VA-ALERT: VCDL Update 2/12/15

[OakRidgeStars]

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Not yet a VCDL member? Join VCDL at: http://www.vcdl.org/join
----------------------------------------------------------------------
VCDL's meeting schedule: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------

1. VCDL-PAC endorsed candidate in Powhatan wins election
2. Supper meeting in Roanoke on February 19
3. Anti-liberty Stafford Sheriff retiring
4. Opinion piece on concealed carry at schools
5. Recreational Lands Self-Defense Act introduced in Congress!
6. Who would need a gun at UVA?
7. It's up to you to have a plan
8. "I don't answer questions" [VIDEO]
9. Watch how reporter acts as 10 year old handles her favorite guns [VIDEO]
10. Bloomberg gun-control group targets more than 12 states
11. [PA] Disparity of force [VIDEO]
12. [MO] Hammers attack video from South St. Louis [VIDEO]
13. [MO] On rooftops of Ferguson, volunteers patrol, with guns
14. [AL] Family of robber 'outraged' good samaritan shot him [VIDEO]
15. [MI] Who needs a gun on Amtrak?
16. Obama's feds hid key data to get California lead ammo ban passed

**************************************************
1. VCDL-PAC endorsed candidate in Powhatan wins election
**************************************************

The VCDL-PAC endorsed Larry J. Nordvig in his race for the District 2 Powhatan County Board of Supervisors seat. Larry won that race Tuesday, by 67 votes (479 to 412).

This is why you MUST always vote. A lot of races in Virginia have been literally razor thin and just a few people can make the difference between a good outcome or years of misery.

Congratulations to Mr. Nordvig!


**************************************************
2. Supper meeting in Roanoke on February 19
**************************************************

On Thursday, February 19, VCDL is having a Supper Meeting in SW Virginia.

Location:

The Great 611 Steak Company
3830 Franklin Road
Roanoke VA

Fellowship starts at 6:30 PM. You can order food from the buffet or from the menu.

Our speaker will be Phil Spence, who will be talking on "Code vs the Constitution in regards to gun rights."

Come join us for an interesting evening. VCDL members, families and guests are invited.

PLEASE "RSVP" to al@vcdl.org to reserve your seats! Seating is limited to only 62.


**************************************************
3. Anti-liberty Stafford Sheriff retiring
**************************************************

Sheriff Jett, who pulled some dirty tricks last year to keep VCDL from having a booth at the National Night Out in Stafford, is retiring in December.


**************************************************
4. Opinion piece on concealed carry at schools
**************************************************

More anti-gun silliness. They missed the lesson from the murder suicide in a South Carolina university completely. Rather than seeing that if the victim had been armed he might be alive today, the opinion piece doubles down that gun-free zones are safe!

None are blinder than those who will not see.

http://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/20 ... at-schools

No concealed carry at schools

Why the state Senate was right to strike down SB 1132
by Managing Board | Feb 09 2015 | 02/09/15 12:56am


Last Monday, the Virginia state Senate voted down Senate Bill 1132, a bill which would have allowed individuals — students included — to carry concealed handguns on school property after regular school hours.

The possibility of carrying guns on campus faced bipartisan resistance in the state Senate, with three Republicans voting to oppose the bill alongside 17 Democrats. Consideration of the bill proved especially timely: last Thursday, a shooting took place at the University of South Carolina — an apparent murder-suicide that resulted in two deaths. South Carolina allows concealed carry with permits, though it does not provide for concealed carry on campuses.

There is no obvious correlation between concealed carry laws and the incident at USC, but the ubiquitous nature of crime or accidents related to gun violence should give anyone pause when considering whether to expand access and acceptability of firearms. As Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, said, “Accidents happen and firearms can kill.” Why, then, increase risk at schools unnecessarily?

There is no obvious reason civilians need to carry firearms at schools — certainly not concealed ones. While preventing concealed carry may not necessarily deter crime (though it would increase penalties for criminals, which is possibly a deterrent), preventing concealed carry could prevent accidents. At least at our University, with an undergraduate population numbering above 14,000, the potential for a mistake — a student failing to turn on “safety” on his gun; a student mistakenly suspecting someone of being dangerous and responding by use of his firearm — could have grave consequences. At high schools, middle schools and elementary schools the danger of accidents is possibly even higher.

The fact of concealed carry being allowed after regular school hours seems largely irrelevant: at a large university, students meet with their clubs in academic buildings, and students live on the same property where they learn. Additionally, “regular hours” is hard to define, since some students have discussions early in the morning and late into the night. At high schools, middle schools and elementary schools where regular hours are more distinguishable, religious and multicultural groups often congregate in buildings once classes are over, and students who participate in after-school activities will likely still be at school. In effect, restricting the specific hours when concealed carry would be allowed would do little to mitigate the possible damage the presence of a firearm could do to students.

