06/26/11 - VCDL Update 6/26/11

[allingeneral]

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

1. Betrayal: Was the Government's "Fast and Furious" operation a secret campaign for more U.S. gun-control?
2. Sen. Feinstein report: Most guns seized in Mexico from US
3. Was Operation Fast and Furious a gun control objective?
4. Congressional report: US guns fuel Mexico violence
5. Democrats try to channel scandal into gun control push
6. Document drop: More Project Gunrunner items revealed
7. Dems circle wagons on Gunrunner, float perennial gun ban agenda
8. Explosive 'Fast and Furious' report quotes ATF whistleblowers
9. Disabled citizens exempt from State Park fees, too
10. Virginia ranks ninth in personal and economic freedom
11. SAF leads coalition in amicus filing for Colorado carry case
12. Plaxico Burress partners with anti-gun organization
13. Editorial: Burress' anti-gun voice needed
14. The third rail: Guns and suicide in the Army
15. Va Beach homeowner won't face charges in home invasion shooting
16. Who needs a gun at a payday loan store?
17. Gun prejudices
18. Who needs a gun at a rest area?
19. Clearing a house
20. Police: Danville store clerk pulls gun on suspect
21. Jo-Ann Chase, running for the 87th District, corrects the record


**************************************************
1. Betrayal: Was the Government's "Fast and Furious" operation a secret campaign for more U.S. gun-control?
**************************************************

From the moment I learned about the BATFE's "Operation Fast and Furious," also called "Project Gun Walker," to flood Mexico's drug cartels with guns from U.S. gun stores, my gut told me that it was the American gun owner who was the primary target of the operation. In an environment where the American people no longer want gun control, it appeared that we were being "set up" by our own government to have gun-control crammed down our throats.

And the more that is revealed about Fast And Furious, the more that gut feeling has proven to be correct. As you will see, others have the same belief.

=46rom the story immediately below:

"The supervisor of Operation Fast and Furious was 'jovial, if not, not giddy but just delighted about' walked guns showing up at crime scenes in Mexico according to an ATF agent."

Ask yourself, why would a supervisor be so happy that guns sold in America and smuggled into Mexico with the BATFE's help showed up at crimes scenes in Mexico? We are talking about people being murdered...

Only one possible reason comes to mind: the operation's true purpose was being realized and Mexico would soon be pointing the finger at American gun stores and yelling that such gun stores were intentionally selling guns into Mexico. It was almost perfect. And of course, the U.S. Government "would have no choice" but to implement more gun control (registering private gun sales, banning "assault weapons" and higher-capacity magazines, tracking multiple sales of semi-automatic rifles, etc.) in response to the "irresponsible sales of guns by American gun stores." The Mexican Government had no idea that it was the U.S. Government that was secretly seeing that those guns were sold to Mexican cartels over the objections of the gun stores that would never have made those high-volume sales otherwise.

President Obama told Sarah and Jim Brady a few months ago that there was gun control in the works "under the radar." That statement made it inadvertently into the press. Ooops - looks like the radar was capable of scanning lower than the President thought.

Blood is dripping off of the Government's fingers.

In other stories below, you will see how some anti-gun Democrats were trying to capitalize on Operation Fast and Furious to get their gun control agenda passed. Senator Feinstein is still in the "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" mode, demanding instead that gun owners pay the price she wants us to pay no matter what.

However, I think that the revelations and Congressional investigation into Operation Fast and Furious will mean that gun control, which has not been popular in Congress for years, is now even further from becoming reality any time soon.

Sarah, put that in your pipe and smoke it.

James D. Durso emailed me this:

--

=46rom The Washington Examiner: http://tinyurl.com/3z2tagg

By Mark TapscottJune 15, 2011

"Fast and Furious" is the moniker for the Obama administration program that purposely released hundreds of sophisticated rifles, handguns and other weapsons to members of the Mexican drug cartels in an effort to link their users to crimes.

But a few more congressional investigative reports like the one released late yesterday by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and that name will soon also describe the velocity with which what is left of the administration's credibility on law enforcement issues and U.S. border security is shredded.

Rep. Darrell Issa, the California Republican who chairs the House committee, the report focuses on the efforts of four BATF agents who brought direct knowledge of the program:

"ATF agents have shared chilling accounts of being ordered to stand down as criminals in Arizona walked away with guns headed for Mexican drug cartels," Issa said. "With the clinical precision of a lab experiment, the Justice Department kept records of weapons they let walk and the crime scenes where they next appeared. To agents' shock, preventing loss of life was not the primary concern."

Among the report's highlights, according to an Issa spokesman, are these:

* The supervisor of Operation Fast and Furious was "jovial, if not, not giddy but just delighted about" walked guns showing up at crime scenes in Mexico according to an ATF agent. (p. 37)

* Another ATF agent told the committee about a prediction he made a year ago that "someone was going to die" and that the gunwalking operation would be the subject of a Congressional investigation. (p. 24)

* The shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords created a "state of panic" within the group conducting the operation as they initially feared a "walked" gun might have been used. (p. 38)

* One Operation Fast and Furious Agent: "I cannot see anyone who has one iota of concern for human life being okay with this ..." (p. 27)

* An ATF agent predicted to committee investigators that more deaths will occur as a result of Operation Fast and Furious. (p.39)

* Multiple agents told the committee that continued assertions by Department of Justice Officials that guns were not knowingly "walked" and that DOJ tried to stop their transport to Mexico are clearly untruthful. (p. 45-50).

