VA-ALERT: VCDL Mini-Update 3/13/15

[OakRidgeStars]

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Not yet a VCDL member? Join VCDL at: http://www.vcdl.org/join
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VCDL's meeting schedule: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings
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Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html
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1. VCDL on WAVY tonight in Tidewater on self-defense shooting
2. West Virginia on verge of passing Constitutional Carry and is asking for our help
3. VCDL monthly membership meeting in Annandale on Tuesday, March 17
4. ACTION ITEM: League of Women Voters to hold forum on gun control on Sunday, March 22.
5. The Party of Gun Control wants to push ammo ban
6. Interesting article on the ammo ban in the Huffington Post, of all places
7. BATFE Director admits that all 5.56mm ammunition is in their crosshairs
8. Article on attempted ban's failure in the Washington Times
9. Holsters are a good idea, even with "purse" carry
10. Gabby Giffords: The Gun Control Movement's Human Shield


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1. VCDL on WAVY tonight in Tidewater on self-defense shooting
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A mother was at home by herself and her child, when a man breaks in a window and comes at her. She shoots him, stopping him from the advance. The man was taken to the hospital.

I was interviewed by WAVY about Virginia's self-defense laws and it is supposed to air tonight at 11 PM. I not sure if it will be in the evening show.

Here is an article on the story:

http://wtvr.com/2015/03/13/mom-shoots-intruder/

Here is an interview with the young mother:

http://wavy.com/2015/03/12/full-intervi ... -intruder/


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2. West Virginia on verge of passing Constitutional Carry and is asking for our help
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If this bill passes, it will allow Virginians to carry concealed in West Virginia without needing any kind of permit (Constitutional Carry)! The West Virginia Citizens Defense League is concerned about a Governor veto and is asking us to call the Governor to show support and help get the bill signed into law.

From WVCDL:

Yesterday, West Virginia Senate Bill 347, NRA-backed permitless carry legislation, passed the House of Delegates with all proposed floor amendments being defeated!

SB 347 is now on its third reading in the House and will then be sent back to the Senate for concurrence before heading to Governor Tomblin to be signed.

Please show Governor Tomblin the strong support this bill by calling (304) 558-2000 and politely urging him to sign SB 347!


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3. VCDL monthly membership meeting in Annandale on Tuesday, March 17
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We will have our regular monthly membership meeting in Annandale, at the Mason Government Center, on Tuesday, March 17.

Fellowship starts at 7:30 PM and the meeting will be called to order at 8 PM.

We will take a preliminary look at this year's voting records for the legislators in the General Assembly (the voting record won't be officially released for another month, after the veto session).

The meeting is open to the public, so bring along some family and friends!

After the meeting is over, we will adjourn to a local restaurant for continued fellowship.

Directions to the Mason Government Center can be found here:

http://www.vcdl.org/meetings.html


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4. ACTION ITEM: League of Women Voters to hold forum on gun control on Sunday, March 22.
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A discussion not on how to stop suicide and domestic violence generally? Nope. This discussion is only going to deal with guns. Sigh.

The moderator has written books favoring gun control and has collaborated with Philip J Cook, another academic gun-grabber.

Let's have a lot of people there wearing "Guns Save Lives" stickers! I'm planning on being there, too. When you get to the event, look for the person with the GSL sticker roll if you need one.

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/new ... -forum-bu/

or

http://tinyurl.com/pp9mnug

Fairfax League of Women Voters to Hold Firearms Forum in Burke
By Tim Peterson
Thursday, March 12, 2015

What is Fairfax County doing to cut down on firearms-related suicide and domestic violence? The Fairfax-area League of Women Voters will host an informational public forum to discuss the topic at Pohick Regional Library in Burke on March 22.

Moderator Dr. Kristin A. Goss, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at Duke University, will lead a panel covering the collaborative efforts being taken by county organizations. Goss is a published author on firearms, including the books “Disarmed: The Missing Movement for Gun Control in America” and “The Gun Debate: What Everyone Needs to Know” (with Philip J. Cook).

