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

04/21/10 - VCDL Update 4/21/10 - Part 1

Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- VCDL Update 4/21/10 1. Reminder: VCDL meeting in Fairfax on April 21 2. Trust but verify -- Herndon festival 3. Three congressmen urge checks at gun shows 4. DC Voting Rights Act is back, and so are the 'antis' 5. AZ now has Alaska carry! 6. Cuccinelli, gun rights advocates rally in Richmond 7. Cuccinelli praises gun-rights activists 8. Videos from Richmond 2A march 9. Was gun rally important for Cuccinelli? 10. Three years after Virginia Tech shooting, college gun bans prevail 11. Brady Campaign: Sad Week Ahead for Those Supporting Sensible Gun Laws 12. Daily Press hit piece on background checks 13. LTE: Gun Group Misses The Obvious Point 14. Daily Show open carry spoof 15. Jim Crow: Guns, Too? 16. See Mayor Bloomberg....no gunshow loophole 17. NFS in NC = gun trap 18. Gov't report sees increase in campus violence 19. Two things my kids know about guns 20. Charlton Heston's 'A Torch With No Flame' ************************************************** 1. Reminder: VCDL meeting in Fairfax on April 21 ************************************************** Bruce LaPorte, candidate for Fairfax County Supervisor, will be speaking at the next VCDL meeting at the Mason District Government Center in Fairfax on April 21 (today). The meeting is open to the public, so bring friends, family and coworkers! The meeting starts at 8 PM. Fellowship begins at 7:30 PM. Afterwards we will adjourn and head to a local restaurant for continued fellowship. Open carry at the restaurant will be required for those choosing to carry, as the restaurant serves alcohol. (Starting on July 1 it will be up to you as to how you wish to carry at the restaurant!) Directions can be found on our meeting page: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings.html See you there! ************************************************** 2. Trust but verify -- Herndon festival ************************************************** Geoff Bricker emailed me this: -- Hi Mr. Van Cleave, Last year I wrote to you about 9 Herndon cops surrounding me at the Herndon Festival for open-carrying my firearm. You stated that this year, you wish to 'Trust but Verify' that the Chief of Police and Town Attorney would keep to their word about the wrong-doing of those officers. Here is the link regarding the festival: http://tinyurl.com/yy9qwbf It is scheduled for June 3-6th (1 Day after my 24th Birthday). I hope that VCDL can have a turn-out to show all of those in attendance that a right not exercised is a right soon lost. ************************************************** 3. Three congressmen urge checks at gun shows ************************************************** Elections for the Congress are coming in November. Looks like 3 Democrats are itching to be voted out by supporting a federal 'gun show loophole' bill. Mark Myers emailed me this: -- http://tinyurl.com/y5hmxgz www.wset.com Three Congressmen Urge Checks at Gun Showsposted 04/16/10 10:35 am producer: Amy Foster Richmod, VA - Three Virginia congressmen are asking their colleagues to support closing the so-called gun-show loophole. Democrats Jim Moran, Bobby Scott and Gerald Connolly sent a letter to members of the House of Representatives Thursday asking them to support a bill to require private sellers to perform background checks on buyers at gun shows. The letter went out a day before the third anniversary of the shootings at Virginia Tech, where a student gunman killed 32 others and himself. The congressmen also mentioned the shootings at Columbine High School that killed 12. The families of victims in both tragedies have fought to require the checks. Colorado has changed its laws, but Virginia has not. A bill was introduced in Congress last May, but has yet to be heard in committee. ************************************************** 4. DC Voting Rights Act is back, and so are the 'antis' ************************************************** If the DC Voting Rights bill is passed with the firearm amendment, DC will lose most of its gun control! Some stories on this, sent to me by Deborah Jane Anderson: _______________________________________________________ http://wamu.org/news/ Sen. Says He Will Block D.C. Vote Bill April 15, 2010 - WASHINGTON (AP) Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch says he will block a bill to give D.C. a voting member of Congress if lawmakers don't alter a provision that would also grant his state an additional seat in the House. The Republican senator doesn't like the way the House bill would elect the new Utah member. It would have all Utah citizens vote on the new member, the state's fourth. Hatch says only citizens of a newly created district should pick their representative. He said in a statement on his Web site that he would filibuster the bill in the Senate if it passes the