**************************************************
2. Sen. Feinstein report: Most guns seized in Mexico from US
**************************************************

Senators Diane Feinstein and Chuck Schumer are gun-control lackeys. They want government to completely dominate us and ultimately to disarm us.

So when the government does something wrong, Feinstein and Schumer seem to be there to either help point the cameras in another direction or to at least be silent on any real investigation into the matter. (I still remember how then Congressman Schumer behaved after the Waco massacre, trying to shield the government).

The U.S. Government has been caught with its hand in the cookie jar big time with project "Fast and Furious," that sent thousands of guns to Mexico's drug cartels illegally. Then when those guns are used by the drug cartels, Schumer and Feinstein screamed for innocent American citizens to have their firearms rights curtailed! We certainly wouldn't want to punish the Government for what it's done, now would we?

Mexico's government is corrupt and has created a cesspool for the drug cartels to play in. The cesspool has now overflowed and it's the American gun owners fault?

I don't think so.

On top of that you can't buy hand grenades, mortars, machine guns, anti-aircraft missiles at a gun show in the U.S. Those are flowing in from around the world to fuel unrest on our borders.

American gun owners are not going to take the fall for the corruption of Mexico's government or the corruption of the U.S. Government. Mexico has a problem and I suggest they fix it and not come here demanding that OUR freedoms be stripped away.

=46rom MSNBC: http://tinyurl.com/6gv4htn

By Mark StevensonJune 14, 2011

MEXICO CITY - About 70 percent of the guns seized in Mexico and submitted to a U.S. gun-tracing program came from the United States, according to a report released by three U.S. senators Monday.

Of the 29,284 firearms recovered by authorities in Mexico in 2009 and 2010, 20,504 came from the United States, according to figures provided to the senators by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Most of those weapons 15,131 were U.S. made, while another 5,373 were of foreign manufacture but had moved through the United States into Mexico.

The ATF said the remainder of the weapons total 8,780 arms were of "undetermined origin due to insufficient information provided."

The figure of the number of guns arriving in Mexico from north of the border has been polemical ever since a June 2009 U.S. report covering earlier years said that 87 percent of guns seized in Mexico came from the United States.

While the report did not specify why the percentage had changed, the most recent figures appear to include more gun-trace reports, as the reporting program in Mexico became easier to use.

Evidence that U.S. weapons trafficking has been fueling a bloody drug war that has cost more than 35,000 lives in Mexico since late 2006 has angered many Mexicans.

President lashes out

On Saturday, in a speech to the Mexican-American community in San Jose, California, President Felipe Calderon lashed out at the U.S. weapons industry.

"I accuse the U.S. weapons industry of (responsibility for) the deaths of thousands of people that are occurring in Mexico," Calderon said. "It is for profit, for the profits that it makes for the weapons industry."

The report, issued by Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California and two other senators, recommended background checks for sales at gun shows, a ban on the import of nonsporting weapons and the reinstatement of the assault weapons ban in force in the United States until 2004.

Calderon endorsed calls for reinstating the ban on domestic sales of assault rifles, saying its expiration in 2004 may have played a roll in the increase of drug violence in Mexico.

"You can clearly see how the violence began to grow in 2005, and of course it has gone on an upward spiral in the last six years," Calderon said.

**************************************************
3. Was Operation Fast and Furious a gun control objective?
**************************************************

VA-ALERT reader "Mike G" emailed me this:

--

=46rom Human Events: http://tinyurl.com/3ut8g7y

By Roger HedgecockJune 17, 2011

Did the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), an agency of President Obama's Justice Department, operate a program that deliberately allowed some 3,500 guns bought in the U.S. to be "walked" across the Mexican border and into the waiting hands of the murderous Mexican drug cartels? At first, President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder denied such a program existed.

Four ATF agents who worked in the program, called Operation Fast and Furious, however, answered yes this week in testimony before the House Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa (R.-Calif.).

Special Agent John Dodson testified that he was assigned to the Phoenix office of ATF and specifically to Group VII, the designation of the Fast and Furious team. There Dodson found that ATF agents had been following 40 individuals who were known "straw purchasers" of guns for the cartels from federal government-licensed gun shops in the U.S. Gun shop owners who called the ATF with concerns, to report suspicious buyers, were told to complete the sales.

In 2009, Obama, Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Dianne Feinstein had all charged that the increasing violence in Mexico was caused by guns purchased too easily in the U.S. They called on Congress to act to tighten gun control laws.

Obama specifically claimed 90% of the weapons in the cartels' hands were purchased in the U.S.--sheer nonsense. Of the 100,000 or so guns recovered by the Mexicans at crime scenes at the time, 18,000 were found to be manufactured, sold or imported from the U.S. Of those, 7,900 came from federally licensed gun shops. Of those, up to 3,500 came from Operation Fast and Furious.

Was Operation Fast and Furious an Obama program to create a self-fulfilling prophecy and accomplish a gun control objective? Again the agents' testimony was clear.

