04/11/11 - VCDL Update 4/11/11

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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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1. Video: A South African man's story on a real life gun fight with terrorists told at VCDL meeting last week
2. Info on Third Way
3. High cap freedom: Five reasons why you should want high-capacity magazines
4. The unconcealed truth about carrying guns
5. Project Gunrunner update: Issa subpoenas the stonewallers
6. Brady Campaign: 30 years later, and still fighting
7. Facebook group aims for open carry nation
8. U.N. ignores its own data to promote gun ban


**************************************************1. Video: A South African man's story on a real life gun fight with terrorists told at VCDL meeting last week**************************************************

Last week's VCDL membership meeting in Annandale had an excellent guest speaker: Charl Van Wyk, who saved countless lives back in 1993 because he was able to shoot back at some terrorists who attacked a church he was attending.

The terrorists came in with nail-encrusted grenades and fully-automatic AK47s, intent on a full fledged massacre.

What Charl did back then was extremely courageous. When the attack started with grenades and AK rounds flying into the church during a service, Charl drew his gun, a snubby .38 Special revolver with 5 shots and no reloads, and fired two shots at the attackers at the front of the church. Charl was sitting near the back of the church when the attack started and he was unsure if his gun's accuracy was sufficient to actually hit the terrorists at that range, but he had to try anyway.

After firing the two shots, Charl exited the church through a back door. At that point, most people would have run for the hills and called the police. But not Charl, he ran around the outside of the building, hoping to come in the front door and shoot the terrorists in the back with his last 3 bullets. The were four terrorists for his three bullets, so he had a problem, but that didn't concern him.

As Charl came around the corner, he spotted a lookout and the getaway driver out by the car, the lookout with an AK47 on his hip, pointing up in the air. Charl believes that the lookout was watching for Charl to come out the front door so he could be executed. As it was, Charl was coming up behind him!

Charl opened fire, sending his last 3 rounds towards the terrorists by the getaway vehicle. At that point the other terrorists came running out of the church and they all fled in the getaway vehicle.

It turned out that Charl had actually hit one of the terrorists with his first two shots in the church. The terrorists were already spooked by that and his last 3 shots from the parking lot was the last straw (lucky for Charl).

The terrorists had superior numbers and superior firepower, yet they were intimidated by a man with a 5 shot .38 Special snubby! With Charl firing at them from inside the church and then from behind in the parking lot, the terrors probably thought there were multiple defenders!

Guns do indeed Save Lives

One of the terrorists later said that they had picked that church to attack believing that no one would be armed, and that they were greatly surprised when rounds started coming their way , striking one of them only seconds into their assault.

For those interested in learning more about the story, Charl has a book and a DVD available here:

http://superstore.wnd.com/SALES/BUNDLES ... k-Bundle_2

Charl is a Christian missionary and part of the book and DVD deals with him coming to grips with religion and the right, and the requirement, to protect innocent life.

Executive member Ian Branson filmed Charl's presentation at my request, as I had heard from many of you who could not make the meeting, but wanted to see the presentation.

Thanks to Ian for a great job video taping and editing the presentation and to Charl for sharing it with us:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ga-dwP8gME

**************************************************2. Info on Third Way**************************************************

In reference to the 3/27/2011 Update item #1, "VCDL front-and-center in RTD story on 'carrying everywhere,'" Michael Formica emailed me this about a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing:

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[The Richmond Time Dispatch c]alling "Third Way" a think tank is like calling the DNC [or RNC] nonpartisan.

Here's Matt Bennett's bio:

Matt BennettVice President for Public AffairsMatt Bennett is Vice President for Public Affairs and a co-founder of Third Way. He previously served in the White House as a Deputy Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs for President Clinton, where he served as the principal White House liaison to governors and covered a wide range of issues, including disaster response, Medicaid, immigration, education and others. Prior to that, he served in Vice President Al Gore's office. He was Communications Director of the Clark for President Campaign in 2004, and from 2001-2004 was Director of Public Affairs for Americans for Gun Safety. Mr. Bennett appears frequently as a political commentator on television and radio and is quoted frequently in newspapers including The New York Times and The Washington Post. He has appeared on 60 Minutes, Today, Good Morning America, Meet the Press, NPR and almost all major cable political programs. Mr. Bennett practiced law in Washington D.C. from 1993-1997. He earned his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law and has a Bachelor's degree in History from the University of Pennsylvania.

