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

07/22/09 - VCDL Mini-Update 7/22/09

Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- VCDL Mini-Update 7/22/09 1. Thune Amendment to allow carry in 48 states fails to muster the required 60 votes by only 2 votes! 2. Bob Moates has passed away 3. Reminder: VCDL to be at Liberty 101 event at Chesterfield Fairgrounds this Saturday 4. War memorial disgrace in Danville **************************************************** 1. Thune Amendment to allow carry in 48 states fails to muster the required 60 votes by only 2 votes! **************************************************** Today the Thune Amendment that would have allowed CHP holders to carry in any other state that has CHPs was defeated by ONLY 2 VOTES! In fact, if it weren't for Senator Schumer of New York's threatened filibuster, it would have passed the Senate easily. Because of the filibuster, 60 votes were needed instead of 51 and there were 58 pro-gun votes. That sends one very strong message about gun rights, especially with control of the government being in the hands of the Democrats. A lot of Democrats voted correctly for that bill. So did almost all the Republicans. The anti's won this round, but by a razor thin margin after pulling out all their stops. Bloomberg spent a bundle and nearly lost. Your efforts paid off as both Virginia Senators voted in support of the amendment. Senator Webb was one of the Senators speaking for the bill and did a great job defending it. Our thanks to both Senators for doing the right thing. Now we need to see what they do with Sotomayor's nomination. We need them to say, "no" to her. EM Mike Stollenwerk suggests another tactic to take to win this battle: "Congressional members who are serious about encouraging inter-state gun carry permit recognition should do things the right way via the Congress' enumerated federal powers. First, Congress should knock off the "do as I say and not as I do" stuff and legalize all state gun carry permits in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virginia Islands, Guam, and other federal territories. Second, Congress should attach a condition to receipt of Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 subsidies that any recipient state must accept all other states' gun carry permits just as they do their own permits." Not a bad idea, Mike! Use money to encourage good behavior by the states. That might get us a few more states at least. Here are the votes grouped by state (thanks to EM Hal Macklin for data): Alabama: Sessions (R-AL), Yea Shelby (R-AL), Yea Alaska: Begich (D-AK), Yea Murkowski (R-AK), Yea Arizona: Kyl (R-AZ), Yea McCain (R-AZ), Yea Arkansas: Lincoln (D-AR), Yea Pryor (D-AR), Yea California: Boxer (D-CA), Nay Feinstein (D-CA), Nay Colorado: Bennet (D-CO), Yea Udall (D-CO), Yea Connecticut: Dodd (D-CT), Nay Lieberman (ID-CT), Nay Delaware: Carper (D-DE), Nay Kaufman (D-DE), Nay Florida: Martinez (R-FL), Yea Nelson (D-FL), Nay Georgia: Chambliss (R-GA), Yea Isakson (R-GA), Yea Hawaii: Akaka (D-HI), Nay Inouye (D-HI), Nay Idaho: Crapo (R-ID), Yea Risch (R-ID), Yea Illinois: Burris (D-IL), Nay Durbin (D-IL), Nay Indiana: Bayh (D-IN), Yea Lugar (R-IN), Nay Iowa: Grassley (R-IA), Yea Harkin (D-IA), Nay Kansas: Brownback (R-KS), Yea Roberts (R-KS), Yea Kentucky: Bunning (R-KY), Yea McConnell (R-KY), Yea Louisiana: Landrieu (D-LA), Yea Vitter (R-LA), Yea Maine: Collins (R-ME), Yea Snowe (R-ME), Yea Maryland: Cardin (D-MD), Nay Mikulski (D-MD), Not Voting Massachusetts: Kennedy (D-MA), Not Voting Kerry (D-MA), Nay Michigan: Levin (D-MI), Nay Stabenow (D-MI), Nay Minnesota: Franken (D-MN), Nay Klobuchar (D-MN), Nay Mississippi: Cochran (R-MS), Yea Wicker (R-MS), Yea Missouri: Bond (R-MO), Yea McCaskill (D-MO), Nay Montana: Baucus (D-MT), Yea Tester (D-MT), Yea Nebraska: Johanns (R-NE), Yea Nelson (D-NE), Yea Nevada: Ensign (R-NV), Yea Reid (D-NV), Yea New Hampshire: Gregg (R-NH), Yea Shaheen (D-NH), Nay New Jersey: Lautenberg (D-NJ), Nay Menendez (D-NJ), Nay New Mexico: Bingaman (D-NM), Nay Udall (D-NM), Yea New York: Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay Schumer (D-NY), Nay North