Over 10 months in 2009 and 2010, Dodson testified that on an almost daily basis, he was ordered to take notes, record conversations, videotape gun purchases, make reports and track the movements of these straw buyers but nothing more.

With everyone knowing the guns were headed for Mexico and the drug cartels, Dodson and his fellow agents were ordered to not stop or arrest the suspects or impede the flow of weapons.

When the straw buyers handed the guns off to third parties, ATF agents were told to follow the straw buyers, not the third parties who headed for the border with the guns. When the agents objected, they were told to "get with the program" and that "higher-ups" including "senior ATF officials" had sanctioned the operation.

In a Jan. 25, 2011, Phoenix press conference, Special Agent in Charge William Newell was asked whether ATF agents were ever ordered to allow guns to "walk" into Mexico. He answered, "Hell no!"

Leaked e-mail traffic from spring 2010 documents show that ATF management from Acting Director Kenneth Melson on down were personally briefed in Phoenix on Operation Fast and Furious by Newell.

One of these e-mails describes Melson's intense interest in the program, including getting the IP address for the hidden cameras located in a gun shop in Arizona so he could watch the straw buyer buy guns on a screen in his Washington, D.C., office.

Melson later said Fast and Furious was really a sting operation "gone wrong.." The agents had been ordered not to stop the little fish (the straw buyers) so that the guns could be traced to the big fish (the cartel bosses).

This lame explanation ignored the fact that ATF agents were ordered to not follow the guns and that ATF had no jurisdiction to take down anyone in Mexico. In fact, no "sting" ever occurred, no arrests of cartel bosses ever happened. ATF made no effort to trace the guns after they crossed the border.

ATF agents feared that one day one of these guns would show up at a crime scene. That day came one night last December when Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, armed with a bean bag gun, was killed by an AK-47 armed cartel bandito in the Arizona desert. The serial numbers on two AK-47s found at the site of the shooting identified them as coming from one of the straw purchases that the ATF agents had been tracking but were ordered not to stop.

The Mexican government has linked 150 of its police or military casualties to Fast and Furious guns. As Issa pointed out, referring to a State Department report, in the last year 111 Americans were killed in Mexico--victims of the drug war.

After bloggers started talking about what they called Project Gunwalker, CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson began a series of reports that blew the story wide open. On-air interviews with the ATF agents made Gunwalker a big story on both sides of the border.

At this point, Obama said neither he nor Holder had authorized the program, but admitted "mistakes had been made" and vowed to "hold the responsible parties accountable." Holder ordered an internal investigation.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R.-Iowa) repeatedly sent letters to Holder demanding information. In a February 4, 2011, response letter to Grassley, Justice Department Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs Ron Weich described as "false" Grassley's assertion that ATF had knowingly allowed guns to be purchased and walked into Mexico.

Weich, a former aide to Sen. Harry Reid, told Grassley that "ATF makes every effort to interdict weapons that have been purchased illegally, and prevent their transportation to Mexico." Challenged on the truth of this statement, the Justice Department says that because the straw buyers themselves did not cross the border but handed the weapons off to third parties, the statement was true. Huh?

In 2009-'10, the ATF agents were ordered to not arrest the "little fish." Following revelations of the Gunwalker program, the Justice Department indicted 20 of the straw buyers who were known to ATF before Fast and Furious began. Then Justice stonewalled answering any more letters seeking information on the program from Issa or from Grassley and refused to respond to Issa's committee subpoenas on the grounds that there was an ongoing criminal prosecution!

Rahm Emanuel, when he was Obama's chief of staff, famously said that no crisis should ever go to waste if it could advance the agenda. Did Obama go Rahm one better, advancing the gun-control agenda by manufacturing a crisis caused by gunrunning into Mexico, where one of the gunrunners was the U.S. government?

Members of the Mexican Congress think the answer is yes and have opened their own investigation. From the Mexican standpoint, Operation Fast and Furious was an act of war on Mexico.

For Americans of a certain age, the next question is, "What did the President know, and when did he know it?"

**************************************************
4. Congressional report: US guns fuel Mexico violence
**************************************************

Bill Hine emailed me this:

--

=46rom BBC News: http://tinyurl.com/62yu65c

June 13, 2011

A US Congressional report suggests some 70% of firearms recovered from Mexican crime scenes in 2009 and 2010 and submitted for tracing came from the US.

The report indicates Mexican drug cartels are arming themselves with US military-style weapons.

The senators who compiled the report urge a strengthening of US regulations to stem the flow of guns to Mexico. [PVC: How convenient! The fox is guarding the hen house.]

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has repeatedly called for the US to implement stricter firearms laws.

The report, Halting US Firearms Trafficking to Mexico, by Democratic Senators Dianne Feinstein (California), Charles Schumer (New York) and Sheldon Whitehouse (Rhode Island) says US guns have contributed to "Mexico's dangerous levels of violence".

It quotes Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Kenneth Melson stating that of the 29,284 firearms recovered in Mexico in 2009 and 2010 and submitted for tracing, 20,504 came from the United States.

The report recommends a number of measures to curb firearms trafficking, including:

* Congress pass legislation requiring background checks for all firearms purchases, including those at gun shows

* The ATF tighten existing laws to make the import of military-style weapons from the former Eastern bloc harder

* Sellers report multiple sales of all firearms in order to allow law enforcement agents to track all bulk buying of firearms

* Access be expanded to the ATF's firearms tracing system so that the backlog in tracing of seized weapons can be tackled

The senators accuse the US Congress of having been "virtually moribund" while Mexican drug gangs snap up US military-style guns.