The panel is scheduled to include Sandra Bromley, J.D., the county-wide domestic violence coordinator, Jesse Ellis, prevention manager of the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services and MPO James T. Frey, crime prevention officer in the West Springfield precinct of the Fairfax County Police Department.

“Firearms: Reducing the Risk in Fairfax County” will be held Sunday, March 22 from 2-3:30 p.m. at the Pohick Regional Library, located at 6450 Sydenstricker Rd. in Burke. For more information, visit www.lwv-fairfax.org.


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5. The Party of Gun Control wants to push ammo ban
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Pro-gun Democrats are stuck with horrible Party leadership in the General Assembly and in Congress. That leadership is bent on pushing gun control and has done a lot of damage to the Democrat Party, even among the faithful.

And here they go again:

http://thehill.com/regulation/235521-de ... bullet-ban

or

http://tinyurl.com/pjqbkvz

Dems push ATF to revive bullet ban
By Tim Devaney - 03/12/15 02:26 PM EDT

Congressional Democrats are pressuring the Obama administration to move ahead “swiftly” with a proposal that would ban a form of armor-piercing ammunition.

In a draft letter first obtained by The Hill, Democrats are urging the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to use his “existing authority” to keep “dangerous ammunition out of our communities.”

“We hope that the Bureau will swiftly review comments on the proposed framework and issue a revised proposal that will address the danger posed by handguns that fire 5.56mm and other rifle ammunition,” Democrats write in the letter.

The ATF had sought to prohibit gun companies from manufacturing or selling 5.56 mm projectiles for M855 cartridges, arguing they are a threat to law enforcement officers because they can be used in handguns.

But the proposal generated a firestorm of opposition from Republicans and gun groups, who denounced it as an attack on the Second Amendment that could open the door to sweeping restrictions on ammunition.

With the backlash growing, the ATF backed down earlier this week, shelving the proposal indefinitely to allow time for “further study.”

House Democrats in their letter say they are “very disappointed” that the ATF delayed the rule. The proposal, they say, is true to the spirit of the Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act, which Congress passed in 1986 to ensure that officers do “not face extreme safety risk from firearm technology.”

“It is critical to update this legislation as new technologies are developed in order to keep law enforcement officers and our communities safe," they write. "That is why we urge you not to drag out this delay and to act swiftly to keep armor-piercing ammunition that can be used in handguns off the street.”

Dozens of House Democrats, including Reps. Carolyn Maloney (N.Y.), Jackie Speier (Calif.) and Steve Israel (N.Y.), are expected to sign the letter, which will be sent on Friday to ATF Director B. Todd Jones.

Jones declined to comment Thursday on whether his agency might reconsider the bullet ban at a future date, but he defended the plan as a "good faith effort" while testifying at a Senate hearing on the agency's budget.

"I want to make sure everyone understands that this was not — contrary to the blogosphere — an effort to completely ban that sort of cartridge,” he said.

While the ammunition has long been used by hunters in AR-15 rifles, the bullets can now also be used in handguns, which the ATF argues makes them a bigger threat to law enforcement officers.

Republicans and gun groups railed against the ATF proposal, calling it a “backdoor” attempt to restrict high-powered rifles, which are popular among hunters and sportsmen.

“A lot of us are troubled at the ATF’s process and intent regarding this proposed ban,” Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said. “It’s concerning to many of us that the new federal firearms regulations referenced that.”

The National Rifle Association led the lobbying charge, helping to flood the ATF with more than 90,000 comments, most of them critical.

“NRA members fought back as the tip of the spear,” Chris Cox, executive director of the group’s lobbying arm, told The Hill.

House and Senate Republicans mounted a pressure campaign of their own, demanding in letters to Jones that the rule be withdrawn.

“If law-abiding gun owners cannot obtain rifle ammunition, or face substantial difficulty in finding ammunition available and at reasonable prices because government entities are banning such ammunition, then the Second Amendment is at risk,” said a letter signed by 53 Republican senators.

The White House declined Wednesday to weigh in directly on the bullet ban proposal, instead stressing that President Obama remains committed to reasonable gun regulations.



“The president’s commitment to putting in place common-sense rules that will protect Second Amendment rights, but also prevent those who shouldn’t have firearms from getting them, is as strong as ever,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said.


