VA-ALERT: VCDL Update 6/25/15, two ACTION ITEMS

[OakRidgeStars]

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Not yet a VCDL member? Join VCDL at: http://www.vcdl.org/join
----------------------------------------------------------------------
VCDL's meeting schedule: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------

1. ACTION ITEM: New VCDL “iCarry” video - spread far and wide!
2. ACTION ITEM: Let’s contact Uber about their new gun ban
3. Charleston church massacre
4. But then there is this: African American church with members carrying guns [VIDEO]
5. James City County set to repeal confusing and preempted gun ordinance
6. A question to ask gun dealers that you use
7. Puerto Rico gets Constitutional Carry?!
8. Protective order - not all they are cracked up to be
9. Gunmen steal pizza delivery SUV with GSL bumper sticker [VIDEO]
10. Your 2nd Amendment [VIDEO]
11. [MD] Baltimore's gun control - How's that working? [VIDEO]
12. [GA] Gun owner holds attempted carjacking suspect at gunpoint [VIDEO]
13. [ID] Remote school buys gun to enhance safety
14. [IL] Epic failure of Chicago gun control proves more is needed
15. [CO] Criminals find out the hard way that robbing a gun owner is a bad idea [VIDEO]
16. Vince Vaughn wants all American schools protected with firearms [VIDEO]
17. Public gun crimes 'don't happen in other countries'

**************************************************
1. ACTION ITEM: New VCDL “iCarry” video - spread far and wide!
**************************************************

We now have a great new video showing non-gun owners who we are! The interviews were all done at this years Lobby Day in Richmond and features a variety of VCDL members. Please spread far and wide to promote both VCDL and gun ownership in general.

Special thanks to Member Kenneth R. van Wyk for the idea and who worked hard to bring it to fruition and also to Executive Member Matt Gottshalk, who did the excellent (as always with Matt) videography:

Enjoy!

https://vimeo.com/131550122


**************************************************
2. ACTION ITEM: Let’s contact Uber about their new gun ban
**************************************************

In response to an armed Uber (uber.com) driver stopping a massacre in Chicago a few months ago, Uber is now prohibiting both drivers and passengers from having firearms in their possession!

I suggest we all contact Uber and voice our objections to that dangerous policy that ensures that the only people carrying firearms while using Uber will be criminals.

Email: support@uber.com

Suggested subject: I will not use Uber under the new firearms policy!

Suggested message:

I have just learned of Uber’s new policy prohibiting both passengers and drivers from the otherwise lawful carry of firearms for self-defense. This policy does NOT make me feel safer and is not practical. If I’m out and about and want to use Uber for a ride home, what am I supposed to do with my legally carried handgun - leave it lying on the curb?

If Uber is going to take away my right to self-defense that is allowed under the law, then I will no longer be using Uber. I will also be telling my friends and family to stop using Uber. Uber should simply go back to its original policy and not endanger customers and drivers by disarming them.

Sincerely,


——

Some coverage of the Uber ban:

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government ... -shooting/

or

http://tinyurl.com/nephjdf

Uber Bans Guns After Driver Uses One to Stop Attempted Mass Shooting
by AWR Hawkins, 21 Jun 2015


On June 19, Uber announced it has banned both drivers and law-abiding passengers with concealed permits from having guns with them for self-defense while in Uber vehicles.

This announcement comes three months after an Uber driver with a concealed carry license thwarted an attempted mass shooting by pulling his own weapon and shooting a gunman who had opened fire in Chicago’s Logan Square.

On April 20, the Chicago Tribune reported the driver was watching “a group of people” walk in front of his car on North Milwaukee Avenue just before midnight when 22-year-old Everardo Custodio allegedly “began firing into the crowd.” The Uber driver pulled his own gun and “fired six shots at Custodio,” wounding him in “the shin, thigh, and lower back.”

But now, the AP reports that Uber has decided to ban guns “to make sure riders and drivers feel comfortable.” The previous policy had simply been to follow local laws in areas where Uber drivers operate.

Uber says that “drivers or riders who violate the rule may lose access to the platform.”

The company did not comment on the lives saved by the Uber driver who had a gun in Chicago, nor did they explain what unarmed drivers and law-abiding passengers are supposed to do if there is a similar public attack near their Uber drop-off or pick-up.