Their report comes a day after President Calderon accused the US arms industry of causing thousands of deaths in Mexico.

"Why does this arms business continue?" he asked.

"I say it openly: it's because of the profit which the US arms industry makes," he added.

**************************************************
5. Democrats try to channel scandal into gun control push
**************************************************

Board member Bruce Jackson emailed me this:

--

=46rom The Daily Caller: http://tinyurl.com/4yv2cwc

By Jonathan StrongJune 16, 2011

Faced with bracing evidence and the testimony of four ATF agents contradicting the Justice Department's initial blanket denials that assault weapons were knowingly allowed to escape into the clutches of Mexican drug cartels, Democrats tried a new approach at a hearing Wednesday.

Rather than focus on questioning the GOP's investigative tactics, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee sought to subtly channel the burgeoning scandal into a push for new gun control laws.

For instance, Rep. Gerry Connolly, Virginia Democrat, connected the apparently reckless investigative strategy to the National Rifle Association's (NRA) lobbying pushes.

"The NRA has opposed regulations which would require tracking of multiple gun sales," Connolly noted in a statement passed out to reporters. "The gun lobby and its advocates in Congress are even trying to pass legislation to eviscerate the ATF's authority to stop criminals."

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, New York Democrat, also drew a link between the Operation Fast and Furious scandal and whether ATF agents are plagued by "toothless" laws.

"US Attorneys have complained" that prosecutions for illegally purchasing weapons to resell to criminal networks are viewed by judges as "mere paper violations. Have you heard this criticism before?" Maloney asked the four ATF agents testifying.

"I have and I agree with it," said Peter Forceilli, who thought a minimum sentence of one year in jail would ensure cooperation from "straw buyers" caught by federal authorities.

Darrell Issa, chairman of the Oversight Committee, sought to intervene.

"I want to caution the witnesses," Issa said. "The scope of your testimony here is limited, and is not about proposed legislation and the like."

Elijah Cummings, Maryland Democrat and Issa's combative foil on the oversight panel, protested vociferously. "It's only fair" for the ATF agents to speak their mind about whether gun laws should be strengthened, he said.

The shift in tactics by the Democrats came as they also appeared to concede the weight of the evidence Issa was presenting clearly undercut blanket denials initially issued by the Justice Department.

Cummings, for instance, called the four ATF agents "great Americans" for "standing up for what you believe in," and warned the ATF not to retaliate against the agents.

However, when a top deputy to Attorney General Eric Holder was testifying, Cummings ostentatiously apologized for Issa's conduct in demanding answers from assistant attorney general Ronald Weich. "Let me apologize," he said. Issa objected that "you may apologize on behalf of something you say."

Cummings, in defending Weich, shows Democrats are still invested in defending the Obama administration even as documents and testimony are increasingly undermining the administration's claims.

But the gun control comments Wednesday indicate they may be preparing to chart a new course: embracing the controversy and using it for their own political purposes.

That would, at the very least, leave less time to save Holder from Issa's zealous investigation.

**************************************************
6. Document drop: More Project Gunrunner items revealed
**************************************************

James D. Durso emailed me this:

--

=46rom michellemalkin.com: http://tinyurl.com/5v5qor8

By Michelle MalkinJune 15, 2011

I've been keeping you abreast of all the Obama administration's Project Gunrunner stonewalling since March (links/chronology below). Today, vigilant GOP House Oversight and Reform Committee chairman Darrell Issa is holding another hearing to pressure Team Obama for the whole truth. On Monday, Issa and GOP watchdogs spotlighted DOJ obstructionism (Sipsey Street Irregulars has a rundown here.)

More fit is hitting the shan. And in one of those rare confluences, other MSM outlets have joined CBS News in exposing the story.

First, new documents. Just in from Issa's office:

Moments ago in his opening statement at today's hearing, Operation Fast and Furious: Reckless Decisions, Tragic Outcomes, Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) released three e-mails detailing the intimate involvement of ATF Acting Director Kenneth Melson and Acting Deputy Director Bill Hoover in Operation Fast and Furious:

* The first e-mail from March 10, 2010, to Operation Fast and Furious Group VII Leader David Voth indicates that the two most senior leaders in ATF, Acting Director Kenneth Melson, and Deputy Director Billy Hoover, were "being briefed weekly on" Operation Fast and Furious. The document shows that both Melson and Hoover were "keenly interested in case updates."

* A second e-mail from March 12, 2010, shows that Deputy Assistant Director for Field Operations William McMahon was so excited about Fast and Furious that he received a special briefing on the program in Phoenix - scheduled for a mere 45 minutes after his plane landed.

* A third - and perhaps the most disturbing - e-mail from April 12, 2010, indicates that Acting Director Melson was very much in the weeds with Operation Fast and Furious. After a detailed briefing of the program by the ATF Phoenix Field Division, Acting Director Melson had a plethora of follow-up questions that required additional research to answer. As the document indicates, Mr. Melson was interested in the IP Address for hidden cameras located inside cooperating gun shops. With this information, Acting Director Melson was able to sit at his desk in Washington and - himself - watch a live feed of the straw buyers entering the gun stores to purchase dozens of AK-47 variants.