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6. Interesting article on the ammo ban in the Huffington Post, of all places
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There is at least one mistake in the article - in 1986 Ronald Reagan was President, not George Bush, who was the Vice-President.

But the key point is that the Federal definition of "armor piercing" ammunition is horribly flawed and should never have been law in the first place.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-weis ... 46314.html

or

http://tinyurl.com/npbsxvx

The NRA Wins Again on Armor-piercing Bullets, But Common Sense Was Already Lost

A week before the ATF was going to stop receiving public comments about its proposal to ban so-called 'armor-piercing' ammo the agency shut down the whole process, announced they were going back to the drawing board and, at some later date not specified, would revisit the whole issue again. The ATF received more than 80,000 emails and if you think some of them came from the International Bible Holiness Movement or another of the frontline anti-gun violence groups, think again.

And if you don't believe the NRA isn't celebrating, you're wrong on that one, too. They immediately posted victory statements from Wayne and Chris, sent news releases out to ever-welcoming Fox which featured their next President, Rand Paul, speaking out against the ATF, and of course went out of their way to label the ATF decision as a "defeat" of their arch-enemy and all-time best gun salesman, a.k.a. Barack.

Any time the gunnies can push back the U.S. Government on a gun issue, they'll celebrate their victory as yet another step towards enshrining the 2nd Amendment as the unquestioned law of the land. By the same token, the gun-sense folks will bemoan yet another defeat at the hands of a seemingly all-powerful NRA and try to figure out how to keep this embarrassing loss from happening again.

I happen to think that both sides are barking up the wrong tree. Whether they know it or not, the ATF's decision to shelve its new armor-piercing guideline is actually a victory for all of us who want laws to be reasonable, responsible and fashioned to reflect both reality plus a dose of good old common sense. The Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act which created the whole issue of armor-piercing ammunition in the first place was a careless and thoughtless example of legislative stupidity that should never have been proposed, never passed and never signed into law. If the ATF's determination to step back from enforcing this statute turns it into a dead letter, nobody who's committed to government as a force to secure the common good should be at all upset.

The bill was originally introduced by Congressmen Jack Brooks of Texas and Mario Biaggi of New York. There were actually two separate pieces of legislation, the Brooks bill being somewhat less restrictive than Biaggi's measure, but they would ultimately be combined into one law that would eventually get through Congress and go to President Bush's desk in 1986. The bill had support from most of the national police associations and while the NRA cautioned against passage, the gun-rights group kept most of its powder dry for another day.

The law was passed by voice vote in both chambers so that none of our elected representatives had to go on record for supporting or opposing the measure, a cute compromise which also made it easy for the NRA to pretend it opposed the law even though some of the organization's most staunch supporters, such as Brooks, could appear to be pro-gun while actually voting for the bill. If you think that a non-recorded vote creates a little stench, you'll really have to hold your nose if you read the testimony about the issue that was given before the House Judiciary Committee in May, 1985.

It turns out that nobody knew how to define 'armor-piercing' ammunition and no serious testing was conducted to determine which types of ammunition should be covered by the law. Unable to define the what, why and how of ammunition that might penetrate a vest, the Committee relied on testimony from ex-cops like Mario Biaggi who wanted to outlaw all kinds of ammunition shot from handguns because people didn't normally use rifles to attack the police.

The serious testing and research that Congress should have demanded was never carried out and now all we have is a law that creates a good stink. The NRA should hardly be claiming a big victory nor should the other side be wallowing in defeat. We all lost on this one back in 1986.


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7. BATFE Director admits that all 5.56mm ammunition is in their crosshairs
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Surprise - the BATFE Directors says ALL 5.56mm ammunition is a danger to police.

"In a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, ATF Director B. Todd Jones said all types of the 5.56 military-style ammo used by shooters pose a threat to police as more people buy the AR-15-style pistols."

Thanks to member Jim Kaiser for the link:

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/atf-r ... le/2561422

or

http://tinyurl.com/n93f5la


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8. Article on attempted ban's failure in the Washington Times
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When a comedian flops, sometimes there's that little drum ditty ending in a cymbal crash and then the room is silent instead of filled with laughter.

