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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. VCDL "pot luck" picnic in SW Virginia on September 24, RSVPs needed
2. Two candidates and a political consultant spoke at the VCDL Membership Meeting in Annandale last Thursday
3. Who needs a gun in a restaurant?
4. At least 39 shootings in NYC: Bloomberg blames "loopholes", wants Feds help
5. New questions, possible cover-up surface in ATF 'Fast and Furious' probe
6. Who needs a gun on the Virginia Creeper Trail?
7. Buffalo: Buyback campaign launched for toy Nerf guns
8. Temple University student with CHP defends himself against robber
9. Armed soldier foils robbers
10. The real gun show loophole
11. Another update on the Bennett case in Lansdowne.
12. A Mexican city takes a stand against violence
13. Glock begins spring exchange program for Gen4 pistols
14. Volunteers needed for Fun Day at RPCC
15. VCDL member exonerated in court!
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1. VCDL "pot luck" picnic in SW Virginia on September 24, RSVPs needed
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Another fun picnic - our first in this part of Virginia!
VCDL will have a family "pot luck" picnic THIS Saturday, September 24, at the Settlers Museum of Southwest Virginia (www.settlersmuseum.com):
1322 Rocky Hollow Road
Atkins VA 24311
(about ten miles south-west of Wytheville, just off of I-81 at exit 54).
Lunch will start at about 11 AM -- with speakers and the VCDL meeting to follow. Early birds will start arriving about 10 AM to set up for the event -- all helpers appreciated. This event is expected to end before 3 PM at the latest.
A "POT LUCK" event means please bring FOOD to SHARE with others. VCDL will furnish soft drinks; plates & eating utensils; napkins and such. We do NOT plan on cooking anything except possibly hot dogs for the kids -- IF you want to cook items, please bring your grill since there are none at the shelter. There are limited electric outlets available.
Anyone having extra tables and chairs should bring them since there are only 8 bench type tables at the shelter. Horseshoes would be nice to have also!!!
Please note, this is a FAMILY event for all VCDL members, their families and any guests who want to come! As usual, VCDL does not dictate legal open or concealed carry -- or any carry at all at our events -- your choice.
VCDL has been wanting some type of events in this area for quite awhile -- many members and guests have been asking for such a meeting -- so please mark this date, bring your friends and attend. There is NO charge for parking or entry at the picnic. There IS a charge of $5.00 if you want to enter the Settlers Museum nearby.
We will need a RSVP for numbers of attendees so we will have enough supplies to cover the event.
QUESTIONS may be directed to Al Steed Jr. at 540-890-0970 or by email to al@vcdl.org
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2. Two candidates and a political consultant spoke at the VCDL Membership Meeting in Annandale last Thursday
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Jaimie Radtke, who is running against George Allen for Senator Jim Webb's seat, and State Senator Bill Stanley, who is running against State Senator Roscoe Reynolds in a newly created district, spoke at the VCDL membership meeting last Thursday.
Redistricting is pitting two pro-gun incumbent state senators against each other. Senator Stanley (R) did an excellent job presenting his credentials to the group and VCDL will be offering Senator Reynolds (D) a chance to do the same.
Jamie Radtke is running against George Allen in a primary next year to determine who will be the Republican candidate vying for retiring Senator Jim Webb's seat.
I met Jaime a few years ago before she was running for office. We crossed paths frequently as she was the head of the Virginia Tea Party Patriots and VCDL was reaching out to Tea Party members as natural allies in our fight to protect our right to keep and bear arms.
Small world - Dennis O'Connor and I taught both her and her husband to shoot and helped them pick out their first gun back then.
Here is an interview that Jaimie gave to USRKBA a couple of months ago:
http://tinyurl.com/3fpag9r
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3. Who needs a gun in a restaurant?
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Bryan Gilbert emailed me this:
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From Yahoo News: http://tinyurl.com/3lcynql
By Steve Keegan
September 6, 2011
CARSON CITY, Nev (Reuters) - A man opened fire at an IHOP restaurant in Carson City, Nevada on Tuesday, killing three people and wounding at least eight others before turning the gun on himself, police said.
Two of those killed and three of the wounded at the pancake house on the city's main thoroughfare were Nevada National Guard members in uniform, police and the National Guard said.
Also killed was a civilian female whose name and age were not immediately released.