House unchanged. The bill adds a seat for the heavily Democratic district and one for Republican-leaning Utah, which was just shy of getting another seat during the last census. _______________________________ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/14/AR2010041403637.html Deal on D.C. vote in House to be revived on Capitol Hill By Ann E. Marimow Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, April 15, 2010 Congressional leaders intend to resurrect a D.C. voting rights bill as early as next week, despite opposition from many city leaders to an amendment that would eliminate most of the District's gun-control laws. THIS STORY * Deal on D.C. vote in House to be revived * Q&A, Transcript: Post Politics Hour The final details of the bill were being worked out Wednesday, but House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) said he expects the legislation to clear the House and to include some version of the pro- gun language that has bogged down the measure since last year. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), the city's non-voting House member, and congressional leaders said they are negotiating to weaken the gun amendment language. But Norton said she is unwilling to sacrifice the opportunity to win a long-sought voting seat for the District by insisting on a stand-alone bill. 'This is the best chance we've had to get a House vote for D.C. in my lifetime,' Norton said. 'Nobody would leave it on the table because it's not at all clear when there will be another chance.' The time is right, Norton and other advocates said, because the bill's prospects could diminish if the Democratic majority narrows after this year's midterm elections and if the release of 2010 Census figures undercuts the legislative deal. A year ago, the Senate passed a D.C. voting rights bill for the first time since 1978, but lawmakers attached language that would wipe out most local gun laws and restrict the D.C. Council's power to enact new ones. House leaders shelved the legislation when it became clear that it would be difficult to block the gun amendment. Under the measure, the House would add two members: one to the overwhelmingly Democratic District and the other, temporarily, to Republican-leaning Utah. That seat would then go to the state next in line for a representative based on the 2010 Census. Last year, many city leaders, including Norton, fiercely opposed loosening the District's gun laws. And on Wednesday, council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) denounced the possibility of a trade-off. 'It's wrong, it's undemocratic and it's insulting, and we should not kneel down on our basic principles just to get this bill through,' she said. 'It's way too bitter a pill that we should be forced to sacrifice our public safety.' A spokeswoman for council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D), who is running for mayor, said he would not support the initiative if it removes the council's right to legislate firearms restrictions. 'He believes the majority of our citizens would have our gun laws remain, not be weakened,' spokeswoman Doxie McCoy said. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), however, said he told Norton Wednesday that he would help her move the bill, even if it includes what he considers objectionable gun language. 'We've had great momentum on voting rights, and we need to move forward,' Fenty said in an interview with NewsChannel 8. A recent Washington Post poll finds broad support (83 percent) among District residents for legislation that would give the city a full voting member in the House. Support spans differences in race, sex, age and geography, dipping below 80 percent only among conservatives (71 percent) and those in the lowest income and education categories, according to the poll, conducted in January. Nationally, almost six in 10 respondents said they favor D.C. voting rights legislation in a 2009 Post-ABC poll. After the legislation stalled last year, Norton relaxed her position and tried to negotiate a compromise that would save sections of local gun laws. But she was unable to get city officials to sign off on a deal. She was criticized privately and publicly last summer for appearing to hold out for unanimity among District leaders. But in an interview this week, Norton said it had become clear that she would not get a vote on a stand-alone voting rights bill. As important, she said, the strength of the National Rifle Association, particularly among conservative Democrats, made it increasingly likely that the pro-gun lobby would be able to repeal local gun laws with or without a voting rights bill. Former representative Tom Davis, the Virginia Republican who originally drafted the D.C. vote bill, said the window for passage is closing because Republicans could make gains in the November elections and because the political compromise could deteriorate with the reapportionment of House seats based on the census. 