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

10/15/09 - VCDL Update 10/15/09 - Part 2

ability to protect myself and my family (and maybe even her). While the Second Amendment does speak to a militia, it is the commonwealth of Virginia that dictates who can carry a weapon as well as where and how they can carry that weapon. And yes, sometimes when I openly carry my gun, as allowed by state law, those around me may be intimidated. But as a whole, most people don't even see it. And those people who do open carry, those aren't the ones you need to worry about. It's the criminals who hide it that you need to worry about. So even though Ms. Conrad wants to take away my rights, I'll be happy to protect her and her family should the need arise. Neil Richard King George ************************************************** 19. Newport News store owner shoots man during attempted robbery ************************************************** 62-year-old store owner shoots masked man, accomplice flees Josh Kellogg emailed me this: -- http://tinyurl.com/ygshdm7 http://hamptonroads.com Newport News store owner shoots man during attempted robbery By Lauren King The Virginian-Pilot (c) October 5, 2009 NEWPORT NEWS A 62-year-old store owner shot and injured a man during an attempted robbery, police said. At about 11 p.m. Friday, two masked men entered White's Grocery in the = 3300 block of Chestnut Ave., and as one suspect held a shotgun on the store owner and a male employee, the second suspect came around the counter, a police news release said. As he walked around the counter, the store owner reached for his gun and shot the second man. The injured man, Barry Lee Hooker, 26, was taken to the hospital, where he remains in the intensive care unit, police said. The store owner and employee were not injured. The armed suspect ran from the store, and police are trying to identify him. Hooker had two outstanding warrants for assault and battery and now faces two counts of attempted robbery, two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony, two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a = felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and wearing a mask in public. Police are trying to identify the second man who is described as a dark-skinned black man with a goatee, about 160 pounds and 5 feet 10 inches tall. ************************************************** 20. MAIG member Dwight C. Jones demands Virginia close gun show 'loophole' ************************************************** The Richmond mayor is worried about "shady operators" at VA gun shows. For my, I'm more worried about shady politicians. What the Mayor is really trying to do is to cover his backside from volumes of criticism over his being part of Michael Bloomberg's mayoral gun-control group. Mayor Jones will be hearing from us on that issue - details will follow in a future update. http://tinyurl.com/y8ehfbe www2.timesdispatch.com DWIGHT C. JONES GUEST COLUMNIST Published: October 4, 2009 During October, Virginia will host two of the largest gun shows in North America: the Nation's Gun Show in Chantilly (yesterday and today) and the gun show at the Showplace in Richmond (Oct. 17-18). Like other gun shows held most weekends across our state, these shows will draw thousands of gun enthusiasts -- mostly good citizens who take their Second Amendment rights seriously and do what they can to practice and preach safe gun ownership. Hundreds of thousands of dollars will change hands between shoppers and the licensed gun dealers and so-called occasional sellers who lay their guns out on miles of booths and tables. While most sellers are responsible, ***gun shows also attract some shady operators*** [PVC: Like Mayor Bloomberg's private-eye goons?] = -- licensed dealers who are willing to sell to "straw purchasers," who = in turn provide the guns they buy to someone who cannot pass a background check; or perhaps an "occasional" dealer who claims to sell = just a few guns irregularly but in reality makes his living at these shows. Federal law requires gun dealers to run background checks to prevent sales to criminals, the mentally unstable, and other dangerous persons, but "occasional" sellers are exempt. ***They don't have to keep records or even ask the name of the person buying their wares. This is the gun show loophole***. Some states have closed the loophole. Virginia has not. [PVC: Notice how Mayor Jones doesn't mention that such private sales can be done virtually anywhere.] Virginia is the home of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and we hold our guns dear, but large majorities of Virginia voters of both parties support state legislation to close the loophole that allows guns to end up in the wrong hands. It also puts at a disadvantage Virginia's legitimate sellers who play by the rules. Last year, a smart reform bill came within two