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

03/27/10 - VCDL Update 3/27/10 - Part 1

Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- VCDL Update 3/25/10 1. Reminder: Lynchburg meeting on April 6th 2. Firearms in Wolf Trap 3. U.S. gun rights advocates pack heat with pride 4. France VCDL article, translated through Google 5. Spain VCDL coverage [VIDEO] 6. New VCDL membership benefit: member discounts web page! 7. The G.A.: 'Virginia is for (gun) lovers' 8. Police divided on repealing the restaurant ban 9. LTE about Senator Petersen in previous VCDL Update 3/18/10 was from prominent anti-gunner 10. Firearms programs on Direct TV 11. Letter to VA Fraternal Order of Police 12. Poll -- should police departments destroy confiscated firearms? 13. VCDL Update 3/18/10, Item 8, #2 14. God, guns, and gays 15. Letter: to all neo-liberals and neo-conservatives 16. News release: 2nd Amendment March 17. Limit one per customer 18. 1 in 5 = 8,000 home invasions every day in North America 19. New law permits guns on the Blue Ridge Parkway 20. Maryland needs our help passing a CHP recognition bill ************************************************** 1. Reminder: Lynchburg meeting on April 6th ************************************************** Member Joe Seiffert lined up a gun-friendly restaurant for us to go to after our membership meeting in Lynchburg on Tuesday, April 6th: Monte Carlo 3230 Old Forest Road Lynchburg, VA. The meeting will begin at 7 PM and is going to be held at: Solid Rock Baptist Church 110 Church St Madison Heights, VA We will be discussing the legislative session and other things of interest to Virginia gun owners. VCDL will have a table there for those wishing to purchase some of VCDL's 'stuff' ;-) As with all VCDL membership meetings, they are open to the public, so bring your friends, family and coworkers! Thanks to Pastor David Cash for letting us use the facility and to Board member Al Steed, Jr. for coordinating. I'll see you there! ************************************************** 2. Firearms in Wolf Trap ************************************************** Government considers lawn area 'part of a building' Bill Heath emailed me this. This is your government working AGAINST you. Petty bureaucrats ripping away your freedoms. VCDL is weighing its options. -- Philip, I finally got a response from the NPS about carrying a firearm in the 'lawn area' of the Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park. Apparently, between the Park Service and their Solicitor Office, they have determined that the lawn area is 'part of a building'. In my opinion, this is quite a stretch, but I'm not surprised as government bureaucrats often do whatever they can to restrict our freedoms. Sincerely, Bill Heath -------- Dear Mr. Heath, This responds to your e-mail inquiry about the recent Federal firearms law, now codified at 16 USC 1a-7b, and its impact at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, located in Virginia. Federal Law 16 USC 1a-7b generally allows individuals to possess firearms in a Unit of the National Park System, if such possession is also in compliance with other Federal laws as well as the laws of the State in which the park unit is located. In that regard, 18 U.S.C. 930 is another Federal law, and it generally prohibits firearms within a Federal facility. Further, the term Federal facility is defined at 18 USC 930(g)(1) as a 'building or part thereof owned or leased by the Federal Government, where Federal employees are regularly present for the purpose of performing their official duties.' The Park Service in consultation with our Solicitor's Office, has determined that the entire Filene Center, which also includes the amphitheater areas located inside its ticketed entrances, qualifies as a Federal facility under 18 USC 930(g)(1). To alert the public, appropriate signage has been posted conspicuously at each public entrance to the Filene Center. As to your question regarding firearms at private restaurants at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, it is the Park Service's policy to defer to its concessioners to decide for itself whether to prohibit firearms, as long as such authority is also authorized under State law such as at Va. Code Ann. 18.2-308(O). In the event that a restaurant concessioner in our park decides to prohibit firearms, appropriate signage will be posted conspicuously by the concessioner at each public entrance to the restaurant. Thank you for your interest in Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. Duane Erwin, Chief Ranger Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts 1551 Trap Road, Vienna, Virginia 22182-1643 Office # (703) 255-1822, Fax # (703) 255-4009 ************************************************** 3. U.S. gun rights advocates pack heat with pride ************************************************** http://tinyurl.com/yk6d6ch