'You're never going to get the perfect bill,' Davis said. 'This is a one-time opportunity that expires at the end of this Congress.' Ilir Zherka, executive director of nonprofit DC Vote, agreed with Davis. He said that anytime a District-related issue goes to the floor, there are attempts to weaken the city's powers of self- government known as home rule. 'The threat or reality of whatever amendments might be offered are not enough for us to back down,' he said. 'That can't be a reason for us not to move forward.' Joshua Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, said that if the gun amendment affects new city restrictions passed in response to the landmark 2008 Supreme Court ruling on handgun possession, he expects council members to push back. 'The city deserves a representative in Congress absolutely,' Horwitz said. 'But they also deserve the right to pass their own laws regarding public safety.' If the measure is successful in the House this time, there are differences with the Senate version that must be reconciled. The vote also could be complicated by a Justice Department report last year that concluded that the measure is unconstitutional. But Attorney General Eric H. Holder, who supports the effort, obtained a second opinion that the bill could be defended. First lady Michelle Obama said President Obama backs the bill. In an interview with WRC-TV (Channel 4) news, she said the president 'is a supporter of the rights of citizens here in D.C. to have the vote, and I don't think there's much convincing that you have to do there. We just have to get it done.' Polling analyst Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report. __________________________________ http://dcist.com/2010/04/voting_rights_bill_coming_back_to_l.php D.C. Voting Rights Bill Stirring Back to Life Photo by Mark Poblete The Washington Post is reporting the long-stalled bill that would finally grant the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives may be re-introduced as early as next week. According to the Post, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer today indicated that details are still being ironed out, but the bill will likely have some version of the original gun amendment that stalled it last summer. The amendment, supported by various Republicans and conservative Democrats, would do away with the city's existing gun laws. (A similar amendment was added to a Senate version of the legislationpassed last year.) D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who has fiercely opposed any version of the gun amendment, seems to have changed her tune, telling a gathering of the Georgetown Democrats yesterday that while any such amendment is 'odious,' she's just trying to keep as many of the city's gun laws intact as she can. And to the Post, Norton said: 'This is the best chance we've had to get a House vote for D.C. in my lifetime. Nobody would leave it on the table because it's not at all clear when there will be another chance.' Mayor Adrian Fenty has expressed support for moving the legislation forward with the amendment, but it remains to be seen what mayoral challenger and D.C. Council Chair Vincent Gray and other officials will have to say about this development. With the South Capitol Street quadruple homicide fresh in people's minds and a recent court ruling that the District's gun restrictions are constitutional, it's likely that some members of the council will continue to oppose any amendment that limits future action they can take against guns. And if we may, allow us to apply the brakes here just a bit. Hoyer and (especially) Norton have routinely made excessively optimistic projections about the future of this bill over the last year, only to see nothing actually happen. Plus, the House Rules Committee still has no indication of a date for when the bill might be brought to the floor, according to a senior staffer we spoke to today. The news does coincide nicely with D.C. Emancipation Day, which takes places this Friday. The D.C. government and a variety of local groups have organized a number of related events, including a rally and march at Franklin Square at 11 a.m. DC Vote, which has pushed for the voting rights bill over the last three years, is also hosting an Advocacy Day on Friday. By Martin Austermuhle in News on April 14, 2010 5:40 PM ************************************************** 5. AZ now has Alaska carry! ************************************************** Great news! Huge Kudos to the Arizona Citizens Defense League for getting 'Constitutional Carry' passed (no permit required for either open or concealed carry). We need to start pushing that envelope here. Steven Newman emailed me this: -- FYI -- There's still hope in America. http://tinyurl.com/y7jxcz6 http://news.yahoo.com Arizona to allow concealed weapons without permit By PAUL DAVENPORT and JONATHAN J. COOPER, Associated Press Writers Fri Apr 16, 7:39 pm ET PHOENIX - Favoring the constitutional right to bear arms over others' concerns about gun safety, Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday signed into law a bill making Arizona the third state allowing people to carry a concealed weapon without requiring a permit. The measure takes effect 90 days after the current legislative session ends, which likely puts the effective date in July or August. 