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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VCDL Update 2/24/10
1. March 18 VCDL meeting
2. VCDL March 24 meeting -- ROOM CHANGE
3. News from Second Amendment March
4. How a Va. bill becomes law
5. Good coverage of VA "open carry" gun meeting
6. Wash. Post Editorial: If Virginia lifts gun-buying limit, get ready for mayhem
7. One-Gun Law Endangered in the House
8. Pilot screed: "One gun a month should be enough"
9. RTD Editorial - repeal of OHGAM deserves serious consideration
10. Daily Press report on OHGAM repeal and poll - hit it!
11. Daily Press poll on OHGAM repeal
12. OHGAM repeal: Wilder responds
13. Collegiate Times (VT) Article on Restaurant Ban Repeal
14. Wash. Times Ed: Getting rid of gun control
15. Virginia vies for "Who's the Biggest Winner" title - can Utah be upset?
16. Michael Paul Williams at it yet again
17. Virginia Gun Owners Seek Expansion of RKBA
18. Obama Spurns Gun Control
19. Official Release from National Parks Service
20. Airgun forum: Match shooters? Want to shoot a Creedmore AR?
21. News Advance: Concealed weapons proposal worrisom
22. LTE: Making bars safe
23. Dealing with Guns and Drugs
24. RT Editor: More guns, less safety
25. Plaintiff in handgun case is suing D.C. for right carry firearms in public
26. Open carry deters robbery in Georgia
27. Don't try gun stings here, West Virginia pol Kessler warns Mayor Bloomberg
28. Brady Campaign study shows more guns equal less crime?
29. "Gun Owners Against Illegal Mayors"
30. Homeland Security reports losing guns
31. Alabama Prof. Went to Range Before Shooting
32. Drivers license renewal (new format) possible problem with concealed carry
33. Shooting at Olympics!
35. I love biathlon
36. Two teens shot during church service in Richmond, California
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1. March 18 VCDL meeting
**************************************************
Howie Lind, running for the 10th Congressional District GOP Chairman,
will speak at our March 18 VCDL meeting in Annadale.
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2. VCDL March 24 meeting -- ROOM CHANGE
**************************************************
The March 24 VCDL meeting will now be held at the Twin Hickory Library
in the TW Meeting Room at 7:00pm. Details of the meeting will be
included in a future Update.
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3. News from Second Amendment March
**************************************************
The Second Amendment March continues to build up stream! I hope that
VCDL members will turn out in large numbers to make sure that both
marches are successful.
For us in Virginia, there will be TWO marches - one in Richmond on
April 12th and the national march in DC on April 19th.
Here is an impressive list of speakers that they currently have lined
up for the national march:
http://www.secondamendmentmarch.com/itinerary
Here is the current newsletter:
http://tinyurl.com/yj2qx23
You can RSVP to attend the marches here:
http://www.secondamendmentmarch.com/rsvp
Currently they are scheduling me to speak at both marches... I'll see
you there!
**************************************************
4. How a Va. bill becomes law
**************************************************
A VCDL member's summary of the Virginia state legislative process
The analogy I've used recently is a bill becoming law is like a baby
turtle racing from land to the ocean across the beach. With every
step, death looms in the form of birds and other animals trying to eat
the turtles during that race. Only a small number actually make it to
the ocean.
So is it with a bill in the General Assembly. The bills are voted on
at least 4 times, usually 6 times and can be voted on much more than
that. With every vote, the bill can be killed.
That is a GOOD thing, as we don't want too many laws and we only want
laws that have been well vetted.
Bob Sadtler emailed me this:
--
How a Va. Bill becomes law
Prefiling - A Senator or Delegate sponsors a bill, generally at the
behest of a constituent
Drafting - Legislative Services crafts the language
Introduction - Senator/Delegate introduces bill to their respective
chamber
Chamber Leader directs to subcommittee - Note: The Speaker of the
House of is the most powerful Speaker in the nation, controlling every
aspect of committee assignments, from who sits on which committee
from BOTH parties, to which subcommittee handles which bill. He also
has no obligation to assign a bill at all. If no committee sees a
bill, it dies. This is called a Pocket Veto
Subcommittee - Debates, amends, and votes on whether or not to report
a bill to the full committee. On a vote, IF IT TIES, IT DIES. This is
the mantra throughout the legislative process
Full Committee - Repeats the process of the subcommittee. If the
measure is passed, then it goes to the House floor
First Reading - Bill is printed in the legislative calendar or read by
the Chamber Clerk
Second Reading - Bill is debated and possibly amended
Third Reading - Final vote is taken
Crossover Day - The entire process is repeated in the other house. If
the bill is passed in it's original wording (good luck with THAT one),
it goes to the Governor's desk. If the bill is amended, it must go
back to the original house for approval
Conference Committee - Three members of each chamber meet to resolve
the differences if one or both Houses insist on their version of a
bill that has passed each House with different wording. The
Conference Committee can kill the bill or send it with their
recommended compromise for a straight up or down vote by both Houses.
Either House can vote down the bill and kill it
Compromise - The Governor can make suggestions or changes and the bill
returns to both houses for approval with an up or down vote
Governor's Action choices:
1) Sign the Bill so it becomes law with the Governor's endorsement,
or
2) Amend and return the bill to the General Assembly for a vote or
3) Veto the bill. BOTH Houses must have a two-thirds majority to
override the veto or
4) Do nothing. The bill will become law WITHOUT the Governor's
endorsement
Enactment - Bills become law on July 1st, unless otherwise directed.
**************************************************
5. Good coverage of VA "open carry" gun meeting
**************************************************
http://tinyurl.com/ygx66wo
www.dailypress.com
More gun rights on horizon?
By Ashley Kelly and Kimball Payne
10:57 p.m. EST, February 18, 2010
YORK -- "Guns save lives" is printed on the bright orange stickers.
The stickers were worn by about 50 people who attended a monthly
meeting at the County Grill, hosted by the gun rights Web site
OpenCarry.org.
Attendees said that carrying a gun is about expressing a
constitutional right. Many of them discussed proposed legislation in
the General Assembly that could give them further freedoms.
There are several gun bills that are being voted on in the General
Assembly. This week, House lawmakers voted 61-37 to repeal the one
handgun a month purchase limit.
The law, passed in 1993 under Gov. Doug Wilder, has long been upheld
as the state's signature gun-control restriction. The Senate approved
Bill 334, which allows gun owners with permits to carry concealed-
weapons in restaurants that serve alcohol. The vote passed 22-18.
"I think it's been a long time coming. We're seeing some real movement
on these items," said Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia
Citizens Defense League Inc.
Van Cleave said Bill 334 was one of the most important bills that is
being proposed during this session.
"Criminals tend to pick times when you're caught off guard. You just
don't know," Van Cleave said. "You only get one life. This is how I
choose to protect it. If others don't, that's their choice."
Gun owners and 2nd Amendment activists have reason to be in high
spirits in Virginia these days, thanks to the election of Gov. Bob
McDonnell last November, which helped Republicans bolster an already
powerful majority in the House of Delegates. With a Republican in the
Virginia executive mansion for the first time in almost a decade,
lawmakers are pushing the most aggressive gun rights legislation in
years.
York County Sheriff J.D. "Danny" Diggs and Congressman Rob Wittman
both attended Wednesday's meeting as guests of OpenCarry.org. Neither
gave formal remarks.
State legislators are pushing an array of proposals, including changes
that would exempt Virginia gun and ammunition builders from federal
oversight. Lawmakers are also pushing to repeal a law limiting
Virginians to a single handgun purchase a month.
"Criminals don't care about how many handguns they can have a month.
They don't care about what the law says they can get," said Paul
Henick, who attended the dinner. "The General Assembly is really
reinstating a lot of the things they took away over the last 20 or 30
years."
Van Cleave said "freedom will be ringing" if many of the proposed
bills become law.
"For the first time since 1995, a gun owner will be able to decide for
himself if he wants to carry a concealed weapon," Van Cleave said.
**************************************************
6. Wash. Post Editorial: If Virginia lifts gun-buying limit, get ready
for mayhem
**************************************************
No one can panic over nothing and make a huge mountain out of a tiny
mole hill like the antis! If Virginia repeals One Handgun A Month,
the US will sink into anarchy!
Delegate Lingamfleter is vilified in the editorial below, when it is
HE who understands what freedom and rights are all about. The paper
wants an all knowing,all seeing government looking over every aspect
of our lives.
No thanks. But the good news for the paper is that they can hire
their own nanny to watch over them while they sit in the corner
sucking their thumb.