The state Senate was right to strike down SB 1132, and future discussion of guns on school property should reflect on the tumultuous and heartbreaking history of what guns have done on school property in the past. Access to guns is a heated debate, but this issue does not pertain to personal use of firearms: regardless of one’s position on gun laws, keeping guns away from schools — whose members range from young students to older faculty — is smart policy.


**************************************************
5. Recreational Lands Self-Defense Act introduced in Congress!
**************************************************

We have a lot of federal lands that this would open up for carry:

https://www.nraila.org/articles/2015013 ... introduced


**************************************************
6. Who would need a gun at UVA?
**************************************************

Member Edward Martin emailed me this:


From: Michael Gibson, Chief, University Police
Date: Monday, December 1, 2014
Subject: Police Alert: City Police Investigate Robbery Incident


To the University community:

Information about a robbery incident involving a University of Virginia student was issued Monday by the Charlottesville Police Department. City police issued the information provided below, regarding this incident:

CHARLOTTESVILLE POLICE INFORMATION RELEASE

On 11/30/2014, the Charlottesville Police Department responded to the 600 block of Brandon Avenue for a report of a robbery. The victim reported that four black males forced their way in to his apartment as a friend was leaving. The suspects then forced the victim down on to the floor and stole various items from the apartment. The victim further advised that all four suspects were wearing dark clothing; masks and that two to three of the suspects were armed. The incident is currently under investigation.

###

The University Police Department believes that the Charlottesville-Albemarle-University area is a safe community, but crime does happen. We encourage you to be aware of your surroundings, especially if walking alone after dark.

We want to remind you of some of the things you can do to protect yourself and your friends if faced with a similar situation.

Remain alert and observe people around you. Pay attention to who is walking behind you and in front of you. Things to watch for are suspicious persons or vehicles, people loitering around.

Trust your instincts. If you sense trouble, get away as soon as possible.

During a robbery: DO NOT RESIST! Cooperate. Give the suspect(s) whatever he or she asks for: wallet, keys, jewelry, credit cards or whatever. Your life is more valuable than replaceable possessions.

Be the best witness you can be by getting a good look at the suspect(s) so you can describe him or her later. Try to note clothing, scars, marks, tattoos, facial hair and last direction of travel.

Don't make any sudden, unexpected moves. A nervous criminal may think you are reaching for a weapon.

If the suspect claims to have a gun, knife, razor, etc., never try to force the bluff.

Never try to be a hero and apprehend the criminal yourself.

Notify police immediately by calling 911. Do not touch anything the robber has touched.

Try to recall as much as you can about the robber. Write down everything you can think of while it's still fresh in your mind.

If there are any witnesses, ask them to remain until police arrive.

Please remember that there is safety in numbers. If possible, walk with a companion, either male or female, especially after dark and in the early morning hours. Perpetrators are less likely to confront two or more than a lone individual.

Michael A. Gibson, Chief of University Police

Michael Gibson, Chief, University Police approved distribution of this message.


**************************************************
7. It's up to you to have a plan
**************************************************

Member Clayton Rhoades emailed me this:


From cnn.com: http://tinyurl.com/m83lwhv
http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/17/opinion/s ... index.html


Salomaa: It's up to you to have a plan
By Martha Salomaa
December 3, 2014

I'm a light sleeper, so when sudden cracking of wood and clashing of metal echoed through my home before dawn on August 14, 2012, my feet were immediately on the bedroom floor.

I ran into the family room believing that a recently adopted stray cat must have knocked something off a table. What I found was a man dressed only in boxer shorts standing between me and the hall that goes to my daughters' bedrooms. I yelled at the man, and when he turned to face me, his eyes were flat, vacant, dead. A mother knows when her children are in danger, and I knew.

In that moment, several decisions I had made in the past saved my family from what would have been a life shattering experience. As a single mother who had gone through a harrowing divorce, I made the decision to keep weapons in my home and to know how to use those weapons. My teenage daughters and I had discussed and planned for "What if?" situations. Most importantly, we made the determination that we would not be victims.

My father had taught me how handle guns, with respect and care. I knew how to load, shoot, unload, and clean one at a young age. He emphasized gun safety and the importance of knowing and obeying the law. He had always cautioned if I pulled a gun, I would have to be mentally prepared to use that gun. Otherwise, an attacker might simply take it away and use it on me.

It was my father's advice that I keep my .38 revolver in the dresser beside my bed. When I reached for it in the dark during that early morning hour, all these factors came into play. I chased the man from my house, but he returned after I had called 911. As he climbed the stairs, the realization that I was the only thing standing between my daughters and this maniacal individual gave me resolve. I shot him. He stopped his ascent, turned, walked out the front door, and lay down in the grass.

It took the police approximately 12 minutes to get to our house: not because they weren't doing their job, but because we live in a rural community where crimes can be miles apart and our small police force is already spread thin.

He lived, and he awaits prosecution.