Carolina: Burr (R-NC), Yea Hagan (D-NC), Yea North Dakota: Conrad (D-ND), Yea Dorgan (D-ND), Yea Ohio: Brown (D-OH), Nay Voinovich (R-OH), Nay Oklahoma: Coburn (R-OK), Yea Inhofe (R-OK), Yea Oregon: Merkley (D-OR), Nay Wyden (D-OR), Nay Pennsylvania: Casey (D-PA), Yea Specter (D-PA), Nay Rhode Island: Reed (D-RI), Nay Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay South Carolina: DeMint (R-SC), Yea Graham (R-SC), Yea South Dakota: Johnson (D-SD), Yea Thune (R-SD), Yea Tennessee: Alexander (R-TN), Yea Corker (R-TN), Yea Texas: Cornyn (R-TX), Yea Hutchison (R-TX), Yea Utah: Bennett (R-UT), Yea Hatch (R-UT), Yea Vermont: Leahy (D-VT), Nay Sanders (I-VT), Nay Virginia: Warner (D-VA), Yea Webb (D-VA), Yea Washington: Cantwell (D-WA), Nay Murray (D-WA), Nay West Virginia: Byrd (D-WV), Not Voting Rockefeller (D-WV), Nay Wisconsin: Feingold (D-WI), Yea Kohl (D-WI), Nay Wyoming: Barrasso (R-WY), Yea Enzi (R-WY), Yea **************************************************** 2. Bob Moates has passed away **************************************************** It's with a heavy heart that I must announce the death of gun store owner Bob Moates on Tuesday due to cancer. I will always remember Bob as one of the few gun dealers who stood up to Michael Bloomberg, when Bloomberg tried to use a bogus lawsuit scheme to destroy several gun dealers in Virginia. Vigilante Bloomberg sent some private goons to gun stores in Virginia in hopes of entrapping gun dealers in what turned out to be an amateurish attempt at faking "straw purchases." Bloomberg completely bypassed Virginia law enforcement in his scheme. That infuriated the General Assembly, which passed a law making what Bloomberg did a felony, should he try it again. VCDL supported Bob's fight with Bloomberg by having the "Bloomberg Gun Giveaway", which drew a crowd of over 300 people to a VCDL meeting in Northern Virginia. Bob stood up and won, while those that caved in to Bloomberg pretty much went out of business. For those who would like to give their final respects to Bob, there is a wake on Friday from 6 PM to 8 PM at the Bliley Funeral Home, just west of Chippenham Parkway on Route 360 (Hull Street Road). I will be there representing VCDL. The funeral service will be at 10 AM Saturday at Bliley's and Bob will be interred at a newly opened section of the Hollywood Cemetery. Bob loved Virginia's civil war history and he has found the perfect resting place. Godspeed, Bob. **************************************************** 3. Reminder: VCDL to be at Liberty 101 event at Chesterfield Fairgrounds this Saturday **************************************************** This Saturday from 1 PM to 7 PM at the Chesterfield County Fairgrounds, VCDL will have a table at the Liberty 101 Tea Party event. I will be doing a seminar from 1 PM to 1:45 PM titled "The power and techniques of grassroots activism - the VCDL approach". It will be inside the exhibition building. VCDL EM Patricia Webb will be speaking on what the Second Amendment means from 2:55 to 3:10 PM on the main stage. Over 1,000 people have RSVPd so far! Here's a link to the web site for the event: http://www.richmondteaparty.com/rsvpliberty.htm Drop by the VCDL table and say, "hi" to our volunteers. We will have items for sale at the table, too. **************************************************** 4. War memorial disgrace in Danville **************************************************** Brave men and women have died face down in the mud to give us the right to keep and bear arms. Disgracefully, the AAF Tank Museum in Danville has a "no guns" policy! They say they want YOU to respect the memory of our soldiers, while the museum makes a mockery of what they died for. From their web site: http://www.aaftankmuseum.com/Tank_Museum.htm#Rules%20&%20Regulations This is a Memorial Dedicated to the Men and Women of the Armed Services Please respect their memory! .... NO firearms --- If you would like to send a message to the museum about their disgraceful policies, here is their email address: aaftank*gamewood.net ------------------------------------------- ***************************************************************************