New York needs to deal with its criminals, plain and simple.
Bruce Jackson emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/yjcjlch
www.washingtonpost.com
If Virginia lifts gun-buying limit, get ready for mayhem
IN A RARE moment of gun law sanity, Virginia enacted a bill 17 years
ago limiting the purchase of handguns to one a month. Almost
immediately, the numbers of guns traced to Virginia that were used in
crimes in the Northeast, particularly in New York, dropped sharply.
Now, thanks to Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter, a Prince William County
Republican who is pushing to repeal the law, the Old Dominion may
regain the dubious distinction of being a leading arsenal for
criminals. Mr. Lingamfelter's measure cleared the House of Delegates
in Richmond this week and is headed for the state Senate. It was
backed mainly by House Republicans, for whom the purchase of a dozen
handguns annually is apparently not enough.
Although it may be news to Mr. Lingamfelter, who compares limiting gun
purchases to limiting church attendance, guns are often used in the
commission of violent crimes, and the state has a legitimate interest
in regulating their sale to protect public safety. Mr. Lingamfelter's
assertion that the current law is obsolete is simply untrue. And to
argue that it is ineffective because so many buyers are exempt (such
as Virginians who hold permits to carry concealed weapons) only raises
the question of why the commonwealth has shot holes in what is a
highly useful law enforcement tool.
At the time the law was passed, in 1993, it was pushed not only by the
then-governor, L. Douglas Wilder, a Democrat, but also by a bipartisan
coalition of law enforcement groups, businesses and the Justice
Department of President George H.W. Bush. Mr. Lingamfelter argues that
advances in technology mean that gun sellers can now verify that
buyers are not felons instantaneously through the National Instant
Check System, which didn't exist when the law was passed. But plenty
of corrupt gun dealers circumvent the system by selling guns off the
books or to straw buyers. And while the one-gun limit does not stop
all those sales, it's a deterrent, since it applies to straw buyers as
well.
We hope reason prevails, and the state Senate kills the repeal.
Because if Mr. Lingamfelter's bill is enacted, here's what police and
prosecutors expect: Crack dealers in New York will pay 21-year-olds
with no criminal records to buy dozens of Glock pistols at Virginia
gun shops. When those guns end up sold to criminals on the streets of
the Bronx or traded for cocaine, New Yorkers will have the General
Assembly to thank -- and Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) if he signs the
bill.
**************************************************
7. One-Gun Law Endangered in the House
**************************************************
And more panic.
Bruce Jackson emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/yh5l799
www.newsadvance.com
One-Gun Law Endangered in the House
The News & Advance
Published: February 18, 2010
The one-gun-a-month limit on the purchase of handguns was a
legislative triumph in 1993 of then-Gov. Douglas Wilder. It was
enacted as gun homicide rates soared in Richmond and as the state
gained a reputation as an East Coast armory for violent criminals.
But Del. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Woodbridge, has persuaded the
Republican majority in the House of Delegates that the law has
outlived its usefulness.
And his colleagues are buying the argument. That's sad.
It will remain for the Senate of Virginia to reject this careless
piece of legislation that can only do harm by increasing the number of
guns on the streets of Virginia's cities.
During debate in 1993 when the limit was put in place, gun dealers
admitted that multiple sales of guns on a daily or weekly basis were
creating a problem for police in other jurisdictions. They also
acknowledged the hypocrisy of putting individual rights and the profit
motive ahead of concern for public safety.
In debate this year in the House, Andrew Goddard told the House
Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety -- a committee, by the
way, that has never met a pro-gun bill it did not like -- that the
one-gun-a-month law had been credited with reducing Virginia's role in
illegal gun-trafficking on the East Coast.
Before the law was approved, Virginia ranked first in illegal guns
moving up and down Interstate 95. Afterward, he said, it dropped to
sixth. Goddard is a gun-control activist whose child was injured in
the 2007 shooting rampage at Virginia Tech.
The father told the panel that repealing the ban would make it easier
for criminals to buy guns through straw purchases in which felons get
other people to buy weapons for them.
"If a person can walk out with a box full of Glocks, they are going to
walk out onto the street and sell them," Goddard said. [PVC: Gee, I
wonder why this isn't happening in states that don't have OHGAM laws?]
On the House floor, where the measure moved along toward its final
approval on Tuesday, Del. Joseph Morrissey, D-Henrico, raised the
issue of why anyone would need to buy more than one pistol a month.
"Right now you can buy up to 12 guns a year -- an unlimited number of
firearms, a huge arsenal. And we all know that gunrunning is real,"
said the former Richmond prosecutor.
"We have been successful in the city of Richmond by reducing homicides
by guns and right now we are unraveling almost two decades of
progress," he argued.
Wilder has steadfastly contended that no one needs to buy more than
one gun a month. As recently as this past fall, he said, "In my
conversations with people across the state, I have not encountered
anyone who has listed as their priority the need for them to have more
handguns."
But that argument appears to be irrelevant in this year's gun-happy
House of Delegates.
The only hope for derailing this unnecessary legislation lies with the
Senate. Will it side with the gun lobby for whom there are never
enough guns?
Or will it lean on common sense and uphold the ban on buying more than
one handgun a month?
**************************************************
8. Pilot screed: "One gun a month should be enough"
**************************************************
And MORE panic!
http://tinyurl.com/ycgtjcs
http://hamptonroads.com
[SNIP]
The irony - and absurdity - of Del. Scott Lingamfelter's statements on
handguns seemed to fly right over his head. Or maybe he ducked, just
in time.
The Prince William Republican, a gun rights absolutist, explained that
there's no longer any reason for Virginia to keep its one-handgun-a-
month law, which passed in 1993 under Gov. Doug Wilder.
Criminals, by their very definition, aren't good about walking the
straight and narrow. The idea behind the law was to make it as tough
as possible for crooks to obtain firearms they could resell for ready
cash. Repealing the law will make their task easier.
Taken together, the gun show loophole and repeal of one handgun a
month could easily be called something else: The Strawman's Bill of
Rights.
The trade is so deadly and disruptive outside Virginia that officials
elsewhere have actually come to the commonwealth to investigate
illegal sales. That should mortify Richmond, but those embarrassments
have instead prompted Virginia lawmakers to try to make the
investigations illegal.
**************************************************
9. RTD Editorial - repeal of OHGAM deserves serious consideration
**************************************************
And FINALLY - a voice of careful consideration and reason. Except for
one editorialist, the Richmond Times-Dispatch has treated guns and gun
owners in a pretty fair manner recently.
http://tinyurl.com/y8hp6j9
www.timesdispatch.com
Repeal?
By STAFF REPORTS
Published: February 17, 2010
Virginia's one-gun-a-month law worked. The bipartisan measure -- its
passage was a product of pressure from Democrat Doug Wilder and
Republican Richard Cullen, then U.S. attorney for the Eastern District
of Virginia -- helped impair the drugs-for-guns circuit up and down
the East Coast.
But some members of the General Assembly, such as Del. Scott
Lingamfelter, want to repeal the law. They say that it has served its
purpose, that it has been supplanted by instant background checks and
related measures. They have a point.
One-gun-a-month served a practical function. But it also compromised
important principles by infringing on the right to bear arms enshrined
in the Constitution. Like Del. Joe Morrissey, who asked whether the
law truly inconviences anyone, advocates of the measure stress that
one gun a month should be enough for anyone; no one "needs" to buy
more than that. Perhaps. On the other hand, rights are not supposed to
be constrained by what some people think other people need. It could
be argued that newspapers do not need to publish more than once a
week, that nobody needs to buy more than two books a month, that the
faithful do not need to attend church more than twice a year, or that
no woman should need more than one abortion in her lifetime. Those are
not decisions government should make.
We supported one-gun-a-month in 1993. But we have long argued that
statutes and programs should not have eternal life. Otherwise America
will gradually be smothered by relics such as the mohair subsidy, the
national helium reserve, and "temporary" taxes dating back to the War
of 1812. Now is as good a time as any to take a fresh look at one-gun-
a-month. Careful consideration may lead to the conclusion that repeal
is warranted -- and perhaps even overdue.
**************************************************
10. Daily Press report on OHGAM repeal and poll - hit it!
**************************************************
The Daily Press reporter, Kimball Payne, just reports the story
without any panic.
http://tinyurl.com/ybfos33
www.dailypress.com
General Assembly: House of Delegates votes to end 'gun a month' policy
By Kimball Payne
RICHMOND - During a marathon floor session, House lawmakers voted
Tuesday to repeal the 17-year-old law limiting Virginians to a single
handgun purchase a month.