votes of passing in the = Virginia Senate. It simply required that gun buyers at gun shows be subject to the same background check they must pass if they buy from a = licensed dealer. That's why Virginia mayors, county officials, ***police officers, law enforcement associations, and faith leaders*** are coming together in hopes of stopping this unsavory and dangerous practice that puts us all at risk and damages the reputation of law-abiding gun owners and dealers. ***As one of the 12 members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns in Virginia***, I support closing the gun show loophole and making it harder for criminals to get their hands on guns. Our coalition of more = than 450 mayors across the nation believes that the way to stem violence and ensure public safety is to keep guns away from those who should not have them. ***Our effort is also supported by 49 Virginia police chiefs and the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police.*** Unfortunately, the NRA recently targeted my constituents and those of other mayors with misleading postcards saying the coalition wants to "regulate gun shows out of existence." [PVC: If he's concerned about = the NRA, just wait until he sees what VCDL has planned!] ***That's just not true***. Our goals are simple: We want gun shows to be safe, vibrant, and successful venues where law-abiding citizens can sell guns to and buy guns from other law-abiding citizens. And we want the background check laws to be reformed and uniformly enforced. That sounds like something the NRA should support; it often says the focus should be on enforcing the laws on the books. We are doing that in Richmond. We instituted Project EXILE, which transfers cases of criminals caught with illegal guns to federal court, making sure they are prosecuted to the full extent of the law and receive the maximum penalty for their crime. We've seen the results. Smart enforcement works and closing the gun show loophole would be a good next step -- it's the reform we need to be able to properly enforce the background check law that's on the books. If you're planning to attend the gun show in Richmond, I hope you have = a good time and find some bargains. If you're selling guns legally, I hope you turn a profit while doing everything you can to ensure your buyers are law-abiding citizens. And I hope all of you will visit Richmond's restaurants and shops while you're here, so you can see what a safe and inviting city we have become. We're working hard to reduce crime and we want every kind of help we can get to make that happen. Closing the loophole that allows guns to be sold with no background checks would be a big step forward. Dwight C. Jones is the mayor of Richmond. Contact him at AsktheMayor*Richmo= ndGov.com ************************************************** 21. Pics from Ladies Day at Black Creek Range 10/03/09 ************************************************** A lot of women of all races attended a "Lady's Day" at the range here in Richmond. Congratulations to EM Patricia Webb for her part in the event and thanks to Paul Henick for the pictures: http://tinyurl.com/yzrowke http://s176.photobucket.com ************************************************** 22. VB gun show Oct 10 & 11 ************************************************** A special thanks to SGK Gun Shows for providing VCDL with TWO tables at their gun show. VCDL has so many items that one table doesn't always work out well. Thanks to VCDL Executive Members Ron and Jean Hyson for letting me know about SGK's generosity. ************************************************** 23. VCDL sticker might have saved my life ************************************************** A VCDL supporter emailed me this event, which talks about another benefit for having VCDL stickers on rear truck windows: -- Dear VCDL I was involved in an auto accident on Thursday morning. During the accident my head was thrown through the rear window of my pickup. I had a VCDL sticker along with several other conservative stickers on the window. The stickers held the broken glass together. If the stickers had not been on the window my injuries might have been worse. Thank you, James ************************************************** 24. Chantilly gun show and a really cool news article ************************************************** Deborah Jane Anderson emailed me this: -- Mark and I had fun helping at the VCDL table at the Chantilly gun show = yesterday. We got quite a few new members (7 or 8), and sold tons of buttons, stickers and other stuff, too. We enjoyed it so much that we're anxious to be able to do this again sometime, too. Now, on to the really cool news article I thought you'd enjoy. A 5 year old killed the second largest alligator in Texas history -- an 800-pounder. Look at the big smile on the kid's face. He's obviously = quite elated with this hunting trophy. Also, note