The shooting suspect, identified as Eduardo Sencion, 32, initially survived his self-inflicted gunshot wound but later died at an area hospital, police said.
Carson City Sheriff's Commander Jack Freer said investigators had not yet determined a motive for the shooting or if the gunman had targeted anyone in particular.
Several of the wounded were undergoing surgery at two local hospitals, where there were no further details available on their condition.
A spokesman for Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno confirmed the hospital was treating four victims from the shooting but declined to release information on their condition.
Nevada National Guard spokeswoman Major April Conway said the Guard members were on active duty and had been eating at the IHOP when the shooting started.
Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval said in a written statement: "The (Carson City) mayor and I ... want to assure all Nevadans and especially residents of Carson City that everything is being done to ensure the public's safety."
Sandoval ordered flags flown at half-staff until Friday at dusk in honor of the two National Guardsmen who were killed.
GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS LOCKED DOWN
The state capitol, legislature and Supreme Court buildings were locked down for about an hour shortly after the shooting.
Freer said officers responding to reports of a man with a gun at about 9 a.m. local time found victims shot in the parking lot of the restaurant. More victims were discovered inside, he said.
"The suspect was found down with a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Freer said.
Ralph Swagler, owner of the Locals Barbecue shop in the same strip mall as the IHOP, told the Reno Gazette Journal newspaper that he saw a man wearing a red shirt and black shorts pull up outside the IHOP in a blue minivan.
Swagler said the man, armed with a rifle, shot and killed a man on a motorcycle, then walked inside the IHOP and started shooting.
Swagler said the man spent several minutes there, then walked back outside into the parking lot and began firing into the Locals Barbecue and an H&R Block in the strip mall.
"We just heard basically a string of gunshots, probably five to seven back to back ... and then there was probably (a) 30 second delay, then an automatic weapon fired, probably 20 to 30 shots," Gary Gamba, general sales manager at Michael Hohl Motors, told Reuters.
Gamba said smoke could be seen from the weapons and several minutes later police and ambulances began to arrive. Michael Hohl Motors is across the street from the IHOP.
"We saw life-flights come in, two or three helicopters," he said.
Fran Hunter, who works at Sierra Le Bone, a pet shop near the IHOP, was having breakfast at Casino Fandango across the street when the shooting occurred, and was so shaken she returned to her own business and locked the doors.
"I thought, if I don't recognize anyone, I'm not opening the doors," Hunter, 64, told Reuters in a telephone interview. "I can't believe this is happening here ... You read about this happening in big cities, but not in our little town."
Nevada Senator Harry Reid issued a statement saying he was "deeply saddened" by the shooting.
"I applaud the first responders for their professionalism, and my thoughts are with the victims and their families during this difficult time," Reid said.
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4. At least 39 shootings in NYC: Bloomberg blames "loopholes" , wants Feds help
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New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is once again pointing his finger at anyone but himself for his own failures. Bloomberg's mindless belief that gun control is somehow going to keep crime down in New York City has blown up in his face with large spate of shootings. Indeed while crime has dropped 6% in the U.S., New York City has the distinction of watching its crime rate go UP by 5%! That's an 11 point spread!
Yep, is there any doubt that criminals love the hapless Mayor Bloomberg?
EM Hal Macklin emailed me this:
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From CBS New York: http://tinyurl.com/3rb86gc
September 5, 2011
[SNIP]
Bloomberg wants more federal involvement in gun control enforcement and a loophole addressed involving gun shows.
"We've just got to do something about this, this just cannot go on," Bloomberg said.
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From New York Post: http://tinyurl.com/3z4xgtd By Jessica Simeone, Larry Celona, Dan Mangan September 6, 2011
[SNIP]
Calling the chilling violence "just unconscionable," Bloomberg demanded that the feds step up their efforts to get illegal weapons off the streets.
"We just cannot continue to have these guns in the hands of kids who don't understand the value of human life," he said.
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5. New questions, possible cover-up surface in ATF 'Fast and Furious' probe
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Senator Gassley and Congressman Issa continue their probe into the U.S. Government illegally providing guns to drug cartels in Mexico. Those guns then became an excuse for the Government to call for more gun control in the U.S. as the American guns started showing up at crime scenes in Mexico. What blew the lid off the kettle was when one of those guns was used to kill an American federal agent and it was traced back to Project Fast and Furious.