I grieved for those students, teachers, and parents at Newtown, Connecticut, as I have for every other incident of gun violence perpetrated on the innocent. But, how many times a week, a month, a day does a gun stop a violent act? Statistics on gun use are so shrouded in the fog of left/right politics that it is next to impossible for a lay person to discern them.

Moreover, could the Newtown incident have had a different outcome if even one member of the school faculty and staff would have had a gun at the school and been trained to use it? Would Adam Lanza have chosen that target if he believed that he would be met with an armed adult when he entered the school? These are questions that beg for an honest national discussion, without the fog of politics blurring our collective vision.

Criminals will get guns regardless of the law. They plan their attacks just like Adam Lanza planned to kill those precious children. Unfortunately, it is often the law-abiding citizen who fails to plan. My attacker had a plan. He had removed his clothing and hung these items neatly on the neighbor's porch.

His mistake was that he chose a family who had a plan as well.


**************************************************
8. "I don't answer questions" [VIDEO]
**************************************************

Henry Heymering shared this on facebook:


From thefreethoughtproject.com: http://tinyurl.com/ly2qr2n
http://thefreethoughtproject.com/video- ... ng-silent/


(VIDEO) “I Don’t Answer Questions” Witness the Power of Remaining Silent
By Matt Agorist
December 1, 2014

Many INNOCENT individuals have been imprisoned, or otherwise harmed, merely because they chose to answer questions asked by some Law Enforcement Officer or government official, agent, representative, tribunal, or employee.

It is very important to understand that the 5th Amendment protects the innocent more than the guilty.

Knowing how to assert your rights is not only a good idea to prevent from being unlawfully kidnapped or caged, but it is also a successful catalyst for change when applied on a large enough scale.

In the video below, activist Kenny Suitter, shows how to properly remain silent during police interactions. It is as simple as stating, “I do not answer questions.”

Because of the SCOTUS ruling in Salinas v. Texas, you are now expected to know that you have a right against self-incrimination, and unless you specifically and clearly invoke this right, anything you say or do not say, including your mannerisms at the time you stop talking, can be used against you. You actually have to say, “I do not answer questions.”

Don’t concern yourself with what kind of interrogation you’re in. Don’t worry about whether Salinas applies in your particular situation. Just invoke your 5th Amendment right immediately, verbally, and clearly.

Just like this: (Video - "I Don't Answer Questions" greatest hits)

Being stopped by police can be a particularly stressful experience. An innocent individual can easily get tricked into self-incriminating themselves as the police officer badgers and pries for information.

Memorizing laws and and statutes can go a long way, however, having a business card handy, that states your rights for you, is much more convenient, especially when under the stress of a police stop.

Here is a good example of what that business card should look like:

Side 1:
“I hereby invoke and refuse to waive all of the following rights and privileges afforded to me by the United States Constitution. I invoke and refuse to waive my 5th Amendment right to Remain Silent. I invoke and refuse to waive my 6th Amendment right to an attorney of my choice. I invoke and refuse to waive my 4th Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. If I am not presently under arrest, or under investigatory detention, please allow me to leave.”

Side 2:
“Officer, I Assert My Fifth Amendment Rights As Stated On This Card” Pursuant to the law, as established by the United States Supreme Court, my lawyer has advised me not to talk to anyone and not to answer questions about any pending criminal case or any other civil, administrative, judicial, investigatory or adjudicatory matter. Following his advice, I do not wish to talk to anyone about any criminal, civil, administrative, judicial, investigatory or adjudicatory matter, without my lawyer present. I waive no legal rights, nor give any consents, nor submit to any tests or other procedures, without my lawyer present. I ask that no one question or talk to me, without my lawyer here to advise me.


**************************************************
9. Watch how reporter acts as 10 year old handles her favorite guns [VIDEO]
**************************************************

From theblaze.com: http://tinyurl.com/q2jewct
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/12 ... -response/


Watch How Network Reporter Acts as 10-Year-Old Handles Her Favorite Guns — Then Wait for the Girl’s Response
by Mike Opelka
December 3, 2014

The ABC News profile of ten-year-old Shyanne Roberts, a young firearms enthusiast, seemingly raised the blood pressure of the reporter covering the story.

In the video, which started out as a report on the recent growth of women gun owners and shooters, Shyanne is shown handling several different firearms, from a shotgun, to a semi-automatic rifle to a 9mm handgun. ABC’s Reena Ninan called her “one of the shooting world’s youngest rising female stars.”

During the course of the interview, Shyanne and her father, Dan, are shown shooting side by side and attending competitions. Dad says that his daughter’s skills were obvious when she first picked up a gun.

When did he know she had the ability to compete? Dan told ABC, “When they start calling their shots and they tell you where it’s going to hit before they do it — that’s usually a pretty good sign.”

