Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

VA-ALERT: Blacksburg "Steppin' Out" event wanted to ban guns
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FIRST, A LITTLE HISTORY FROM LAST YEAR

As you might recall, VCDL had a booth at last year’s Steppin’ Out festival in Blacksburg. That was the event where an intolerant anti-liberty bigot assaulted and battered one of our members. Much to the woman’s bad luck, the Blacksburg PD had a booth almost across from VCDL’s booth and an officer witnessed the whole thing.

PD took the anti into custody immediately, but the VCDL member declined to file charges and she was ultimately released.

It was made pretty clear to those of us in the VCDL booth that the antis who were pressuring the group sponsoring the event (Downtown Blacksburg, Inc.) didn’t want us there. (However, the people attending the event loved us, with the vast majority sporting our “Guns Save Lives” stickers. We sold out of tickets for a handgun raffle in record time, too.)


FLASH FORWARD TO THIS YEAR

Lo and behold, DBI had a new rule for this year’s festival: NO WEAPONS ALLOWED

Surely they didn’t add that new rule to keep VCDL out of the event? Naaaw, couldn’t be. But if they wanted the event to be peaceful, the rule should have been: No intolerant anti-liberty bigots allowed!

Oh, by the way, notice I said “HAD a new rule.”

Upon being told of the rule by EM John Wilburn, who is the primary driving force behind us having a booth at the event for the last two years, I contacted the Blacksburg PD. VCDL has an excellent working relationship with the PD. Basically I was told that it was up to the Town Attorney to let the PD know about enforcement of the proposed ban.

So, my next call was to the Town Attorney, Larry Spencer. I explained the issue to Mr. Spencer, asking how the Town could ban weapons in a public area under Virginia’s firearms preemption law (15.2-915). I also pointed out that such a ban would in essence prevent some customers from being able to patronize the regular businesses in the area. The local business would certainly not look favorably on the Town restricting customer access to their businesses!

Mr. Spencer was professional and easy to work with. He took the bull by the horns and arranged a meeting with himself, the PD, and DBI within a couple of weeks of our phone conversation.

Mr. Spencer explained to DBI and the PD that DBI could NOT ban lawfully carried firearms at the event. He also told DBI that if they denied VCDL a table, then VCDL could simply hand out its literature on the sidewalks or closed roads in the festival for free.

DBI relented and dropped their weapons ban. We will be watching to make sure that the ban does not appear in future advertisements or booth agreements for Steppin’ Out.

I am pleased to announce that VCDL's application has been accepted by DBI and we will have a booth again this year. We thank DBI for doing the right thing and look forward to another enjoyable Steppin' Out festival!

If the antis show up again this year to protest VCDL’s attendance at the event, hopefully they will keep their tempers in check and not batter anyone else.

Meanwhile put Friday and Saturday, August 1 and 2, on your calendar to attend Steppin’ Out (10 am – 10 pm each day). Let’s pack the event and have a great time!





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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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I love it when a plan comes through

Nice, but one very big problem was that the member didn't press charges. Sorry but to do something like that only sends a message to the anti's that they could possible try something like that again. Hope it goes to plan for you guys out there.


Charles.

Okay I was just looking up what this is down there and the first rule is in red letters and states "Pets and weapons are prohibited within the festival area. This regulation will be enforced." Maybe someone didn't get the memo but how can they enforce that? Also wouldn't it be funny if some shop opened up there that did stuff with firearms, then how could they even try to enforce that?

Yep. Its right here...

http://www.blacksburgsteppinout.com/ass ... CC_App.pdf

bunch O' crap

Newgunguy wrote:Nice, but one very big problem was that the member didn't press charges. Sorry but to do something like that only sends a message to the anti's that they could possible try something like that again. Hope it goes to plan for you guys out there.


Charles.

Okay I was just looking up what this is down there and the first rule is in red letters and states "Pets and weapons are prohibited within the festival area. This regulation will be enforced." Maybe someone didn't get the memo but how can they enforce that? Also wouldn't it be funny if some shop opened up there that did stuff with firearms, then how could they even try to enforce that?

Sounds like we need an open carry event.

Nah,....... We need some crusading young lawyer who likes guns and wants to make a name for him(her)self to seek injunctive relief enjoining them from distributing the flier or enforcing the rule and also get an order that they put out corrected fliers. Somebody needs to go see that reasonable city attorney about getting some people kicked off whatever committee is responsible for this, too. Just another liberal tactic right out of the Obamunist playbook: if you don't like the law, just ignore it and do as you damned well please.

I think a mass OC campaign in support of VCDL and Citizens rights needs to be coordinated. I private company cannot declare that people can't legally carry in a public area, regardless if they have a permit to have a private function in that public space or not. It's not their property and they have no property ownership rights, regardless of being allowed to use that public space.

Didn't really know what DBI was. I'd assumed it was a government entity. I did a Startpage search on it:
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"Downtown Blacksburg, Inc. (DBI) is an association of merchants, property owners, and downtown advocates whose mission is to sustain a dynamic, vital, and diverse community through marketing, events, economic development, and leadership."
..................................................

So, it is an incorporated association. That means, no income but dues and fundraisers and no assets. So, no budget to litigate. Sue them just a little bit, and you'll get their attention.