The law, passed in 1993 under Gov. Doug Wilder, has long been upheld
as the state's signature gun-control restriction. But House lawmakers
voted 61-37 to repeal the limit.
The vote closely followed party lines. Two Democrats voted in favor of
repealing the limit, while four Republicans voted to preserve it.
The proposal sponsored by Del. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William,
moved quickly.
"What is at stake here?" Lingamfelter asked. "Freedom."
Lingamfelter noted that legislators have already exempted hundreds of
thousands of concealed-carry permit holders from the restrictions and
said instant electronic background checks have significantly cut down
on illegal access to guns.
But Del. Ken Plum, D- Fairfax, said repealing the law would allow
Virginia to regain the reputation as "the gun-running capital of the
East."
"We made a bold step forward," Plum said. "Let's not step back."
Lingamfelter's bill passed with an overwhelming margin, along with a
bill sponsored by Del. Charles W. "Bill" Carrico, R-Galax, that would
allow Virginians to build guns and ammunition at their homes without
federal oversight.
The bill -- which would require that Virginians not transport or use
the weapons across state lines -- passed 70-29.
The General Assembly moved in fits and starts throughout the day
Tuesday, as lawmakers took tons of votes on potential new laws in the
run-up to the session's halfway point. Known as "crossover," the
midpoint of the session is the deadline for House legislation to move
to the Senate, and vice versa.
Any bills that weren't passed in one of the chambers by midnight
Tuesday are effectively dead for the year. Crossover significantly
narrows the General Assembly's focus by doing away with legislation
with little hope of surviving.
But Tuesday was a wide-ranging day, with lawmakers voting on
everything from license plates supporting abortion rights to proposals
to expand gun rights.
The Senate voted 22-18 to allow Virginians to carry concealed weapons
into restaurants that serve alcohol. Under current law, gun owners can
open carry weapons into restaurants, provided they don't drink
alcohol. Those with conceal-carry permits can bring weapons into
restaurants that don't serve alcohol.
Opponents argued that the new law has potentially grave consequences
because of the volatile mixture of weapons and drinking. The Senate
passed the proposal last year, but the law was vetoed by then- Gov.
Timothy M. Kaine.
Gov. Bob McDonnell has said he supports repealing the gun limit, but
it's unclear what reaction the proposed changes will get in the
Senate. House lawmakers voted last year to allow concealed carrying in
bars.
**************************************************
11. Daily Press poll on OHGAM repeal
**************************************************
Chet Szymecki emailed me the link to a poll for the article, above
(#10):
http://tinyurl.com/yarzyxs
**************************************************
12. OHGAM repeal: Wilder responds
**************************************************
"How many guns do you need, for God's sake? You can buy 12 a year; is
that not enough?," Wilder asks.
http://tinyurl.com/yhcc7v5
www.timesdispatch.com
Va. House panel OKs repeal of gun-purchase limit
By TYLER WHITLEY
Published: February 13, 2010
Updated: February 15, 2010
RICHMOND, Va. Virginia's 17-year limit on handgun purchases may be
headed for repeal.
The House Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety voted 15-6
yesterday to repeal the one-handgun-a-month law, which was enacted in
1993 during the administration of Gov. L. Douglas Wilder because
Virginia had become a major source of gun-running.
House Bill 49 is likely to clear the House of Delegates, which has a
Republican majority.
If it passes the Democratic-led Senate, where its chances are
uncertain, Gov. Bob McDonnell intends to sign the measure. He voted
for the 1993 ban when he was in the House but since has had a change
of heart.
Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William, sponsor of the repeal
bill, said yesterday that so many exemptions have been carved into the
law that the measure no longer is necessary.
But Andrew Goddard, whose son was wounded by the Virginia Tech gunman
in 2007, said the one-gun-a-month law has taken Virginia from No. 1 in
the country as the supplier of guns used in crimes to No. 6.
Lingamfelter noted that there are federal checks that didn't exist in
1993. "In reality, one gun a month . . . does not stop crime,"
Lingamfelter said. "Criminals who are inclined to break the law don't
obey this one."
But Goddard said repealing the ban would make it easier for criminals
to buy guns through straw purchases, in which felons get other people
to buy weapons for them.
"If a person can walk out with a box full of Glocks, they're going to
walk out onto the street and sell them," he said.
"Elections have consequences," said Del. James M. Scott, D-Fairfax,
referring to Republican triumphs in three statewide elections in
Virginia last November and the GOP pickup of six House seats.
Scott was one of six Democrats to vote against the repeal. Two
Democrats joined 13 Republicans on the committee in voting for the
repeal.
"It's surprising how widespread the relaxation of all of our gun
regulations is," Scott said.
The committee voted for about a dozen bills making it easier to get
concealed-weapons permits and to carry guns. One bill would remove
federal jurisdiction over all guns and ammunition made in Virginia.
The Lingamfelter bill was endorsed by the Virginia Citizens Defense
League and the National Rifle Association.
Also yesterday, most Republicans in the House voted for House Bill
505, which would allow holders of concealed-weapons permits to carry
concealed guns in bars and restaurants.
Then-Gov. Timothy M. Kaine vetoed similar legislation last year, but
McDonnell is expected to sign it if it passes the Senate. The vote was
67-27.
Last year, both candidates for governor, Republican McDonnell and
Democrat R. Creigh Deeds, said they would sign bills to repeal the one-
gun-a-month law.
Wilder cited Deeds' pledge to repeal the law as one reason why he
declined to endorse the Democratic nominee.
When both were in the House, Deeds voted against the one-gun-a-month
bill, while McDonnell voted for it.
Since the 1993 legislation, there have been "tremendous advances" in
instant background checks and in the law on straw purchases, McDonnell
said last August during an online chat at the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Opponents of the repeal complained yesterday that the process appeared
to be stacked against them. Even though it was introduced in December,
the bill was brought suddenly before a subcommittee Thursday at 5 p.m.
There was no docket yesterday to indicate which bills were being taken
up.
Wilder could not be reached for comment yesterday. But he told The
Associated Press that the fault lies with Kaine and other Democrats
who backed Deeds for governor, even though Deeds supported repeal.
"Once that atmosphere was poisoned by a Democratic standard-bearer who
was going to carry the banner, should you be surprised that this is a
result of it?" Wilder was quoted as saying.
He also asked why anyone would want to buy more than one handgun a
month.
"How many guns do you need, for God's sake? You can buy 12 a year; is
that not enough?" [PVC: No, it's not enough. And there's no reason
to force the purchase to be spread out either.]
**************************************************
13. Collegiate Times (VT) Article on Restaurant Ban Repeal
**************************************************
Jacob Dawson emailed me this:
--
It's about what you'd expect from the Collegiate Times, completely one-
sided, but I figure you and the other VCDL members might get a kick
out of it.
Also, there's a related poll, which is doing fairly well on its own:
http://tinyurl.com/ya5bcnn
Jacob M. Dawson
http://tinyurl.com/ydrv9pb
www.collegiatetimes.com
CAMPUS | NEW RIVER VALLEY | STATE
Gun bill faces opposition ahead of vote
Monday, February 15, 2010; 10:54 PM
by Zach Crizer, nrv news editor
Blacksburg restaurant owners are lobbying against a bill that would
allow permit holders to carry concealed weapons in establishments that
serve alcohol.
Jason Brauns, who owns Top of the Stairs on College Avenue, is a
concealed carry permit holder, but does not want concealed weapons in
his establishment.
"In a nutshell, I have a concealed weapons permit," Brauns said. "I
believe in gun rights and being able to carry guns, but I don't
believe that in bars or anywhere alcohol is involved is the place for
them."
The Virginia House of Delegates has passed the bill and the senate is
expected to vote on it Tuesday. The bill would change Virginia's laws
on concealed weapons. Currently, concealed weapons are not allowed in
restaurants that serve alcohol. The bill would allow concealed carry
permit holders to carry guns in restaurants, as long as the holders do
not consume alcohol.
Robert Hodges, who owns Bud Foster's Restaurant, said the legislation
would put restaurant owners in an uncomfortable situation.
"I think this is the worst thing the legislation in Richmond could
ever do to restaurants and bars," Hodges said.
Brauns said the stipulation that requires the person concealing the
weapon to not drink would be difficult to deal with.
"I guess that would make it a lot more challenging to enforce that,"
Brauns said. "I think it needs to be a blanket law on that. You can
either carry it in there or you can't."
If the bill were to be enacted into law, Brauns said he would put up a
sign prohibiting guns in Top of the Stairs.
Hodges said adding the sign could create an image problem with patrons
visiting from other areas.