In the middle of the story, the young girl and Ninan sat in the woods and talked about and handled the guns she likes to shoot. The veteran reporter quickly confessed, “All this makes me nervous, very nervous.”

The unflappable 10-year-old did not blink, responding, ”If you learn how to handle them right, and not hurt yourself, it’s not really scary at all. It’s pretty fun.”

The story included comments from anti-gun activist, Leah Gunn Barrett, the executive director of New Yorkers against Gun Violence. Barrett doesn’t think young kids like Shyanne should have guns, telling ABC, “Children are small, they’re not adults, they don’t have the physical strength and necessarily the coordination to handle very, very powerful weapons.”

The video showing Shyanne and a few other young female shooters appears to contradict Ms. Barrett’s opinion.


**************************************************
10. Bloomberg gun-control group targets more than 12 states
**************************************************

Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:

This guy has more money that common sense.


From usatoday.com: http://tinyurl.com/lkxvpne
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/poli ... 002cl00dth


Bloomberg gun-control group targets more than 12 states
by Fredreka Schouten, USA TODAY
December 2, 2014

WASHINGTON — Fresh off a string of election victories, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg's gun-control group is gearing up for a "significant" legislative push in more than a dozen states to curb gun violence, its leaders say.

First up: Nevada, where election officials could certify this week that the group and its allies have collected enough signatures for a 2016 ballot initiative that would impose stricter background checks on people buying firearms from private sellers and at gun shows. Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety also is weighing similar background-check initiatives in Arizona and Maine.

It also plans to back legislation in several states that would either expand background checks for gun purchasers, remove guns from the hands of domestic abusers or give family members the power to seek court orders to temporarily confiscate firearms from people they fear may commit gun violence — modeled on a "gun-violence restraining order" law signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown earlier this fall following a shooting rampage in Santa Barbara.

The California law, the first of its kind, is one of a slew of little-noticed victories gun-control groups have scored at the state level — even as Congress has rebuffed expanding background checks on all commercial sales of guns or restrictions on high-capacity magazines.

Six states have enacted measures that make it harder for people convicted of domestic violence to have firearms. In Colorado last month, two legislative seats lost in the state's historic 2013 recall election over the state's stricter gun-control laws moved back to Democratic control. One of the victors, Michael Merrifield, once worked for a Bloomberg gun-control group.

On Thursday, meanwhile, a voter initiative that expanded background checks in Washington state will take effect — joining six other states and the District of Columbia that require background checks on all firearm sales, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The successes come as the second anniversary of the Dec. 14, 2012, mass shooting at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school approaches. The massacre left 20 schoolchildren and six educators dead and sparked a national debate about gun laws.

"This is a huge amount of movement in two years on an issue where Republicans and Democrats ran for the hills for more than a decade," said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. "We're going to build on the successes of 2014 and do more."

The group still is identifying the states in which it will be active, but could end up participating in legislative fights in as many as 20 states, officials say.

In all, Everytown spent $12.1 million on the 2014 election battles, including the Washington ballot initiative and legislative contests in states such as Colorado and Oregon, said spokeswoman Erika Soto Lamb. It's part of a $50 million election-year commitment Bloomberg made to gun-violence prevention.

Americans for Responsible Solutions PAC, a gun-control super PAC started by former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords, spent $10.5 million on politics this year. Pia Carusone, a senior adviser to the group, said ballot initiatives are a "promising" way for gun-control proponents to take their case directly to voters.

"They have come up with a strategy that seems to be working so far," said Robert Spitzer, a political scientist at State University of New York-Cortland and an expert on gun politics. "For the first time in gun-politics history, the NRA is being outspent by the pro-gun control forces."

Bloomberg's group has suffered setbacks. While gun-control governors in Colorado and Connecticut prevailed at the ballot box last month, another Everytown-backed gubernatorial candidate, Maryland Democrat Anthony Brown, lost. It also backed unsuccessful Democrats in U.S. Senate races, including Sens. Mark Udall in Colorado and Kay Hagan in North Carolina.

The Nevada ballot initiative push comes after the state's Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, vetoed another background-check measure backed by Bloomberg in 2013.

The National Rifle Association has pledged to fight Bloomberg at the state level and has sought to portray the billionaire as a rich carpetbagger seeking to impose his will in wide swaths of the country.

"Their approach is to go into states where it's easy to pass something and claim national momentum," NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said of Bloomberg's group.

"We have $38 billion reasons to take Mike Bloomberg seriously," he added, referring to estimates to Bloomberg's net worth. "His money has exponential reach."

In a sign of its organizing strength, a Bloomberg-aligned group said it has collected a record 247,000 signatures for the Nevada ballot initiative — more than double the number necessary to qualify for the 2016 ballot.

Clerks in each of the state's 17 counties have until Thursday to sample petitions and report any problems with the signatures, and the state could certify the petitions as early as Friday, said Catherine Lu, a spokeswoman with the Nevada secretary of State's office.