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Another VA-ALERT reader emailed me this:

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Philip,

I'm not sure you looked into Matt Bennett's background. We won't find any friends with them:

http://www.thirdway.org/staff/3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans_ ... Foundation

**************************************************3. High cap freedom: Five reasons why you should want high-capacity magazines**************************************************

Jay Britt emailed me this:

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=46rom jpfo.org: http://tinyurl.com/3ps2as2

"High Cap Freedom"

Five Reasons Why You Should Want High Capacity Magazines

by Rabbi Dovid Bendory, Rabbinic Director,Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership.Copyright 2011 JPFO

Minutes before lunatic Jared Loughner began his mayhem in Arizona, the issue of a Federal high capacity ammunition magazine ban was a complete political non-starter. Obama didn't go near it when he had Democratic majorities and he certainly wouldn't have tried it after the election rout of 2010. High cap bans were simply not possible. Add to this the pro-self defense victories in the U.S. Supreme Court's Heller and McDonald decisions, and the door to magazine bans seemed both locked and barred ... perhaps even welded shut for good.

And then came Jared Loughner. And the gun grabbing vultures circled and landed. We now face a replay of the hysteria that brought us the so-called "Assault Weapons" Ban (and the included magazine bans) of the Clinton years. The act of a single madman has struck a blow against the Second Amendment that all the gun grabbers combined have been unable to strike. Please think long and hard on this irrational state of affairs.

Today, the most common plaintive question you hear from the victim disarmament crowd is: "Why would anyone need a high capacity ammunition magazine?" Note that the emphasis is always on the word "need".

So-called "gun control" has always used semantic deception. What the gun confiscators want to do is apply "needs" to situations that more accurately require "wants".

No one "needs" a seat belt. After all, 99.999 percent of your driving time you don't "need" a seatbelt. You only "need" a seat belt during an automobile crash. Do you want a seatbelt? Of course! No one would even debate this issue.

To a greater or lesser degree, the same goes for property insurance, fire extinguishers, spare tires, life jackets, and first aid kits, to name just a few things.

So with this in mind, here are five good reasons that you should WANT a high capacity magazine.

1. Multiple assailants. Whether on the street or during a home invasion, violent criminals often move in pairs or packs. Realize that you will never shoot as well as your score at the range when you are under the unbelievable stress of a life-or-death encounter. Which would you prefer to have in your magazine in such an event? Ten rounds? Or fifteen or seventeen? Or perhaps even 30?

2. Private citizens always face the threat before the police arrive. Private citizens were on the front line at Tucson, Columbine, and Virginia Tech. Why limit our effectiveness?

You should logically want whatever cops choose to carry. How many cops choose a ten round magazine? If politicians want to hinder us "little people" with a ten round limit, they should also hamper the police with the same limit. Let's see how far that flies.

In nearly every instance it is not a cop on the "front line" of a violent situation. It is private citizens who must face the "lone gunman" until (and sometimes even after) the police arrive. See Dial 911 and Die. Is the life of a policeman more important than yours?

3. Civil disturbances. Watch the Reginald Denny beating video some time. Review the looting insanity of Hurricane Katrina. You've got a crazed mob of ten, twenty, or fifty people headed in your direction. Are ten rounds enough? Might you want fifteen, or seventeen, or even thirty?

Oh, and while you're at it, perhaps bring from memory those Los Angeles Korean store owners standing guard on the roofs of their businesses with semi-auto AKs during the Rodney King riots. No one messed with those stores, did they?

4. Because it is your most fundamental right as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, and, more importantly, as given by G-d A-lmighty: the right to the righteous defense of yourself and the innocent. "Shall not be infringed" simply means what it says. When politicians infringe on magazine capacity, they infringe on the Second Amendment. You should want a high cap mag because you can have one!

This is America, not a socialist nanny state or tin pot Third World dictatorship. The saying "use it or lose it" is never so relevant as when applied to our Bill of Rights. See "2A Today for the USA"

5. Your assailants may well be armed with high cap magazines themselves. No ban will affect these criminals; it will actually encourage them. Do you really think the gang bangers care about federal laws? Again, ask the local cop why he or she won't "downgrade" to a ten round mag to go along with this feel-good idiocy. Ask the pols why they don't think the cops should do so.

