Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

New member here, but I did want to pass on an email chain WRT the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition-. I have just sent a rebuttle to Tara Sotherland the Executive Assistant to Mayor Fraim of Norfolk and will gladly post her finial response. If you live in Norfolk, I highly encourage you to also contact your elected officials.

Mayor's E-mail: <mayor@norfolk.gov>

Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 7:00 PM
To: Mayor
Subject: YOUR ASSOCIATION WITH MAIG

Mr. Mayor,

I can only assume like Mr. Van Jones that you unknowingly recently
joined a left wing group known as "Mayors Against Illegal Guns". On the
surface it would seem sensible however this is a group whose sole
purpose undermines the US Constitution and millions of citizens, many of
which are voters in the City of Norfolk. I for one, am a life-long
hunter, gun owner and voter with a CCW permit issued by your fine city.
What does that mean? I do not have a criminal background much less shady
ties to Communist or Marxist beliefs. I could pass the standard Federal
Gov. vetting process! As a registered voter If you think for one
minute that I'll support you again if you continue your relationship in
support , you're wrong. I urge you to reconsider your position with
regards to MAIG and make the right choice supporting the citizens
Second amendment rights. I know thousands of fellow citizens feel this
way as well. I for one was very surprised to hear that you had joined
this organization, considering thousands of armed soldiers from Hampton
Roads protect the very rights the MAIG would love to strip away from all
Americans. Please, listen! I Vote and it counts!

Mr. Mayor,
Thanks for your time in reconsidering your association with this
Radical Anti Gun Group who openly oposes, with the intent to undermine
firearm freedoms..

J.E. Voter (Norfolk)


response

Dear J.E. ,

The Mayor appreciates you bringing your concerns to his attention.

Mayors in the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition are against the flow
of illegal guns into our cities while respecting our citizens' rights
under the Second Amendment. The coalition is founded on the idea that
protecting the Second Amendment and keeping guns out of the hands of
criminals are completely compatible goals. None of the coalition's
positions conflict with any individual's rights under the Second
Amendment.

Sincerely,

Tara Sotherland

Tara Sotherland
Executive Assistant to Mayor Fraim
810 Union Street
Norfolk, VA 23510

W: (757) 664-4051
C: (757) 274-3856

Welcome aboard 45XDC. Thank you for posting this information. I have forwarded this on to Mr. Van Cleave of VCDL to see if he has heard anything about it or wishes to spread the word.

45XDC - Thanks! We love to send letters, especially ones like this!

Btw, please feel free to post a note about yourself in the http://vagunforum.net/new-members/ forum so we can all give you a proper

Fraim is not the only mayor from Virginia that's a member of MAIG. See for yourself:

http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org ... s.shtml#VA

OakRidgeStars wrote:Fraim is not the only mayor from Virginia that's a member of MAIG. See for yourself:

http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org ... s.shtml#VA

Looks like a fine group of libs if ya ask me.

Well folks here's the rest of the story...


Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 8:35 PM
To: Mayor
Subject: RE: YOUR ASSOCIATION WITH MAIG

I think everyone would like to keep guns out of the hands of criminals
and the last time I checked there were already laws that covered that.
This organization's hidden agenda is to eventually wipe out gun sales
completely. I suggest that you do a little more research in this matter.


Since its creation, Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) has signed up a
large number of committed anti-gun politicians to its ranks. It has also
signed up some politicians who failed to realize the true anti-gun
nature of MAIG. A number of those mayors have resigned their membership
when they learned the truth. Regrettably, its abundantly clear that
Mayor, Michael Bloomberg and radical anti gun groups are using this
coalition of mayors to advance a hidden agenda of bringing lawsuits
against members of the firearms industry and spreading anti-gun
propaganda.

It is simply unconscionable that in the past year MAIG, under your
sponsorship, would call for a repeal of the Shelby /Tiahrt amendment
that helps to safeguard criminal investigations and the lives of law
enforcement officers by restricting access to firearms trace data solely
to law enforcement.

How anyone, least of all a public official, could be willing to
sacrifice such a law enforcement lifeline in order to gain an edge in
suing the firearms industry that they have political differences with is
repugnant to me.

According to ATF and the Department of Justice, the Mayors Against
Illegal Guns coalition actions in having civilian private investigators
conduct clandestine sting operations against federally licensed firearms
dealers in Virginia, without the knowledge of ATF actually interfered
with ongoing criminal investigations, putting the lives of law
enforcement officers and others at risk. The Department of Justice
warned Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition to refrain from these
actions because such efforts could "interrupt or jeopardize ongoing
investigations."

You should not want the blood of a police officer on your hands or the
citizens you represent so that you can advance the Mayors Against
Illegal Guns coalition's anti-gun litigation campaign.

You should instead support the Fraternal Order of Police, a group that
opposes your coalition's efforts to gain access to gun trace data for
use in civil lawsuits.

If a federally licensed firearms dealer is engaged in criminal
activities it is the job of law enforcement like the ATF to enforce
those laws, not the MAIG.

It is very disheartening to see an elected official attach his good
name to such an organization and I hope you will rethink your position
and have your name immediately withdrawn from their list of
participating mayors.

Your response to this letter would be much appreciated.

Sincerely,
J.E

RESPONSE

Dear J.E. ,

I've made sure the Mayor received your communication.