Keep pealing that onion, Senator and Congressman! Those who were purposely involved in Project Fast and Furious, regardless of who they are, need to pay - and I don't mean merely firing someone. I mean give them the same penalty that would be imposed on a regular citizen for illegal gun running that led to murder.
Board member Bruce Jackson emailed me this:
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From The Washington Times: http://tinyurl.com/3j8kxl4
By Jerry Seper
September 2, 2011
Two top Republican lawmakers say Arizona prosecutors "stifled" attempts by agents for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to interdict weapons purchased by "straw buyers" in that state that later were "walked" to drug smugglers in Mexico, and may have covered up the fact that two of those weapons were found at the scene of the killing of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.
Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Darrell Issa of California, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, told Acting U.S. Attorney Ann Scheel in Phoenix in a letter Thursday that "explicit approval" was required from federal prosecutors before any of the weapons purchased in "Operation Fast and Furious" could be stopped from leaving the country.
"It is our understanding that this approval was withheld on numerous occasions," they wrote. "It is unclear why all available tools, such as civil forfeitures and seizure warrants, were not used in this case to prevent illegally-purchased guns from being trafficked to Mexican drug cartels and other criminals."
Mr. Grassley and Mr. Issa said they also had been informed that Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory Hurley improperly instructed ATF agents working on the Fast and Furious Task Force that they needed to meet "unnecessarily strict evidentiary standards merely in order to temporarily detain or speak with suspects."
The trafficked weapons included hundreds of AK-47 assault rifles, two of which turned up at the site of the Dec. 15 fatal shooting of Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry, 40, who was killed in a firefight with Mexican bandits just north of Nogales, Ariz.
Two AK-47 assault rifles found at the scene of the Terry killing were traced by ATF to the Lone Wolf Trading Co. in Glendale, Ariz. They were among three AK-47 variant Romanian WASR-10 assault rifles purchased on Jan. 9, 2010, by Jaime Avila Jr., a suspected straw buyer and one of the Fast and Furious targets.
ATF agents arrested Mr. Avila the same day Terry was killed. Simultaneously, the agency shut down the Fast and Furious operation. Fourteen suspected straw buyers were arrested in Arizona when the ATF undercover investigation was brought to a close. Together, they had purchased 659 AK-47 assault rifles or variants.
Mr. Grassley and Mr. Issa want to know if federal prosecutors in Arizona sought to cover up any link between the Fast and Furious operation and the Terry death. They said Mr. Hurley learned almost immediately that guns allowed onto the street, in this case, had been recovered at the site of the Terry killing, saying he "contemplated the connection between the two cases and sought to prevent the connection from being disclosed."
Internal ATF emails suggest a decision was made to not disclose the source of the weapons found at the murder scene, using the justification that it could "complicate" an investigation of the shooting by the FBI.
Mr. Hurley could not be reached. for comment.
Mr. Grassley and Mr. Issa told Ms. Scheel it was "essential" for Congress to "fully understand" the role of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Phoenix in the Fast and Furious operation to make sure it did not happen again.
U.S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke, who oversaw all federal prosecutions in the state, resigned on Tuesday in a major shakeup of the prosecutor's office and the ATF. Mr. Hurley, who served as the lead prosecutor in the Fast and Furious investigation, was reassigned from the criminal division to the civil division.
Kenneth E. Melson, ATF's acting director, was reassigned Tuesday and will be replaced by U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones of Minnesota. Mr. Melson reported Wednesday to the Justice Department's office of legal programs, where he will assume a lesser role as senior adviser on forensic science.
As part of an investigation that began months ago, Mr. Grassley and Mr. Issa have asked Ms. Scheel for all emails, briefing papers and handwritten notes concerning the Fast and Furious investigation, along with all communications between the prosecutors and ATF concerning the operation.
"It is not our intention to second guess day-to-day decisions of your staff, but rather to make sense of them," they wrote, noting that Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. has said that "letting guns walk is not something that is acceptable."
The also wrote that investigators from their offices had spoken two weeks ago with Mr. Burke but he was unable to answer detailed questions about what his subordinates knew about the Fast and Furious investigation.