www.vancouversun.com U.S. gun rights advocates pack heat with pride By Virginie Montet, Agence France-Presse FALLS CHURCH, Va. - About 60 gun rights activists gather in a pizzeria in the Virginia suburb of Falls Church, just outside of Washington DC, their firearms openly displayed in waist holsters. They are celebrating what they expect will be the successful enactment in Virginia of legislation expanding gun rights for residents. Republican Governor Bob McDonnell has pledged to sign the measure. With gun control legislation stalled at the federal level in Congress, a number of states have taken matters into their own hands to make it easier for residents to pack heat. As many as 43 states already have some form of open-carry laws that allow citizens to carry firearms in plain view. 'Gun laws (authorizing openly carrying weapons) and popularity of gun ownership have been going up considerably,' said Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, carrying a ..40-caliber semiautomatic pistol strapped to his belt. [PVC: They got that quote wrong. No authorization needed for open carry!] Many gun rights proponents feared that President Barack Obama's administration would take steps to curb gun ownership, but Van Cleave said this has not happened. In fact, says John Pierce, co-founder of the pro-gun group Opencarry.org, Obama 'has done more for us than anybody in recent history,' by spurring gun owners to organize at the grassroots level. Also positive, they said, was Obama's decision to allow guns on Amtrak trains and national parks. 'There is absolutely no reason for gun owners to feel insecure at this point,' he said. According to some estimates, roughly 200 million guns are in circulation in the United States in a population of just over 308 million. Only seven states ban the carrying of firearms openly. In Virginia, where residents can already openly carry firearms, the new law would expand gun rights to allow concealed carry permit holders to bring loaded weapons into establishments that have a liquor license, including bars, nightclubs, restaurants, pizza parlors and bowling alleys. 'It's legal here, it's been a right since the beginning of the country,' says gun owner Rose Brahin, a retired 64-year-old secretary. 'We need to protect our right because if you don't use it they are going to take it away.' Even mass killings like the 2007 shootings of 31 people at Virginia Tech University, a short drive away, have not shaken the conviction of gun rights proponents. 'I carry a firearm for personal protection. I openly carry to show my support for the Second Amendment (to the Constitution) which is our right to bear arms,' said 23-year-old student Elizabeth Webb, carrying a Smith & Wesson .38. 'It's a personal responsibility to defend your life in the event of an attack.' Ray Fary, a 53-year-old equipment operator, said carrying a gun is becoming more accepted. 'In most places I go, they treat the pistol as if it may as well be a cellphone or something else you carry under the belt,' he said. Coffee shop giant Starbucks Corp. was forced recently to wade into the gun rights debate, reluctantly saying it would allow customers to openly carry firearms into its stores, as long as they are in compliance with local laws. The decision sparked outrage among anti-gun activists. 'I don't think having at the next table a guy with a gun is a relaxing way to drink a coffee,' said Jill Lucas of the group Protest Easy Guns, which is pressing for more background checks on gun owners and tougher gun control laws as a way to stem gun violence. While gun rights activists say Virginia is the vanguard, others say the state is asking for trouble. Virginia Beach police chief Jake Jacocks wrote to the governor, 'We can fully expect that at some point in the future a disagreement that today would likely end up in a verbal confrontation, or a bar fight, will inevitably end up with gunfire if you sign this legislation into law.' [PVC - This is the same lame argument used to try to undermine shall issue - that there will be shoot outs over fender benders and shopping cart collisions. None of these hysterical hand wringing events has happened. Since it doesn't happen now with people open carrying and allowed to drink, how does allowing concealed hanguns with no drinking now make it dangerous? Ah, there I go again, mixing logic and reason with gun control!] ************************************************** 4. France VCDL article, translated through Google ************************************************** The computer translated this article from French to English, so some of the wording is a little strange: http://tinyurl.com/ycabbo6 www.lexpress.fr In the U.S. state of Virginia, love showing off weapons in public By AFP, published on 20.03.2010 at 21:51 - updated on 20/03/2010 at 21:50 FALLS CHURCH (USA) - In Virginia, supporters of firearms have never been happier and the Americans do not hesitate to 'assert their right' to show off their weapons in public. In a pizza restaurant in Falls Church, a suburb of Washington, members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL), celebrate the weapon in his belt, the forthcoming adoption of a measure liberalizing the carry of 'weapons in bars and restaurants in the state of the east coast. 