Sincerely,

Tara Sotherland


Tara Sotherland
Executive Assistant to Mayor Fraim
810 Union Street
Norfolk, VA 23510

W: (757) 664-4051
C: (757) 274-3856

Welcome to the Group!
Are you a VCDL member yet? Look into them. If you are a gun owner in VA, these guys are your best friend!

herohog wrote:Welcome to the Group!
Are you a VCDL member yet? Look into them. If you are a gun owner in VA, these guys are your best friend!

Honestly ,I'd never heard of them but I will be checking them out.

45XDC wrote:

herohog wrote:Welcome to the Group!
Are you a VCDL member yet? Look into them. If you are a gun owner in VA, these guys are your best friend!

Honestly ,I'd never heard of them but I will be checking them out.

The VCDL has worked tirelessly to get pro-gun legislation passed, such as the Virginia firearm's preemption law.
The VCDL has successfully opposed gun control bills year after year.
The VCDL has defended hunters and shooters wherever prohibitions and restrictions on them were being considered.
The VCDL has shown up in force at government hearings when gun ranges needed support.
The VCDL has stood up to localities making anti-gun laws time and time again.
The VCDL was able to prevent many from losing their gun rights when the mental health laws were updated during one General Assembly session.
The VCDL has kept thousands of people, from all areas of the Commonwealth, informed on any changes in the law or 'shifts in the wind' as they occur.
Yes, we are in fact "Defending Your Right to Defend Yourself" but there is so much more...

If you don't do anything else, sign up for their newsletter. No Spam, they will NOT sell of give away your email address and the letters contain NO advertisements, they are plain text. No fluff, all good info VA gun owners care about.

Just to keep this thread going a while longer I thought I'd provide you guys with an update.......Apparently the Norfolk Mayor, either was never informed of my communication or he didn't have the have the time and common courtesy to respond to my e-mail. Guess who I'll be voting for during the upcoming mayoral election folks.

Just blowing off some steam, thanks for listening guys/gals.

Send it again and demand a response from the mayor since he works for YOU!

Hey folks,
I,m a new member here and I also sent an e-mail to the good mayor, as follows;

Dear Mayor Fraim,

I can only assume that you unknowingly recently joined a left wing group known as "Mayors Against Illegal Guns". On the surface it would seem sensible however this is a group whose sole purpose undermines the US Constitution and millions of citizens, many of which are voters in the City of Norfolk. I am a gun owner and voter with a CCW permit issued by your fine city. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg created (MAIG) “Mayors Against Illegal Guns”, as a front group to lobby Congress to oppose important pro-gun reforms and support new federal gun control restrictions. They have lobbied Congress against national reciprocity of state Right –to-Carry permits, against much-needed reform of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE). They have lobbied for repealing the Tiahrt Amendment which protects the privacy rights of law-abiding gun owners and limits disclosure of sensitive firearm trace data to protect law enforcement personnel and protect lawful gun manufacturers from reckless lawsuits.

I recently traveled to the state of New York to visit my son and his family, because I was staying over-night I had to leave my handgun at home, per New York State law. Bad things happen to good people every day, and national reciprocity of state Right–to-Carry permits would ensure my ability to protect my family anywhere that we may choose to go in our great nation.

I sincerely urge you to resign your membership with this anti-gun group and openly stand behind the rights of every law-abiding citizen of the City of Norfolk, The Commonwealth of Virginia, and the United States of America, you can make a difference. As a registered voter I will not vote for you again if you are still aligned with this group at that time. I know that thousands of fellow citizens feel this way as well. I was very surprised to hear that you had joined this organization, considering the thousands of military personnel from Hampton Roads that go into harm’s way every day (my only son included) to protect the very rights the MAIG would love to strip away from all Americans. The 2010 elections will be very telling; these sorts of positions and affiliations will be instrumental in the un-doing of many politicians across this nation. Please note that I Vote and it counts!


Very sincerely yours,

Norfolk Resident

I'll bet you're suurprised by the response.

Dear Mr. ,

Thank you for contacting the Mayor's Office. Mayor Fraim appreciates you bringing your concerns to his attention.

The Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition does not restrict Second Amendment rights for law-abiding citizens. Mayors in the group are concerned with guns getting in the hands of criminals.

It is important to know that at no time has Mayors Against Illegal Guns supported any action that infinges upon Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens to own and carry firearms in Virginia. Mayors Against Illegal Guns was created to keep guns out of the hands of criminals by discouraging straw purchasing, encouraging best practices at retail gun stores, supporting the ability of the ATF to enforce existing laws, encouraging background checks be conducted at gun sales and keeping guns from illegally crossing jurisdictional borders. None of these practices constitutes a threat to the legal ability to purchase or legally possess firearms.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns is not an anti-gun organization. A quick review of the facts will reveal that Mayors Against Illegal Guns has never supported any policy that would lead to the confiscation of legally-owned firearms. In fact, membership in Mayors Against Illegal Guns is not contradictory to the Second Amendment, but complementary. There is no better way to protect and secure the rights of citizens to legally bear arms than to aggressively target criminals who abuse these rights.

It is important to know not all mayors in the coalition agree on every issue. Positions of member mayors in other cities are respected, but there is no one-size-fits-all approach to gun crime prevention. The aim of the coalition is to protect gun-ownership rights while helping ensure public safety.

Sincerely,

Tara Sotherland

Tara Sotherland
Executive Assistant to Mayor Fraim
810 Union Street
Norfolk, VA 23510

W: (757) 664-4051
C: (757) 274-3856

I guess he has no intent to give it up, I have only one response;

Well by

Don't understand why my IMG won't show!

I wonder which part of "shall not be infringed" Mayor Fraim does not understand...