"You can put up a sign on your door that says 'No guns allowed,' but
I'll be honest with you, how likely is someone from out of town to
enter a restaurant or bar where they have a big sign posted that says
'No guns allowed?'"
Hodges is afraid difficult enforcement conditions could lead to safety
hazards.
"As an owner and operator of a restaurant that does serve alcohol,
yeah I have some concerns and some safety issues with the
legislation," Hodges said. "The fact that someone can walk in here
with a concealed weapon just because they have a permit, get
intoxicated, and if there is an altercation pull a gun and discharge
it in my establishment concerns me greatly."
John Welch, a Virginia Tech senior and spokesman for Students for Non-
Violence, said local state government officials are not accurately
representing the citizens of the Blacksburg area.
Delegates Dave Nutter and Jim Shuler, who each represent a portion of
Montgomery County, voted for the measure. Sen. John Edwards, who
represents a portion of Montgomery County, has yet to vote. None of
the officials immediately returned phone calls from the Collegiate
Times.
"They're sort of out of touch with a lot of people that they're saying
we're out of touch with," Welch said.
Welch said the bill will likely pass in the senate, but he has been
leading the opposition effort.
"I think there's a good chance," Welch said. "It was so close when it
was in committee, so now all the pressure is really going on Delegate
Nutter and Sen. Edwards, and we've been pounding his e-mail inbox for
the last 48 hours."
**************************************************
14. Wash. Times Ed: Getting rid of gun control
**************************************************
One-gun-a-month limits hurt law-abiding citizens, not criminals
Doug Goodgion emailed me this:
--
Dear Mr. Van Cleave,
There was a very good article in the Opinion section of The Washington
Times this morning dated Feb 19th., titled "Getting rid of gun control
(One-gun-a-month limits hurt law-abiding citizens, not criminals).
Piece makes alot of good common sense. Hope everyone who subscribes to
the paper has an opportunity to read it. I am sure you will be able to
find it on-line as well.
Doug Goodgion
Falls Church
http://tinyurl.com/ydaaofc
www.washingtontimes.com
Friday, February 19, 2010
EDITORIAL: Getting rid of gun control
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Virginia finally is poised to repeal its unusual law that prohibits
law-abiding citizens from buying more than one gun per month. It's
about time, because the red tape has not had the desired effect in
lowering crime. There is no academic research by criminologists or
economists that shows that one-gun-a-month regulations reduce crime in
either the states that pass them or their neighbors. The laws have
merely inconvenienced honest Americans who want to buy guns.
Besides Virginia, only Maryland, California and New Jersey still have
these laws. South Carolina was the first state to adopt the
restrictions in 1976 but repealed the limit in 2004. New Jersey has
had the law on the books for less than two months now.
Contrary to the nanny-state notion that gun control is good, gun
limitations are actually harmful. The book "The Bias Against Guns"
shows that one-gun-a-month rules significantly reduce the number of
gun shows, because they reduce the number of sales that can occur. For
the same reason, it's likely the regulation reduces the number of gun
dealers. The reduction in legal sources to buy guns can raise the cost
of law-abiding citizens buying guns relative to criminals, and thus
disarm good people relative to criminals. The book "More Guns, Less
Crime," the only peer-reviewed research on one-gun-a-month
restrictions, from the University of Chicago Press, shows the laws
either have no effect or a detrimental effect on violent crime.
The Brady Campaign claims that Virginia's one-gun-a-month law reduced
the number of crime guns traced to Virginia dealers, but it provides
no link to crime rates, which is ultimately the bottom line. If people
around the nation's capital should understand anything, it is how hard
it is to keep criminals from getting guns. The District of Columbia
banned handguns entirely, and murder rates still soared. Criminals got
ahold of guns despite the law, because by nature they don't care about
breaking laws, and they can't buy guns legally anyway. The question
ought to be focused on whom these laws prevent from getting guns, and
the evidence is that law-abiding citizens are the ones who are stopped.
One-gun-a-month rules are similar to gun bans and waiting periods,
which tend to disarm victims relative to criminals, and therefore,
increase crime. If possible, it's a good idea to keep guns from
criminals, but laws that make it more difficult for law-abiding
citizens to get guns relative to criminals cause more harm than good.
In the case of the right to keep and bear arms, safety and freedom go
together.
**************************************************
15. Virginia vies for "Who's the Biggest Winner" title - can Utah be
upset?
**************************************************
Brady Campaign rates states with best and worst gun laws
Paul Henick emailed me this:
--
Come July 1st, 2010 Virginia will drop from 17 to at least 12, and
maybe as low as 10.
Still not a perfect score but losing about a third of the points VPC
awarded is a wonderful feeling.
stay safe.
http://tinyurl.com/y8pf7hc
www.bradycampaign.org
**************************************************
16. Michael Paul Williams at it yet again
**************************************************
Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist gets it wrong on guns (again)
Another Michael Paul WIlliams anti-freedom column meant to stir up his
readership by being provocative (yaaawwwn).
http://tinyurl.com/yztcl2z
www.timesdispatch.com
Bill to permit guns in bars is ludicrous
By MICHAEL PAUL WILLIAMS
Published: February 18, 2010
Liberty Valance Restaurant, as its name suggests, is no haven for gun-
shy bleeding hearts. [PVC: Funny hearing MPW calling someone else a
"bleeding heart!"]
Named for a notorious movie outlaw, the Stratford Hills eatery's
"greeters" include a cutout of singing cowboy Roy Rogers brandishing a
pair of six-shooters. Pistols and holsters adorn the 34-year-old
establishment, whose memorabilia includes a wall filled with images of
movie icon John Wayne.
But the manager at this restaurant, whose nights are filled with live
music and karaoke, doesn't think much of the state Senate's approval
of a bill that would allow people with concealed-gun permits to carry
their firearms into restaurants that serve alcohol.
Jody Walker comes from a family of hunters and makes it clear that
she's a staunch believer in the Second Amendment.
But bringing guns to Valance's saloon? That's different.
"When they get to drinking and bickering back and forth and arguing,
you don't want nobody pulling a gun on anybody," she said yesterday.
[PVC: Hasn't happened with people open carrying, so why would it with
someone carrying concealed? If alcohol is so bad and so dangerous,
then why does Jody sell it?]
"I'm all for the right to bear arms, but when it comes to restaurants,
nightclubs and places where there's drinking, I don't think it's
appropriate. It doesn't make sense to me." [PVC:Well, it makes sense
to the rest of us.]
Unfortunately, in a 22-18 vote Tuesday, the Yosemite Sams in our
legislature unloaded both barrels into common sense and left it for
dead on the Senate floor.
It was yet the latest assault on logic by state lawmakers to ease gun
restrictions in the state that has been home to the Virginia Tech
massacre and, just last month, the Appomattox County slayings that
killed eight people. [PVC: That's why we want to carry everywhere,
Michael.]
In the aftermath of the Appomattox shootings, a House of Delegates
committee drew a chalk outline around then-Gov. L. Douglas Wilder's
signature achievement -- Virginia's ban on buying more than one
handgun a month.
The Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee voted 15-6 to advance
its repeal measure to the GOP-controlled House, where it will likely
be approved.
Wilder blamed fellow Democrat and state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds of Bath
County for this debacle, proving that a victim's eyewitness account
isn't always reliable. Both Deeds and eventual Gov. Bob McDonnell
supported the one-gun-a-month law's repeal during their campaigns, but
Wilder, inexplicably, has ire only for Deeds and his Democratic
supporters.
The same lack of logic is at work with the guns-in-bars bill. If you
point out that a bartender has no way of knowing if the soused, surly
guy is packing a concealed weapon, supporters shrug or deliver some
non sequitur about a seafood restaurant chain. [PVC: The "soused,
surly guy" could have car keys in his pocket. Neither Michael or Jody
seems to care about that. Also the restaurant is in a lot of
potential legal trouble if they let a customer become "soused."]
Sen. Emmett W. Hanger, R-Augusta, the bill's sponsor, said the current
law prohibits law-abiding citizens from enjoying their favorite
restaurants, such as Red Lobster, without the security of a firearm.
The gravest danger I've faced during my visits to Red Lobster is
falling prey to my seafood allergies or gorging myself on cheese
biscuits.
Our trigger-happy lawmakers should be able to understand that guns and
alcohol are a toxic cocktail. This is one bill that needs to be shot
full of holes. [PVC: Why is it that I think that those who are so
obsessed with getting "soused" are perhaps the ones who know a little
too much about getting soused?]
