Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

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VCDL's meeting schedule: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings.html
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Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html
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1. VCDL now on Twitter
2. New Zogby poll: 83% of Americans support concealed carry!

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1. VCDL now on Twitter
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VCDL now has a Twitter account (twitter.com/vcdl_org) that I will be
using to let people know what VCDL is up to and what is happening with
gun rights in Virginia - all in a more timely fashion than is possible
with VA-ALERT.

Using Twitter, for example, I will be able to "tweet" information on
gun bills as they are being discussed and voted on in committees,
giving you the blow-by-blow details as they are happening. (Tweets
are short little messages sent out documenting something. Tweets are
purposely constrained to be very, very short and, thus, have to be to
the point.)

I will use Twitter to let you know about gun related events (rallies,
protests, picnics, dinners, meetings, etc.) that are coming up and
what transpires at those events before the information hits VA-ALERT.

If there is a critical or urgent situation, it will hit Twitter
immediately, follow by VA-ALERT shortly thereafter.

There is a lot that is done by VCDL every week and much of it never
makes it to an Alert or an Update, as I don't want to overload those
that are sensitive to high email traffic levels.

Some of these "unsung" items are local issues that we quietly fix.
Some are things your fellow VCDL members fix on their own. No
surprise there, as VCDL members have to be among the most
knowledgeable and political savvy gun owners in the country.

I will use Twitter to keep you apprised of places where I will be
either speaking or attending on behalf of VCDL, for those who might
wish to know.

I am going to do my utmost to keep the tweets interesting and timely.

So if you want to be on the technological "bleeding edge" of what's
going on in Virginia, here's your opportunity.

To follow VCDL with your Twitter account, go here and click "follow":

http://twitter.com/VCDL_ORG

Twitter accounts, for those of you who might be new to this, is a
powerful way of social networking and is free. A lot of young people
are really into twittering and VCDL feels that this is an important
way to reach out to the younger crowd, as well as a great way to make
sure that gun owners in Virginia continue to lead the way in using
technology to organize in the protection of our right to self-defense!

Just to be clear: the Twitters are NOT meant to replace VA-ALERT, but
to supplement it.

Onward we charge into the 21st century!

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2. New Zogby poll: 83% of Americans support concealed carry!
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Thanks to EM Matt Gottshalk for link:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/Second_Am ... 706544.htm

Zogby/O'Leary Poll Reveals Majority of Voters Will Oppose Senators Who
Vote to Confirm an Anti-Second Amendment Supreme Court Nominee

Strong Majority of Independents, Democrats and Obama Voters Support
the Right to Carry a Firearm

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) August 3, 2009 -- Next week the full U.S.
Senate will vote on whether or not to confirm President Barack Obama's
Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor. Many analysts are predicting a
mostly party-line vote, however, a recent poll conducted by Zogby
International and The O'Leary Report may give Senators from both
parties some pause. (The poll was conducted July 21-24, surveyed 4,470
voters, and has a margin-of-error of plus-or-minus 1.5 percentage
points.).

Judge Sonia Sotomayor

Judge Sotomayor does not believe the Second Amendment right to "keep
and bear arms" and the right to self-defense are fundamental rights of
all Americans. Specifically, Judge Sotomayor believes the Second
Amendment only applies to the federal government and does not apply to
the States, as indicated by her recent testimony and past rulings.

Zogby/O'Leary asked voters:

"Would you support or oppose a U.S. Senator who voted to confirm a
Justice to the U.S. Supreme Court who does not believe in the right to
keep and bear arms and the right to self-defense?"

Fifty-two percent of American voters would oppose the re-election of
any Senator who votes to confirm a Supreme Court nominee who does not
believe in the right to keep and bear arms. Only 26 percent of voters
would support such a Senator.

Among Independent voters, 57 percent would oppose such a Senator, and
only 17 percent would support. Forty-nine percent of young voters (age
18-29) would oppose a Senator who votes to confirm a nominee who does
not believe Second Amendment rights apply to all Americans, and just
31 percent would support such a Senator. A plurality of Hispanic
voters (42 percent) would oppose such a Senator, and only 28 percent
would support. A large percentage of Hispanics (30 percent) are not
sure. A majority of union members (54 percent) would also oppose, and
29 percent would support.

The Right to Carry a Firearm

An amendment that would have permitted law-abiding gun owners with
concealed-carry permits to carry their firearms across state lines
recently fell short in the Senate. Although the amendment received a
majority of votes (58-39), a filibuster-proof 60 votes were required
for passage.

Zogby/O'Leary asked voters:

"Currently, 39 states have laws that allow residents to carry firearms
to protect themselves, only if they pass a background check and pay a
fee to cover administrative costs. Most of those states also require
applicants to have firearms safety training. Do you support or oppose
this law?"

An overwhelming majority of Americans (83 percent) support concealed-
carry laws, while only 11 percent oppose them. A majority of
Independent voters (86 percent), Democrats (80 percent), young voters
age 18-29 (83 percent), Hispanic voters (80 percent), and those who
voted for President Obama (80 percent) support the right to carry a
firearm.

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VA-ALERT is a project of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.

VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org