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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VCDL Update 12/28/09 - compiled and formatted by VCDL member Ben Piper
1. VA-ALERT reader: 'Push polls' skew data
2. RTD pro-gun editorial: "One one-thousandth of 1 percent"
3. Man convicted of killing woman in Fairfax park; others narrowly avoided being victims, too
4. Shooting Ranges - Back on Sussex Board of Supervisors agenda
5. Who needs a gun in a Post Office?
6. Another survey
7. Portsmouth City Council repeals photo ID and sign-in requirements for attending meetings under pressure from VCDL
8. Norfolk takes ownership of battleship Wisconsin, carry should now be legal
9. Armed citizen stops shooting
10. Cato Institute Podcast on Fort Hood Shootings
11. Murder rate declined while gun sales boomed
12. Five great S&W instructional videos with Jerry Miculek
13. "A Girl and A Gun" film
14. The failure of gun control: Guns, Britain and Crime
15. New theme song, "I Like Guns" !
**************************************************
1. VA-ALERT reader: 'Push polls' skew data
**************************************************
VA-ALERT reader sets the record straight on 'push polls' being used by
Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) and other groups
Tom M. emailed me this in response to last week's item on Mike
Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns poll.
--
Dear Philip,
From item #5 in the VCDL Update for 12/23/09: "At some other time in
our nation's history, an organization like this would not have been
commissioned to conduct a poll, and perhaps it would not even have
existed. At a minimum, its poll would have been considered biased and
rejected by every newspaper in the country."
Actually, this isn't true. The technique is old, and even has a
name. It's called a "push poll." As a teacher of statistics, I show
my students examples of push polls every semester. Of course, I teach
them to NOT do this, and to hold those who do in contempt. But the
point is, the dastardly practice has been around forever, is
demonstrated in textbooks, and isn't going away.
It is important to teach people what to look for, and to never trust a
poll unless the questions are given. Summaries without the questions
are a strong indicator that something underhanded is involved.
**************************************************
2. RTD pro-gun editorial: "One one-thousandth of 1 percent"
**************************************************
CHP holders commit infinitesimal percentage of crimes
The Richmond Times-Dispatch hits the ball out of the park:
http://tinyurl.com/yaefmzq
"Paul Michael Merhige Is Sixth Concealed Handgun Permit Holder to
Commit Mass Murder in 2009," screamed the headline of a recent
communique from the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
Merhige killed four family members in Florida on Thanksgiving. The
event was a tragedy, as all homicides are.
Statistics about the number of people who are licensed to carry a
concealed handgun are spotty, because not all states publish such
information. However, Florida alone has 600,000 concealed-carry permit
holders.
Let's see. Six mass murders (that's defined as three or more victims)
in 2009. Assume all of the perpetrators were licensed in Florida (they
weren't, but never mind). Six out of 600,000 is . . .
One one-thousandth of 1 percent.
Incidentally, after Florida adopted a "shall-issue" concealed-carry
law, crime fell.
Should states tighten their requirements for allowing people to carry
concealed firearms? Perhaps. But they certainly shouldn't do so based
on the coalition's say-so.
**************************************************
3. Man convicted of killing woman in Fairfax park; others narrowly
avoided being victims, too
**************************************************
80-year old woman shot and killed while reading on park bench
Board member Bruce Jackson emailed me this. This crime was documented
on VA-ALERT a couple of years ago and justice has just now arrived.
The woman that was murdered was the wife of a VCDL member and begs the
question again - why do bad things happen to such good people?
Also note in the article that the criminal came within inches of
murdering a father and mother who happened to walk by just after the
cold-blooded killing. The only thing that saved them was that the
murderer didn't want to orphan their children.
For a criminal to have taken orphaning children into consideration
tells me that the family won the biggest lottery of their combined
lives that day.
Think you don't need a gun in a park as you stroll with your family or
peacefully read a book?
--
http://tinyurl.com/yaohu7h
http://www.washingtonpost.com
Man convicted of killing woman in Fairfax park
Case hit delays over questions of defendant's mental health
By Tom Jackman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
A man charged with shooting and killing an 80-year-old Fairfax County
woman as she sat reading on a park bench, then disrupting rush-hour
traffic for four hours by huddling in a county bus near Route 1, was
convicted Monday of first-degree murder.