These are just a few of the reasons for WANTING (not "needing") a high cap magazine. In the spirit of JPFO's recently launched "High Cap Freedom" campaign, go out and buy one or more high capacity mags for your pistol or rifle today.

Always remember, the present drive towards a ban might fail, but all it will take is "Loughner II" (another convenient "crazed lone gunman") to drive the hysteria machine to victory for the gun grabbers. Get your high cap magazines before any ban can take place.

"Because your life is too precious to risk running out of bullets."

Rabbi Dovid BendoryRabbinic DirectorJews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership(http://jpfo.org)

Rabbi Bendory is an NRA Certified Firearms Instructor.

**************************************************4. The unconcealed truth about carrying guns**************************************************

Illinois has a bill advancing in the House that may get a super majority on allowing concealed carry in my birth-state. Wisconsin should get concealed carry in the near future now that they have a governor who will sign such a bill. The dominos continue to fall and the anti-freedom crowd (I'm being generous here by saying "crowd") are beside themselves.

Joe Gherlone emailed me this:

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=46rom Real Clear Politics: http://tinyurl.com/3j3xmd6

March 31, 2011The Unconcealed Truth About Carrying GunsBy Steve Chapman

"Experience is a dear teacher," said Benjamin Franklin, "but fools will learn at no other." Give some credit to fools: At least they eventually learn from experience. What would Franklin say about people who don't?

By that, I refer to gun control advocates alarmed that the Illinois legislature may vote to let licensed individuals carry concealed handguns. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence calls the measure "dangerous." Kristen Rand of the Violence Policy Center says that it would lead to Tucson-style mass shootings as well as the killing of police.

But concealed-carry, as it is known, is not a radical notion in most of the country. Thirty-seven "shall-issue" states grant permits to carry to anyone meeting certain requirements, and 48 allow citizens to carry guns under some circumstances. The two holdouts? Wisconsin, where Republican Gov. Scott Walker has endorsed the idea, and Illinois, where Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn has not.

But Quinn has vexed many downstate Democrats by abolishing capital punishment and allowing same-sex civil unions. So speculation is that he may have to make it up to them by going along on concealed weapons.

The opponents rely on a litany of horribles. The Violence Policy Center in Washington claims that since May 2007, individuals licensed to carry guns killed 286 private citizens and 11 law enforcement officers and committed 18 mass shootings. This gory record, it asserts, destroys the myth that permit holders are generally law-abiding folks who behave responsibly.

In fact, VPC's own data, when inspected closely, doesn't dent the case for gun rights. Over the past four years, there have been more than 60,000 homicides in the United States. The slayings carried out by permit holders amount to fewer than one of every 200 murders. For every licensee who killed someone, there are more than 20,000 who didn't.

Nor does the evidence indicate that allowing people to carry pistols causes crime. Many of the shootings done by permit holders took place in their homes -- where you don't need a concealed-carry license to keep a gun.

Some of the killings weren't even done with firearms: Among the cases cited by the VPC is a 2008 strangling in Florida, allegedly by a man who was licensed to carry. How can strangulation be blamed on a concealed weapon permit? If a fisherman kills someone, do we ban fishing rods?

Often, notes Florida State University criminologist Gary Kleck, the murders were premeditated or committed during the course of other serious crimes. In those cases, the license was irrelevant -- unless you assume that someone willing to break the laws against murder or rape would not be willing to break another law by packing a sidearm.

What is extremely rare is a homicide committed by a permit holder in a public place in a fit of anger. Reviewing an earlier two-year database compiled by VPC, Kleck found only five cases "where possession of a carry permit may have contributed to the occurrence of the killing." Such episodes are not quite flying pigs, but almost.

What the gun control groups don't tabulate is how many homicides have been averted by a licensed, concealed handgun. Kleck, who has done extensive research on the topic, says it is "quite reasonable to expect that thousands of lives are saved by defensive gun use by persons who carried guns in public places." Even if he's wrong, it would take only a handful of such incidents to offset the homicides "caused" by concealed-carry laws.