'Owning a weapon is becoming increasingly popular,' assures Philip Van Cleave, president of the VCDL, a .40 caliber semi-automatic on his belt. The fear of an Obama administration change the gun laws in a restrictive sense - which has boosted sales after the election of the first black president - has given way to relief: 'So far, it has nothing that justifies that concern, 'said AFP Van Cleave. The Democratic administration has even given the green light to carry weapons in national parks and on trains (in his luggage). As the Supreme Court, after allowing handguns in Washington, she plans to extend this right to the few states or municipalities where there is limited. 'It's Obama who has done more for us in recent history,' said John Pierce, co-founder of Internet Opencarry.org Network, which campaigns for the right to carry arms visibly. In the United States, which circulate 200 million guns for 300 million inhabitants, only seven states ban carry a loaded weapon in public. In Virginia, very liberal state in the matter, the weapon must be visible, unless you have a license to conceal, but in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol, it is necessary to demonstrate its equipment. This should soon change, however, allowing consumers to carry a revolver under his jacket. 'Wearing a weapon is a constitutional right and should use it, otherwise we will remove us,' says Rose Brahin, a retiree of 64 years, a revolver in his holster and a badge on his chest: 'Guns save lives. Tragedies like the shootings at Virginia Tech where a student unbalanced killed 31 people in 2007, not shake his belief that 'if every student had a weapon on campus, there were fewer deaths.' 'I carry a weapon visible to show my support for Second Amendment guarantees our right to have a weapon,' said Elizabeth Webb, 23, a student, a .38 Smith and Wesson size. Like other respondents, it is never used them but says it is ready for the worst: 'It is our responsibility to defend ourselves in case of an attack,' she said, adding that it regretted a once for not having a weapon when an individual in France, has bothered to train. 'People do not even notice the' gun belt, ensures Ray Fary, 53, 'is an accessory like any other, as a phone. Some have however recently moved to Virginia and California before manifesting in Starbucks for direct, in vain, the chain does not serve consumers armed. 'I do not think that having a neighbor, a revolver in his belt at the next table is the best way to have a quiet coffee, sorry Jill Lucas of Protest Easy Guns, an association against the liberalization of weapons . A concern shared by Virginia police chiefs who saw the green light for concealed weapons in bars 'recipe for disaster'. ************************************************** 5. Spain VCDL coverage [VIDEO] ************************************************** Same story as some of the other foreign newspapers, but this has some video: -- http://tinyurl.com/yag85x3 ************************************************** 6. New VCDL membership benefit: member discounts web page! ************************************************** VCDL is proud to announce a new member benefit: discounts! Many vendors (and the list is constantly growing) have offered to provide VCDL members a discount for simply showing their VCDL Membership card. You can check out the member discounts list at: http://www.vcdl.org/static/discounts.html If you are not yet a member of VCDL, maybe it is time to join and take advantage of the member discounts. You can join right now, by going to: http://www.vcdl.org/static/signup.html If you own a business which you would like listed or if you know someone with such a business, send an email to Ed at: Discounts*vcdl.org Many thanks to EM Ed Levine, who came up with the idea and who is keeping the data up to date for us, and to EM and VCDL webmaster, John Pierce, for his technical expertise in the implementation. ************************************************** 7. The G.A.: 'Virginia is for (gun) lovers' ************************************************** Ah - the Freelance-Star op-ed guys - never met a gun they didn't hate! Not understanding guns makes for some wild imaginations: -- http://tinyurl.com/yfjnvnr http://fredericksburg.com Richard Amrhine's op-ed column on the Virginia General Assembly 2010 SNIP PISTOL WHIPPED So while Virginia might not be for all lovers, it is for gun-lovers. The legislature dealt with dozens of bills involving