——

Fox News article:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/06/20/ub ... latestnews

or

http://tinyurl.com/qfy4yon

Uber banning riders, drivers from carrying guns

Published June 20, 2015
Associated Press

Ride-hailing app company Uber says it is banning its riders and drivers from carrying guns.

Uber Technologies says it is banning firearms of any kind during rides arranged through the Uber platform, and drivers or riders who violate the rule may lose access to the platform. The rules also apply to Uber's affiliates.

The company said Friday it changed its firearms policy on June 10 to make sure riders and drivers feel comfortable. In a statement, Uber said it made the change after reviewing feedback from both passengers and Uber drivers. Previously it had deferred to local law on the issue.

San Francisco-based Uber lets passengers summon cars through an app in more than 250 cities worldwide, and the privately held company is valued at around $40 billion. However it's faced legal and regulatory challenges as it expands in the United States and abroad. It has also been criticized over the thoroughness of the background checks it does on drivers and other safety issues.

In April, an Uber driver with a concealed-carry permit shot a 22-year-old man who had opened fire on a group of pedestrians in Chicago. Court records say the man was shooting at pedestrians who were walking in front of the Uber driver's vehicle, and the driver shot the gunman. The driver wasn't charged, as prosecutors said he acted in defense of himself and others.

Competitor Lyft also has a "no weapons" policy. According to Lyft's website, if a driver or rider is found to have a weapon in a Lyft vehicle they'll be barred from the platform regardless of local laws on weapons possession.


**************************************************
3. Charleston church massacre
**************************************************

A couple of gun-related coverage of the massacre in the press. One saying armed citizens in the church might have stopped the massacre and the other saying the massacre would have been worse if there had been legally armed citizens present (!)

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... ghts-supp/

or

http://tinyurl.com/ouwz9jq

Charleston shooting prompts gun-rights supporters to call for more concealed-carry at churches
By Valerie Richardson - The Washington Times - Thursday, June 18, 2015

He was a young gunman bent on shooting as many worshippers as possible, but Matthew J. Murray never got as far as Dylann Roof, the suspect in Wednesday's South Carolina church massacre.

Murray had already shot and killed two people in the parking lot when he burst into the New Life Church in Colorado Springs. Before he could pull the trigger again, however, the 24-year-old shooter was gunned down by Jeanne Assam, a volunteer security guard with a concealed-carry permit.

That was eight years ago, but even though Ms. Assam was credited for saving as many as 100 lives that day, a dozen states continue to restrict the carrying of concealed firearms in churches — including South Carolina.

The Emanuel AME Church shooting that left nine dead Wednesday prompted not just a surge in calls from the left for tighter gun-control laws, but also pleas from the right for churches to protect themselves by allowing their parishioners to pack heat.

Kenneth Blackwell, a Second Amendment advocate and former Ohio secretary of state, said houses of worship could take themselves out of the line of fire by taking down the "gun-free zone" signs and letting it be known that law-abiding concealed-carry permit holders — and their guns — are welcome.

"At a time when religion is under attack and we have the government every day running God out of the public square, churches have become the targets of opportunity for deranged people," Mr. Blackwell said. "Particularly if they assume that folks are not armed."

South Carolina prohibits concealable weapons in churches, even by those carrying permits, unless "expressed permission is given by the appropriate church official or governing body." Colorado has no law expressly excluding churches from the boundaries of concealed-carry.

Still unknown is whether the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston allowed concealed-carry, but if the gunman knew that parishioners might be armed, "I doubt that young man would have walked into that church," Mr. Blackwell said.

Mr. Blackwell's message was a far cry from that of President Obama, who blamed the tragedy in part on lax firearms laws.

"Communities like this have had to endure tragedies like this too many times," Mr. Obama said Thursday at the White House. "We don't have all the facts, but we do know that once again, innocent people were killed in part because someone who wanted to inflict harm had no trouble getting their hands on a gun."

He added, "Now's the time for mourning and for healing, but let's be clear — at some point we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries."

Erich Pratt, spokesman for the Gun Owners of America, fired off a statement countering the president's argument by pointing to recent mass shootings in Europe, such as January's Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris.

Mr. Pratt also said that the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, the Emanuel AME Church's pastor who died in the shooting, was "an anti-gun activist" who had voted against concealed-carry legislation in his capacity as a Democratic state senator.

"One of the biggest problems at South Carolina church is that the potential victims were disarmed by law," said Mr. Pratt. "But the president completely misses all of this. He ignores the fact that this was yet another example where a massacre took place in a Gun Free Zone."