That's kind of what happened to the Obama Administration when they said that they needed to ban M855 ammunition to save the lives of police (drum roll, cymbal crash), but then no police officers stepped forward to agree.

Ooops. I guess the police didn't get the memo that they were supposed to lie and say M855 was a threat, even though no one can find any cases of a police officer being shot with that kind of ammunition.


http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... -ammo-ban/

or

http://tinyurl.com/nc2lf49

Obama loses another Second Amendment battle as ATF drops proposed ammo ban

By Dave Boyer - The Washington Times - Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Bowing again to opposition from Second Amendment supporters, the Obama administration Tuesday backed off on another gun control proposal, specifically a proposal to ban ammunition commonly used in AR-15 rifles.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was dropping the proposed ammo ban — at least for now — due to overwhelming opposition from the public.

"The vast majority of the comments received to date are critical" of the proposal, ATF said in a statement, adding that officials plan to give the issue "more study."

On its Twitter account, the agency told the public, "You spoke, we listened." More than 80,000 people had written to the agency, which pulled the proposal even before its public comment period was to end Monday.

Republican lawmakers and other Second Amendment supporters hailed the decision, saying it demonstrated the strength of gun owners and/or was a rebuke to another attempt at executive power overreach by the Obama administration.

"The strength of people who support and take their Second Amendment rights seriously has never been stronger," said Larry Keane, senior vice president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. "I frankly don't think ATF had much choice in the matter. It was clear that Congress was not going to let it go forward."

A majority of the House and Senate already had gone on record in opposition to the proposal, which would have banned .223-caliber M855 "green tip" ammo.

Senate Committee on the Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican, said the ATF's proposal to eliminate a legal exemption for the armor-piercing ammunition "was met with stiff rebuke."

"ATF's original proposal to short-circuit the exemption and limit access to rifle ammunition was an affront to the Second Amendment to the Constitution," Mr. Grassley said.

It was another sharp setback for President Obama's efforts at gun control, though on a lower profile than the administration's failed attempt to enact background checks on gun purchases in 2013. Just on Monday, the White House had said the proposed ban was a "common-sense" measure that would save the lives of law enforcement officers.

"This seems to be an area where everyone should agree that if there are armor-piercing bullets available that can fit into easily concealed weapons, that it puts our law enforcement at considerably more risk," said White House press secretary Josh Earnest.

But law enforcement groups didn't come out in support of the proposal, and some were outspoken in their opposition.

Congress has banned armor-piercing ammunition for handguns since 1986 as a way to protect police officers. Gun rights groups have argued that the ammo ban was a backdoor attempt to ban rifles such as the AR-15, mostly used for target shooting or hunting.

"Today's announcement proves what we have said all along — this was 100 percent political," said Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association. "Obama failed to pass gun control through Congress, so he tried [to] impose his political agenda through executive fiat."

The decision also came amid a six-figure ad campaign by the Second Amendment Foundation, launched nationwide Monday on TV and radio, aimed at exposing legal holes in the proposed ammo ban. The ads urged Americans to call a toll-free number and voice their opposition to "another executive power grab" by Mr. Obama.

There was no shortage of lawmakers taking credit for the ATF's reversal.
Rep. John Abney Culberson, Texas Republican and chairman of the appropriations subcommittee that oversees the ATF, said he had a meeting with ATF officials on Thursday that resulted in "a consensus on how to best move forward."

"This is an example of how regulators and Congress should work together," Mr. Culberson said. "All of us in Texas love law enforcement and want to help ATF officers stop gun smugglers, drug smugglers and other criminals — not law-abiding American sportsmen who use this ammo every day for target practice, shooting competitions and hunting."

The ATF said after the public comment period closes Monday, it will "further evaluate the issues raised" by the public and provide "additional open and transparent process" before proceeding with any further action. It did not specify what action that might be.

"Although ATF endeavored to create a proposal that reflected a good faith interpretation of the law and balanced the interests of law enforcement, industry and sportsmen, the vast majority of the comments received to date are critical of the framework, and include issues that deserve further study," the ATF said.