firearms. The vast majority of them died, many of them in Sen. Henry Marsh's (D- Richmond) sub-subcommittee, which he set up to kill them. In the end, the assembly killed some that should have passed, and passed others it should have killed--more evidence of the General Assembly's dysfunctional nature. Lawmakers passed a bill that makes it OK for someone who can legally carry a concealed gun to carry it into a bar or restaurant, as long as he or she doesn't drink. Is this not a troubling scenario? How is this policed, exactly, without infringing upon a gun owner's sacred rights? A lot of the bills dealt with who can buy a gun and places where you could carry your gun if you wanted to. One would allow guns in an emergency shelter (failed). No extra stress there, for sure. Others involved storage of guns in child care facilities (passed), and allowing school boards to offer firearm safety classes in the elementary grades (passed). Whatever. Some people evidently think about guns to the exclusion of all else. What makes no sense at all is that among the bills that died are HB 1234 and SB 595. These would have closed the gun-show loophole, which allows the transfer of firearms from vendor to buyer without the background check that's required in a gun-dealer purchase. There's no excuse for not requiring this. None. Inconvenience doesn't count. Nor does Second Amendment paranoia. Gun owners and lobbyists are all about being prepared to defend themselves against people who shouldn't have guns, but they are against legislation that would prevent anyone from obtaining a gun. Can't have it both ways. If someone with a criminal or mental health history wants a gun, off to the gun show he goes, perhaps to buy a gun that police had previously removed from circulation. Next stop: The school, office, government facility, church, or other venue of his choice to vent his anger. ************************************************** 8. Police divided on repealing the restaurant ban ************************************************** http://tinyurl.com/yakmvg7 www.martinsvillebulletin.com Guns in bars law divides police Sunday, March 21, 2010 By AMANDA BUCK - Bulletin Staff Writer Local law enforcement officials are split on whether Gov. Bob McDonnell should sign legislation that would allow people with concealed weapons permits to carry their guns into bars. The legislation passed the General Assembly and is awaiting McDonnell's signature. Last week, the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police sent the governor a letter asking him to veto the bill, which it called a 'recipe for disaster,' according to The Associated Press. In the letter, Virginia Beach Police Chief Jake Jacocks Jr. compared combining alcohol and firearms with drinking and driving, the AP reported. Henry County Sheriff Lane Perry said Thursday that although he is 'a gun rights person,' he too would like to see the legislation vetoed. 'I do not think weapons being in proximity with people drinking' -- a situation that he said can become volatile -- 'is a good idea,' Perry said. The legislation would bar a person carrying a weapon from drinking in a bar. However, that doesn't mean it wouldn't happen, the sheriff said. 'People are not supposed to drink, but they are in that environment ... It's too easy once you're there to drink, and you may not have your full wits about you if a bad situation erupts,' he said. [PVC: So if he's so adamant that the allowance for us to carry concealed WITHOUT drinking should be vetoed, does he also believe the current allowance for police to carry concealed and drink should also be repealed?] Henry County Sheriff's Maj. Steve Eanes agreed. 'I personally think it's not a good thing to have guns and alcohol together,' Eanes said. Martinsville Police Chief Mike Rogers disagreed. 'That's a tough one,' he said, adding that he can understand both sides of the argument. However, he said, 'The way I look at it, the person who has gone to the trouble to get a concealed weapon permit, we've already established the fact that they're a law-abiding citizen. Personally, I want every law-abiding citizen to have every opportunity in the world to defend themselves or their family.' Unless there is a person screening customers for weapons as they enter a bar or restaurant, some will carry weapons inside illegally, both locally and nationwide, Rogers said. 'For some people it doesn't matter what the law is, they're going to always have a gun,' he said. 'Those are the ones in my mind you've got to be worried about and ready to protect yourself' from. An armed law-abiding citizen might be able to stop a gunman from taking innocent lives, Rogers said. For that reason, he said he disagrees with the recommendation that McDonnell veto the bill. Perry wasn't swayed by that line of thinking. 