The problem for opponents is that they have sown fear from the beginning, only to harvest a meager crop. A generation ago, few states allowed concealed-carry. When Florida captured national attention by legalizing it in 1987, critics forecast mass carnage. When other states followed suit, the same predictions were heard.

But they turned out to be false alarms. Instead of an epidemic of violence, the nation saw a drop. Since 1991, the murder rate has been cut nearly in half. You don't have to believe that "shall-issue" laws caused the decline to grasp that they certainly didn't get in the way.

The record of the past two decades demonstrates that you can strengthen the right of law-abiding adults to protect themselves against crime without making the world more dangerous. That knowledge is helpful in Illinois, to those willing to learn from experience.

**************************************************5. Project Gunrunner update: Issa subpoenas the stonewallers**************************************************

BATFE has been stonewalling on a Congressional investigation into Project Gunrunner, where BATFE told gun dealers to intentionally sell guns, lots of guns, to the Mexican crime-cartels. Then BATFE said they needed to have an "emergency" requirement that dealers report multiple semi-automatic rifle sales because of all the guns that the cartels were getting from the U.S.!

How's THAT for hutzpah?

Jay Britt emailed me this:

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=46rom michellemalkin.com: http://tinyurl.com/3bc8hub

Project Gunrunner update: Issa subpoenas the stonewallersBy Michelle Malkin * April 1, 2011 10:36 AM

Our GOP watchdogs are on the job.

Project Gunrunner is not just going be swept under the rug by Obama's corruptocrats.

Just in...

April 1, 2011 Contact: Frederick Hill (202-225-0037)

Chairman Issa Subpoenas ATF for 'Project Gunrunner' Documents

Subpoena comes after ATF fails to meet earlier deadline

WASHINGTON. D.C. - Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform today announced the issuance of a subpoena to the Department of Justices' Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) for documents related to the highly controversial "Project Gunrunner."

"The unwillingness of this Administration - most specifically the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms - to answer questions about this deadly serious matter is deeply troubling," said Chairman Issa. "Allegations surrounding this program are serious and the ability of the Justice Department to conduct an impartial investigation is in question. Congressional oversight is necessary to get the truth about what is really happening."

On March 16, 2011, Chairman Issa wrote a letter to Acting Director Kenneth Melson of the ATF requesting specific documents related to Project Gunrunner, its "Fast and Furious" component, and records related to the death of Border Agent Brian Terry. ATF failed to meet the March 30th deadline for producing these documents and furthermore refused to voluntarily commit to any date for producing them.

Media reports have raised questions about the handling of operations involving gun trafficking into Mexico - specifically the allegation that ATF has had a policy of permitting - and even encouraging - the movement of guns into Mexico by straw purchasers. This practice may have contributed to the deaths of hundreds on both sides of the border, including federal law enforcement agents. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), who has also been pursuing the matter, recently stated, "I'm still asking questions and we're still getting the runaround from the Justice Department, [t]hey're stonewalling."

President Obama recently stated that neither he nor Attorney General Holder authorized this operation. His statement did not specify whether Attorney General Holder was aware of this policy or who did authorize it. The Committee's investigation seeks answers to these questions and the true nature of Project Gunrunner.

Documents subpoenaed and due to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform by April 13, 2011, include:

1. Documents and communications relating to the genesis of Project Gunrunner and Operation Fast and Furious, and any memoranda or reports involving any changes to either program at or near the time of the release of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General report about Project Gunrunner in November 2010.

2. Documents and communications relating to individuals responsible for authorizing the decision to "walk" guns to Mexico in order to follow them and capture a "bigger fish."

3. Documents and communications relating to any investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) or any other DOJ component following the fatal shooting of Agent Brian Terry, including information pertaining to two guns found at the crime scene that may have been connected to Project Gunrunner.

4. Documents and communications relating to any weapons recovered at the crime scene or during the investigation into the death of Agent Brian Terry.

5. Documents and communications between ATF and the Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) who sold weapons to Jaime Avila, including any Report of Investigation (ROI) or other records relating to a December 17, 2009 meeting "to discuss his role as an FFL during this investigation."

6. A copy of the presentation, approximately 200 pages long, that the Group 7 Supervisor made to officials at ATF headquarters in the spring of 2010.