**************************************************
17. Virginia Gun Owners Seek Expansion of RKBA
**************************************************
Are you feeling "giddy?"
Stephen Wenger emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/ydb4cyr
www.washingtonpost.com
Virginia lawmakers aim to loosen firearm restrictions
By Fredrick Kunkle
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
RICHMOND, FEB. 14 -- A little more than a year ago, Virginia gun
owners joined millions of Americans who began stockpiling weapons for
fear that Barack Obama would win the White House and push for new gun
controls.
Now that the former Illinois senator is president, the prophesied gun
control measures have not come to pass, and Virginia's gun advocates
are feeling almost giddy about their chances to loosen restrictions on
buying and carrying firearms.
With a new Republican governor, attorney general and Republican-led
House of Delegates, pro-gun legislators in Virginia are pushing a raft
of bills, including some that would have had little chance in previous
years.
Among them is a bid to fend off federal regulation of firearms and
ammunition made and sold only in Virginia and a proposal to repeal the
17-year-old ban on buying more than one handgun a month, a signature
achievement of former governor L. Douglas Wilder (D).
The repeal sailed through the House on Monday, despite opposition from
law enforcement agencies and the Catholic Church, and delegates also
passed the bill on federal regulation. Both measures face an uphill
climb in the Senate.
"You shouldn't have your constitutional rights rationed. Do we ration
the First Amendment? Why not one church service a month?" said Del. L.
Scott Lingamfelter (R-Prince William), who is sponsoring the repeal of
the one-gun-a-month law.
Other bills are designed to swell the ranks of Virginia's
approximately 214,300 concealed-weapons carriers and open more doors
to them. On Friday, the House approved a bill, HB505, that would allow
people to carry concealed weapons in establishments that serve
alcohol, as long as they refrain from drinking. On Tuesday, the Senate
is expected to take up a similar bill, SB334, sponsored by Sen. Emmett
W. Hanger Jr. (R-Augusta).
In previous years, the guns-in-bars bill cleared both chambers but was
vetoed by then-Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D). Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R)
has expressed support for the measure.
Similar efforts to loosen gun restrictions are underway in Arizona,
Mississippi, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Among a dozen pro-gun bills
under consideration in Arizona this year is a measure to allow
residents to carry concealed weapons without a permit, effectively
abolishing existing training and certification requirements. Wyoming's
House overwhelmingly passed a similar bill last week.
'A burden on society'
The trend toward loosening restrictions on guns worries people such as
Rao Ivatury, a surgeon and head of the trauma unit at the Virginia
Commonwealth University Medical Center. Of the more than 800 people
who arrive at the trauma center each year because of violence, about
two-thirds have been shot.
Ivatury estimates that caring for a gunshot victim costs "in excess of
hundreds of thousands of dollars, and some into the millions." Even a
10-day stay for a fairly minor wound can cost at least $25,000 he said.
"So there is a burden on society," Ivatury said.
The pro-gun trend has cheered the National Rifle Association and other
gun rights advocates, such as Philip Van Cleave, president of the
Virginia Citizens Defense League.
"America has come around to the fact that you've got to blame the
criminals for criminal acts and stop punishing everybody else every
time something happens," Van Cleave said.
Except for 2008, the year after the Virginia Tech massacre, Virginia
lawmakers have introduced more weapons bills this year -- 60 -- than
in the past 15 years, and two-thirds of this year's bills dealing with
handguns or other firearms have been endorsed by the Virginia Citizens
Defense League.
In a nod to the growing 10th Amendment movement urging states to
resist federal encroachment, Republican Dels. Charles W. Carrico Jr.
(Grayson) and C.L. "Clay" Athey Jr. (Warren) have submitted bills that
would protect Virginia-made ammunition and firearms sold only in the
commonwealth from federal legislation. That bill, HB69, also won
preliminary approval.
Another bill, HB854, written by Del. James W. Morefield (R-Tazewell)
and given preliminary approval Monday, would enshrine the "castle
doctrine," a legal principle that ensures that a gun owner who injures
or kills an intruder in his home does not face criminal prosecution or
civil lawsuits.
"It's pretty staggering, the number of bills put forward, especially
the bills for carrying concealed weapons and taking them to new and
exciting places," said Chad Ramsey, director of federal legislation at
the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
Ramsey said that several concealed weapons holders have been charged
in mass killings, including Christopher Speight, who is charged with
murder in the killings of eight people in Appomattox last month, and
Maj. Nidal Hasan, who has been charged in the mass shooting at Fort
Hood in November.
Political climate
Highest on the gun advocates' wish list is Lingamfelter's bill to
repeal what is perhaps Virginia's best-known gun control law.
Lingamfelter says the law that bans the purchase of more than one
handgun every 30 days is obsolete because the General Assembly has
carved out so many exceptions, including a provision that exempts
current concealed weapons holders. He says that advances in instant
electronic background checks have also made it unnecessary.
Some gun control advocates said they think the House committee was
emboldened to push the measure after the Democrat-controlled Senate
surrendered on a bill that would have closed the so-called gun show
loophole. That bill, SB595, sponsored by Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-
Portsmouth), would have required every buyer at a gun show to undergo
a background check. Currently, only federally licensed dealers must
conduct the checks. Similar measures died in House committees.
Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax) said it did not
seem worthwhile to pass the bill when its fate in the House was clear.
"We've beaten our heads against the wall," Saslaw said. "You know, you
begin to look like Don Quixote."
Saslaw also said that avoiding the issue spares some vulnerable
members from a politically risky vote. But he expressed hope that the
Senate would kill the repeal of the gun-a-month law, even if it moves
through the House.
"If you had a bill over there that required every home to come with a
surface-to-air missile, it'd pass," he said.
Staff writer Rosalind S. Helderman contributed to this report.
--------
http://tinyurl.com/ya3k5zs
www.timesdispatch.com
Gun bills advance in House of Delegates
By OLYMPIA MEOLA
Published: February 16, 2010
The Republican-dominated House of Delegates advanced a slew of Second
Amendment-related bills yesterday.
They ranged from a bill that would repeal the one-gun-a-month limit on
handgun purchases, to shielding applicants for concealed-weapon
permits, to protecting some Virginia-made guns and ammunition from
potential federal regulation.
In all, about a dozen gun bills cleared a preliminary hurdle in the
House yesterday and are up for a final vote today.
Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William, sponsor of House Bill
49, argued that the rationale for the state's one-gun-a-month law,
enacted in 1993 under then-Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, has been "neutered"
because of technological advances.
Handguns are subject to the national instant-check system to verify
that the purchaser is not prohibited from buying a firearm,
Lingamfelter said. And, he added, some people like to buy one gun for
personal protection and another for target practice.
"In reality, one gun a month does not stop crime," Lingamfelter said.
"Criminals who are inclined to break the law don't obey this one."
But Del. Joseph D. Morrissey, D-Henrico, countered that people can now
buy up to 12 guns a year. He raised concerns that with a repeal of the
law, the state could be the source of gun purchases for across-state
sales.
He asked Lingamfelter if he could "really state that a citizen of the
commonwealth is legitimately inconvenienced by not being able to buy
more than one handgun a month?"
The House also gave initial approval to House Bill 854, which would
shield from liability people who defend against intruders in their home.
House Bill 69, which declares that firearms and ammunition made in
Virginia and retained here would not be subject to federal regulation,
cleared the initial hurdle in the House. So did a measure introduced
by Del. R Lee Ware Jr., R-Powhatan, that would shield from public view
applications for concealed-handgun permits without written consent of
the applicant.
**************************************************
18. Obama Spurns Gun Control
**************************************************
Why the anti-gun lobby is disappointed with Obama's first year
http://tinyurl.com/ygmsy5s
http://reason.com
Obama Spurns Gun Control
Why the anti-gun lobby is disappointed with Obama's first year
Steve Chapman | February 15, 2010
Among the many groups that opposed Barack Obama's presidential race,
few were more certain or vehement than gun rights organizations.
"Barack Obama would be the most anti-gun president in American
history," the National Rifle Association announced. "Obama is a
committed anti-gunner," warned Gun Owners of America.
So it's no stunner that after a year in office, the president is
getting hammered by people who have no use for his policy on firearms.
The surprise is that the people attacking him are those who favor gun
control, not those who oppose it.
Obama's record on this issue has been largely overlooked--except by
the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which recently issued a
report card flunking him on all seven issues it deems important. Said
President Paul Helmke, "If I had been told, in the days before Barack
Obama's inauguration, that his record on gun violence prevention would
be this poor, I would not have believed it."