Mr. Grassley also noted on Thursday that the Justice Department, in what the lawmaker described as a "stunning development," acknowledged that there had been at least 24 firearms recoveries in the United States and Mexico linked to the Fast and Furious operation.
He said the latest revelation came from answers to questions for the record to Mr. Holder when he was testified May 4 before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Questions for the record are written questions for witnesses testifying before the committee that senators are unable to ask in person.
Mr. Grassley said the Justice Department's initial answers were incomplete, and later admitted that one answer in particular was inaccurate. He said the question asked, "In addition to the two guns recovered at the Terry murder scene, how many of the guns connected to Operation Fast and Furious that have been recovered were recovered in connection with violent crimes in the U.S.?"
He said in a July 22 response, the department said ATF was aware of 11 instances where a recovered firearm associated with Fast and Furious was recovered in connection with a crime of violence in the United States. But in its revised answers, the department now admits that 21 firearms associated with the Fast and Furious operation were recovered in Mexico and reportedly were associated with violent crimes.
"The Justice Department has been less than forthcoming since day one, so the revisions here are hardly surprising, and the numbers will likely rise until the more than 1,000 guns that were allowed to fall into the hands of bad guys are recovered most likely years down the road," Mr. Grassley said.
"What we're still waiting for are the answers to the other questions the attorney general failed to answer per our agreement," he said. "The cooperation of the attorney general and his staff is needed if we're ever going to get to the bottom of this disastrous policy and help the ATF and the department move forward."
Mr. Holder has denied knowing about the Fast and Furious investigation and has asked the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General to investigate the operation. When that investigation will be complete is unknown.
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6. Who needs a gun on the Virginia Creeper Trail?
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Steve Rouse emailed me this:
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From TriCities.com: http://tinyurl.com/3n6ncsc
By Allie Robinson
September 8, 2011
Authorities are investigating apparent beating near Virginia Creeper Trail
Authorities are still investigating an apparent beating near the Virginia Creeper Trail, an incident one woman said will likely prevent her family from returning to the trail again.
Alicia Armistead, of Norton, Va., said her husband, Shannon, was beaten in the head with a beer bottle, dragged by the front of his shirt and had his glasses knocked off before he was able to get away from his assailants Saturday night in a parking lot near the Virginia Creeper Trail in White Top, Va.
She said the family - she, Shannon, and their children, ages 5 and 12 - had gone bike-riding down the trail that afternoon. Instead of paying for a shuttle to take them to the top of the mountain, the family left their van parked in Damascus and drove their pickup truck to the top. The plan was to ride down the trail and then drive the van back to get the truck.
That didn't exactly work out, Armistead said.
They had left the van key in the truck, she said, and the key they had hidden outside the van opened the van's doors but didn't have the chip in it needed to start the van. So she walked downtown to see if she could hitch a ride from a shuttle company back to the top.
The first store she came to was closed, and the second shop owner was just packing up, she said, but offered that two of his employees could give her a ride to the top if she gave them gas money.
"When I got in the car I just felt uncomfortable," she said. "So I told them I needed to go back to the park and tell my family I had a ride."
Once there, she conferred with her husband, and they decided he would go with them.
"It felt OK because they didn't seem bad," Armistead said of the two men who offered the ride.
The next time she saw Shannon was about an hour and a half later.
"When he pulled into the park I saw blood and I saw his glasses were off," she said. "It was just awful."
Armistead said her husband told her the group had stopped at a gas station, and he gave the men $20 for gas. But, he told her, they returned with beer instead.
Then the men took Shannon Armistead up to the parking lot, but went a different way, using back roads, which they reportedly told Shannon was because their muffler was too loud and they were avoiding police.
Once at the top, Shannon got out of the car and unlocked his truck. He got in and noticed the tailgate was down, Alicia Armistead said. So he got back out.
As he did, "somebody hit him with a glass beer bottle," she said. "His glasses flew off and they were in the truck with the beer bottle. He kinda slumped against the truck, and someone pulled his shirt. He managed to sling them off."
Then he drove back to his family, who couldn't call him, Armistead said, because their cell phones did not get service in Damascus.
She said the couple called police, and after giving a statement, Shannon was taken to Johnston Memorial Hospital, where it was found he had an abrasion to his face. He was released early Sunday morning, Armistead said.
The Washington County Virginia Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident, Major Jack Davidson said.