'If a person thinks they need protection when they go in a bar, they've got a choice not to go there,' he said. The letter is not likely to make a difference, the AP reported, because McDonnell's office has said he plans to sign the legislation. The police chiefs said that if the change becomes law, they will ask lawmakers to reconsider it if an increase in gun violence in bars is reported, according to the AP. Perry said that might be too late. 'Why wait until a tragedy to ask to repeal something when there is a heightened sense of concern to begin with?' he asked. ************************************************** 9. LTE about Senator Petersen in previous VCDL Update 3/18/10 was from prominent anti-gunner ************************************************** Ian Branson emailed me this about the author of a LTE we sent out in a previous Update. -- Philip, Item #8 below is actually from the ex-president of the NOVA Million Mom March. http://tinyurl.com/yh4x3z8 www.connectionnewspapers.com March 10, 2010 I have been an admirer and supporter of State Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34) for many years, but I was deeply disappointed when he chose to vote 'Yes' on SB334, which allows concealed weapons into restaurants that serve alcohol. I do not believe that this vote is in line with the interests of his constituents or his community. As Sen. Petersen notes, a restaurant owner is free to exclude CCWP (concealed carry weapon permit) holders by posting or policy. Fair enough. But have you ever been about to enter a restaurant and suddenly noticed a sign that says 'no guns allowed?' Would that make you (and your family) more or less likely to enter that establishment? Fairfax County welcomes many out-of-state and foreign visitors each year and they all eat at our local restaurants. How do you think these visitors would react at seeing such a sign? Sen. Petersen's 'Yes' vote was a blow to our commonwealth's hospitality industry, which is why they fought against it for so many years. Sen. Petersen also notes that it is illegal for someone carrying a concealed weapon to drink alcohol. How a restaurant owner is supposed to know that the person who is drinking is also carrying a concealed weapon? He does not say. I assume we have to rely upon the CCWP holders' character and their training. But the training that CCWP holders are required to have is a joke. Any applicant can watch an online video for about an hour and take a short - 20 easy questions - quiz and receive the so-called 'certificate of proficiency.' You don't even have to touch a gun, much less fire one. Gun-rights politicians assert that CCWP holders are all responsible, levelheaded, law-abiding citizens and that they would only use their guns to protect themselves against a serious threat to their lives. This is a fantasy. Consider the high-profile cases involving mentally imbalanced and trigger-happy Virginia CCWP holders we have had just in the last few weeks: #1. Christopher Bryan Speight, a concealed carry weapons permit holder since 1999, whose permit was renewed as recently as 2009, who amassed an arsenal of weapons in spite of the 'restrictive' one-gun-a-month rule and in spite of his obvious and ever-increasing mental problems, whose 'high-powered rifle' had enough firepower to nearly bring down a helicopter, killed eight people, including two children, in Appomattox, Va. on Jan. 19. #2. On Jan. 18, Gerald Ung, 28, a Temple University grad student and a Virginia CHP holder, shot an unarmed Villanova college student five times in Philadelphia. The two had been arguing and what might have become a regular fistfight among testosterone-overloaded young men became something much more lethal. #3. And from the Washington Post on Friday, Feb. 5, Jose Avila, 57, a Fairfax County respected domestic violence and anger management counselor, and Virginia CCWP holder pulled a gun on two men in Annandale just because he thought they were blocking his car. As if the irony weren't palpable enough, the two men turned out to be federal marshals. Over the last few weeks, there has been a rapid-fire volley of bills proposed in the Richmond that seek to expand the privileges of CCWP holders while, at the same time, removing any burden of responsibility. Members of the various gun groups (and the politicians who support them) tout SB334 as a victory of their rights. But on the subject of their responsibilities they are deathly quiet. Instead, they actively seek to do away with any inconvenience or requirement for training put upon CCWP holders. This is madness. Shouldn't we and our elected leaders be holding armed citizens to a higher standard, rather than continuing to lower them? Laura Austin (Sonnenmark) Alexandria ************************************************** 10. Firearms programs on Direct TV ************************************************** Joel Cox emailed me this: -- Phil, we have shared a great many thoughts since we