Like public schools and movie theaters, churches have become ripe targets for the deranged because they're typically gun-free zones — or, as Second Amendment legal expert David Kopel calls them, "pretend gun-free zones," because there is rarely a security check at the entrances.

Despite its opt-in law on firearms at churches, South Carolina is known for its gun-friendly laws. The state falls under the least restrictive category of concealed-carry permitting, known as "no discretion/shall issue," which means that the officials issuing the permit must do so if the applicant meets the criteria.

In some states, including California, Connecticut and Massachusetts, law-enforcement authorities have broad discretion to decide which applicants receive concealed-carry permits, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Mr. Blackwell was quick to defend the rights of churches to decide their own policies on concealed-carry. Even in states whose firearms laws say nothing about churches, privately owned entities have the right to decide whether to allow concealed-carry on their premises, including houses of worship.

"Churches as private property have the right to determine whether or not they want to prohibit or allow concealed carry, and I don't think there should be any blanket restriction against concealed carry," Mr. Blackwell said. "If a church community decides against concealed carry, then the individual parishioner can decide whether that's a deal-breaker."

Mr. Kopel said that few businesses specifically restrict concealed carry in Colorado, but among those that did was the Century Theater in Aurora, site of the July 2012 shooting that left 12 dead.

"Compounding the problem, Century Theaters did not create an actual 'gun-free zone' (as some government buildings in Colorado have)," Mr. Kopel said in National Review. "Instead, Century Theaters created a pretend gun-free zone. Century Theaters did nothing to prevent armed criminals from entering the theater.”

——

I wonder if Mr. Shrum’s real fear and sense of horror, in the next article, is simply black people carrying guns. There’s simply no way an armed person would have made such a massacre “worse."

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government ... een-armed/

or

http://tinyurl.com/pxv6aou

Democrat Strategist: Charleston Could’ve Been Worse if Church-Goers Had Been Armed
by AWR Hawkins, 20 Jun 2015

During the June 19 airing of MSNBC’s The ED Show, Democrat strategist Bob Shrum said the attack on innocents at Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church could have been worse if church-goers had been armed for self-defense.

Shrum’s exact words:

"I cannot imagine the horror that could have occurred if people were sitting around with concealed weapons, [the attack] started and you had a full scale gun fight. You might not even have three survivors."

Think about it–Shrum is saying he “cannot imagine the horror” that may have resulted from church-goers being able to defend themselves. In so doing, he is completely overlooking the fact that alleged gunman Dylann Roof paused to reload his gun at least five times, according to Reuters.

How many lives might a concealed carry permit holder have saved if he or she had been armed to shoot the gunman while he was reloading his weapon?

Shrum also suggested this criticism of concealed-carry should be carried into the 2016 Congressional elections by Democrats.


**************************************************
4. But then there is this: African American church with members carrying guns [VIDEO]
**************************************************

This is about a church in Minnesota.

Thanks to member Mark Shinn for the link:

http://countercurrentnews.com/2015/06/c ... f-defense/

African American Church Defies President, Members Carry Guns To Service For Self-Defense
June 19, 2015 8:38 pm·


In the wake of the Charleston, South Carolina anti-black terrorism by Dylann Storm Roof, President Obama renew his call for gun control. But one congregation is not listening…

“I’ve had to make statements like this too many times,” the President stated. “It is in our power to do something about it. I say that recognizing the politics of this town foreclose a lot of those avenues right now. But it’d be wrong for us not to acknowledge it.”

The president said the nation has to “reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence doesn’t happen in other advanced countries.”

He quickly corrected himself, to note that it does not happen with as much frequency, in spite of the fact that the United States is actually first in the world in gun ownership, but 28th in gun violence per capita.

A lot of Black Media is not having it. The Atlanta Black Star ran a piece entitled “Obama Makes Charleston Shooting About Gun Control Instead of Terrorism Against Black People” which asserted the president was out of touch with what was actually going on.

African American gun ownership and support for carrying firearms for self-defense is at an all time high.

Now, an African American church in Minneapolis says they will act as their own security guards and carry guns due to past threats directed towards the congregation. They say they can’t count on the police to protect them from incidences like what happened Wednesday night in Charleston, South Carolina.