Had he listened to the candidate in 2008, he would have believed. At a
September campaign rally in rural Virginia, Obama declared
unequivocally, "I believe in the Second Amendment. I believe in
people's lawful right to bear arms. I will not take your shotgun away.
I will not take your rifle away. I won't take your handgun away. ...
There are some common-sense gun safety laws that I believe in. But I
am not going to take your guns away."
The Brady Center must have hoped he was being less than honest. And he
was: He had no intention of pushing those "common-sense" laws he had
previously favored. On the list of issues for which Obama is willing
to put himself on the line, gun control ranks somewhere below free
trade with Uzbekistan.
So he has proposed nothing in the way of new federal restrictions on
firearms. Even the "assault weapons" ban signed by President Clinton--
and allowed to expire in 2004--has no visible place on his agenda.
Not only that, he's approved changes that should gladden the hearts of
gun-rights supporters, a group that includes me. He signed a law
permitting guns to be taken into national parks. He signed another
allowing guns as checked baggage on Amtrak. He acted to preserve an
existing law limiting the use of government information on firearms it
has traced.
Still, the NRA is not rushing to recant. A spokesman admits the
president has signed some provisions it favors, but notes that they
were attached to legislation he wanted, making them hard to veto. Says
Andrew Arulanandam, "He has disappointed us with his appointments,"
particularly Atty. Gen. Eric Holder and Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, neither a darling of the shooting set.
But those are petty matters given Obama's overall refusal to do
anything to advance gun control. On this issue, he took such a strong,
clear position during the campaign that he has no room to maneuver.
That was not accidental. It was deliberate--the equivalent of burning
his ships to eliminate the option of retreat.
In terms of actual policy, rather than his previous record, Obama is a
long way from being anti-gun. This is not because he has fond memories
of sitting in a deer stand as a lad in Hawaii or of talking shotguns
with Dick Cheney. It's because his mother didn't raise a fool.
Like some other Democrats, he may recall that in 1994, after banning
"assault weapons," they lost the House for the first time in 40 years.
Obama knows that anyone who staunchly favors banning guns won't vote
Republican no matter what. But some independents who are protective of
their weapons may vote Democratic if that issue is off the table.
Off the table is exactly where he intends to keep it. Last year, 65
House Democrats wrote Holder vowing to "actively oppose" any effort to
restore the assault weapons ban. The president has enough trouble
getting legislation that enjoys overwhelming support in his party. He
is not about to pick a fight with centrist Democrats over gun control.
Opponents of gun control should not rely on Obama's innermost
sentiments on the subject. He obviously doesn't cherish the right to
keep and bear arms. But for those who favor Second Amendment rights,
here's the nice thing about having such a canny politician in the
White House: He doesn't have to.
**************************************************
19. Official Release from National Parks Service
**************************************************
FAQ: Implementation of firearms law
Dale Hawley emailed me this:
--
Philip,
This link is to the new FAQ on park carry from the NPS.
Dale
http://tinyurl.com/yjkarzm
**************************************************
20. Airgun forum: Match shooters? Want to shoot a Creedmore AR?
**************************************************
Paul Henick emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/yffyj6s
**************************************************
21. News Advance: Concealed weapons proposal worrisom
**************************************************
And MORE panic from the antis!
Scott Byer emailed me this:
--
Mr. Van Cleave,
Thought you might want to attach this to the next VA-Alert email. It
is an article in the Lynchburg, VA area's News & Advance.
Best,
Scott Byer
http://tinyurl.com/yzk3rd3
www.newsadvance.com
Concealed weapons proposal worrisome
By DARRELL LAURANT
Published: February 15, 2010
OK, here's my problem with this proposal to allow concealed weapons
inside restaurants and bars.
The sponsors of it are the very people who are always up on their
soapboxes about the rights of small businesses. Now, they're saying
that while restaurant owners can keep people from smoking or wearing
shorts inside their establishments, they can't stop them from bringing
in guns?
Unless I'm misunderstanding it, this bill seems to me to be a sad
waste of time in a session with too little of it, and serious problems
to address.
If your weapon is concealed, how would anyone know, anyway? On the
other hand, I remember standup comic Dennis Miller's quip about the
phrase "Armed and Dangerous" on wanted posters.
"'Armed' pretty much gets it for me," Miller said. "Could someone be
'armed and gregarious?'"
According to one segment of the General Assembly, yes.
But these people weren't sitting in Lynchburg Circuit Court one day,
as I was, to hear the case of a restaurant patron who got into an
argument with the manager and jumped up from his seat to make a point.
When he did, a pistol fell out of his waistband, hit the floor, and
sent a bullet through the plate of a startled diner at the next table.
No one was hurt, but I think that proves Miller's point. Anyone who is
armed is potentially dangerous.
Realizing that some people might become concerned by the prospect of
sharing restaurant space with heat-packing drunks, State Sen. Emmett
Hanger introduced a companion bill that would make it a misdemeanor to
consume alcohol inside an establishment if you had a concealed weapon.
This conveniently sidesteps the fact that one of these covertly armed
civilians may have been drinking earlier.
Advocates of these bills always bring up the possible presence of
"criminals." But no self-respecting criminal is going to shoot or rob
somebody in a restaurant with dozens of witnesses. I worry more about
the angry/mentally disturbed individual who may have a clean arrest
record -- until the point where something makes him, and his weapon,
go off. I'd rather not be eating dinner there when that happens.
Let us not forget that Christopher Speight, presently accused of
shooting eight people to death in Appomattox, was a security guard
with a concealed weapons permit. What if a family argument had broken
out in an Applebee's?
And why would you patronize a place where you felt like you needed a
gun for protection? This is the only alcohol-related bill I've ever
heard of that has been publicly opposed by bouncers.
So how about this: If a restaurant owner feels comfortable with it, he
or she can post a sign reading "Concealed weapons allowed." If it
makes them nervous, they should have the right to ban them.
Better yet, make everybody carry their guns in holsters. That way,
you'd at least know who not to get into an argument with.
**************************************************
22. LTE: Making bars safe
**************************************************
David Swain emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/yb5r5gk
http://hamptonroads.com
Making bars safe
I read with amusement your Feb. 10 editorial against concealed-carry
in restaurants because you did not have any logical points to make
your case.
Your concern is that you expect gun battles by patrons as an everyday
occurrence.
Did you know we have concealed-carry in libraries, malls and theaters?
Have you noticed a large number of gun battles between concealed
handgun permit holders in these venues? Did you know it is legal to
carry openly in restaurants that serve alcohol? Where are the gun
battles among law-abiding patrons you so fear?
Since it is legal for citizens to carry openly in restaurants that
serve alcohol, why do we want to carry concealed? Concealed-carry is
better for self-defense. A criminal, mass murderer or terrorist
entering a restaurant is at a disadvantage if he doesn't know which
patrons are armed. It's as simple as that.
David Swain
Chesapeake
**************************************************
23. Dealing with Guns and Drugs
**************************************************
Bruce Jackson emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/yfang6u
www.richmond.com
Dealing with Guns and Drugs
By F.T. Rea
Published: February 18, 2010
This year's General Assembly session, convened on Jan. 13, is a budget
year session. Meaning that, according to schedule, it will run two
months. A total of 2,640 bills have been presented for consideration
this year.
As usual, most of those bills will not pass. To make the General
Assembly's sausage-making tougher, a Republican majority controls the
100-member House of Delegates. The Democrats hold the reins in the
40-member Senate. So, nothing will pass both houses unless some
aisle-crossing harmony is achieved.
Lacking the space and stamina to look at all of the proposed
legislation, this brief overview will focus on a few bills that have
stood out more than others--they concern changes in how the
Commonwealth of Virginia deals with guns and drugs, including alcohol.
This year there were 34 bills introduced that pertained to firearms.
At this writing in the Senate two bills are dead, two have passed and
one is pending. The two that have passed are:
Senate Bill 580 prohibits certain high-powered compressed air/gas guns
from being carried onto school property.
SB 408 would allow handguns to be concealed in a motor vehicle or boat
if they are locked in a container or compartment.
The House has passed 12 bills and 14 gun-related proposals are dead;
the other three are still pending. Among those bills passed by the
house at this writing are these three of particular noteworthiness:
HB 49 has gotten a lot of attention, because, if enacted, it will
repeal Virginia's one-handgun-a-month law. On Feb. 16 the House voted
61-37 to put the kibosh to one of former Gov. Doug Wilder's signature
achievements. When it was passed, it was sold as a necessary tool to
battle what was then seen as rampant gun-running from Virginia into
other states. Supporters of HB 49 say the one-gun-a-month law is out
of date and isn't achieving its desired end. Opponents of the repeal
ask why anyone needs to buy more than one gun a month. Current
scuttlebutt says the repeal measure will also win Senate approval.