A gun-rights group in the state, Nevadans for State Gun Rights, is trying to challenge the petitions, arguing that initiative proponents missed the deadline to deliver signatures in one county. The group's president Don Turner said he doesn't have the resources to mount a full challenge to all the signatures nor has he received the NRA's help in trying to kill off the Bloomberg effort in its early stages.

"There's an old saying that, 'If you want to be a big dog, you've got to get off the porch,' " Turner said. "Right now, they are just watching," he said of NRA officials.

Arulanandam declined to discuss the NRA's strategy to counter Bloomberg in specific states.

NRA officials "may be doing a bit of political triage in terms of how and where they allocate their resources," Spitzer said. "I have a feeling the NRA thinks they could be bled dry if they try to match Bloomberg's spending."


**************************************************
11. [PA] Disparity of force [VIDEO]
**************************************************

Member Mark Shinn emailed me this:

In the surveillance video, the victim faces a disparity in force. Therefore, the "disparity of force" warrants a concealed carry holder to use his firearm.

The situation does not involve a man-on-man fist fight. The situation does not involve a man-on-woman assault. The situation involves a group-on-person assault. Thus, the disparity of force is valid.


From 6abc.com: http://tinyurl.com/kyfx62a
http://6abc.com/news/teens-jaw-teeth-br ... ia/420103/


TEEN'S JAW, TEETH BROKEN IN BRUTAL ATTACK IN PHILADELPHIA
December 03, 2014

KENSINGTON (WPVI) -- A 17-year-old boy had just left a friend's house when three unknown men approached him on a narrow street. A surveillance camera captured the horrific moments that followed.

It happened around 12:45 a.m. on November 15, 2014, on the 900 block of North 4th Street in Philadelphia's Kensington section.

Police say the teenager was outside, waiting for someone to pick him up, when the three suspects approached.

Video shows one of the suspects, seemingly out of nowhere, deliver a violent blow to the victim's head. The teen was then punched repeatedly, before being thrown to the ground.

Seconds after hitting the street, one of the suspects lifts his leg and kicks the boy in the face.

The victim sustained a broken jaw and teeth during the attack.


**************************************************
12. [MO] Hammers attack video from South St. Louis [VIDEO]
**************************************************

Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:


From bobmccarty.com: http://tinyurl.com/mfujtlu
http://www.bobmccarty.com/2014/12/01/ex ... -st-louis/


EXCLUSIVE: Hammers Attack Video From South St Louis

St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Joel Currier’s article about a Bosnian immigrant being murdered by hammer-wielding teenagers fails to mention the possibility that at least some of the teens were black until deep into the article. Conversely, a video shot by a resident of South St. Louis’ Bevo Mill neighborhood reveals heretofore-unpublished details about what happened near the intersection of Gravois Avenue and Itaska Street before the attack that left Zemir Begic, 32, dead.

At the 45-second mark, the woman who recorded the video — whose name I will not share for reasons of her personal safety — says, “And, of course, it’s a white kid, right after black people running up and down the street saying, ‘Eff the white people, kill the white people.’ This is what we have.”

Coming amidst the protests that followed the grand jury’s decision not to indict now-former Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown, this attack could unleash a powder keg.

UPDATE 12/1/2014 at 1:13 p.m. Central: The Gateway Pundit picked up the story.

UPDATE 12/1/2014 at 1:21 p.m. Central: On the Facebook page of the woman who shot the video above, she tells a friend that “a Bosnian man was attacked last night by 4 black teens.”

UPDATE 12/2/2014 at 6:18 a.m. Central: The video above has been viewed more than 80,500 times during the past 20-plus hours. The general public seems more interested in the truth than in what St. Louis officials say about the crime as highlighted in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, Mayor, police say race played no role in hammer slaying of Bosnian immigrant.

UPDATE 12/3/2014 at 5:12 p.m. Central: A new development has surfaced in the form of a report from the UK’s Daily Mail about the deadly attack by hammer-wielding teenagers Sunday that left a 32-year-old Bosnian immigrant dead in South St. Louis’ Bevo Mill neighborhood. Read about it here!

UPDATE 12/5/2014 at 7:55 a.m. Central: The video above has been viewed more than 211,000 times in four days.


**************************************************
13. [MO] On rooftops of Ferguson, volunteers patrol, with guns
**************************************************

Member James Durso emailed me this:


From nytimes.com: http://tinyurl.com/q4tfvys
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/30/us/on ... -guns.html


On Rooftops of Ferguson, Volunteers Patrol, With Guns
by Manny Fernandez and Alan Blinder
November 29, 2014

FERGUSON, Mo. — When Sam Andrews awoke on Tuesday morning, he found his wife watching a television interview with a woman whose bakery had been vandalized during the violent unrest here on Monday.

“She said, ‘You’ve got to go help her,’ ” Mr. Andrews said in an interview on Saturday morning.