in the article it says that the boy has been handling firearms since he was 4. That's right -- start 'em out young! Blessings, Deborah Jane http://tinyurl.com/yht2uoy www.parentdish.com Boy, 5, Kills 800-Pound Alligator by Tom Henderson October 2, 2009 Simon Hughes, 5, with the 800-pound alligator he killed. Did you hear about the Hughes boy? He just killed himself a 'gator. How embarrassing -- for the alligator. Think about it. You're an 800-pound, 12-foot long killer who strikes terror in the hearts of your fellow marshland creatures (possibly, given your average life span, since the Eisenhower administration). And you're killed by a kindergartner who still has to ride in a child- safety seat. On the other hand, that's one kindergartner who doesn't have to worry about bullies this year. The Houston Chronicle reports that Simon Hughes, 5, killed the second largest alligator in Texas history Sept. 24. And he didn't even have leave home to do it. The incident occurred in a marshy section of his family's ranch near Goodrich, Texas, about an hour north of Houston. "Everything out on our ranch will either bite you or stick you," Simon's father, Scott Hughes, told Fox 26 News in Houston. At first glance, it wasn't a fair fight. Simon weighs 40 pounds, The alligator weighed as much as a Harley Davidson motorcycle. However, the boy's single-barrel .410-gauge shotgun leveled the playing field. Simon told Fox News he planted a load of buckshot right behind the critter's eyes. Even if you're an 800-pound alligator, that's bound to ruin your day. See the video after the jump. Simon has been handling firearms since he was 4. "I think it's in my blood," he told Fox News. "That's the way it is in rural areas," his father told the Houston Chronicle. "We don't think of guns as playthings or something used in video games." Simon's grandparents have run a catfish restaurant in Goodrich for the = past 27 years. June Hughes is glad she didn't know what her son and grandson were up to that Saturday. "If had known they was in a rowboat out there with that 'gator, I couldn't function, I don't imagine," she told Fox News. ************************************************** 25. Gun-toting soccer mom's death re-ignites national debate on gun rights ************************************************** A gun owner known for like open carry is shot and killed by her husband in a murder-suicide. The husband was a sworn law enforcement officer in Pennsylvania. The wife was in a tough situation, with her marriage failing, but having to take care of her three children. She had apparently told some friends that she feared for her life. At the time that her husband murdered her in cold blood, her gun was in a backpack hanging on a door knob. :-( Melanie Hain had become quite famous within the gun community when her = concealed carry permit was unlawfully revoked because she had the audicity to carry a gun openly to a soccer game. She sued and got her = permit back. The papers and anti-gunners shamelessly want to blame Melanie because she is a gun owner. They avoid blaming the husband and avoid mentioning he was a LEO, because that would destroy their argument that only police should have guns. Here are a series of stories, with varying level of detail. The Pennsylvania pro-gun groups are understandably taking this very hard: http://tinyurl.com/ykmw5u2 www.pennlive.com Gun-toting soccer mom's death reignites national debate on gun rights By Laura Vecsey October 09, 2009, 12:00AM A gun has apparently killed a woman who had come to symbolize a person's right to openly carry a gun. It's difficult to resist this obvious and heartbreaking angle in the death of Meleanie Hain. One year ago in Lebanon County, Hain came to be known as the "gun-toting soccer mom" whose carry permit was revoked by a sheriff then restored by court order, reigniting a national debate about gun rights. Now, in her death, as it was when she was alive, the gun debate remains polarizing between those who defend the right to bear arms and those who seek stricter controls. Guns don't kill people; people kill people. That's the bottom-line defense of gun rights advocates. By contrast, gun control advocates argue that the more prevalent guns are, especially in homes, the more likely you are to be killed by one. There seems to be no shortage of studies on both sides. After Hain made headlines as a champion of gun owners' rights, gun-control advocates now say her death offers a sobering lesson. "The myth is that you're safer with a gun," said Joe Grace, executive director of CeaseFirePA. "But in light of this tragedy, I'd want to focus on that mistaken perception that a gun automatically makes you safer. Having a gun did not make Meleanie safer. She and her husband are now deceased," Grace said. [PVC: No one said a gun can guarantee safety, but it makes a huge difference.] "We're still reviewing the