When 2009 Democratic gubernatorial Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath County)
supported the repeal of the 17-year-old limit on gun purchases that
stand was cited by Wilder as a big reason he could not endorse Deeds
in the race. Although Gov. Bob McDonnell voted for the one-gun limit
when it passed the GA in 1993, he's on record as saying he'll sign a
law to repeal the limit, if it comes to his desk
HB 69 Would announce to the federal government that firearms and
ammunition that were made in Virginia will not be subject to federal
laws or regulations. How that would hold up in court is anybody's
guess.
House Bill 505 will forbid people who carry concealed handguns into
restaurants from consuming alcoholic beverages.
Another high-profile battle over firearms had to do with the so-called
Gun Show Loophole. The effort to require a background check in order
to transfer firearms privately (meaning sales by individuals other
than licensed dealers) at gun shows has died in both houses.
Among the other gun-related bills there are proposals to allow or
disallow the carrying of concealed handguns into restaurants,
courthouses, libraries, schools and places of worship.
Two bills to do with liberalizing Virginia 's marijuana laws died in
the House:
House Bill 1134 sought to decriminalize simple possession of
marijuana. It would have allowed for civil penalties rather than
criminal.
House Bill 1136 sought to shield a patient who uses/possesses
marijuana for doctor-authorized medical purposes from prosecution.
Senate Bill 443, introduced by Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-Harrisonburg),
sought to do away with the commonwealth's Alcoholic Beverage Control
stores and privatize the retailing of distilled spirits.
McDonnell cast the selling of liquor licenses to designated retailers
in each of Virginia 's jurisdictions as a source of new revenue when
he was on the campaign trail last year. He spoke frequently of raising
as much as $500 million, some of which could be used to pay for curing
transportation problems.
Now, it will have to wait. Senate Bill 443 passed in committee, but
was then withdrawn from further consideration in this year's session
by Obenshain, who said the concept, basically, needs more study. He
plans to introduce a similar bill, with some tweaks, perhaps, in the
next session of the General Assembly.
Then, there are the ancient and mind-boggling rules of the General
Assembly, which could mysteriously kill, change or even resurrect dead
bills. So everything you just read could change.
That's how it's done in Virginia.
**************************************************
24. RT Editor: More guns, less safety
**************************************************
http://tinyurl.com/yfg7mae
www.roanoke.com
More guns, less safety
By Luanne Traud
I spent the better part of a day recently hunting down and tracking the
progress of a dozen or two gun bills making their way through the
General
Assembly.
The results could be boiled down to this: Any attempt to regulate guns
was
killed outright. Most attempts to foster an anything-goes attitude for
gun
buyers was advanced.
Given the sheer number of bills advancing and the breadth with which
they
would expand Virginia's already liberal gun laws, I couldn't help but be
struck by this thought:
What additional expansion would be pushed next year? Because there
will always
be more.
I know what some of you are thinking: There goes one of them again. That
liberal, pansy Roanoke Times editorial board, if given its druthers,
would
round up all guns and melt them down to cast a statue honoring the
socialist
god of journalists. [PVC: Oh, good gracious no! Why would we think
that of the Roanoke Times?]
Please, bear with me and hear me out. I will ask the same from those
who also
hold untrue and unfair caricatures of gun-toters as 'fraidy cats
worried that
harm is waiting around the next corner, bar stool or PTA meeting.
I'm not anti-gun. I've been around them most of my life, had them in
my home,
even shot a few. But if I never handled another gun, it would be soon
enough.
They aren't a part of my life, but I can respect that others hold a
differing
view.
I don't shrink or cringe from the sight and hold no more emotion
toward a
handgun than I do a toaster oven. The same, I suspect, is true of the
vast
majority of gun owners who have them for target practice, hunting or
collecting and might or might not have a permit to carry concealed.
Guns don't factor into most of our everyday lives. True, there is a
minority
of Virginians who wouldn't leave the house without one, and a minority
for
whom the sight of one locked in a gun case causes anxiety.
Unfortunately, it is those minorities with their tug-of-war passions of
must-have-it-all, shouldn't-have-any that have polluted the lawmaking
process.
If only our senators and delegates could legislate on a curve, toss the
outliers and focus on the reasonable. But how can they when gun-rights
organizations throw not only money but hysteria into every election
cycle?
Does it now strike those who stocked up on guns and ammunition after
President
Obama's election how foolish the claims were that he'd outlaw sales of
either?
Or how bizarre it was that the Democratic candidate in Virginia's
gubernatorial race -- a huge friend of gun rights -- was discredited
because
he supported efforts to close the gun show loophole after the Virginia
Tech
massacre.
And, yes, I know I'll hear from the vocal fringe arguing there isn't a
loophole. Yet there is, and it's one that could be closed easily, with
little
fuss or inconvenience, but it won't be. Lawmakers of all stripes are too
chicken to consider reasonable legislation lest they face the wrath of
gun-rights advocates during re-election. [PVC: Heck, it's just
freedom that we would be restraining for no good reason. Why should
that be an issue at all?]
We can save the gun show discussion for another year, as attempts this
year to
address it have been stymied.
Instead, there seems a rush to allow more people to carry concealed
weapons
into ever more places. One bill in particular mixes guns and alcohol by
allowing concealed carry in bars. Even if the gun-toter is legally
barred from
drinking, there would be no way to know someone is packing unless
something
bad happens. [PVC: Same with car keys. Again, no protest from the
Roanoke Times on that.]
Former Gov. Tim Kaine vetoed this bill last year, but it's expected to
be
greeted warmly by Gov. Bob McDonnell.
I've listened to supporters who portray all concealed-carriers as law-
abiding
citizens who wouldn't think of mixing a six-shooter and a shot of
whiskey. How
do they know? [PVC: Because if they were drunkards, they couldn't
get a CHP in the first place.]
Thugs aren't the only ones who have killed people with guns. People with
concealed carry permits have killed accidentally and intentionally.
Doesn't
matter which. Dead is dead. [PVC: So people in motor vehicle
ACCIDENTS who kill someone else should ALL be brought up on murder
charges?]
Another bill likely to pass would do away with the restriction limiting
Virginians to one gun purchase a month. It could open the gates to
mass buys
that end up in the hands of criminals. Not every gun buyer is worthy
of such
blind trust.
It occurs to me that those pushing for everloosening restrictions will
win the
day in Richmond this year. But lifting restrictions will prove fatal
to their
cause in the long run when bad things inevitably happen.
I want for me and mine to be just as safe and secure as you want for
you and
yours. None of these bills gets us there. [PVC: Oh, yes they do.]
Traud is a member of The Roanoke Times editorial board.
**************************************************
25. Plaintiff in handgun case is suing D.C. for right carry firearms
in public
**************************************************
http://tinyurl.com/yhrnq3k
www.washingtonpost.com
Plaintiff in handgun case is suing D.C. for right carry firearms in
public
By Christian Davenport
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 21, 2010
He was at the heart of the landmark Supreme Court case that took down
the District's handgun ban. But before arriving at the range, he warns
in a text message: "You will find I'm not the best shot."
Once he fires a few rounds, however, it's clear that Tom G. Palmer is
no novice, either. He lands a couple right in the torso of his
human-shaped target. Then he aims at the target's head, misses once by
a few inches, then hits twice.
But what good is such a skill, Palmer asks, if you're not free to
protect yourself on the streets of your own city?
As one of the plaintiffs who sued the District for the right to keep
handguns in the home, Palmer has one notch on his belt. Now he's suing
the city again, this time for the right to carry firearms in public.
Palmer, a 53-year-old fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute, says
he thinks he has the Constitution on his side.
The Second Amendment guarantees Americans the right to "keep and bear
arms," and "bear," he says, "means to carry." On the street in his
Kalorama neighborhood. To the grocery store, the mall, the movies. But
not everywhere: "There are all kinds of reasonable restrictions that
can be established," he says. "But a blanket ban on carrying them does
not seem to sit well with the Constitution itself."
In such a controversial case, there's the legalese and the parsing of
the Constitution and the Founding Fathers' intent. Then there's the
court of public opinion. The Second Amendment Foundation, a Bellevue,
Wash., nonprofit agency that is paying for the challenge, knows this.
So does its attorney, Alan Gura, who became the star of the gun rights
movement when he won the case overturning the D.C. handgun ban in
2008.