And so Mr. Andrews, a former Defense Department contractor who is now a weapons engineer in the St. Louis area, set to work. Under the auspices of a national group called the Oath Keepers, Mr. Andrews accelerated plans to recruit and organize private security details for businesses in Ferguson, which are receiving the services for free. The volunteers, who are sometimes described as a citizen militia — but do not call themselves that — have taken up armed positions on rooftops here on recent nights.

“It’s really a broad group of citizens, and I’m sure their motivations are all different,” said Mr. Andrews, who is in his 50s. “In many of them, there’s probably a sense of patriotism. But I think in most of them, there’s probably something that they probably don’t even recognize: that we have a moral obligation to protect the weakest among us. When we see these violent people, these arsonists and anarchists, attacking, it just pokes at you in a deep place.”

Mr. Andrews declined to say how many people were assisting in the effort, saying only that the number was “more than five, less than 500.” He estimated that men make up about 80 percent of the volunteers. About 80 percent are white, and 10 percent are black.

But on Saturday, with the county police said to be threatening the Oath Keepers with arrest, the volunteers decided to abandon their posts and instead protest against the authorities. During the evening, Mr. Andrews and some of his colleagues appeared on South Florissant Road, conducting a protest of their own. They ate pizza and stood beneath a handmade sign critical of Chief Jon Belmar of the St. Louis County police.

Just after 8:30 p.m., those protesting Mr. Brown’s death crossed paths with the Oath Keepers. Mr. Andrews shook hands with the demonstrators, many of whom have also been critical of Chief Belmar.

That some business owners accepted aid from a group regarded by some as an antigovernment militia is a testament to the rawness of emotions here following a riot on Monday night, after a grand jury declined to indict a white police officer, Darren Wilson, who shot to death Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, on Aug. 9.

Since then, the riot police have tussled on the streets with protesters. Convoys of National Guard Humvees patrol the streets, and law enforcement officials have confiscated guns, firecrackers and homemade firebombs from arrested protesters. The Oath Keepers, equipped with militia-style gear and often clad in camouflage, have joined the volatile mix.

Their presence is a symbol of the continuing criticism of Gov. Jay Nixon’s handling of security before and after the grand jury’s decision became public. In the days before the announcement, Mr. Nixon declared a state of emergency and sent the Guard to Ferguson. Yet, in the initial hours following word of the grand jury’s decision, the Guard played only a limited role. Troops protected a police command post and other facilities, but they were not posted along the main commercial corridors where property destruction was rampant.

“The governor said himself, I think on TV, that the businesses will be protected by the National Guard during this situation,” said Reggie Jones, the mayor of Dellwood, a neighboring city where many businesses were damaged in Monday’s unrest. “Unfortunately, that did not happen until Tuesday. But we were expecting it to happen on Monday.”

After the destruction that night, Mr. Nixon ordered hundreds more soldiers to Ferguson, saying, “We must do better, and we will.”

But for people like Mr. Andrews, the governor’s vow was of little solace. So while the New Chinese Gourmet restaurant at the end of a block of South Florissant Road appears to have little in the way of defense beyond the painted wooden boards that cover its windows, armed men and women on recent nights have roamed the rooftop it shares with a dental practice and a law office.

“When they’re here, there’s definitely a weight lifted off of our shoulders,” said Davis Vo, whose family owns New Chinese Gourmet. “I’d be lying if I said otherwise.”

On its website, Oath Keepers released a recruiting message to “all skilled veterans and patriots” and asked them to “grab your gear and start rolling toward Ferguson.” The post listed nine types of people the group was seeking, including paramedics, police officers, “private drone operators” and videographers who could “film any encounters with looters.”

Mr. Andrews said he researched the qualifications of each volunteer, as well as whether any might have racially based motivations to participate.

“I don’t want any racists in my group,” he said. “I don’t want any people who want to visit violence on any group. I only want professionals with real credentials that can be verified and have experience in dealing with violence.”

But the St. Louis County police, Mr. Andrews said, and other law enforcement officials have expressed misgivings.

“When we hear information that someone, or a group, is providing security without a license, our department has to investigate the issue,” a police spokesman, Shawn McGuire, said in an email on Saturday.

Mr. Andrews said that the warning on Friday was tantamount to a temporary shutdown order, and he said he did not expect his volunteers to defy it.


**************************************************
14. [AL] Family of robber 'outraged' good samaritan shot him [VIDEO]
**************************************************

Member Robert Schmidt sent me this:


From reagancoalition.com: http://tinyurl.com/ooky54o
http://reagancoalition.com/articles/201 ... t-him.html


Family of Armed Robber ‘Outraged’ Good Samaritan With CCW Shot Him
December 04, 2014


The Huffington Post reports:

The family members of a robbery suspect that held a store employee at gunpoint in Alabama are lashing out at the Good Samaritan who shot him and stopped the robbery.

