VA-ALERT: We need to counter recent lies and misrepresentati

[OakRidgeStars]

VA-ALERT: We need to counter recent lies and misrepresentations in the press

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Whenever a pro-freedom Delegate or Senator comes under attack in a local newspaper for a pro-gun vote, it is important that we spend a few minutes to respond with a Letter to the Editor of our own.

A lie or misrepresentation that goes unanswered is bad for our cause because those who are "on the fence" do not have a way to learn the truth unless we provide it.

Case in point is a series of attacks in some local papers on Delegate Tommy Wright, who is chairman of the Militia, Police and Public Safety subcommittee #1. Delegate Wright voted against every anti-gun bill that appeared before his subcommittee this year.

The attacks are coming as opinion pieces or letters to the editor from a couple of the "usual suspects" and deal with the anti-gun bills that would have taken away a person's rights if they are convicted of certain MISDEMEANORS, one of which is simply making threats (and what is a "threat" is in the eye or ear of the beholder).

The letters are loaded with emotional and deceptive arguments.

Here are some talking points against these kind of letters:

* Misdemeanors are minor crimes, by definition, and are not supposed to take away any civil rights. Our legal system is geared around that basic premise

* If civil rights are allowed to be taken away for misdemeanor convictions, there is no mechanism in place to allow for those rights to ever be restored. That creates an untenable position that it would better for a person to commit a felony than to commit a minor crime!

* Since the police rarely arrive in time to stop a violent attack, the best course of self-defense is to have a firearm. There mere possession of a firearm is a strong deterrent to an attack

* If the only protection a person has is depending on an assailant being disarmed by the law, that is extremely dangerous because it promotes a false sense of security

If you live in Delegate Wright's district (Cumberland, Amelia, Nottoway, and Mecklenburg counties), write a letter to the editor of at least one of these papers disputing the allegations in these attacks:

The Amelia Bulletin Monitor, Readers' Views: "Answer to Domestic Violence: Be a Better Shot Than Your Ex?" (February 12, Susan Ahern)

The Mecklenburg Sun, Viewpoint: "Shameful votes" (February 11, Mari Rawlings)

The Farmville Herald, Letters to the Editor: "Every Virginian Should Be Outraged" (February 12, Mari Rawlings). This is identical to "Shameful votes", above, except for the title

Unfortunately, the Amelia Bulletin Monitor and the Mecklenburg Sun do not show these letters online, so you would have to read the item in the paper version. The letter in the Farmville Herald can be viewed online if you are a subscriber.

Here are the email addresses to use to submit your letters:

Amelia Bulletin Monitor: contactus@ameliamonitor.com

Mecklenburg Sun: news@themecklenburgsun.com

Farmville Herald: editor@farmvilleherald.com


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