It took more than two years to resolve the slaying of Joan M.
Gillinson in Huntley Meadows Park in October 2007 because of questions
about the mental health of the defendant, Kevin C. Kline, 20, of
Woodbridge.
But in interviews with a psychologist and police, court records show,
Kline not only confessed to shooting Gillinson, but he also described
his preparations, his motive and his attempts to conceal the crime,
indicating that he knew right from wrong and the consequences of his
actions.
Gillinson's family and others say that Kline should not have been free
at the time of the killing.
Two weeks before he shot Gillinson, Kline had been convicted in
Culpeper County of malicious wounding and abduction for repeatedly
attacking a woman and trying to shock her with a stun gun.
Over the Culpeper prosecutor's objection, Circuit Court Judge John R.
Cullen allowed Kline to remain free on bond pending sentencing,
although the jury had recommended five years in prison.
"The legal system failed the citizens of Virginia after Mr. Kline's
initial conviction," Gillinson's son, Andrew Gillinson, said Monday.
"That failure enabled the murder of my mother."
Two months after Gillinson was killed, Cullen resigned.
Joan Gillinson was a retired nurse and had been married to
anesthesiologist Roy Gillinson for 60 years. The British couple, who
had four children, lived in the Montebello high-rise complex just
south of Alexandria on Route 1. One neighbor described Joan Gillinson
as "the quintessential sweet little old English lady."
Gillinson liked to go to Huntley Meadows, in the Hybla Valley area,
for leisurely walks and to read. She was there on a warm, clear fall
day when she encountered Kline.
Kline, then 18, had been ordered into the custody of his father,
Thomas Kline, after his felony convictions Oct. 2 in Culpeper, and he
did not have a car. But he had a 32-year-old girlfriend in New York
state he had met online, according to court records, and he had a
Walther 9mm pistol that he had swiped from his mother's boyfriend.
"I had to do something to get back to [my girlfriend] C.J.," Kline
told psychologist Mitchell H. Hugonnet, according to court records.
"Not much mattered to me at that point."
Kline told Hugonnet that he went to Huntley Meadows on Oct. 17
"looking for somebody I could use for transportation," meaning he
wanted to steal car keys and money, Hugonnet wrote.
Fairfax Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Ian M. Rodway said that
physical evidence showed that Gillinson was struck twice in the head,
probably by a gun, and then shot once in the face. Kline was trying to
hide her body under some leaves when Jeff Wallingford strolled by with
his family.
Wallingford had heard a gunshot and figured he needed to call police,
he said in an interview.
But he said Kline approached him, his mother, his wife and their two
children and said something like, "Y'all seem like nice folks."
Wallingford thought, "That was pretty chilling." He called 911.
Kline told the psychologist that he considered shooting Wallingford
and his wife and mother. "It was because of that baby that I didn't
shoot them," Kline said of one of the children, who were in a
stroller. "That would have been bad for that baby to grow up without
parents, so I didn't shoot them."
Kline ran from the park and hopped on a Fairfax Connector bus, staying
on it as the driver and passengers fled. Police negotiated with Kline
for several hours, and he called his girlfriend and his attorney,
Harvey Volzer. He eventually surrendered.
The case was delayed after a Fairfax judge ordered Kline evaluated for
sanity in June 2008. Hugonnet concluded in February that Kline met the
legal definition of sane in October 2007 but that he was "in or moving
toward early stages of paranoid schizophrenia," thinking he had
"discovered cures for major illnesses" and could "revivify the dead."
The defense then asked for Kline to be evaluated for his competency to
stand trial, which another psychologist confirmed in September.
Kline did not make a statement Monday as he entered Alford pleas to
first-degree murder and use of a firearm in a felony. An Alford plea
means the defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges that there
is enough evidence for a conviction. Still, Fairfax Circuit Court
Judge Stanley P. Klein required Kline to say the word "guilty" on each
charge before considering an Alford plea.
Kline faces a minimum term of 23 years and a maximum of life in prison
at his sentencing hearing March 19.