**************************************************
5. James City County set to repeal confusing and preempted gun ordinance
**************************************************

I have been working with James City County on repealing their ordinance 16-5, which has some confusing wording dealing with carrying firearms in their parks:

Sec. 16-5. - Concealed weapons prohibited.
Unauthorized persons shall not carry concealed weapons, nor shall they have on or about their person dangerous or deadly weapons, in public park and recreational facilities.

Hats off to County Attorney, Adam Kinsman, for his professional handling of the situation. The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on the repeal at their July 14th Board meeting.

If you live in the area and can come to the meeting to show support for the repeal, I plan on being their with a roll of GSL stickers.

The meeting will start at 6:30 PM and is being held at:

Board Room
101-F Mounts Bay Road
Williamsburg, Virginia 23185


**************************************************
6. A question to ask gun dealers that you use
**************************************************

One of our FFL members suggests that gun owners ask their gun dealers if they store their form 4473s and sp65s electronically (as opposed to keeping the information in a bound book). If so, ask them what security measures they have in place to prevent unauthorized persons from hacking into the dealer's computers and gaining access to that data.


**************************************************
7. Puerto Rico gets Constitutional Carry?!
**************************************************

Thanks to a lawsuit brought by Ladies of the Second Amendment, which is affiliated with the Second Amendment Foundation, a Puerto Rico Commonwealth court has struck down much of Puerto Rico’s gun control, taking away all but federal law on purchase and allowing citizens to carry guns without permits!

More information here:

http://www.saf.org/?p=6431


**************************************************
8. Protective order - not all they are cracked up to be
**************************************************

Luckily we have Constitutional Open Carry for a battered spouse in a hurry to protect themselves.

Thanks to Executive member Mack Macklin for the link:

http://www.chesterfieldobserver.com/new ... estic.html

or

http://tinyurl.com/phghqts

[SNIP]
“Unfortunately, violations of protective orders are extremely common,” said Chana Ramsey, CEO of the James House, a Prince George-based nonprofit organization that operates the only local domestic violence shelter south of the James River. “When a batterer has exerted control for a long period of time, he frequently can’t take ‘No’ for an answer.”

The very nature of domestic violence, though, makes it difficult for the justice system to hold offenders accountable. That’s because the person most likely to witness a protective order violation – and be able to notify police – is the person who was abused in the first place.

Depending on the victim’s fear of repercussions, such violations can go unreported.


**************************************************
9. Gunmen steal pizza delivery SUV with GSL bumper sticker [VIDEO]
**************************************************

The pizza driver had a “Gun Save Lives” sticker on his vehicle, but was banned from actually carrying a gun. I’m betting the bad guys didn’t see that bumper sticker and were lucky the driver was working and unarmed.

EM Ed Levine emailed me this:


From wtvr.com: https://tinyurl.com/nvvx5s8
http://wtvr.com/2015/06/03/pizza-delive ... tolen-suv/


Gunmen steal pizza delivery driver’s SUV with ‘Guns Save Lives’ bumper sticker
by Jasmine Norwood
June 3, 2015

RICHMOND, Va. — Shots were fired at a fleeing pizza delivery driver during an armed robbery Tuesday night in Richmond, according police. The driver escaped unharmed.

A group of five or six men approached the driver when he got out of an SUV along the 3100 block of of Alvis Avenue at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. One of the men carried a handgun, another a rifle, police said.

As the driver ran for safety, several shots were fired, Richmond Police said. The suspects stole the pizza and drove off in the SUV, which police described as a red Ford Escape with a “Guns Save Lives” bumper sticker on the back.

The suspects had their faces covered during the crime, so police have not yet been able to provide a description.

**************************************************
10. Your 2nd Amendment [VIDEO]
**************************************************

From youtube.com: https://tinyurl.com/prbudaa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... Owy9OWfnAM


YOUR SECOND AMENDMENT
by TruthRevoltOriginals
October 24, 2014

Tired of listening to Progressives tell you that the Second Amendment only allows people in militias to keep and bear arms? Or that the Founders would have never intended the Second Amendment to apply to modern weapons? In his latest FIREWALL, Bill recounts a remarkable conversation about the precise wording of the Second Amendment, and sums up why the document says what it means and means what it says.


**************************************************
11. [MD] Baltimore's gun control - How's that working? [VIDEO]
**************************************************

Member James Prince emailed me this:


From wnd.com: https://tinyurl.com/pq9cbhq
http://www.wnd.com/2015/06/baltimores-g ... at-workin/


**************************************************
12. [GA] Gun owner holds attempted carjacking suspect at gunpoint [VIDEO]
**************************************************

Hey, Geraldo Rivera! Here is yet another example, in an endless stream, of armed gun owners stopping criminals.