facts, but in this case, having a gun led to more bloodshed. It should give policy-makers pause. It's time to let go of extreme rhetoric in the name of sanity and common sense." Less than a month before Meleanie Hain, 31, and her husband, Scott, 33, were killed by gunshots in their Lebanon home, the University of Pennsylvania published a study in the American Journal of Public Health that investigated the link between gun possession and gun assault. The study found that, at least in Philadelphia, people with guns were 4.5 times more likely to be shot than those not in possession. Open carry of firearms is legal in 42 states, including Pennsylvania, which gun control groups say has some of the weakest gun control laws in the country. "We scored Pennsylvania with 26 points out of 100," said Daniel Vice, a lawyer for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Vice has been working on behalf of Michael DeLeo, the Lebanon County sheriff who revoked Hain's gun license on Sept. 20, 2008. Hain filed a $1 million suit against DeLeo. Vice said Hain's death by gunshot was "strange." "But in some ways it's not so strange. We hear about cases like this every day," he said. "Eighty people are killed by guns each day; nine teenagers. The high-profile cases catch the attention of people, but otherwise, the fact that people are killed like this is part of the steady drumbeat people have grown used to hearing." Vice said the Brady Center staff "feels terrible," especially for the Hains' children. "But we see every day the effects of gun violence, especially against women. Having a gun in the home makes it 22 times more likely you'll be killed by that gun instead of it being used on an intruder," he said. On the other side of the tragedy, gun rights activists said it is not so easy to make Meleanie Hain the latest example of why gun control laws need to be strengthened. "What we do know is that the presence of firearms has no impact on the incidence of murder-suicide," said Mike Stollenwerk, a Georgetown law student and founder of OpenCarry.org. Stollenwerk seemed to dispute gun control advocates by saying Pennsylvania has regulations that give law enforcement tools for removing guns from potential perpetrators of domestic violence. "These additional tools have been legislated and infringed on gun rights, but all these regulations will never solve these societal problems. They don't mean we're not going to have murders or suicides," he said. "What's ironic isn't that Meleanie Hain was a gun owner. It's that people want a victim to blame. They want to blame a gun owner," he said. Another OpenCarry.org founder said it is not insignificant to the case that Scott Hain was legally permitted to carry a gun, too. "This is all speculative, because we don't know all the facts, but what I do know is that her husband was a parole officer who was allowed to carry a firearm," said John Pierce, who is attending law school in Minnesota. "If he was the aggressor ... what this shows, more than an indictment on gun rights, is that there's tragedy and pain and mental illness in the tribe of man," Pierce said. Pierce has a gun permit in Pennsylvania, which he said coincidentally was granted by DeLeo. Pierce had done freelance IT work in Harrisburg, and followed the Hain case last year. "I thought she handled herself quite well," Pierce said. "She remained quite calm and presented her case quite eloquently, especially when you take into account that she was the average layman unfamiliar with the finer points of the law, but who knows at the instinctive level that they've done nothing wrong by carrying a gun." He said Meleanie Hain perhaps was singled out for carrying her gun to a soccer game because she was a woman. "That could have been part of it," Pierce said. "It's an attribute of strength, and maybe it wasn't conscious, but the objection of people to her carrying was because this was a woman, she can't be qualified." When his son played children's football in Virginia, Pierce said, "I openly carried my gun on the sidelines. "No one ever said a thing." -------- http://tinyurl.com/yzx7ckm www.poconorecord.com Police: Gun-toting soccer mom was shot by husband during video chat By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press Writer October 09, 2009 LEBANON (AP) -- Authorities say a Pennsylvania mother and gun-rights advocate was fatally shot by her husband as she video-chatted with a friend. Lebanon County officials say Meleanie Hain was shot several times Wednesday in her kitchen by her husband Scott. He later killed himself. Meleanie Hain became a voice of the gun-rights movement last year when she fought for the right to openly carry a holstered pistol at her 5-year-old's soccer games. Other parents complained, prompting a sheriff to temporarily revoke her gun permit. Officials on Friday said her gun was in a backpack when she was killed. Scott