Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

The VCDL protest against the 7th District Republican Party holding
their "Roundup" event every year at the anti-gun SnagAJob/Innsbrook
Pavilion is now officially called the VCDL Freedom Rally.

The GOP 7th District has strung us along every year and then
ultimately ignored our complaints about gun owners being barred and
even evicted from their selected location. It is past time that they
understand that our rights are not negotiable.

Major components of the protest are now locked down and in place.

The event will be from 2 PM to 7 PM, Saturday, October 17th, followed
by the opportunity to purchase dinner and enjoy a rally with keynote
speakers.

Trust me when I tell you that this is a MUST attend event that is not
only going to be fun and is going to get a lot of attention, but it
will have strong implications for the General Assembly session this
year!

Here is what we have already arranged with the Innsbrook Shoppes mall
(yes - this a freedom-friendly mall located at the intersection of Cox
and Broad in Henrico County near Richmond):

1. VCDL has a large staging/event area, with wonderful backup
facilities in case in case of bad weather. Our backup facility can
hold 500 people by itself.

2. We are going to have guest speakers, including talk show
personality Doc Thompson of WRVA here in Richmond. If you attended
the 912 Project rally in DC, you got to hear the powerful and moving
talk that Doc gave the crowd. We will be announcing the names of even
more exciting speakers as we confirm them.

3. We are going to have a large number of professionally prepared
signs, which will be carried by members on private property at one of
the busiest intersections in Richmond. We will also be carrying signs
on public property near the Republican Roundup.

4. The restaurants at the staging/event area are specifically
welcoming VCDL members to their restaurants at the end of the rally!
We will have a list of participating restaurants later, but these are
absolutely excellent restaurants. What a message THIS ARRANGEMENT is
going to send to the General Assembly next year when they consider our
Restaurant Ban Repeal! I can't wait until Senator Saslaw tries to
tell the General Assembly this time that restaurants don't want gun
owners as patrons!

5. Parking will NOT be an issue - we have this base covered nicely.

6. We have begun coordination with the Henrico Police Chief Stanley
and with Sheriff Wade's office.

The location of the staging/after event area is at one of the busiest
intersections in Richmond and we have permission to DOMINATE that area!

In January we got 600 people to come to Lobby Day. Let's shatter than
number and absolutely pack this event in preparation for Lobby Day 2010!

Please note: this is a peaceful protest - we will not be blocking
anybody's access to the Republican Roundup, either by foot or by
vehicle. The people attending the Roundup are really our friends and
probably have no idea that the Republican leadership has been keeping
gun owners out of this event for years by picking an anti-gun
location. Our job is to educate Roundup attendees and the general
public about Eric Cantor and the 7th District Republican Party not
standing on principle, and we will - in spades.

I would like to get a rough head count for further planning purposes.
If you are planning on coming, please send an email to:

FreedomRally@vcdl.org

Make the subject line "YES" with a dash and the number of attendees,
like this: "YES - 4"

We will NOT read the body of the email itself, but will simply count
attendance by looking at the subject line.

**Please respond ONLY if you are ABLE to attend.**

See you Saturday, October 17th from 2:00 PM to 7 PM!


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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

Here is the location of the rally on Google Maps

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&doflg ... 04115&z=18

Anyone else planning to attend?. If you're traveling and want to book a hotel, you better act now. Affordable rooms are very hard to come by in that area.

That is going to be a very busy day. The gun show from 1 till 4 then the Rally and if they start the meet early enough in Wakefield it would be a good way to start the day.

What's going on in Wakefield?. I'll drive through there on the way up to Glen Allen.

OakRidgeStars wrote:What's going on in Wakefield?. I'll drive through there on the way up to Glen Allen.

http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/forum54/30809.html Just a gettogether to meet, shoot and eat

TTT

Va Blood Services could not fit us in their schedule this time.

If you're in the Richmond area today, tune into WRVA AM 1140 to hear VCDL President Philip Van Cleave speak about the upcoming Freedom Rally. Or you can listen to streaming audio via the web.

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Talk show personality Doc Thompson is having me on his show today to talk about both the VCDL Freedom Rally coming up on October 17th and the McDonald vs Chicago case being heard by the Supreme Court. I will be on at around 3:05 PM.

Doc's show is in Richmond on WRVA (AM 1140) and can also be heard on streaming video here:

http://wrva.com/pages/streaming.html

This Saturday, October 17, is the VCDL Freedom Rally at Innsbrook, in the Richmond area.

We are asking the Republicans to walk-the-walk, not just talk-the-talk when it comes to gun-rights.

And, we are also going to be sending an important message on repealing the restaurant ban in 2010.

** I'm told that Republicans aren't taking our protest and rally
seriously, however. **

That's their mistake to make. The bigger our turnout, the louder our message will be heard.

And what's really great is how local businesses are standing with us!