The proposed regulation, which would have banned the production and sale of the steel-tipped ammunition, was a response to an ATF report that claimed new handguns are capable of firing the ammunition. But the new AR-15 "handguns" are nearly 2 feet long and weigh about 6 pounds, making them difficult to conceal in the manner handguns are usually defined as being.


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9. Holsters are a good idea, even with "purse" carry
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While we don't have the full details of this particular negligent discharge here in Virginia, based on the report, I'm pretty sure the gun in the woman's purse was NOT in a holster at the time that it went off.

"Young says it's difficult to determine what caused the handgun to discharge." Member Peter Upton noted this on Facebook, "I'm going to go out on a limb and speculate that the trigger was pulled."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... purse.html

or

http://tinyurl.com/pflxude

Virginia man and women both suffer gunshot wounds when her Glock goes off accidentally in her purse
By Associated Press Reporter and Mail Online Reporter

Police say a woman and her boyfriend were wounded when a gun in her purse discharged.

The incident occurred Saturday afternoon as the couple sat in a vehicle outside a residence in Bassett, Virginia.

Franklin County sheriff's Lt. Phillip Young says the bullet went through one of the man's hands and both of the woman's legs.

The Roanoke Times reports that the unidentified woman's Glock went off as she was sitting the passenger's seat.

He had reached over and put a drink can in her purse, then settled a hand on her leg.

'[The bullet] went through his hand, through one of her legs near the knee area and then hit her other knee,' Young told reporters. 'Her pocketbook was full of stuff. It’s hard to say what made it go off.'

Young says it's difficult to determine what caused the handgun to discharge.

No charges have been filed in the case.


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10. Gabby Giffords: The Gun Control Movement's Human Shield
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The antis don't blink an eye at using someone who has been through a tragedy as a puppet to push their gun-grabbing agenda. That's simply a fact and can be seen over and over again. But America has grown weary of it.

Thanks to member Walter Jackson for the link.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government ... an-shield/

or

http://tinyurl.com/osr8tbn

Gabby Giffords: The Gun Control Movement’s Human Shield
by AWR Hawkins8 Mar 2015548

On March 4 Breitbart News reported on Gabby Giffords’ renewed push to extend background checks to gun shows so that everyone has to pass the same background check her attacker passed. Media outlets and gun control proponents went apoplectic, exposing the fact that they had assumed Giffords would be able to push background checks as a solution to “violence” without her claims be scrutinized.

In other words, Giffords is their human shield — the gun control representative who could do and say what she wanted without facing any real pressure to prove her claims were true.

But BN showed that her claims that background checks are a way of “stopping violence” can’t even survive Giffords’ personal experience. After all, her attacker, Jared Loughner, passed a background check to acquire the gun with which he attacked her in January 2011.

After BN reported this, the NRA tweeted the story and media and gun controllers lost it. Slate, MSNBC, Daily Mail, Huffington Post UK, Tucson Weekly, Mother Jones, Blue Nation Review, Daily Kos, Chicago Sun Times, The Hill, New York Daily News, San Francisco Sentinel, Inquistr, and others were aghast that Breitbart News actually tested Giffords’ claims.

But no one displayed the conviction that Giffords’ views were above criticism quite as well as MSNBC’s Al Sharpton. On March 6 he asked: “How can the NRA tweet anything like this about Giffords after all that she went through?”

In other words, Giffords is their human shield.

Gun control proponents know background checks don’t stop high profile gun-related crimes — just as they didn’t stop Jerad and Amanda Miller (Las Vegas), Elliot Rodger (Santa Barbara), Ivan Lopez (Fort Hood 2009), Aaron Alexis (DC Navy Yard), James Holmes (Aurora theater), Nidal Hasan (Fort Hood 2009), and numerous other high profile attackers who passed background checks to acquire their guns. Yet background checks continue to be pushed because they represent another way to control law-abiding gun owners.

Giffords was supposed to stand with Democrats and push for their passage as one whose ideas could not be criticized, mush less assailed.

Here’s the problem — background checks don’t work, and Giffords’ attacker is living proof of that.




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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/]