Here are the e-mails:

6 15 11 Melson Docs

The LA Times covers the outrage of federal ATF agents rebuffed by their superiors over the fatal consequences of the program:

Federal gun agents in Arizona - convinced that "someone was going to die" when their agency allowed weapons sales to suspected Mexican drug traffickers - made anguished pleas to be permitted to make arrests but were rebuffed, according to a new congressional report on the controversial law enforcement probe.

Agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives told congressional investigators that there was "a state of panic" that the guns used in the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson in January and two U.S. agents in Mexico a month later might have been sold under the U.S. surveillance operation.

"I used the word anxiety. The term I used amongst my peers is pucker factor," Larry Alt, special agent with ATF's Phoenix field division, told investigators preparing a joint staff report for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The report will be released Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Neither of those shootings was ultimately linked to the "Fast and Furious" probe, though two weapons sold to a suspect under surveillance were found at the scene of the fatal shooting of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry near Nogales, Ariz., in December.

Terry's family will be among the key witnesses at an oversight committee hearing Wednesday on the ATF operation, under which the bureau allowed purchases of high-powered weapons in an attempt to track their progress into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. According to the report and numerous interviews with The Times, several ATF agents regarded the operation as dangerous and misguided...

At the Examiner, Dave Workman provides needed context and background on the Dems' wagon-circling on Gunrunner.

They can run, but they can't hide.

**************************************************
7. Dems circle wagons on Gunrunner, float perennial gun ban agenda
**************************************************

=46rom examiner.com: http://tinyurl.com/4xfdu8o

By Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights ExaminerJune 14, 2011

[SNIP]

Before the dust settled on yesterday's opening hearing on the controversial Project Gunrunner and Operation Fast and Furious scandal now plaguing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Democrats were already busy with their defense strategy, which once again demonizes American gun owners and their constitutional rights...

**************************************************
8. Explosive 'Fast and Furious' report quotes ATF whistleblowers
**************************************************

=46rom examiner.com: http://tinyurl.com/6gfcxlo

By Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights ExaminerJune 14, 2011

[SNIP]

BREAKING: Explosive 'Fast and Furious' report quotes ATF whistleblowers

Wednesday morning's second hearing on Operation Fast and Furious before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform could be devastating for Justice Department officials because of a report released Tuesday evening quoting four ATF whistleblowers who say that preventing loss of life was not a primary concern of their supervisors.

**************************************************
9. Disabled citizens exempt from State Park fees, too
**************************************************

Another exemption from State Park parking fees for the upcoming VCDL picnic on August 6 at the Pocahontas State Park:

VA-ALERT reader "Rick" emailed me this in response to VCDL Update 6/15/11. item #3 ""no fee" for military at state parks":

--

Also exempt from the parking fee are citizens with handicap license plates or hang tags. As far as I know, this is permanent. I received an email on this a while back.

Rick

**************************************************
10. Virginia ranks ninth in personal and economic freedom
**************************************************

=46rom a link on Doc Thompson's page on the WRVA web site:

=46rom Mercatus Center at GMU: http://tinyurl.com/3ltdznj

By Jason Sorens, William RugerJune 7, 2011

VA data: http://tinyurl.com/3p53znh

[SNIP]

Analysis

Virginia is, by our count, the freest state in the South. However, like the other states below the Mason-Dixon line, it fares better in terms of economic freedom (#5) than personal freedom (#22). The tax burden, government spending, and debt are all well below national averages. However, state and local government employment is essentially at the national average. Gun laws are decent, with much room for improvement. However, open carry is allowed.

**************************************************
11. SAF leads coalition in amicus filing for Colorado carry case
**************************************************

VCDL was part of the amicus brief in this particular case.

Board member Bruce Jackson emailed me this:

--

=46rom PR Newswire: http://tinyurl.com/3mzz6sv

June 14, 2011

BELLEVUE, Wash. - The Second Amendment Foundation has been joined by 17 other firearms rights groups in an amicus brief filed in a case now before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, challenging laws that prohibit the carrying of firearms by law-abiding non-resident U.S. citizens in Denver, Colorado.

The case, Peterson v. Garcia, was filed by Washington state resident Gray Peterson, who cannot exercise his right to bear arms because Colorado statute prohibits the issuance of a concealed carry permit to non-residents, and does not recognize Peterson's Washington license or his Florida carry permit because he is not a Florida resident. Denver bans the open carry of firearms, leaving Peterson who visits Colorado frequently without any legal means of carrying a firearm for his personal protection.

"This is a case that affects citizens in at least 20 states and the District of Columbia," noted Miko Tempski, SAF legal affairs director. "We've been joined by organizations from 16 of those states in this brief, because they all have members who may travel to Colorado and face the same problem if they enter the City of Denver."

Joining SAF are the Buckeye Firearms Foundation (Ohio), Citizens' Rights Action League (Rhode Island), Commonwealth Second Amendment (Massachusetts), Connecticut Citizens Defense League, Calguns Foundation, Inc. (California), Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance (Minnesota), Hawaii Defense Foundation, Illinois Carry, Illinois State Rifle Association, Maine Open Carry Association, Maryland Shall Issue, Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation, Wisconsin Carry, Inc., SCOPE, Inc. (New York), Stillwater Firearms Association (Nevada), Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. and West Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. All are state-focused non-profit organizations dedicated to preserving, defending and promoting firearms rights.