The pleas came as jury selection was about to begin for a trial.
Defense lawyer William Schewe said he hoped that the pleas will give
Kline a better chance of being placed in a mental institution rather
than a state prison.
"I had an inkling it might go that way," Roy Gillinson, the victim's
widower, said after the hearing. "Justice is supposed to be swift and
fair. Well, it's been fair. I don't know about swift."
**************************************************
4. Shooting Ranges - Back on Sussex Board of Supervisors agenda
**************************************************
Conditional use permits for shooting ranges at issue, again
A member emailed me this:
--
Gentlemen:
One of the Board of Supervisors members called me on 12/20/09 and told
me that the shooting range/conditional use permit issue will be back
on the agenda for the Sussex County Board of Supervisors meeting on
January 21, 2010. Your support will be necessary to keep fighting any
changes in the current ordinances in Sussex concerning shooting
ranges. I will keep you posted as I discover what they intend to
propose this time. Spread the word!
**************************************************
5. Who needs a gun in a Post Office?
**************************************************
Gunman in a wheelchair takes hostages at Wytheville, VA Post Office
But guns aren't allowed in post offices! Oh, that's right. Such
regulations are just words on a sheet of paper and criminals know it.
http://tinyurl.com/yc6vzy5
[SNIP]
"Three people left the Wytheville, Va. Post Office shortly after 11
p.m. ET. The gunman who had been holding them hostage came out of the
building in his wheelchair shortly thereafter, without incident.
The standoff began Wednesday afternoon and shots were fired, however,
no injuries were reported. In addition, the Associated Press reports
that hostages were allowed to contact their relatives via phone during
the ordeal."
**************************************************
6. Another survey
**************************************************
Larry Smith emailed me this:
--
Philip,
Del Kirk Cox (66th District) has a survey similar to Del Peace's. Has
two questions directly relating to firearms and one to felons' "rights".
Larry Smith
Chester, VA
http://tinyurl.com/yb2nu8v
**************************************************
7. Portsmouth City Council repeals photo ID and sign-in requirements
for attending meetings under pressure from VCDL
**************************************************
VCDL Board member alerts Council to policy; Council changes it
John Fenter emailed me this. John had made some Freedom of Information
Act requests about what authorization the City had for such
requirements and what happens to that information once gathered (there
are very specific laws that must be followed with such information).
The City realized that they had a real problem and had the commonsense
to fix it quickly.
Great work, John!
--
I just received a phone call here at work from Mr. Willson of the City
Attorney's office. The City has ceased and desisted the practice of
requiring ID and a sign-in in order to attend a City Council meeting.
It's "just something they started doing after 9/11 and nobody ever
said anything about it until now".... Anyway, I will ask our
Portsmouth members to double check at the next meeting in January, and
if it's true, then the issue is settled. On to Norfolk and their
"digital photo" requirement....
**************************************************
8. Norfolk takes ownership of battleship Wisconsin, carry should now
be legal
**************************************************
Chet Szymecki emailed me this:
--
Phil - since the Wisconsin has now been officially handed over to
Norfolk, lawful carry is now OK on the battleship.
http://tinyurl.com/yfjztyn
http://www.dailypress.com
Norfolk takes ownership of battleship Wisconsin
By HARRY MINIUM
The Virginian-Pilot
December 16, 2009
NORFOLK, Va.
Norfolk officials have eagerly waited for the day when tourists could
peer through the battleship Wisconsin's berthing areas and traipse
through the ship's combat center.
Now after years of negotiations and environmental reviews, the Navy
has finally granted ownership of the Wisconsin to the city.
Vice Adm. David Architzel signed the contract Monday, more than three
years after the city asked for permission to maintain and run the
Wisconsin as a tourist attraction.
The move will allow the city to begin spending $6.2 million that it
set aside years ago to renovate the interior of the ship, which is
moored next to Nauticus. Currently, it is partially open to the public.
Visitors can tour limited portions of the Wisconsin's deck. But by
next spring, Nauticus director Hank Lynch said he expects to begin
offering tours of parts of the ship's interior. Within three years, he
said, most of the ship's entire interior will be open, including the
combat information center, berthing areas, and the barber and doughnut
shops.