'I believe this legislation not only protects the Second Amendment rights of Arizona citizens, but restores those rights as well,' Brewer, a Republican, said in a statement. Alaska and Vermont now do not require permits to carry concealed weapons. By eliminating the permit requirement, the Arizona legislation will allow people 21 or older to forego background checks and classes that are now required. Supporters say the bill promotes constitutional rights and allows people to protect themselves from criminals, while critics worry it will lead to more shootings as people with less training have fewer restrictions on carrying weapons. Some police officials are concerned the law will lead to more accidental gun discharges from people untrained in firearm safety, or that shooters in stressful situations will accidentally strike innocent bystanders with stray bullets. 'I know a lot of 21-year-olds; the maturity level is gravely concerning sometimes,' said El Mirage Police Chief Mike Frazier, an Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police board member. 'If you're going to be carrying a weapon you should know what the law is and how to use it.' However, the measure was supported by police unions representing rank- and-file officers, who said their best friend on the streets is a law- abiding citizen equipped to protect themselves or others. The police chiefs group initially opposed the bill but then took a neutral stance after some provisions were changed at their request. Brewer's office also participated in negotiations on changes to the bill. A Democratic leader, Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, of Phoenix, said the bill deprives law enforcement of a tool 'to separate good guys from the bad guys.' With a permit requirement, police encountering a person with a concealed gun but no permit had reason to suspect that person was not a law-abiding citizen, she said. The Arizona Citizens Defense League, a gun-rights group that lobbied for passage of the 'constitutional carry' bill, said gun owners foregoing permits still should get training. 'The heaviest thing about wearing a firearm is the responsibility that comes with it,' the group said. Arizona's permissive gun laws gained national attention last year when a man openly carried a semiautomatic rifle to a Phoenix protest outside a speech by President Barack Obama. Nearly all adults can already carry a weapon openly in Arizona, and supporters of looser laws argue that gun owners shouldn't face additional restrictions just because they want to hide the weapon. Currently, carrying a hidden firearm without a permit is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. Forty-five other states require permits for hidden guns, and two states -- Illinois and Wisconsin -- prohibit them altogether. Federal law requires anyone buying a gun from a licensed dealer to undergo a background check, but that requirement does not apply to sales by individuals who aren't dealers. Arizona's law won't change that. Under the Arizona legislation, people carrying a concealed weapon will be required to tell a police officer that if asked, and the officer can temporarily take the weapon while communicating with the person. More than 154,000 people have permits to carry a concealed weapon in Arizona. The bill acted on by Brewer was the first attempt to lift the permit requirement to reach an Arizona governor's desk. Brewer's predecessor, Democrat Janet Napolitano, in 2007 vetoed two related bills. One would have reduced penalties for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. The other would have allowed a person without a permit to carry a gun largely concealed as long as any part of it or its holster was visible. Brewer in 2008 signed into law a bill allowing a person with a permit to take a gun into a restaurant or bar serving alcohol as long as the establishment doesn't prohibit it and the person isn't drinking alcohol. Napolitano vetoed a similar bill in 2005. ************************************************** 6. Cuccinelli, gun rights advocates rally in Richmond ************************************************** http://tinyurl.com/y3ay5xb www.washingtonpost.com Cuccinelli, gun rights advocates rally in Richmond More than 100 gun rights advocates, many of them wearing handguns on their hips, rallied in Capital Square in Richmond today, urging expansion of gun rights in Virginia and beyond. Members of the crowd sported orange stickers that read 'Guns Save Lives.' A few held yellow 'Don't Tread on Me' Gadsden flags that have become associated with the Tea Party movement. Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli addressed the crowd, praising them for their efforts on behalf of guns rights. Standing on a makeshift speaking platform, he opened with a joke: 'We've been in office less than three months. It's been kind of boring.' 'Okay,' he conceded, 'Not so much.' Cuccinelli has quickly become of the nation's best-known advocates for conservative activism, with pending lawsuits against the federal government over health care and the EPA's regulation of greenhouse gases, and his presence at the gun rally had drawn a bank of television cameras. Cuccinelli told the crowd that no one in Virginia should be surprised by his stands. 'Anyone who watches what we're doing in office in the first three months, who paid attention during our campaign, shouldn't be surprised at all. We talked very clearly about reining in government power. We talked very clearly about being aggressive in protecting the Constitution, as it was written. What a concept,' he said. 'And that's all we've done, in suing the EPA, in suing over the health- care bill: Exactly what we said we were going to do. As clear and blunt as we were last year about choosing this course, if you vote for Ken Cuccinelli, this is the course you get. And we got more votes for attorney general than any one in the history of Virginia.' 'Virginians support protecting the constitution aggressively,' he concluded. Other speakers praised the Virginia General Assembly for passing a bill to allow concealed weapons permit holders to carry their guns in restaurants that serve alcohol, provided they do not drink. But the leadership of the Democratic-controlled state Senate came in for criticism for creating a special committee to kill 15 other pieces of gun-related legislation. Philip Van Cleve with the Virginia Citizen Defense League called on rally participants to replace the 'anti- Constitution, anti-freedom, anti-gun' leadership of the state Senate. One crowd member not impressed: Lori Haas, a gun control advocate whose daughter Emily was injured in the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings. Haas often attends such events, standing silently in the crowd. She called the gun rights lobbyists a 'small, loud interest group' that pushes state lawmakers to positions that most Virginians oppose. By Rosalind Helderman | April 12, 2010; 4:17 PM ET ************************************************** 7. Cuccinelli praises gun-rights activists ************************************************** http://tinyurl.com/y7fprpb www.timesdispatch.com Cuccinelli praises gun-rights activists By JIM NOLAN Published: April 12, 2010 Updated: April 12, 2010 3:03 PM More than 100 people -- many of them openly carrying firearms -- gathered at the Bell Tower in Richmond's Capitol Square this afternoon to express support for the rights of gun owners and drum up interest in an upcoming national Second Amendment March to be held in Washington next Monday. Those gathered heard Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli hail them as 'people, who as I do, love the Constitution.' Cuccinelli pressed his case for using his office and what he describes as his constitutional duty to defend Virginia from the overreaching federal government. He said that the best way to ensure the state and its people retain their constitutionally guaranteed rights is through the ballot box. He said it was easier to 'change your electeds than to change your electeds' minds.' The rally comes less than a month after the Virginia General Assembly recessed after having passed legislation to allow gun owners to carry concealed firearms into restaurants that serve alcohol. But gun rights advocates said much more needs to be done to protect the rights of Virginians who wish to own weapons. Philip Van Cleave of the Virginia Citizens Defense League will be leading a busload of like-minded advocates to Washington next week and defiantly challenged the 'anti-Constitution, anti-freedom, anti-gun' leadership of the Democrat-controlled Virginia Senate to change their position regarding gun control legislation. He ended his remarks with playing the Tom Petty song, 'I Won't Back Down.' ************************************************** 8. Videos from Richmond 2A march ************************************************** David Porter emailed me this: -- Video #1: http://tinyurl.com/y48hevk www.wric.com Video #2: http://tinyurl.com/y5nrpa4 www.timesdispatch.com ************************************************** 9. Was gun rally important for Cuccinelli? ************************************************** The rabidly anti-freedom News Advance is having a hissy fit over the Second Amendment March rally at the Virginia Capitol last week. Josh Kellogg emailed me this: -- http://tinyurl.com/y2mofq5 www.newsadvance.com