"The Second Amendment doesn't only say you have a right to keep arms," Tempski continued, "it also stipulates that citizens have the right to bear arms. Because of our successful lawsuit in the McDonald case last year, leading to the Supreme Court's ruling that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments, the right to bear arms is very much at issue with Mr.. Peterson's challenge. Any law or ordinance that touches on this right must be held to the strictest of scrutiny."

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation's oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.

**************************************************
12. Plaxico Burress partners with anti-gun organization
**************************************************

I guess Plaxico likes being exploited. If it's exploitation that he wants, the Bradys will certainly accommodate him!

Joe Gherlone emailed me this:

--

Philip,

Let me understand this ... he spent 2 years in jail for something that shouldn't ever have been illegal, and now he wants to help the anti's create more problems for those who wish to exercise their Constitutional rights ... he was a fool for violating the law, even though it arguably never should have been a law, but to then join them seems utterly ridiculous.

Joe

=46rom NBCSports.com: http://tinyurl.com/42l696e

By Gregg RosenthalJune 13, 2011

In his first extended public appearance since getting out of prison, Plaxico Burress announced Monday in New York City that he has partnered with the National Urban League and the Brady Center to combat gun violence.

"I want to see every child have a chance to succeed. I have an opportunity to make a difference," Burress said via the New York Post.

Quickly rehabbing his public image with a partnership like this is a page taken directly out of the Michael Vick playbook. So is the news Monday that Tony Dungy will serve as a mentor to Vick. Magic Johnson will also mentor Burress, who no longer owns a firearm. [PVC: Sounds like a "we can't own guns any more, so neither should you."]

"I've been a champion on the field and I want to be a champion in life off the field," Burress said. He wants to discourage youth from owning firearms.. [PVC: And that makes Plaxico "a champion" how, exactly?]

It's easy to be cynical here, but Bob Glauber of Newsday believes Burress is a humbled, changed man after his experience in prison. Dungy said that prison taught Burress plenty.

"You hate to say it was a good experience, but it was a fruitful experience," Dungy said via the Newark Star-Ledger.

**************************************************
13. Editorial: Burress' anti-gun voice needed
**************************************************

I strongly suggest wrapping your head tightly in duct tape before reading this story. It is loaded with so much stupidity and inane statements about gun control, that any normal person's head would explode.

You have been warned.

Board member Bruce Jackson emailed me this:

--

=46rom The Daily Press: http://tinyurl.com/3m8w75h

By David SquiresJune 15, 2011

Plaxico Burress's decision to become a face for anti-gun violence is a move that should be applauded by all of us and imitated by other high-profile athletes.

Burress, the NFL wide receiver who starred at Chesapeake's Green Run High School, announced on Monday that he will speak to and mentor youth on gun violence in a partnership with the National Urban League and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Burress recently served 20 months in prison after accidentally shooting himself in a New York night club when an improperly registered pistol slipped and fired.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg decided to make an example out of Burress, who had been a recently anointed Super Bowl hero for the New York Giants.

Burress, taking the high road, is turning his misfortune into a teachable moment.

He appeared at a New York City press conference Monday flanked by former NFL head coach Tony Dungy, who is mentoring Burress as he transitions back to society and, eventually, back to the National Football League.

"I no longer own a firearm in my home, and I don't carry one," Burress said.. "With that, not owning one and not carrying one, I know I put myself in a better position in life and with safety and with the people in the community." [PVC: Oh, yes. You are so much safer being helpless.]

Burress said he would also be mentored by NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.

This certainly looks like a formula for success.

Dungy has been instrumental in the return to respectability for Michael Vick, the NFL's most recent Comeback Player of the Year, who served nearly two years in federal prison in connection with dogfighting charges.

Understandably, Burress's first order of business is to re-connect with his wife and two young children. But Burress -- who has relocated to Florida, where his firearm was actually registered -- should quickly bring his message home to his Virginia roots.

An early contact should be made with local Urban League leader Edith White, who said Burress' willingness to "use his mistake as a teaching tool" will bolster her chapter's anti-violence initiatives.

Current Indian River Coach Cadillac Harris, who coached Burress in football and track at Green Run, called Burress' new venture "part of God's work," particularly with "so many athletes having been killed in the 757 area."

HBO examined the violence after seven players were fatally shot in a 10-month period ending in January 2009.

"Plaxico is drawing attention to it and making people aware of what they can do about it," Harris said. "Hopefully, his presence will cause some other celebrities to take a stand."

Burress would be welcome at two local football camps next week: The Chesapeake Sheriff's Youth Football Camp and the Michael Vick Football Camp at Hampton University. "If his schedule permits, he'll certainly be invited," said Harris, who works with both camps.

"He certainly has to catch his breath. Right now, it's God first. Family second."

Harris said that Burress was "uplifting" when he visited him in prison over the school's Spring Break.

Burress also has an open invitation to the 15th Annual Hampton Roads All-Star Football Camp. That one is July 8-9 at Christopher Newport University, according to its co-director and co-founder, Carl Francis, a Hampton native and Bethel High School grad who is also director of communications with the NFL Players Association.

