry about having the ammunition for them. And I know some people aren't buying to use it at the range, they're taking it home and hoarding it." With demand, prices have also risen. "Used to be gold, but now lead is the most expensive metal," said Donald Richards, 37, who was stocking up at the Jefferson store. "And worth every penny." ************************************************** 12. U.S. is a pro-gun nation, especially from a Republican viewpoint, survey finds ************************************************** This article does nothing more than to confirm what we already know. The majority of Americans, regardless of party affiliation, support the right to keep and bear arms. -- http://tinyurl.com/klcjbc latimesblogs.latimes.com Pete Thomas September 21, 2009 The October issue of Outdoor Life arrived in the mail today, and inside are recent poll results that might be of interest to hunters and fishermen. The polls, conducted by Rasmussen Reports, asked whether the Constitution guarantees the right to own a gun and what was behind the recent increase in gun sales. Among Americans polled, 75% said the Constitution guaranteed the right to own a gun. The percentage of "yes" answers was higher among Republicans (92%) and lower among Democrats (64%). Among others, 71% answered yes. As for the second question, 57% of those polled cited fear of increased government restrictions as the reason for a spike in gun sales; 23% said it was because of a fear of crime, while 20% were unsure. What Outdoor Life left out was that Americans appear to be evenly divided regarding the much hotter issue of gun control: 44% of respondents said stricter laws are needed, while 44% said they're not. The other 12% were unsure. Republicans and Democrats were evenly divided as well: 63% of Republicans polled said they opposed stricter gun laws while 62% of Democrats said stricter laws are needed. A Rasmussen poll conducted last October found that 63% of U.S. voters believed Barack Obama would be more inclined to restrict gun rights than John McCain, his rival in the presidential election (84% of Republicans answered yes to this question). To be sure, it was no coincidence that the run on guns and ammo began when it became clear who would win that election. -- Pete Thomas ************************************************** 13. Teens arraigned in burglary, murder plot in Scott County ************************************************** Who needs a gun at home? Very luckily for the victim there was a gun in the house. VCDL member Mike Hale emailed this to me: http://tinyurl.com/n6ymjo www.timesnews.net Wes Bunch September 22, 2009 GATE CITY Three teens who were arrested last week for their roles in an alleged murder-for-hire and robbery plot were arraigned Tuesday morning in Scott County District Court. Christopher Wayne Jones, 18, Pennington Gap, and Donovan Ray Meade, 18, Big Stone Gap, were each arraigned on two counts of attempted murder, one count of conspiracy to commit murder, one count of attempted armed robbery, and one count of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Taylor Renee Gilmer, 18, Jonesville, who is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit murder, was also arraigned. The Scott County Sheriff's Office arrested the trio Sept. 16 after they allegedly tried to rob and then kill relatives of Jones who live in the Duffield area. Jones had allegedly hired Meade to actually carry out the murders, authorities said. During the incident, phone lines to the residence were cut, and the teenagers allegedly made attempts to lure the occupants of the house outside. One of the home's occupants heard suspicious noises while the lines were being cut and came outside with a gun before firing several shots, which caused the trespassers to flee. In addition to the murder plot, authorities said the trio had planned to steal money, as well as a car, from the residence. Shortly after they fled the scene, the teenagers were pulled over by Scott County sheriff's deputies and arrested after one of them allegedly confessed to the robbery and murder plans. Scott County Commonwealth?s Attorney Marcus McClung said more charges could be brought pending further investigation. All three of the teens are being held without bond at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail in Duffield. Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to call investigator J.P. Bledsoe at (276) 386-1351, ext. 1. ************************************************** 14. UN convention on rights of children may be a move to limit gun rights ************************************************** http://tinyurl.com/oykjgx Lindsay Trittipoe emailed this to me: -- Phil, My sister, Terry Beatley, is heavily involved the movement to defeat the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child Treaty, and produced this video: http://tinyurl.com/lzwnlc You may want to determine if the UN's Rights of the Child treaty has any indirect bearing on VCDL's mission of protecting our second amendment rights. At first, the treaty did not strike me as a second amendment issue; however, after listening to my sister and reading some of the news blurbs from parentalrights.org I'm increasingly persuaded that this is another one-world-government scheme that would likely be used to limit our second amendment rights, and that gun rights groups should ally themselves with pro family groups to defeat the measure. As mentioned in the video shows, the proposed treaty addresses the 'rights of children to be free from guns'. If you feel it is worthwhile, feel free to repost the video in a VCDL newsletter. Best Lindsay Trittipoe ------------ www.parentalrights.com Michael P. Farris, J.D. May 11, 2009 The spread of small arms creates a serious global problem and requires an equally urgent response because the lives and futures of children are at stake. These weapons have extinguished more young lives than they have protected. Carol Bellamy, Executive Director, UNICEF SNIP If the United States Senate ratifies the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child we will have become willing parties in a regime that obligates us to disarm our citizens, keep guns from children, and indoctrinate American children to believe in the utopia of world disarmament. This will cause our nation to surrender our own defenses and rest in the security of a world based on individual and collective rights. ************************************************** 15. Video: Second Amendment March's Michigan chapter ************************************************** From Leyla Myers, Virginia Second Amendment March Coordinator: -- I wanted to share this video interview of Brian Jeffs (SAM Michigan State Coordinator) with you. In case you had questions about our mission and intent for organizing this national event, - this video should cover most of the questions. If you have any further questions or would like to volunteer, please let me know. Leyla Myers Virginia SAM Coordinator leyla.myers*secondamendmentmarch.com [PVC: The key part starts about 3 minutes into the video below] http://tinyurl.com/nvujss ************************************************** 16. Toronto police seize 400 guns in safety push ************************************************** Our neighbors to the north are no strangers to gun control. They know all too well how the government's oppressive gun registration requirements can lead to confiscation. Case in point, 400 guns were confiscated, most for paperwork lapses by gun owners. Others were the victims of police searching their homes and finding guns "not properly stored": http://tinyurl.com/my953n www.cbc.ca September 22, 2009 Toronto police have seized almost 400 firearms from registered owners in a six-month push aimed at reducing the number of guns on the city's streets. In March, officers began soliciting registered firearm owners across the city as part of what they call the Safe City Project. Many of those who had to surrender their firearms had either let their registrations lapse, or had stashed their guns improperly under beds or in closets. The Canadian Firearms Registry stipulates guns must be stored in a secure place. No charges were laid in the push, police said Tuesday. Targeting people who had registered their guns is a preventative measure, said Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair. "Legal handgun owners are not dangerous individuals," Blair told reporters at a Tuesday news conference. "But we know from experience that their firearms can become extremely dangerous when they get into the hands of criminals. And so we have undertaken a number of initiatives to reduce the availability of those handguns." Police estimate there are still 4,000 guns in Ontario that are being improperly stored. However, a critic says, the push to target registered gun owners is not getting at the root of the problem. "The system doesn't work. It's broken. It doesn't target the right people," Greg Farrant, a spokesman for the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, told CBC News. People who are barred from owning weapons are the ones who should be registered and tracked, he said. There are about 2.3 million registered guns in Ontario. ------------------------------------------- ***************************************************************************