Hain, a parole officer, owned the 9 mm handgun used to kill his wife. They left behind three children, ages 2, 6 and 10. -------- http://tinyurl.com/ylfvync www.pennlive.com Meleanie Hain shooting was witnessed on Web cam, police say [SNIP] At a press conference today, Lebanon police said Meleanie Hain was in the kitchen on the first floor of the home and communicating with a friend of hers and Scott's when Scott Hain fired six shots from a 9mm handgun registered to him. Scott Hain then went to the second floor of = the home and shot and killed himself with a shotgun, police said. -------- EM Dale Welch emailed me this: -- http://tinyurl.com/ylgbrry http://ydr.inyourk.com Friends mourn death of gun-toting mom Acquaintances say Meleanie Hain's death was a matter of domestic violence. By JOHN LATIMER Lebanon Daily News Updated: 10/09/2009 06:16:44 PM EDT Friends and supporters of gun-rights advocate Meleanie Hain mourned her death Thursday. Hain, who gained national notoriety a year ago when she wore a holstered handgun to her 5-year-old daughter's soccer game, and her husband, Scott Hain, were found shot to death inside their South Second Avenue home Wednesday night in an apparent murder-suicide. Investigators have released few details about the circumstances that led to the shootings, but neighbors said the Hains' three children ran = from the house screaming, "Daddy shot Mommy," shortly after 6 p.m. The = children, all between the ages of 2 and 10, escaped unharmed and were staying with neighbors as of Thursday afternoon. Lebanon police Chief Daniel Wright said he was awaiting results of Thursday's autopsy on the Hains before releasing more details about the incident. The only new information he provided was that the couple = were found on separate floors of the split-level brick house in the quiet southside neighborhood. Police were called to the Hain home shortly after the children escaped. Minutes later the Lebanon County Emergency Services Unit -- a = specially trained tactical squad made up of officers from several municipal police departments -- and city police cordoned off the area and told neighbors to stay inside their homes. Wright said the ESU responded quickly to the scene because it was already on a training mission. Little transpired for the next two hours as police tried to establish contact with anyone in the house. At about 8:30 p.m., the ESU entered the home, where it found the Hains' bodies. After last year's incident at the soccer match, the 31-year-old Hain became a spokeswoman for open-carry advocates who support the right to = wear a loaded weapon in public, a practice she often employed and which is legal in Pennsylvania. On Thursday, other open-carry advocates who knew Hain said her death was a matter of domestic violence and should not be used to argue against the Second Amendment rights she championed. "If Meleanie had never taken the firearm to the soccer game, regretfully, what happened (Wednesday) still would have happened," said Rich Banks, founder of paopencarry.org, a Web site devoted to the = open-carry issue. Banks said he came to know Hain as a kind and generous person through her postings on the Web site's discussion forum under the name "Shefearsnothing." "In the end, her actions were not the ones that harmed anyone else," Banks said. "Agree with her or not, she was a good person who never harmed a soul, and I just hope people remember that." Banks said he spoke with Hain regularly and occasionally saw her at the organization's training exercises, shooting-range trips and social = functions. It was common knowledge among her friends that she was having problems with her husband, he said. "A lot of people were aware of her marital issues," Banks said. "She did stuff that she didn't completely trust his reaction to. It was not = a secret by any means. She has been considering her options for some time." Despite the marital discord, no one expected a violent outcome, Banks said. "I don't think anyone could have prevented this outcome other than Meleanie," he said. Despite rumors to the contrary, a check of county records showed that Hain had not applied for a protection-from-abuse order from her 33- year-old husband, who was a parole officer in Berks County. Hain's friend, Greg Rotz, organized a show of support last October when she had a court hearing to get her gun permit returned after it was taken away by Sheriff Mike DeLeo following the soccer incident. He = was devastated to hear the news of Hain's slaying. "I just saw her this past Saturday at a birthday party of a friend that she attended as well," he said. "She seemed fine -- like her normal self, to me." Rotz also was aware of her marital problems but said he didn't think it would lead to her death. "Those of us who knew her a little bit knew things weren't perfect at home," he said. Although he doesn't know many details of her death, Rotz