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1. ACTION ITEM: NOVA Firearms under attack at a meeting tomorrow night!
2. VCDL President TV interview calls for elimination of “gun-free zones” [VIDEO]
3. IMPORTANT CORRECTION on Savage rifle recall
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1. ACTION ITEM: NOVA Firearms under attack at a meeting tomorrow night!
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Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 7 at 7:30PM, the McLean Citizens Association Board meeting (MCA), which is open to the public and held in a McLean community center, has an agenda item on how to “deal with” the new location of NOVA Firearms in McLean. There are apparently nine parents who fear for the safety of their children, who go to school near the gun store. <eye roll>
NOVA Firearms is being targeted by current Fairfax County Board of Supervisor member John Foust. Mr Foust has said publicly that he wants to shut down NOVA Firearms. (Foust has an opponent in the elections in November - Jennifer Chronis.) What Foust is doing with his threats is disgraceful and is an abuse of his powers.
The MCA is not a sanctioned government body, but they have a seat at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting and speak on behalf of the McLean community, so we need to get their attention by attending the meeting in numbers.
WE MUST MAKE SURE MCA HEARS FROM PEOPLE OTHER THAN THE GUN HATERS!!
Look for someone handing out Guns Save Lives stickers. The more people wearing them, the better.
We need to be respectful, but firm in our support for NOVA firearms, which was at its previous location less than a mile away for years without any kind of issue or opposition.
Meeting location:
McLean Community Center
1234 Ingleside Avenue
McLean, VA
Here’s the announcement that MCA put out:
At Wednesday’s meeting of the McLean Citizens Association, “NOVA Firearms” will be an agenda item. Please talk with your neighbors and networks prior to our meeting. Come prepared to discuss our way forward.
Last week, nine parents came to the Planning & Zoning committee meeting. They asked for our help. Their most valuable and precious responsibilities – their children – walk into Franklin Sherman Elementary School every day – a school that is now adjacent to a gun shop. Fears for one’s children are understandable and compelling. As the “Voice of McLean” we owe these parents a respectful answer.
The immediate issue is not about having a gun store in McLean. NOVA Firearms previously operated out of a building on Elm Street; no one objected. Our challenge arose when NOVA Firearms moved next to this elementary school.
Initial reports indicate that this move by NOVA Firearms is in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
Wednesday’s discussion should determine MCA’s next steps. My sense is that we are far from the point of endorsing any particular resolution. We are best served by first outlining a path forward.
MCA has a long history with Franklin Sherman School. Our predecessor, “The School & Civic League of McLean” formed 101 years ago – to promote Franklin Sherman. The school and MCA were created simultaneously. We have a century-old relationship with Franklin Sherman School.
Our community must find ways to balance the legitimate equities of this business with the understandable fears of parents. Both deserve respect. Because this is a community issue, MCA should do what we can to find middle ground.
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2. VCDL President TV interview calls for elimination of “gun-free zones” [VIDEO]
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I was interviewed on the local NBC affiliate in Richmond (Channel 12) yesterday. In the interview, I call for elimination of “gun-free zones” to help prevent massacres such as we saw in Oregon recently.
I had to chuckle when Andrew Goddard, who was giving the opposing view, lost it during the interview and had to be “bleeped out."
Goddard claims the school wasn’t a gun-free zone, but it most certainly was based on the rules they have on their web site. The school’s president confirmed that in an interview and said that even the one lone guard was not armed.
http://www.nbc12.com/story/30193177/vir ... free-zones
or
http://tinyurl.com/pmadbae
Virginia Citizens Defense League: Ban gun-free zones
By Chris Thomas
RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) -
Should Virginia ban gun-free zones? The Virginia Citizens Defense League is calling for just that. The group's president says it is the only way to put a stop to mass shootings.
"Get rid of gun-free zones. Make them illegal," said Philip Van Cleave with the Virginia Citizens Defense League. "That's what I would like to do. That's doing something."
Andy Goddard with the Virginia Center for Public Safety could not disagree more.
"Don't give me that. It's absolute (expletive)." said Goddard. "They find anything... mental illness, gun-free zones...anything that can just say 'look at that. Run off after that idea.'"
Besides, said Goddard, Umpqua Community College in Oregon was not a gun-free zone.
"There were veterans with military experience who had guns at that school," said Goddard, who is pushing for universal background checks. "Your average law-abiding citizen wouldn't lose anything. If they go for a background check, they will pass it. They will buy the gun and walk away."
Van Cleave, however, feels guns should only be off limits in courts and jails.
"People need to be able to protect themselves everywhere they go," said Van Cleave. "You don't have but seconds. You are either ready to stop the guy now or a bunch of people are going to die. That's just the way it is."
Goddard has a different opinion.
"That's not society. That's the jungle," said Goddard who feels legislative action is needed. "When has America ever looked at a difficult situation and thrown their hands up in the air and said you can't do anything about that?"
A shooting is designated a mass shooting when four or more people are killed besides the gunman. At that rate, we've had close to 300 mass shootings this year.
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3. IMPORTANT CORRECTION on Savage rifle recall
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Thanks to member Rick Goodman’s eagle eyes catching a mistake in the last update. The Savage rifle being recalled is the the .17 WSM model and NOT the .17 HMR model:
http://www.savagearms.com/recall/bmagbolt/
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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/]