He said it was reported to have happened between 7 and 8 p.m. Saturday.
The incident report follows Armistead's story.
"When he got in the vehicle, he noticed the tailgate was down," Davidson said, reading from the report.
He said that according to the report, Shannon Armistead "body slammed" his assailant, giving him the chance to get in the truck and drive away.
Davidson said the case is still active and he doesn't know anything about the suspects or what they could be charged with.
He also said the Creeper Trail and the surrounding area is usually pretty safe - save a May 2010 incident in which three Damascus men are accused of ambushing a pair of brothers from Iowa, beating them and videotaping the action.
"Otherwise we've had very little problems," he said. "The only thing we have ... is an occasional theft from a vehicle will get reported. There are a lot of individuals who frequent the Creeper Trail."
Armistead said she didn't know of the May incident until early this week. She said she wishes she did, because her family might have enlisted another family to go biking with them, or they might have gone earlier in the day.
She said she doubts they'll go back.
"It's sad," she said. "It was a beautiful trail and we enjoyed it so much before that happened. I don't think we'll ever go back. I hate to say that, but I don't think so."
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7. Buffalo: Buyback campaign launched for toy Nerf guns
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The more the antis are losing the gun control battle, the loonier they get. So, as the antis continue their descent into madness, it was only a matter of time before they started foaming at the mouth about those deadly Nerf guns.
Lions and tigers and bears! Oh, my!
Jay Britt emailed me this:
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Keeping the streets safe from scary foam bullets, or something.
From BuffaloNews.com: http://tinyurl.com/3zpb7bx
By Gene Warner
September 6, 2011
This was a different kind of gun buyback program.
The guns being bought back from the streets weren't 9 mm handguns or Glocks. Instead, they were Nerf guns or toy pistols.
And they weren't being bought with cash. This time, the currency was pizza slices, notebooks and dress shirts.
The FATHERS group and Bona Pizza teamed up Monday for a buyback aimed at younger teens and preteens at the pizzeria at Bailey and Kensington avenues.
The idea was simple: Don't let kids get used to firing weapons, even if they're toys.
"It makes them too comfortable, holding that gun," said Leonard Lane, president of Fathers Armed Together to Help, Educate, Restore and Save. "Then there's no fear holding the real gun when they get older. We want to put that fear back into our children, teaching them what guns can do, how they affect their community."
"A toy gun today, a real gun tomorrow," said Charles Cina, owner of Bona Pizza. "That's what we want to stop."
So kids such as Tarence Callaham, 14, a Buffalo ninth-grader, brought in his green and orange Nerf gun. In return, Tarence got a piece of pepperoni pizza, a snazzy dress shirt and the chance to shoot some hoops in the pizzeria parking lot.
"I learned that you shouldn't have guns and stuff," Tarence said. "It gives kids an education not to play with bad things."
Tynell Ruffins, 9, a fourth-grader at Community Charter School, got a bigger haul in return for his orange and black Nerf gun. He got the pizza, a soft drink, a notebook, a dress shirt and a Marvel Heroes folder.
Kids were encouraged to make the trades, Tynell said, "so they can stop playing with guns."
Lane explained why the location of Monday's buyback was appropriate.
"Bailey Avenue is an area where gun violence is up," he said. "Let's be real. The only way we can save this community is to work together-the residents, the businesses-to stop violence."
Lane said the five-hour gun buyback was expected to take about 100 toy guns from young people.
"We've got to be willing to exchange everything and anything to get guns off the street," he added.
So what will the FATHERS group do with the 100 or so toy guns?
"We plan on burying them in the next six months," Lane said. "We're going to get a coffin and put the guns in the coffin, and we're going to close that coffin and pray.
"It's symbolic - burying the guns that have been burying us." [PVC: Wow - death by Nerf gun! That's a first. I'm embarrassed that these are adults doing this.]
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8. Temple University student with CHP defends himself against robber
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Lucky that college student was carrying. The criminal had no compunction about shooting the student and did. But the student shot back, stopping the criminal's attack cold. It's unfortunate that the student got shot, but the criminal might have murdered him in cold blood had the student not been able to fire back. Had this happened on campus, the student would probably be dead because his life isn't worth defending based on school policies.