Was Gun Rally Important for Cuccinelli? The News & Advance Published: April 15, 2010 One would think that with all the duties assigned to the attorney general of Virginia, he would find little time to speak to a small rally of gun-rights supporters in Richmond. But there he was. Ken Cuccinelli took the time away from his job as the state's top legal officer to speak to a gathering at the Bell Tower in Capitol Square. Many of those attending openly carried firearms holstered on their hips. They wore fluorescent-orange stickers proclaiming 'Guns Save Lives.' The event was held to drum up support for a national 'Second Amendment March' in Washington next week. As Media General News Service reported, a few gun-control activists stood silently observing the proceedings. Cuccinelli talked about his love for the Constitution and said that Virginians have 'been very good about protecting' constitutional rights, such as the right to bear arms. But, he said, 'every year is a battle.' One of those 'battles' came during the General Assembly this year when the gun supporters finally pushed a measure through that would allow folks with concealed weapons to take those weapons into bars. Opponents argued correctly that the mix of guns and alcohol is a deadly one, but Gov. Bob McDonnell has said he will sign the legislation. Cuccinelli also made reference to his earlier efforts to 'defend the Constitution' by filing lawsuits against the federal government challenging global-warming research and legislation that provides health care for millions of Americans who would not otherwise receive it. Among those at the rally was Philip Van Cleave of the Virginia Citizens Defense League who criticized 'anti-Constitution, anti- freedom, anti-gun' Senate Democrats in the Assembly for killing a number of pro-gun bills in a special subcommittee. So anyone who is opposed to the free flow of guns throughout society is opposed to freedom and the Constitution? Van Cleave probably knows better than that, but it makes for good rhetoric at a gun-rights rally. He added that he wanted to tell the Assembly that Second Amendment rights are non-negotiable. Which is fine. He certainly has the right to speak his position. And he has the right to carry a pistol, if he wants. And he has the right to gather at a public rally at the Capitol. But that doesn't explain why Cuccinelli would take the time to lend his support to such a rally. Wasn't his appearance political pandering at its worst to the rabid gun crowd -- pandering that helped create the perception that the government is out to get them and their guns? Of course it was. Are gun rights all that important to the attorney general? Would he like to see guns strapped on every hip in Virginia? That's the clear impression he left with those who read and heard about his appearance at the gun rally. One would hope that Cuccinelli picks his battles a little more carefully in his months to come as Virginia's attorney general. ************************************************** 10. Three years after Virginia Tech shooting, college gun bans prevail ************************************************** Bruce Jackson emailed me this: -- http://tinyurl.com/y724ue5 www.csmonitor.com Three years after Virginia Tech shooting, college gun bans prevail Gun rights activists argued that concealed carry laws may have been a protection during the Virginia Tech shooting. But states have not moved to allow concealed weapons on college campuses, though student groups continue to lobby to lift gun bans. By Will Buchanan, Contributor / April 16, 2010 The mass shooting at Virginia Tech, which killed 32 people three years ago Friday, touched off an intense debate over whether colleges should remain gun-free zones, or whether allowing students and faculty to carry concealed weapons might have resulted in fewer deaths. Though the debate continues, so far colleges have generally declined to move to allow concealed guns on campus - and most state legislatures have not forced them to do so. Today 26 states prohibit conceal and carry on college campuses, and 23 states leave the decision to the schools, according to the nonpartisan Project America. In these 23 states, a large majority of colleges prohibit conceal and carry. Only Utah has a 2004 law requiring publicly funded schools to permit students over 21 with conceal and carry licenses to carry guns on campus. 'After Virginia Tech, we faced a push by the gun lobby to expand conceal-and-carry rights at colleges,' says Andy Pelosi of the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus. 'But we have been trying to raise awareness, and more and more people are joining our cause.' This year at least 10 state legislatures are considering bills dealing with guns on campus, he says. Gun rights proponents argue that colleges should allow students and faculty to carry concealed weapons as a deterrent and as a means of Continued ...