Adric White, 18, was shot five times after he allegedly tried to hold up a Family Dollar store in Mobile on Nov. 12.

FOX10 spoke exclusively to both the unnamed Good Samaritan and the family members of White. They’re livid that their son was shot while pointing a gun in someone’s face.

“If [the customer’s] life was not in danger, if no one had a gun up to him, if no one pointed a gun at him – what gives him the right to think that it’s okay to just shoot someone?” a relative, who wished to remain anonymous, told FOX10. “You should have just left the store and went wherever you had to go in your car or whatever.”

But when the suspect pulled out a gun at about 5:30 p.m., the Good Samaritan did too.

“He had the gun to his head. He had him on his knees,” said the Good Samaritan, who wished to remain anonymous. “I drew my gun on him and I said ‘Hey don’t move.’ At that point he swung around and before he had a chance to aim the gun at me I fired. I didn’t want to shoot him.”

The man shot White five times. He was taken to USA Medical Center, where he remains in police custody.

The local news station had previously interviewed White’s parents, but they called later demanding that the video not be aired.

White was out of jail on bond after previously robbing The Original Oyster House at gunpoint just a little over a month before he robbed the Family Dollar.

Accomplice Tavoris Moss, 19, was also arrested in the Family Dollar robbery.

“[Criminals] tend to think that they are the only ones with guns,” the Good Samaritan told the station. “I’ve been legally carrying my firearm for a little over four years now, and thank God I’ve never had to use it until, of course, last night. It just goes to show it’s good to have a concealed carry. You never know when your going to need it.”

Police said that the Good Samaritan who opened fire was justified and broke no laws.


**************************************************
15. [MI] Who needs a gun on Amtrak?
**************************************************

Another mass attack in a gun-free zone.


Member Mark Shinn emailed me this:


From washingtontimes.com: http://tinyurl.com/lwa9ta7
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... ck-stable/


Witness: Police maybe saved lives in Amtrak attack
by Associated Press
December 6, 2014

NILES, Mich. (AP) - Police officers struggling to get through a chaotic scene aboard an Amtrak train in Michigan are being credited with preventing even more bloodshed after a man stabbed a conductor and three fellow passengers.

“It was pretty incredible that they may have saved some lives,” passenger Tyler Vandermolen said.

Michael Williams, 44, of Saginaw was charged Saturday with attempted murder. He’s accused of stabbing four people while the train was stopped Friday night at a depot in Niles in southwestern Michigan, about 10 miles north of South Bend, Indiana. The victims were reported to be in stable condition.

Officers rushed to the scene after Amtrak called police about a passenger acting suspiciously on the Chicago-to-Port Huron train, Niles Police Chief Jim Millin said.

“They saw commotion in the train car,” Millin said of his officers. “They had to forcefully work their way through the crowd. As soon as the first officer turned into the car, Mr. Williams was less than 10 feet away and he had the knife in his hand. The officer used his Taser and was able to subdue” him.

“Certainly there’s a possibility he could have kept on assaulting passengers and things could have been a lot worse,” the chief told The Associated Press.

The motive wasn’t known. Williams was being held on $1 million bond Saturday at the Berrien County jail and his initial court appearance was scheduled for Monday.

“It doesn’t appear he was screaming or in anger against any of these people. He just started cutting and stabbing,” Millin said.

Niles Mayor Michael McCauslin said the wounded included a train conductor, a female passenger and two male passengers.

The train, which had been carrying 172 passengers, remained in Niles for hours after the attack while investigators gathered evidence and spoke to witnesses. It finally resumed its journey at 1:20 a.m. Saturday.

Passenger Caitlin Cipri told the South Bend Tribune that she was packing her things to get off the train when she heard screaming. She initially thought the suspect was punching a passenger until she saw the butt of a knife. She said she saw the man stab two other people.

“It was terrifying and you don’t think something like that is going to happen to you,” Cipri said. “It’s terrifying that things like this happen.”

Online records show Williams had a drug conviction in Saginaw County in 1997.


**************************************************
16. Obama's feds hid key data to get California lead ammo ban passed
**************************************************

I wish I could say that I am shocked.

Member James Durso emailed me this:


From washingtontimes.com: http://tinyurl.com/pescjqa
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... #pagebreak


Obama’s feds hid key data to get Calif. lead ammo ban passed in backdoor gun control move
Gun control advocates used plight of iconic California condor to push legislation
by Valerie Richardson - The Washington Times
December 2, 2014

A pro-hunting group is up in arms after obtaining emails that it says indicate that a federal official withheld critical data on lead blood levels in the California condor until after gun control advocates in the California state legislature used the iconic bird’s plight to help push through a law last year to ban lead ammunition.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation obtained the emails as part of a Freedom of Information Act request showing that John McCamman, California condor recovery coordinator for the Fish and Wildlife Service, did not make the report public until the bill was on its way to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown. Mr. Brown signed the measure in October 2013.