Sean Thompson emailed me this:
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From FOX News: http://tinyurl.com/3sfz298 September 6, 2011
A Philadelphia college student with a permit to carry a firearm off-campus exchanged gunfire Monday with a teen accused of trying to rob him.
Authorities say 21-year-old Temple University student Robert Eells had a license to carry the weapon and will not face any charges in the incident, MyFoxPhilly.com reports.
Police have charged the 15-year-old suspect, but say they are still determining just what happened in the double-shooting north of the city campus.
The suspect allegedly tried to rob Eels in front of his off-campus house in an early-morning encounter Monday. When Eels refused to give the teen money, the suspect started shooting, authorities said. Eels, who was shot in the stomach, fired back, hitting the teen in the chest and leg, the Philadelphia Daily News reports.
School officials say Eells, of Doylestown, Pa., is recovering at Temple University Hospital.
Authorities say the teen is in custody at the hospital.
Officers, meanwhile, are looking for two alleged accomplices to the botched robbery.
Students are not allowed to carry firearms on the campus of Temple University, a school spokesman told the newspaper.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Jeff Koke emailed me this:
From WPVI ABC6 News
Video: http://tinyurl.com/3pw5ymj
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9. Armed soldier foils robbers
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Our brave men and women in the military need to be allowed to carry guns for self-defense on-base. Luckily this soldier was off-base when the criminals struck and was armed. Had this happened on base or coming from or going to the base, the outcome might have been quite different.
Gerald Ameral emailed me this:
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From Military.com: http://tinyurl.com/3r24j2q
September 3, 2011
Knight Ridder
Two men convicted Thursday of trying to rob women stranded on Interstate 95 near Walterboro last year got more than they bargained for when one of the women's passengers turned out to be a trained -- and armed -- soldier recently returned from Iraq.
Jurors found Antwan McMillan, 22, and David Jakes, 20, of Smoaks guilty Thursday at the Colleton County Courthouse of three counts of attempted armed robbery, possession of a weapon during commission of a violent crime, and three counts of first-degree assault and battery.
Judge Perry M. Buckner sentenced Jakes to 35 years in prison and McMillan to 30 years, according to the 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office.
"I am pleased that both of these brazen, dangerous criminals have had their careers cut short," said assistant solicitor Amanda Haselden, who prosecuted the case. "They thought two stranded women would be an easy mark, but they didn't bargain on a well-trained and legally armed serviceman being just out of sight."
On June 3, 2010, an Army specialist, his wife and mother-in-law were in two vehicles headed south on I-95 when one of the vehicles towing a trailer had mechanical problems. While the soldier tended to the vehicle, three men pulled up in a car, according to a solicitor's office news release.
When Jakes pointed a gun at the mother-in-law and demanded cash, the soldier popped up from behind the vehicle with a gun. He ordered the men to leave several times, the release said.
Instead of leaving, Jakes pointed his gun at the soldier. The soldier fired several rounds, striking Jakes three times.
McMillan began firing from inside the car. Jakes crawled back to the car and they sped off, the release said.
The Colleton County Sheriff's Office found Jakes at a local hospital. He was arrested after recovering from his wounds. McMillan and a third suspect, James Davis, 21, were arrested later that week.
The case against Davis is still pending, according to the solicitor's office.
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10. The real gun show loophole
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Member Dwight Rider decided that perhaps we do need gun control in America after all. He even came up with some slogans for the proposed gun control campaign:
"Close the gun show loophole! Stop the sale of guns at gun shows to the FBI, BATFE, and the Department of Justice!"
"Protect the People! - Don't let the U.S. Government give guns to Mexican drug cartels!"
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11. Another update on the Bennett case in Lansdowne.
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EM Ed Levine emailed me this in response to item #9, "Local gang banger sentenced in death of Lansdowne man and brutal attack on his wife" from VCDL Update 9/5/11:
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Too bad we could not throw in on number #9 that Loudoun County Commonwealth Attorney Jim Plowman believes in the Second Amendment and is a VCDL member.
[PVC: And so we have!]
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12. A Mexican city takes a stand against violence
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Enough is enough, says one Mexican city. Time for citizens to arm themselves.
From NRA-ILA: http://tinyurl.com/3zonqsh September 9, 2011
You've seen the headlines describing the violence in Mexico; the beheadings, kidnappings, assassinations, torture, and mass graves. The long-running narco-terror war, the corruption within government, the rise of gangs, the poor economy; all have contributed to what are fast becoming virtual war-zones in many parts of the country.