7. Documents and communications relating to Operation Fast and Furious between and among ATF headquarters and Special Agent in Charge William D. Newell, Assistant Special Agents in Charge Jim Needles and George Gillette, Group Supervisor David Voth, or any Case Agent from November 1, 2009 to the present. The response to this component of the subpoena shall include a memorandum, approximately 30 pages long, from SAC Newell to ATF headquarters following the arrest of Jaime Avila and the death of Agent Brian Terry.

8. Documents and communications relating to complaints or objections by ATF agents about: (1) encouraging, sanctioning, or otherwise allowing FFLs to sell firearms to known or suspected straw buyers, (2) failure to maintain surveillance on known or suspected straw buyers, (3) failure to maintain operational control over weapons purchased by known or suspected straw buyers, or (4) letting known or suspected straw buyers with American guns enter Mexico.

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Tommy Carroll emailed me this on the subject:

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=46rom Fox News [VIDEO]: http://tinyurl.com/3fnjlop

**************************************************6. Brady Campaign: 30 years later, and still fighting**************************************************

"If you can stand next to the President and not be safe from gun violence -- no one is safe." - Sarah Brady

Yes, Sarah, thank you for making VCDL's point quite succinctly! That's why we want to be able to carry guns EVERYWHERE we go!

Everywhere. Period.

Board member Bruce Jackson emailed me this:

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From: Sarah Brady, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence Date: Tue, Mar 29, 2011 at 4:30 PMSubject: 30 Years Later, and Still Fighting

After 30 Years, the Fight Continues

Dear xxxx,

Tomorrow -- 30 years to the day after Jim was shot -- he and I will be back on Capitol Hill, going door to door, asking our elected officials in Congress to stand up to the NRA bosses. We will tell them to stop taking orders from or cowering in fear of the NRA, and back legislation that will keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.

In seconds, Jim's life was changed forever. Jim was surrounded by the best security in the country but that didn't stop a mentally ill man who had easy access to a handgun from shooting the President, and firing a bullet that hit Jim and paralyzed him forever.

If you can stand next to the President and not be safe from gun violence -- no one is safe.

Donate now to help us make a difference.

In 1993, we were able to pass the Brady Bill. Since its enactment nearly 2 million guns have been denied to people too dangerous and irresponsible to possess guns.

Despite this good legislation, more must be done. Sadly, 86 people will still die today from guns and another 183 will be injured.

Nearly 3 decades after the day when things changed for us forever, we haven't given up. Let's do all we can to prevent senseless shootings. Make a donation to help Jim and me and the Brady Campaign fight to reduce gun violence.

Sincerely,

Sarah BradyChair, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

**************************************************7. Facebook group aims for open carry nation**************************************************

A VA-ALERT reader emailed me this:

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=46rom the Gun Rights Examiner: http://tinyurl.com/3p2s5w3

[SNIP]This weekend the organizers of the Facebook group "open carry movement" sent a message to its members captioned "open carry nation." The group is shooting to fire up a nation-wide cyber-roots push for legislative progress to "repeal the last 7 state bans on openly carrying properly holstered firearms," explains group organizer John Pierce, an information technology expert by week, and top ranked college student at Hamline Law on weekends. "And FB is the way to go to get this done."

.. . .

While there have been no repeals of state-wide open carry bans since the open carry movement started in around 2004, Pierce notes that states like Virginia and Ohio have preempted local bans on open carry. Now he thinks 2011 will be a tipping point, with Florida and probably Oklahoma legalizing open carry. Virginia Citizens Defense League President Philip Van Cleave said that open carry is already an option for gun owners in Virginia, and ought to be an option in all states. "Gun owners should have the right to choose," he said. . . .

**************************************************8. U.N. ignores its own data to promote gun ban**************************************************

Stephen Wenger emailed me this:

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=46rom pajamasmedia.com: http://tinyurl.com/3nf9yno

UN Ignores Its Own Data to Promote Gun BanIf the United Nations consulted their own research, they wouldn't be promoting their global civilian disarmament agenda.April 2, 2011 - by Howard Nemerov

[SNIP]Recently, the United Nations took the next step in negotiating an international arms trade treaty that has the full support of the Obama administration. The goal of this treaty is to impose "common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms" and ammunition, ostensibly because "too many arms still end up in the wrong hands."

This high-sounding rhetoric demands further examination, especially since the UN group behind this meeting is called the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs.



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