From concealednation.org: http://tinyurl.com/ma8b4my
http://concealednation.org/2015/05/raw- ... -the-book/


RAW VIDEO: Man holds attempted carjacking suspect at gunpoint, on point and by the book
Posted by Brandon
May 21, 2015

ATLANTA, GEORGIA — A man held another man at gunpoint after he tried to rob him by getting into his passenger seat as soon as his doors unlocked after he parked.

The armed citizen, Hashim Fannin, says that the incident happened as soon as he pulled into the parking lot of a Family Dollar store.

The suspect, 61-year-old Edgar Horn, opened the passenger side door and sat down.

“He told me, ‘You know what this,'” Fannin said. Not waiting to see what happens next, that’s when Fannin says he pulled his gun out.

“I asked him to get out the car, probably not in those exact words,” Fannin said.

“I told him no, there’s no leaving, leaving was before you hopped into my car … at this point there is not leaving,” Fannin said.

Fannin kept the suspect on the ground and at gunpoint until police arrived.

A bystander was recording the incident. When police arrived, you can see Fannin flag them down to alert them of their location. At that time, he places his firearm on the ground and away from him.

When police get out of their vehicle and approach everyone, one of the officers can be heard saying “Good job, man!” They walk up, and one officer immediately shakes Fannin’s hand.

Very shortly after this, and while the suspect is being handcuffed, the officer tells Fannin that he’s free to retrieve his firearm.

“Honestly, I look at it like this. That is one less guy I got to worry about bothering my mom when she’s out grocery shopping,” Fannin said.

According to a police report, the suspect was arrested for attempted robbery and entering an automobile.

Well done, Sir. Well done. This was a textbook example of how to handle a situation like this one.

This also isn’t the first time that Fannin has been on the news after an incident like this. On July 4th 2011, he was (almost) a victim of an attempted theft of an iPhone during a Craigslist transaction. As you can see from the video below, the suspect didn’t have a good time in this case, either.


**************************************************
13. [ID] Remote school buys gun to enhance safety
**************************************************

This school in Idaho will be a lot safer than Virginia schools, which are embedded in supposedly “gun-free zones.”

Member Perry Hecker emailed me this:


From yahoo.com: https://tinyurl.com/nq8dcsg
https://news.yahoo.com/remote-idaho-sch ... 48971.html


Remote Idaho school buys guns to enhance safety
Associated Press by Kimberlee Kruesi
June 6, 2015

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A tiny school district in Idaho far removed from law enforcement has purchased firearms and trained a handful of staff to use them should the same school shooting rampage that has occurred across the country take place.

It takes at least 45 minutes for officers to reach the Garden Valley School District — a district made up of less than 300 students all taught under the same building — where limited funds have prevented the school from being able to afford hiring police officers to patrol the building during school hours. Police often request schools to help offset the costs of being stationed at a school if grants are not available.

As a result, the school board approved this month purchasing guns to remain locked inside the school and trained six employees to use the weapons in an emergency.

"I hope we never have to use them," said Alan Ward, a school board member who has been discussing this option with the school for two years. "But in the event something did happen, we wanted to be prepared."

Garden Valley's actions are just one of many solutions schools across the nation have adopted to protect their campuses. Some have installed metal detectors, others have expanded school resource officers to secure not only high schools but also middle and elementary schools.

But in Idaho, bringing guns into a school as a safety measure is a much more accepted option where Second Amendment rights are highly protected and libertarian ideals run deep.

In 2013, an eastern Idaho school district approved installing gun safes in its high schools and middle schools in order for school resource officers to have easy access to rifles if needed — the same year the Idaho School Board Association rejected a plan to set up gun training for education staff and teachers.

In 2014, state lawmakers approved allowing guns on college campuses.

According to the Idaho Department of Education, school districts statewide reported less than 10 weapon-related incidents over the past two years. This includes reports about guns, knives and explosives to schools.

What the department declined to share, however, is how many of each incident was reported, where each one occurred and when they happened. This is due to a recently amended policy where if less than 10 of a specific incident is reported, the information is redacted.

Finding information about Garden Valley's weapons decision is also limited. The school board declined to release how many firearms were purchased, what type and where they would be stored.