An article on CNN.com ( http://tinyurl.com/3gyqj9y ) this week reported that one northern Mexican city plagued by violence is taking a novel approach (for them) to the problem: training its citizens to use firearms for self-defense.
Jaime Rodriguez Calderon, the mayor of the city of Garcia, said the training is part of his security program and is aimed at "involving the citizens in defense of the region."
"Many of them want the training and knowledge ... to defend their families and their heritage," he said. "Many people call me because their son or their husband has been kidnapped, or some family member's car has been stolen. I said to myself, 'Wow, how can we, the citizens, defend ourselves?'"
According to the article, the course will be free and will take place in a city hunting club, where students will use .22-caliber guns for training.
Rather than blame the United States for their problems with violence, the mayor and concerned citizens of Garcia have decided enough is enough, and are doing what free people do -- taking responsibility for the protection of themselves, their families and their city.
Bravo!
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13. Glock begins spring exchange program for Gen4 pistols
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From TeamGlock.com: http://tinyurl.com/3flef7x
GLOCK Inc. is voluntarily exchanging the recoil spring assembly (RSA) on its new Gen4 pistols (with the exception of G26 and G27 models). GLOCK has developed a new design to the recoil spring assemblies on its Gen4 pistols to replace several variations that are functioning in the market today. As part of the company's commitment to perfection, we are voluntarily exchanging the existing RSA in order to ensure our products perform up to GLOCK's stringent standards.
GLOCK is replacing the RSA in all Gen4s sold before July 22, 2011 at no cost. Please complete the following procedure to receive a new RSA. The RSA can safely and simply be swapped out using normal field stripping protocols. If you have additional questions, please contact GLOCK at 1-877-745-8523 with your serial number and model number.
CONSUMER ACTION:
1. Call 1-877-745-8523 with your serial number and model number to request your modified RSA. GLOCK will verify your serial number and collect shipping information
2. Within 30 days, GLOCK will send you a replacement RSA along with a pre-addressed envelope to mail in your old spring
3. Ensure your Gen4 is completely unloaded
4. Field strip your GLOCK per the instructions found in your 'Instructions for Use' manual that came with your pistol and replace the old RSA with the new one
5. Place the old RSA in the supplied shipping container and give to the United States Postal Service (USPS)
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14. Volunteers needed for Fun Day at RPCC
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EM Pat Webb emailed me this:
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On September 24th from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Rivanna Rifle and Pistol Club in Charlottesville, VA will be holding its annual Fun Day. They have invited VCDL to set up a table at the event again this year. If you would like to volunteer to help man the booth, please let me know by emailing pat.webb-at-vcdl.org (replace the at- with @).
Those who attend will be able to participate in the festivities, which include shooting demonstrations, so bring your gear, especially hearing and eye protection! See link to flyer for details of the day's events:
http://www.rrpc.org/attachments/funday2011.pdf
I must give a head count for the food vendors, so please respond as quickly as possible if you are planning to attend. I would like a final count by Friday, 9/16. Thanks!
Pat Webb
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15. VCDL member exonerated in court!
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After nearly a year of personal blood, sweat and tears VCDL member Paul Henick has been exonerated by the legal system. He was found not guilty of brandishing on September 13th in Surry County District Court by Judge Zepkin. A 2nd charge of obstruction of justice had been previously dropped.
Many VCDL members and opencarry.org participants contributed time, money and well wishes to the effort in this lengthy battle. Indeed funds from practically every state and even from outside this country poured in with notes of support. One could feel the sense of outrage.
The local newspaper, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, was quick to publish his arrest together with his photograph, but has been noticeably silent about the results of the case. Perhaps it is not "news worthy" when the system of persecution is defeated by an innocent man. A Letter to the Editor is in order to ask that this omission be corrected. Paul's reputation shall forever be tainted otherwise.
Thank you and kudos to Dan Hawes (defense attorney) and others who supported Paul publicly and privately. It has been a long journey.
Here are links to previous coverage of Paul's case:
12/7/10
http://tinyurl.com/3wzhfoe
2/28/11 - Item #4:
http://tinyurl.com/3d9qc7l
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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/]
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