The annual update, which had been previously issued in June, found little change in the condor’s blood lead levels despite a 2007 ban on lead ammunition in the “condor zone,” a lengthy swath of habitat along the coast from Ventura County to Santa Clara County. The California state legislature acted at the urging of wildlife and animal rights advocates, led by the Humane Society, which argued that the California condor and other species were being poisoned by ingesting lead shot, fragments or contaminated prey.

Lawrence Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel, accused the Fish and Wildlife Service of deliberately sitting on the report in order to bolster the chances of passage of Assembly Bill 711, which ushered in the nation’s first statewide lead ammunition ban.

“[T]he email thread shows that they withheld that [information] from the public; they withheld it from the legislature purposely,” Mr. Keane said. “And why? Because the results show that despite the existing law and regulations that ban the use of traditional ammunition by hunters, it was not having an impact on condor blood-lead levels in California.”

Mr. Keane added, “Which suggests, as we have said all along, that condors in California are accessing lead from other sources, not ammunition.”

Gun rights groups, which have blasted the law as a backdoor effort to ban hunting, countered that the lead-poisoning claim wasn’t backed up by scientific research. About 95 percent of U.S. hunting ammunition is made of lead.

Mr. McCamman could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but Fish and Wildlife spokesman Scott Flaherty said that while the 18-page report, entitled “California Condor Recovery Program, Project Update and 2011 and 2012 Lead Exposure Report,” had been held back, “I’m pretty sure it was not delayed simply to withhold it from the debate.”

The emails between Fish and Wildlife Service personnel show that a draft of the report was ready in April 2013. The state legislature passed a final version of the bill on Sept. 10, 2013. Seven days later, Mr. McCamman sent an email to agency wildlife biologist Joseph Brandt.

“Joseph — is this ready to go? I’ve attached a summary document — the state has been avoiding getting into the middle of the legislatures business (AB711) but now that that is over, this has to be ready to go. … [Are] you comfortable?” says Mr. McCamman in an email dated Sept. 17, 2013, provided by the NSSF.

The email suggests Mr. McCamman may have been trying to avoid embroiling the Fish and Wildlife Service on either side in the political debate over lead ammunition, but Mr. Keane said that such a decision was not the bureaucrat’s call to make.

“It’s disingenuous if he were to suggest that he was somehow trying to stay out of it,” Mr. Keane said. “By withholding that information, he injected himself into it, and again, that information was relevant — highly relevant — to the debate. The public should have been allowed to take that into consideration — certainly members of the legislature, and even the governor, before signing the bill.”

Mr. Flaherty said that while he was unfamiliar with the details surrounding the report’s release, “It’s not the business of the service to influence state legislation on condor matters.”

“Our concern is strictly focused on condor conservation and condor health and the effect that lead has on condors,” Mr. Flaherty said. “It’s a scientific fact that lead poisoning is a leading cause of death in condors.”

First in the nation

Other states have also wrestled with the lead ammunition issue, but California is the first and only state to ban it altogether. State wildlife agencies in Arizona and Utah, which are also home to California condor populations, have enacted successful voluntary programs in which hunters entering condor territory receive free nonlead ammunition.

“As of fall 2014, biologists were pleased that substantially fewer condors in the Arizona-Utah population had to be treated for lead exposure,” said the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in an online post. “Only 13 birds were treated from Sept. 1, 2013, to Aug. 31, 2014, as compared to 28 birds that were treated during the same period the previous year.”

The California condor’s numbers, which had dwindled to just 22 in 1987, have since bounced back to 430. A scavenger with a nearly 10-foot wingspan, the California condor is known for eating carrion in the gut piles left by hunters, which often include bullet fragments, but also picking through trash and debris from other sources.

The Fish and Wildlife Service report released in October 2013 concluded that California condors continue to be exposed to lead despite California’s ban on lead ammunition in the “condor zone,” and offered explanations that included alternative sources to hunters’ bullets.

“[T]here are other sources of lead in the environment that condors may be accessing, including five individual condors apparently ingesting chips of lead-based paint in a fire tower (since remediated),” said the report.

The update also cited a 2012 peer-reviewed scientific paper that found nine condors “had lead detected in their blood that did not match the isotopic signature of ammunition, background levels, or paint, indicating an unidentified source of lead in the environment.”

It’s entirely possible that California’s Democratic-controlled state legislature would have approved AB 711 even if the Fish and Wildlife Service data had been made available before the vote — but “we’ll never know,” said Mr. Keane. The measure passed the state Assembly by a 44-21 margin in May and by a 23-15 margin in the state Senate in September.

“The legislature and the public did not have the opportunity to take that into consideration when debating and voting on AB 711,” he said. “And we think that is a very important issue, and the public deserves to know about it.”




***************************************************************************
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 [http://www.vcdl.org/]