Of Burress's anti-gun partnership, Francis said: "I think this is a great step in the right direction for Plaxico to reconnect himself with this community and the general public."

Francis' camp has featured anti-violence messages by two other Peninsula notables: future NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson and Pittsburgh Steeler's Coach Mike Tomlin.

"Anytime a young person can learn from an individual they look up to, it is a positive step in educating today's youth," Francis said.

Newport News Sheriff Gabe Morgan said Burress' initiative is needed in the overall goal to thwart gun violence. Morgan, national board member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, said that group hopes to involve NBA and NFL players in an anti-snitching campaign the group will launch this summer.

"Handgun violence is one of the top killer's of young black males," Morgan said, "and it's up to each of us to stop it."

**************************************************
14. The third rail: Guns and suicide in the Army
**************************************************

Would the antis disarm even police and the military?

In a heartbeat, if they could.

Duct tape warning!

EM Dave Hicks emailed me this:

--

=46rom Time.com: http://tinyurl.com/3w33hem

By Elspeth Cameron RitchieJune 15, 2011

As a top Army psychiatrist until last year, I always found the Army's silence about guns' role in our rising suicide rate disquieting. The Army is committed to lowering the rate of suicide. But there's a curious third rail that is seldom publicly discussed: the risks of suicide by firearm. Approximately 70 percent of Army and Pentagon suicides are by guns. In theater, these are essentially all by government-issued weapons. Back at home, these deaths are usually by the service member's personal weapon.

I participated in the Ft. Bragg investigation after the murder-suicides in 2002. I was taken aback at the lethal synergy of irritability, the learning of a spouse's infidelity, the subsequent fights -- and the presence of a gun in the nightstand. Since then I have reviewed hundreds of suicides, and the easy availability of guns and alcohol remains a major theme. This is especially true in the impulsive suicides, those precipitated by an acute break-up or getting in trouble in work.

Will the Army take away Soldiers right to own weapons? No, and I don't think it should. But talking about guns, and gun ownership, could help pare back the suicide rate among our troops.

The national data clearly show that restricting access to guns lowers suicide rates. There are simple steps -- like putting anti-suicide fences on bridges, or packaging pills into blister packs which take time to open -- that could help make it tougher to pull a loaded firearm out of the drawer, and pull the trigger. But guns are the Army's basic tool. The military exists, after all, to kill. How do we separate the Soldier from his or her weapon, once off duty?

Officially, the Army doesn't seem interested in taking such action. In the approximately 250 recommendations of the 2010 Army Suicide Prevention Task Force, there was not a single mention of restricting guns, despite recommendations of civilian experts and Army officials like myself.

Why not? Clearly gun control is still a hot-button political issue. I don't use that term, but I do acknowledge the need for responsible gun ownership, including trigger locks and gun safes.

More and more Post Exchanges -- the PXes that are basically government-owned Walmarts on major posts -- sell weapons. Walk into the PX in Ft. Riley, Ft. Knox, Ft. Stewart or a host of others and there are beautiful little pink-handled pistols and large semi-automatic weapons for sale.

Commanders try to justify this by noting that guns can be purchased just outside the gate. While that may be true, is it sending the troops the right message? In a government-run facility, should guns be for sale alongside diapers and PT shorts?

There is a middle ground. Why not have gun-safety days, similar to the motorcycle-safety days now common on military posts? Can't we warn of more than drunk driving on all those billboards lining the roads to U.S. military bases?

If the Army must sell weapons in the PX: do not sell guns and ammunition to the same person on the same day. Train employees to pick up on possibly suicidal customers, and how to help them. Provide suicide hotline numbers or have suicide prevention posters at the gun stores. Consider requiring a Commander's permission before the purchase of any personal weapon. Require briefings on firearm safety, anger management and risk management. These are common sense suggestions, and need to be talked about in a national conversation.

**************************************************
15. Va Beach homeowner won't face charges in home invasion shooting
**************************************************

Robert Culver emailed me this:

--

=46rom WTKR-TV3: http://tinyurl.com/6dvkf9w

June 10, 2011

Shawn Ross is dead and the homeowner who shot him won't face any charges because prosecutors say the shooting was justified.

Virginia Beach's Commonwealth's Attorney Harvey Bryant says the reason why is because it was self-defense.

"The homeowner in that situation who was in reasonable apprehension of bodily harm is entitled to use deadly force to defend themselves," said Bryant.

The deadly home invasion happened last month at this Rose Marie Avenue home.. Police say the homeowner shot and killed Ross as he broke into the house. They say that Ross was armed.

"The person actually opened up the front door and looked directly at the homeowner who was standing in his kitchen at the time," said Bryant.

Bryant can't say for sure what Ross was looking to steal but NewsChannel 3 has found court documents that reveals police removed riffles, guns, and ammunition from the house.

"There's still an investigation on the number of weapons, ammunition and that sort of thing that was found there and who that actually belongs to. Who was responsible for it, having it in the house, and were they entitled to have it in the house," said Bryant.

Bryant adds even though the shooter in this case has been cleared, that's not always the case, when it comes to other home invasions. There must be an imminent threat of bodily injury or death to someone in the house.

