VA-ALERT: Federal Action Item

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VA-ALERT: Federal Action Item

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VCDL generally tries to focus on Virginia and its localities and leaves most of the federal grunt work to the national gun organizations. However, more and more we are finding ourselves looking at a variety of federal issues where VCDL's extra muscle could make a difference.

VCDL has no intention of sending its members running after every little thing that comes up in Congress, so we will continue to be judicious in which battles we get involved in and which we cede to the national groups.

Right now we have one federal item that we need you to take action on and one informational item.

UN ARMS TREATY THREAT

As you know the Obama Administration has decided to work with the United Nations to set up stronger infringements on guns under the guise of "small arms control." The trouble is that the real goal of the UN is to greatly limit guns in the hands of everyday citizens while letting governments arm themselves to the teeth.

The fear is that if a treaty is negotiated with the help of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, that treaty could be used to greatly harm the right to keep and bear arms in the United States.

I have heard arguments both ways about treaties being able to override our Constitution and our Bill of Rights. The safest thing for all of us is not to ever make that an issue.

The Senate must ratify any treat with a 2/3 majority, which would require 67 supporting votes.

The good news is that so far 57 Senators have signed one of two different letters to President Obama and Hillary Clinton saying they will not support an Arms Trade Treaty that infringes on the right of U.S. citizens to keep and bear arms. In Virginia, both Senator Jim Webb and Senator Mark Warner have signed one of the letters. So, in theory at least, any treaty that contains wording that would negatively affect American gun owners is D.O.A.

Congress' attitude towards gun rights has been shaped by the hard work of gun owners across the nation - together we stand!

Jeff Knox had some excellent commentary on this whole Arms Trade Treaty issue. He laments that the letters could have been stronger. They did not indicate that disarming citizens in ANY country is to take away a basic human civil right and should not be supported or pushed by the UN, nor should such a treaty be supported by the U.S.

Jeff's commentary is here:

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=326481

Here is an article from U.S. News:

http://tinyurl.com/436y6op

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ACTION ITEM: REPEAL OF THE FEDERAL GUN-FREE SCHOOL ZONE ACT INTRODUCED IN HOUSE!

This bill is more important than many of you may realize. Under the federal Gun-Free School Zone Act (GFSZA), if you are within 1,000 feet of a k-12 school and you are carrying a loaded gun without a CHP (openly or concealed), you can be charged with a FELONY. If you have a CHP, you are golden as far as the feds are concerned - you can carry into a classroom of a K-12 school under federal law (NOTE: It is Virginia law that makes doing so by a CHP holder or anyone else a FELONY).

For those of you with CHPs that are feeling a little smug right about now, here is another dose of reality: if the CHP you have is not issued from the state where the school is, YOU ARE NOT EXEMPT! So, if you are visiting, say, North Carolina and are carrying with your Virginia CHP, if you are within 1,000 feet of a school you could get into serious legal trouble.

In Arizona the BATFE has been doing some saber rattling over the GFSZA, handing out pamphlets telling gun dealers that customer leaving their stores should have their guns unloaded and locked in a case or face possible federal prosecution if they pass within 1,000 feet of a school!

So, as you can see, the GFSZA MUST GO. VCDL has been working on this quietly for some time with some other gun groups from across the country. Board member John Fenter has been heading the effort for VCDL.

The good news is that Congressman Ron Paul has just introduced a bill, HR 2613, to completely repeal the GFSZA!

Here are the email addresses and phone numbers for Virginia's 11 Congressmen. Find the one that represents you and send him the suggested email below, possibly modified as as you see fit:

District 1
Wittman, Robert J.
202-225-4261
https://forms.house.gov/wittman/webform ... scribe.htm

District 2
Rigell, Scott
202-225-4215
http://rigell.house.gov/Contact/

District 3
Scott, Robert C.
202-225-8351
https://forms.house.gov/bobbyscott/webf ... scribe.htm

District 4
Forbes, J. Randy
202-225-6365
http://forbes.house.gov/Contact/ZipAuth.htm

District 5
Hurt, Robert
202-225-4711
https://hurt.house.gov/contact-me/email-me

District 6
Goodlatte, Bob
202-225-5431
http://goodlatte.house.gov/contact/index.shtml

District 7
Cantor, Eric
202-225-2815
http://cantor.house.gov/contact

District 8
Moran, James
202-225-4376
https://forms.house.gov/moran/zipauth.shtml

District 9
Griffith, Morgan
202-225-3861
https://morgangriffith.house.gov/contact-me/email-me

District 10
Wolf, Frank
202-225-5136
http://wolf.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=383

District 11
Connolly, Gerald E. "Gerry"
202-225-1492
http://connolly.house.gov/index.cfm?sec ... tree=3,132

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For "Subject, " I would select "Other" or, if available, "Gun Control"

Suggested message:

As a constituent, I urge you to co-sponsor HR 2613, Congressman Ron Paul's bill to repeal the federal Gun Free School Zones Act. The current law makes schools more dangerous because only good people obey the law, so criminals can carry guns on school grounds while everyone else is left totally helpless. Worse, the Gun Free School Zones Act puts innocent gun owners at risk of a FELONY charge for simply passing within 1,000 feet of a school, something that it is virtually impossible to avoid when traveling!

Please let me know what you are going to do.

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Let's roll VCDL!

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VA-ALERT is a project of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc.
(VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization
dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to
Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.

VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org [http://www.vcdl.org/]