Ward said the school isn't releasing that information to protect safety procedures. He estimated the school has spent roughly $3,500 to purchase ammunition and train six school employees to handle the weapons while the rest of the arsenal was donated by the community.

Even with training, it's no guarantee teachers and staff will prevent fatalities in a high-stakes situation, said Allison Anderman, a staff attorney with Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a nonprofit opposed to arming teachers.

She added that housing guns in schools could create a chilling effect for students who may be less inclined to speak out knowing that the teacher could be armed.

"Just having people armed doesn't make a school safer," Anderman said.


**************************************************
14. [IL] Epic failure of Chicago gun control proves more is needed
**************************************************

ROFL! Clearly Rahm Emanuel is not a MENSA member.

Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:

From breitbart.com: http://tinyurl.com/nfhvwmz
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government ... ol-needed/


RAHM EMANUEL: EPIC FAILURE OF CHICAGO GUN CONTROL PROVES MORE GUN CONTROL NEEDED
by AWR Hawkins
May 26, 2015

Following a Memorial Day Weekend during which 12 people shot and killed and 43 more were wounded, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said a large part of the solution to the problem is more gun control.

That’s right — gun control is failing miserably and the solution is more gun control.

Breitbart News previously reported that a shooting on Friday resulted in the injuries of 4-year-old girl, her 17-year-old cousin, and a 15-year-old bystander in West Englewood.

On Sunday two boys, a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old, were shot in the 4400 block of South Cottage Grove. The 15-year-old was killed. A 20-year-old was shot and killed in Humboldt Park and another man was shot and killed in East Garfield Park.

On Monday there were homicides at 2:30 pm, 5:25 pm, and 7:50 pm, and the list goes on.

Were the shooters in these instance law-abiding citizens? Negative. Yet Emanuel’s response is more gun control which only affects law-abiding citizens. For those who ignore the law, more gun control simply means more victims.

According to CBS Chicago, Emanuel attended a May 26 luncheon honoring police officers, where he said stopping the lawless use of firearms requires more than just officers on the street, it also requires “community action” and “stronger gun laws.” He said, “It is not just about how many police you have, it is about the quantity of guns that are on the street so we actually have gun laws that back up the men and women we just recognized.”

An interesting side note — Syracuse University’s track data on enforcement of federal gun laws in 2012 found that “out of 90 jurisdictions in the country, [Chicago] ranked 90th.”

**************************************************
15. [CO] Criminals find out the hard way that robbing a gun owner is a bad idea [VIDEO]
**************************************************

Member Rick Evans emailed me this:

From kdvr.com: https://tinyurl.com/ocztd2s
http://kdvr.com/2015/05/30/1-dead-2-inj ... in-aurora/


1 dead, 2 injured after attempted armed robbery of movers in Aurora
by Hsing Tseng and Chris Jose
May 30, 2015

AURORA, Colo. — Three juveniles were shot after a robbery attempt gone awry late Friday night.

Police responded to reports of shots fired around 11 p.m. in the 400 block of South Kalispell Way in Aurora.

“I was in bed and I heard all of these shots,” said Mae Dixon, a neighbor. “Everyone here is a victim.”

Three men were moving items into a unit in an apartment building when they were approached by three teenage males in the foyer who attempted to rob them at gunpoint, police say.

“Two of the movers started to hand over their money,” said Nick Metz, Aurora Police Chief. “The third mover who was fearing for his safety and the safety of his friends, pulled his weapon out.”

Two of the suspected robbers– who police say are juveniles– are in custody. One is in serious condition. The other is in fair condition with a non-life threatening gunshot wound to the shoulder.

A third suspect died from his injuries on the way to the hospital.

“I saw them put a kid in the ambulance and they were pumping his heart. I said this kid is in serious trouble,” said Dixon.

The investigation is continuing and no charges have been filed, but it appears to be a case of self defense pending investigation, according to the Arapahoe County District Attorney’s office.

“Whether this person had a concealed permit or not, if you have a weapon and you are placed in fear of serious bodily injury or death, you are entitled to defend yourself,” said George Brauchler, District Attorney Eighteenth Judicial District.

Police have not identified the suspects yet because of their age. The three men in the process of moving were not injured in the attempted robbery.

According to Aurora police, the three movers have cooperated with the investigation and all weapons have been recovered. Police say there is no community safety concern for the neighbors or anyone in the area.