"Those calls are very fact specific people should not take what they hear about one case as either allowing or disallowing in any actions they do themselves," said Bryant.

**************************************************
16. Who needs a gun at a payday loan store?
**************************************************

=46rom Williamsburg Yorktown Daily: http://tinyurl.com/3g7lltt

June 15, 2011By Samantha Thrift

The York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office is investigating an armed robbery that happened at 4:30 p.m. Monday at the Cash into Check store in the 400 block of Merrimac Trail.

An armed man entered the store, displayed a handgun and robbed the clerk. Sheriff's office spokesman Sgt. Dennis Ivey, Jr. said they did not know if the suspect fled by foot or car.

Ivey described the suspect in a press release as a light-skinned black male, 5'10" to 6' tall, clean shaven and with short hair. He was wearing jean shorts and a short-sleeved, red plaid button-up shirt.

The Cash into Check was open, but there were no customers in the building when the robbery occurred.

**************************************************
17. Gun prejudices
**************************************************

Bob Culver emailed me this in response to VCDL Update 6/15/11, item #8 "Intelligence bulletin about car decal outrages gun rights advocates".

--

Philip,

Regarding Item #8, the 2AM decal, John Josselyn had a witty comment. He said, "Just because we see a vehicle on the road with a light bar andantennas on the roof and 'police' signs on the doors, should WE be concerned that there might be an armed individual inside?"

The inference is that ALL persons who take the effort to identify themselves as a LAW ABIDING gun owner, for example NRA or GOA or JPFO or even VCDL member are a danger to LEO's. Personally, I think that anyone who displays their firearm associations in public are not the dangerous ones. The criminals, on the other hand, who almost certainly DO NOT advertise any association, are the ones to worry about. This scenario plays out quite well, with supporting statistics, for those who go through the CCW process. Compared to the average LEO, they are quite a bit more free of crime.

**************************************************
18. Who needs a gun at a rest area?
**************************************************

=46rom the Richmond Times-Dispatch: http://tinyurl.com/63n2so8

June 17, 2011

One of two suspects in the attempted robbery and carjacking of a Pennsylvania couple last weekend at a New Kent County rest stop has surrendered to police.

Janay J. Battle, 23, of Chesapeake, turned herself in to Virginia State Police agents about 9 a.m. today at the New Kent Sheriff=E2=88=86s Office, said state police Sgt. Thomas Molnar.

Her surrender comes one day after state police identified her as a suspect and released her photo.

Last Saturday, a Pennsylvania couple called 911 about 4 a.m. to report an attempted armed robbery and carjacking in the front parking lot of a rest stop along westbound Interstate 64 in New Kent, police said.

The couple, both in their 60s, pulled into the lot and the woman got out of the car to use the restroom. The man stayed in the car, where he was approached by the suspects, who asked for help with their vehicle.

When the man attempted to help, the male suspect pulled a gun and assaulted him. The two men fought until the male suspect fled, along with his female accomplice.

Police are still attempting to identify and locate the male suspect.

Battle was charged with malicious wounding, conspiracy to commit carjacking, attempting to commit carjacking by violence and use of a firearm in a felony.

She was being held without bond pending a court appearance Tuesday.

**************************************************
19. Clearing a house
**************************************************

Rob Sprague emailed me about VCDL Update 6/15/11, item#9 "What a difference a gun makes" to caution VA-ALERT readers that clearing a house by yourself is dangerous (it is). Unless you absolutely have to clear your house to get to a family member who might be in immediate danger, it's best to let the police do it for you as a team, while you are safely holed up in a secure room.

**************************************************
20. Police: Danville store clerk pulls gun on suspect
**************************************************

Firing into the air or ground is a bad idea. Following an armed criminal out into the parking lot was also a bad idea. Once the criminal has left and the danger has passed, call the police and let them take it from there.

Christine Giglio emailed me this:

--

=46rom WSET-TV Lynchburg Danville: http://tinyurl.com/6bl5j5r

June 14, 2011

Danville, VA - A Danville store clerk took matters into his own hands late Friday night.

Police say at about 11:30 p.m. a man with a gun walked into the Airport Pure convenience store on South Boston Road and demanded money from the clerk. The employee pulled out his own gun, and the suspect ran off.

Then, the clerk followed the suspect outside and around the building. Authorities say the suspect fired at the clerk and missed. The clerk also fired several shots into the air.

Police used a bloodhound to try to find the suspect but didn't have any luck.

**************************************************
21. Jo-Ann Chase, running for the 87th District, corrects the record
**************************************************

Candidate Jo-Ann Chase put out an email blast on Friday erroneously claiming that she is endorsed by VCDL.

I contacted Jo-Ann about that email and she said her campaign manager had credited the wrong group with that endorsement. She said she will be correcting the mistake and letting everyone know who got the original email.

If fact, by law VCDL cannot endorse anyone. We do survey the candidates and share the results with gun owners, but the survey for the 87th District has not gone out yet.

The VCDL-PAC **can and does** endorse candidates, but has not done so in the 87th District yet. Such endorsements are not done until the VCDL has the candidate survey results back.

Jo-Ann Chase is in a primary against David Ramadan, who spoke at a recent VCDL meeting and is running on a strong pro-gun platform as well.



-------------------------------------------***************************************************************************