Besides restaurants, we now have hotels and a store offering discounts to gun owners attending the rally:

-

The following restaurants at the Innsbrook Shoppes shopping center are welcoming us and are offering various discounts and specials to gun owners who say they are with the VCDL Freedom Rally:

Capital Ale house - private 60 person room, diverse menu and beverage
choices
Finn McCools - Irish Pub
Sharky’s Billiards
Hondo’s - Steaks
Firehouse Subs
Curry House - indian
Mama Cucina - Italian

Here is a link to a directory and map of the Innsbrook Shoppes:

http://www.innsbrookshoppes.com/directory.htm

-

The following store is offering an additional 30% discount off their
lowest sale price to any customer that presents a VCDL membership card:

Shoe Carnival
Colonades West Shopping Center (just across the street from the
Innsbrook Shoppes shopping center)

So if you or the kids need shoes, you will absolutely want to stop at Shoe Carnival on your way home!

-

Local hotels are going to be offering discounted rates to those who
might want to come a day early or leave a day late! There will be
more information on the hotels and their offers in the next day or two.

-

Hopefully the weather will be good. But if there is some rain, we
will have access to a reception hall that can hold 500 people!

Remember that this is a family friendly event - so bring the kids.
This will be a great chance for them to have some fun and to see
freedom in action!

Expect to see various media there covering the event.

*****************************************************************
1. Hotels offering discounts to VCDL Freedom Rally attendees
*****************************************************************

For those who might like to stay at a hotel near the VCDL Freedom
Rally, here are two hotels which are offering special pricing for
attendees:

The Richmond Marriott West
4240 Dominion Boulevard
Glen Allen, VA 23060
Phone: 804-965-9500

Either call the hotel directly or the reservation line at
888-839-0610 and ask for the VCDL group block.

A room is $89 + tax

--

The Hilton Garden Inn Richmond Innsbrook
4050 Cox Road
Glen Allen, VA 23060
Phone: 804-521-2900
Promo code: VCDL
$79 + tax


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2. Rally gets coverage on Fox News and Gun Week
*****************************************************************

The rally was mentioned on Fox News on Monday night.

Gun Week (http://www.gunweek.com) has an article about the rally on the
front page of the current issue (October 15).


*****************************************************************
3. More important information on the Freedom Rally
*****************************************************************

As President Obama loves to say every chance he gets, "Let me be
clear." The VCDL Freedom Rally is being held only at **gun-friendly**
locations. We will not be going into the anti-gun pavilion area itself.

Open carry, concealed carry, it's up to you.

Note that most of the restaurants that are welcoming us serve alcohol,
so open carry would be required by law if you decide to carry while
dining.

*** After the keynote speech, let's make a concerted effort to have a
crowd at each of the restaurants that are specially welcoming us. ***

If you need directions to the meet up point at 2 PM on Saturday, click
here, fill in your address, and you will get turn-by-turn directions:

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/4000+Cox+R ... 3060-3313/

We will have 30 members in safety vests, which are colored green with
orange border and "VCDL" on the back, to coordinate the effort. Each
will have a two-way radio and they will be performing various assigned
tasks including answering questions, handing out the Freedom Rally
information flyer (be sure to get one of these), controlling parking,
coordinating with the police and mall management, etc.

If you need help, seek out one of these coordinators.

--

Flash! I just go this email from Tim Bulman with Finn McCools
restaurant, with details of their offer:

Philip,

We are looking forward to the rally this Saturday at Innsbrook and
would like to offer participants a 1/2 price appetizer with the
purchase of 2 entree's. We offer traditional Irish and American food
made fresh daily in our scratch kitchen. Hope to see you at Finn's.

Good news: the weather looks like it is going to be cool, but good
for tomorrow!

As you drive into the Innsbrook Shoppes at Cox and Broad streets
Saturday (for your GPS, you can use "4024 Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA" as
an address), you will see members in green safety vests with VCDL
lettering on their back handing out flyers with the full schedule and
an annotated map of the areas we will be working.

The initial meet up is at 2 PM in the center of the Innsbrook Shoppes
mall area. The map on the flyer will show you the location of the
meet up - it's not hard to find.

Doc Thompson's keynote speech later that evening will be at the same
location as the meet up.

Oh, and have the kids keep an eye out for George Washington. At the
last moment, he told me that he can make the rally! I plan on
coercing him to say a few words.

--

Click here for the full article on the VCDL Freedom Rally in the DC
Examiner today:

http://www.examiner.com/x-2782-DC-Gun-R ... a-free-bun

<SNIP>

Innsbrook area businesses have banded together to offer gun owners
material support in the form of lodging, food, and drink specials. So
far these businesses include: The Richmond Marriott West, The Hilton
Garden Inn Richmond Innsbrook, Capital Ale House, Finn McCools,
Sharky’s Billiards, Hondo’s, Curry House, and Mama Cucina. [PVC:
Also, Shoe Carnival across Broad street with a 30% discount for VCDL
members.]

As previously reported here, the freedom rally is organized by the
Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) to protest Congressman
Cantor's hypocrisy in selecting an anti-gun venue each year for the
Roundup. Speakers and music are planned, along with some "surprise"
events.

<END SNIP>

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See you there!