"We want to show people everything it took to take care of the 2,000
human beings on that ship," he said.
But that will all come with a price. Beginning Saturday, anyone who
wants to tour the ship's deck will have to buy a ticket to enter
Nauticus.
Admission to the Wisconsin is now free. On Saturday, it will cost an
adult $10.95 to enter both attractions.
"This is the most powerful ship the Navy ever built," Lynch said.
"It's not just an icon of the American Navy, it's an icon of the
American spirit.
"These things cost a lot of money to maintain. I don't think anyone
will balk at paying a modest admission."
Since opening to tourists in 2001, the Wisconsin became a symbol for
downtown, Mayor Paul Fraim said.
"This is a wonderful moment for the city," he said.
Fraim said the city had hoped to gain ownership of the battleship two
years ago, but environmental reviews "dragged this out much longer
than anyone expected."
Nauticus draws about 200,000 paying customers a year, not including
another 200,000 who tour the Wisconsin for free, Lynch said.
Once the interior is open, Lynch said, he expects "attendance will
grow very vigorously."
Built in Philadelphia, the Wisconsin was commissioned in 1944, and saw
action in the Pacific during World War II, where it earned five battle
stars.
It was deactivated in 1948 and activated again in 1951 for the Korean
War. It was decommissioned again in 1958, recommissioned in 1988 and
was homeported in Norfolk.
It participated in the Persian Gulf War in 1991 before being
decommissioned for the final time later that year. The ship arrived at
its current site Dec. 7, 2000, the 59th anniversary of the Japanese
bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Lynch said the ship is in remarkably good condition. The city paid for
an inspection, including divers who checked out the hull.
But a lot needs to be done before it can open fully to the public, he
said. It must be cleaned of any hazardous materials, including
asbestos. Then the heating and cooling systems must be overhauled.
"A warship is different from the typical facility you allow the public
to go into," he said. "But we'll get it open to the public as quickly
as we can."
**************************************************
9. Armed citizen stops shooting
**************************************************
A disgruntled Marine's shooting spree at apartment complex ***
thwarted by an armed citizen ***
The person posting the video also noted that the armed citizen
disarmed the bad guy without even having to fire a shot. Also, the
police had no problem figuring out who was the criminal and who was
the bad guy.
Gary O'Brien emailed me this:
http://tinyurl.com/yagmjbr
**************************************************
10. Cato Institute Podcast on Fort Hood Shootings
**************************************************
Armed citizens more reliable than 'predictors' of violence
Tom Goodnight emailed me this:
--
Hi Philip,
I was listening to a Cato podcast about the Fort Hood Shootings
("Preventing the Next Fort Hood Shooting", 11/13/09), which talked
about how it is impossible to predict these events based on precursors
such as violent rantings, because it results in so many false
positives. That is, there are so many times that people have verbal
outbursts that do not lead to physical violence that you cannot
distinguish between the few real threats and the many, many, many
inconsequential occurrences.
The point of the Cato podcast was that the best course of action
is to marginalize the importance of "the cause" that draws people to
be violent. In terms of the right to self defense, the podcast made
me realize that it was a strong argument for allowing people the
ability to defend themselves, for two reasons. One, it is impossible
to accurately predict an impending violent occurrence; and two,
investigating every "red flag" is expensive and intrusive (from a
constitutional perspective). Letting people protect themselves is the
most effective and least expensive option.
I think that this would make a good topic for an article or
discussion, but don't have the means or knowledge to pursue it. I'm
hoping that you do and can forward the idea along.
Thanks for all your hard work,
Tom Goodnight
Bristol, Virginia
http://tinyurl.com/ydr6kep
**************************************************
11. Murder rate declined while gun sales boomed
**************************************************
Dave Workman emailed me this, which is causing Pepto-Bismol to fly off
the shelves in Sarah Brady's neighborhood:
Putting the lie to the Brady Bunch one inconvenient truth at a time.
http://tinyurl.com/ybethnb
[SNIP]
Murder Rate declined 10% while gun sales boomed
Anti-gunners have lost another one of their baseless arguments.