**************************************************
16. Vince Vaughn wants all American schools protected with firearms [VIDEO]
**************************************************

Someone in Hollywood with lots of logic and reason on guns. Of course he is being attacked for daring to say the obvious.

Member Clayton Rhoades emailed me this:


From foxnews.com: https://tinyurl.com/pvoo7vg
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/20 ... p=features


Vince Vaughn wants all American schools protected with firearms
by FoxNews.com
June 1, 2015

“It's well known that the greatest defense against an intruder is the sound of a gun hammer being pulled back."

That’s one of the statements actor Vince Vaughn makes in in a wide-ranging interview to the UK edition of GQ magazine that includes his views about the rights of Americans to carry firearms.

“I support people having a gun in public full stop, not just in your home. We don't have the right to bear arms because of burglars,” he said. “We have the right to bear arms to resist the supreme power of a corrupt and abusive government. It's not about duck hunting, it's about the ability of the individual.

"It's the same reason we have freedom of speech,” he added.

But Vaughn, 45, wasn’t done. He said he also wanted American schools to have firearms to protect their students.

“You think the politicians that run my country and your country don't have guns in the schools their kids go to? They do,” he said. “And we should be allowed the same rights. Banning guns is like banning forks in an attempt to stop making people fat. Taking away guns, taking away drugs, the booze, it won't rid the world of criminality."

Vaughn said most mass shootings occur where people aren’t allowed to defend themselves with firearms.

“They've only happened in places that don't allow guns. These people are sick in the head and are going to kill innocent people,” he said of the perpetrators of mass shootings.

"In all of our schools it is illegal to have guns on campus, so again and again these guys go and shoot up these ... schools because they know there are no guns there,” Vaughn said. “They are monsters killing six-year-olds."

The actor also gave his views on Eric Snowden, who leaked classified material from the NSA to the press, calling him "a hero."

"I like what he did," Vaughn said. "My idea of treason is that you sell secrets to the enemy. He gave information to the American people."

Vaughn is starring alongside Colin Farrell in the second season of HBO’s “True Detective.”


**************************************************
17. Public gun crimes 'don't happen in other countries'
**************************************************

In an upcoming Update there will be an item debunking the notion that Obama and Martinez are putting forward - that mass shootings only happen in America.

Member Clayton Rhoades emailed me this:


From breitbart.com: http://tinyurl.com/kwrkq7a
http://www.breitbart.com/california/201 ... countries/


RICHARD MARTINEZ: PUBLIC GUN CRIMES ‘DON’T HAPPEN IN OTHER COUNTRIES’
by AWR Hawkins
May 24, 2015

On the one year anniversary of Elliot Rodger’s May 23 Santa Barbara attack, Richard Martinez said he will continue to push gun control in the United States because attacks like Rodger’s “don’t happen in other countries.”

Martinez son, Christopher Michaels-Martinez, was one of three shot and killed by Rodger.

According to the Associated Press, Martinez said, “I’m not anti-gun, I’m anti-gun violence.” And while he has dedicated his life to gun control, he says he “still supports the rights of hunters and target-shooters.”

The problem with Martinez’s position is that the Second Amendment was not put in place to protect a hunters and target shooters, per se, but to protect the right to keep and bear arms for the defense of one’s self and one’s country. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito highlighted this in the majority opinion for McDonald v. Chicago (2010) by writing, “Individual self-defense is ‘the central component’ of the 2nd Amendment right.”

But Martinez has another problem with his gun control push in that he seeks to justify it by claiming attacks like the one in Santa Barbara “don’t happen in other countries.”

On July 22, 2011, Anders Behring Breivik killed 8 people with a bomb in Oslo, Norway, then shot and killed 69 people at a youth camp in Utoya. Shot and killed 69.

CBSNews reported that Breivik’s goal had been to “kill all 600? people attending the camp.

More recently, in France on January 7, gunmen killed 12 at Charlie Hebdo’s Paris headquarters and that was followed by a February 14 attack in Copenhagen, where a gunman shot and killed two civilians and wounded five others.

The tie that binds Norway, France, and Denmark together? All have “restrictive” gun control which requires the passage of extensive criminal and mental background checks before possession of a firearm is legal.

Yet Martinez says that attacks with guns “don’t happen in other countries” and he has dedicated himself to pursuing restrictive gun control in the US to prevent them from happening here.




***************************************************************************
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/]

[tommy610]

I have to say, this single post is more interesting than the NRA magazine I get in the mail. Thanks!