became acquainted. There are a great many good firearms programs which are aired each week which I wish to bring to your attention. If you have access to Direct TV then check out the programs which appear on channels 605,606,607,608, and 649. They are Handguns, Personal Defense TV, Tactical Impact, Tactical Arms, and Guns & Ammo Classics. Each week they feature different weapons systems and defense tactics for all who carry weapons for defense purposes. They feature such authorities as Larry Vickers and Massad Ayoob. I hope that these are programs that you and others will find interesting. As always respectfully yours, Joel H. Cox ************************************************** 11. Letter to VA Fraternal Order of Police ************************************************** Captain Shawn Charchan emailed me this: -- All, I drafted this up last night and will mail it shortly. I pass it on so that those of you who contribute to the VA Fraternal Order of Police have a better understanding of the FOP's stance on your right to self defense. Feel free to pass on to those whom you see fit. R/S, SMC To Whom It May Concern: I recently read that the Virginia Association of Chiefs has urged the Governor to veto Virginia Senate Bill SB334. This bill, as well as the House version HB505, are known as the 'restaurant ban repeal'. If passed, these bills would allow licensed, competent (as determined by the court) citizens to carry a concealed firearm in restaurants that serve alcoholic beverages, provided any individual carrying a firearm does not consume alcohol. Your organization calls my home annually seeking financial support. I investigated the FOP's stance on these bills to ensure I haven't been supporting an agency that opposes citizens exercising the very rights that the FOP's members are sworn to protect. I was both surprised and disappointed to find HB505, the House version of the bill listed under the '2010 Bills FOP Oppose' list contained on the VA FOP website. I am disheartened by fact that your organization would oppose a bill that would allow me to increase the safety of my family and those around me simply because other restaurant patrons are consuming alcohol. I remind you that the Law Enforcement Oath of Honor states, 'On my honor...I will always uphold the Constitution, the community, and the agency I serve, so help me God.' Given this oath, I find it hard to believe that the rank and file members of your organization oppose the restaurant ban repeal bills. The Fraternal Order of Police will receive no financial support from my family as long as it maintains this position. Further, I will strive to ensure the widest dissemination of your stance on this issue and encourage others to cease any further support of an organization that opposes self-defense and the exercise of federal and state constitutional rights by the citizenry. By taking a stance against our Constitution and against the very citizens who contribute to the FOP, your organization will reduce the valuable funding it receives to help the families who have lost someone serving in the line of duty as a peace officer. Sincerely, Shawn M. Charchan ************************************************** 12. Poll -- should police departments destroy confiscated firearms? ************************************************** http://tinyurl.com/ygevw94 www.hamptonroads.com ************************************************** 13. VCDL Update 3/18/10, Item 8, #2 ************************************************** Daniel Kohler emailed me this about an item in a previous alert: -- In Item 8, Sub-story 2, The Temple Student with a CHP arrested in Philadelphia, it was not 1 on 1 as stated, it was FIVE ON 1. The individual tried to evade but was pursued by the five, in an area of Philly where there has been recent beating deaths: http://tinyurl.com/ycwt2n8 ************************************************** 14. God, guns, and gays ************************************************** Bruce Jackson emailed me this: -- http://tinyurl.com/y8bynzl www.c-ville.com God, guns and gays Welcome to the culture wars BY DAN CATALANO SNIP Now, it's no huge secret that the average Virginia lawmaker sits comfortably to the right of the Old Dominion as a whole. But since, outside of Richmond, the majority of tolerant lefty types are generally exiled to the D.C. exurbs or Virginia's college campuses (and, of course, the People's Republic of Charlottesville), it's usually easy to overlook that fact. But this jarring onslaught of values-voter invective might prove to be more than even our jaded commonwealth can handle. Consider, for instance, the sudden deluge of pro-gun proposals that flooded the legislature this session. Now, you might have heard that our legislative brain trust decided that allowing pistol-packing patrons to bring firearms into bars was a great idea, but did you know that Continued ...