Millions of Americans bought guns during the first six months of this
year, many of them for the first time. Yet with all of those new guns
in circulation, coupled with an increased demand for concealed carry
licenses around the country, the streets have not been awash in blood,
as gun banners repeatedly predict."--Alan Gottlieb
**************************************************
12. Five great S&W instructional videos with Jerry Miculek
**************************************************
If you shoot revolvers, here are some extremely good tips on shooting
them well by one of the best revolver shooters ever:
--
http://tinyurl.com/4md2hb
**************************************************
13. "A Girl and A Gun" film
**************************************************
Documentary explores relationship between women and guns
Member Ben Piper emailed me this:
http://www.agirlandagunfilm.com/
**************************************************
14. The failure of gun control: Guns, Britain and Crime
**************************************************
Just the opposite of the story about U.S. crime and guns in item #11,
above. Crime rises, despite gun ban in UK.
Edward N. Martin Jr. emailed me this.
--
From a colleague in California (mountains).
Points to ponder.
http://tinyurl.com/y9466fy
Culture of violence: Gun crime goes up by 89% in a decade
by James Black
Gun crime has almost doubled since Labour came to power as a culture
of extreme gang violence has taken hold.The latest Government figures
show that the total number of firearm offences in England and Wales
has increased from 5,209 in 1998/99 to 9,865 last year - a rise of
89 per cent.
In some parts of the country, the number of offences has increased
more than five-fold.
In eighteen police areas, gun crime at least doubled.
The statistic will fuel fears that the police are struggling to
contain gang-related violence, in which the carrying of a firearm has
become increasingly common place.
Last week, police in London revealed they had begun carrying out armed
patrols on some streets.
The move means officers armed with sub-machine guns are engaged in
routine policing for the first time.
Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Grayling, said last night: 'In areas
dominated by gang culture, we're now seeing guns used to settle scores
between rivals as well as turf wars between rival drug dealers.
'We need to redouble our efforts to deal with the challenge.'
He added: 'These figures are all the more alarming given that it is
only a week since the Metropolitan Police said it was increasing
regular armed patrols in some areas of the capital'.
The gun crime figures, which were obtained by the Tories from official
Parliamentary answers, do not include air weapons.
But they provide the first regional breakdown of the increasing use of
firearms.
Lancashire suffered the single largest rise in gun crime, with
recorded offences increasing from 50 in 1998/99 to 349 in 2007/08, an
increase of 598 per cent.
Armed: Officers engaged in routine policing are carrying sub-machine
guns for the first time
Only four police forces - Cleveland-Humberside, Cambridgeshire and
Sussex - recorded falls in gun crime.
The number of people injured or killed by guns, excluding air weapons,
has increased from 864 in 1998/99 to a provisional figure of 1,760 in
2008/09, an increase of 104 per cent .
The figures follow a warning by Mr Grayling that U.S.-style gang
culture has reached some parts of the UK.
In August, he made a controversial speech warning that a collapse of
'civilised life' had allowed a brutal drug and gun crime culture -
like that of the U.S. TV show The Wire - to flourish in Britain.
The hit TV series tracks the nightmare of gangs and organized crime in
inner city West Baltimore and the futile efforts of police to deal
with them.
The Met's decision to employ armed officers on the streets has
attracted criticism.
But the force, which has already begun the scheme, insists that the
unprecedented tactic is a proportionate and temporary response to
prevent armed gangs from controlling estates.
Trident poster campaign warning of dangers of young women and girls
storing and transporting guns for others
Last month, police warned that teenage girls were now being dragged
into the gun culture by hiding weapons for their boyfriends.
Police are targeting girls between 15 and 19 with an advertising blitz
warning them that they can expect a five-year prison sentence if they
are caught.
The number of women charged with firearms offenses in London has
increased six-fold in the past year - 12 have been charged since
January.
Seven of them were teenagers, including a 16-year-old arrested after a
9mm Browning self-loading pistol was found in her bedroom.
**************************************************
15. New theme song, "I Like Guns!"
**************************************************
Charles Heller emailed me this:
Effective immediately, there will be a new theme song to America Armed
& Free {: - )
http://tinyurl.com/y8z59o9
http://www.youtube.com
***************************************************************************
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/]