said Hain may = have been unarmed if she could have used her weapon. "I'm very curious to know if she happened to have her weapon on her," he said. "If she didn't, and she would have, it might have made a difference." johnlatimer*ldnews.com; 272-5611, ext. 149 ************************************************** 26. Cops shoots homeowner who has burglar at gunpoint ************************************************** A homeowner calls the police for help with a burglar that the homeowner has at gun point. The police are warned many times that the = homeowner is the person with the gun, but the police still shoot the homeowner SIX times, hitting him at least once in the back. This is like calling the fire department because your stove is on fire, having the fire department show up, leave the stove burning and dowse the rest of the house in gasoline! :-( The lesson here is to either: 1. Have your spouse or other trusted person outside the door of the room where you are holding a criminal at gun point and not let the police in until they clearly and lucidly agree that they are not to go = in with guns blazing. Or 2. Tie up / handcuff the criminal securely and holster/conceal the gun. Or 3. Lock the criminal in a closet and holster/conceal the gun. Matt Stromberg emailed me this: http://tinyurl.com/ybwcp4r http://abcnews.go.com Family Suing After Phoenix Cop Shoots Homeowner Instead of Intruder Tony Arambula Was Shot Six Times After Calling 911 For Help By SARAH NETTER Oct. 6, 2009-- When Tony Arambula managed to corner an armed intruder in his son's bedroom he expected police to come to his aid. Instead, a Phoenix police officer confused Arambula for the intruder and shot him six times before realizing his mistake, a moment captured = on the 911 call with a simple "F**k." Even after realizing their mistake, Arambula said he was treated roughly, being dragged out of the house and transported briefly on the = hood of a police car. Now Arambula, 35, who survived but faces a lifetime of pain, is suing the city of Phoenix and the officers who responded to his house that night. The lawsuit, filed in Maricopa County Court, alleges that Phoenix Police Officer Brian Lilly and his on-scene supervisor, Sgt. Sean Coutts, quickly conspired to cover up the mistake, not realizing that 911 was still recording Arambula's call for help. Lillly has been cleared of any wrong doing by the Phoenix Use of Force = Board, but the Arambulas are suing the officer, Coutts, the city of Phoenix, the Phoenix police department and a number of unidentified emergency workers for at least $5.75 million. "It's clearly unfortunate," said Officer Mark Spencer, president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association which represents 2,600 officers. "Our officers feel terrible this occured." But, Spencer told ABCNews.com, PLEA also disputes some of the Arambulas' account, including that the father of two was shot in the back. "Clearly where the blame lies is with the bad guy," Spencer said, adding that the intruder put "everyone at risk." As for Arambula's actions that night, Spencer said, "I don't think he did anything wrong." He added, "We agreed with the board's decision that the officer's response and action was reasonable within police policy." The city of Phoenix did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to the lawsuit, Arambula, his wife Lesley and their two sons = were at home on Sept. 17, 2008, when they heard two gunshots outside shortly before an intruder crashed through their front window and pointed a 9mm gun at Arambula and 2-year-old Zachary. The gunman, according to the lawsuit, then took off down the hall into = 12-year-old Matthew's bedroom. Arambula, who had sent his wife and toddler outside the house, retreived his own handgun and cornered the intruder who was shouting that "someone was after him and going to get = him." After calling for Matthew, who had been hiding in his closet, and sending the boy outside, Arambula called 911 while continuing to point = the gun at the intruder. Lesley Arambula also placed a call to 911 within seconds. 'You Killed the Homeowner' Officers had already been in the neighborhood responding to an earlier = call about a "Hispanic male" who had threatened a woman at a nearby house. According to the lawsuit, Lesley Arambula flagged them down and = yelled for help. The lawsuit alleges that Lesley Arambula told Coutts, a 12-year- verteran of the Phoenix Police Department, that her husband was alone in the house with the intruder at gunpoint, but that Coutts never gave = the information to Officers Lilly and Dzenan Ahmetovic, who had entered the house. Spencer confirmed that Coutts never relayed to the officers that Arambula was holding the intruder at gunpoint. What happened next is in dispute. The lawsuit claims that Arambula had = his back to the officers when Lilly opened fire without warning,