So they went about choosing the plaintiffs for the next D.C. gun case
carefully. Black, white, gay, straight, Republican, Democrat,
libertarian -- together they represent what Gura calls "everyday
Americans," "a diverse group of good people from all corners of our
society."
So the group that could make it legal to carry a loaded firearm
through the streets of the nation's capital includes a self-employed
tax accountant from American University Park, a communications lawyer
from Adams Morgan, and a law student who lives in Nashville and was
arrested for driving through the District with a gun in his car.
And then there's Palmer, who says carrying a gun saved his life.
* * *
It was 1982, dusk on a summer night near San Jose, when a band of
thugs yelled homophobic slurs at Palmer and a colleague.
"We were what they perceived as a couple of faggots, which was the
term they used, walking through their neighborhood," he said. "And it
would have been one of those modestly ironic moments if my colleague
might have been murdered in a gay bashing, when he was straight."
The threats were vivid and believable: "We're going to kill you.
They'll never find your body."
Palmer told his colleague to run. The thugs chased Palmer, who stopped
under a streetlight and pulled out his gun.
"I did not say anything witty or clever," he recalls. "In the movies,
they say something very clever. I just said, 'If you come closer, I
will kill you.' Very blunt. And they stopped."
He is convinced that if he hadn't had a gun he would be dead. Even
though the legal weapon was not fired, "it did the job it was intended
to do. It evened up the odds from a gang of young men who thought it
would be really fun to beat to death two guys walking down the
street."
He offers this as evidence that guns save lives and make society safer.
But to Peter Nickles, the District's attorney general, allowing
handguns to be kept in homes in one of the most dangerous cities in
the country was bad enough. Permitting people to pack heat while they
walk around -- amid presidential motorcades, foreign dignitaries,
public protests -- is downright crazy, he says. And it makes already
difficult police work even harder.
"This is a unique jurisdiction, and it requires a unique sensitivity
to balance safety and the Second Amendment right to, quote, bear
arms," he says. "That's because it's the nation's capital. . . . So
the idea that an individual should be able to carry arms on the street
-- indeed, concealed on the street -- is very scary."
Jonathan E. Lowy, a lawyer with the Brady Center to Prevent Gun
Violence, says he thinks the case, pending in U.S. District Court, is
open and shut.
"To force the general public to be exposed to the risk of loaded guns
when they are out with their family in public areas is outrageous and
has absolutely nothing to do with the right to defend the home," he
says.
To which Gura replies: The idea that the right to bear arms is limited
to "walking around your house is silly."
* * *
Palmer is no lawyer. He's a scholar who has written and lectured
extensively about individual freedom and the Constitution. At the Cato
Institute, he met Robert Levy, a self-made millionaire who financed
the lawsuit that overturned the D.C. handgun ban. Levy, impressed by
Palmer, asked him to be a plaintiff in that case.
"Tom meets all the right criteria," Levy said. "He's smart. He's media
savvy. He has a strong belief in gun rights, but he doesn't come
across as the militia man in the hills of Montana."
Indeed, Palmer is about as far from that stereotype as possible. He's
a city dweller, gay, drives a Smart car, one of those little
golf-cart-size numbers. "Can't you see it with a gun rack?" he jokes.
He wrote a book called "Realizing Freedom" and writes essays about
"How protectionism crashed the world economy." He wears suede and
three-piece suits.
He's careful to cultivate this professional image, which is why he
sends a second text message, asking that a photographer not accompany
him and a reporter to the gun range in Chantilly. "Photos are
generally fine, but I'd rather not have any of me with a firearm," he
writes. "I'd rather not give the wrong impression."
So, his portrait is made in his office, surrounded by his books.
To be sure, Palmer says, he enjoys firing guns. He grew up with them
and learned at a young age how to handle them. If he wins the lawsuit,
he'd happily carry one in public. But really he's interested more in
the idea of guns, in the political and moral debate over gun
ownership, than in the guns themselves.
Palmer likes to point out that Levy doesn't even own a firearm. "He
just believes in the rule of law and the Constitution, and that is
important to me as well," Palmer said. "You don't have to be a gun
owner to take the Constitution seriously. I'm not religious, but I
believe just as strongly in the exercise of free religion."
Palmer's views, he knows, are often unpopular, and in a city as
liberal as Washington, in the minority.
Lowy, the Brady Center lawyer, wants to make it clear that "this case
isn't about Mr. Palmer or what anyone thinks of him. If you recognize
a constitutional right to carry loaded guns on the streets of
Washington, what you're saying is that thousands of people have the
right to carry loaded guns."
Palmer couldn't agree more.
**************************************************
26. Open carry deters robbery in Georgia
**************************************************
Armed Waffle House patrons cause would-be robbers to think again
If you look at the photo in the article, you'll see a VCDL "Guns Save
Lives" button!
Ian Branson emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/ygttazu
www.examiner.com
[SNIP]
Two customers displaying holstered pistols deterred an armed robbery
in a
Kennesaw Wafflehouse recently.
There is some debate raging in Georgia about whether people should
conceal
their holstered handguns while in public. Some believe that wearing
handguns openly will result in a loss of the element of surprise
during a
criminal attack, such as an armed robbery, while others believe that
wearing handguns openly deters criminal attack. For Matt Brannan and
J.P.
Mitchell, who carry openly as a routine, the issue is no longer
academic.
Matt Brannan and J.P. Mitchell were dining in the Wafflehouse on Barrett
Parkway at I-575 in Kennesaw at 4:45 in the morning recently when a
scout for an armed robbery crew entered the restaurant to case it. At
the
time, Matt and J.P. thought he looked a little suspicious, as he was
wandering around the small restaurant like he was looking for someone.
Unknown to Matt and J.P., two cars full of armed robbers were parked
behind
the restaurant waiting for the scout's report.
The scout saw that two of the customers were wearing holstered 1911
Springfield Mil-Spec .45 pistols, and he immediately turned and left the
store.
**************************************************
27. Don't try gun stings here, West Virginia pol Kessler warns Mayor
Bloomberg
**************************************************
Mayor Bloomberg isn't very popular, is he?
Jay Minsky emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/y8r5e59
www.nydailynews.com
Don't try gun stings here, West Virginia pol Kessler warns Mayor
Bloomberg
BY ADAM LISBERG
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF
Monday, February 15th 2010, 4:00 AM
West Virginia has a message for Mayor Bloomberg: Don't come 'round
here to buy our guns.
A legislator there wants to ban the type of undercover stings that
Bloomberg has used to showcase illegal gun sales in other states - and
throw the mayor's investigators in jail if necessary.
"It's for us to handle within our own borders," said state Sen.
Jeffrey Kessler, who is running for governor in 2012. "We jealously
guard our gun rights, and we're vocal advocates for the Second
Amendment."
He calls his proposal the "Bloomberg bill" - a reflection of how
Bloomberg's anti-gun crusade has made him public enemy No. 1 to gun
lovers.
The mayor has spent millions hiring private investigators to videotape
gun dealers seemingly violating federal law - selling weapons to
people who say they couldn't pass a background check, or who appear to
be straw purchasers on behalf of others.
"It may be good for getting headlines, but it may well be compromising
actual law enforcement activities," Kessler said. "He's not a federal
law enforcement officer."
Bloomberg has defended the stings as necessary to keep out-of-state
guns from ending up on New York streets and in the hands of criminals.
He has put the videos on YouTube and mailed copies to Congress. A
spokesman refused to say whether more are in progress.
Kessler's bill would ban those stings, making a felon out of anyone
who "persuades, encourages or entices" a gun dealer to make an illegal
sale.
"It's not appropriate for any other law enforcement, absent the feds,
to engage in gun buys - or try to entrap with gun buys - within our
borders," Kessler said.
"If there are violations, they should be investigated by clearly
recognized law enforcement in our state, rather than by bringing in
hired goons to do it."
Bloomberg spokesman Jason Post fired right back, saying the mayor
won't stop his fight.
"This legislation gets it exactly backward. The city has never broken
the law, but we have caught unscrupulous gun dealers selling in
violation of federal law," Post said.
"Because 90% of guns used in crimes in New York City come from out of
state, we have been forced to go outside our own borders to keep New
Yorkers safe."
Kessler said he introduced the bill after the National Rifle
Association told him of similar proposals in other states. The NRA
didn't return a call for comment, but Kessler said he expects his bill
to become law.
**************************************************
28. Brady Campaign study shows more guns equal less crime?
**************************************************
John Stock emailed me this:
--
Greetings Philip,
If you haven't yet seen Don Suber's column, "Brady Campaign: Fewer gun
laws, fewer
homicides", you need to. The statistical connection between guns and
crime is no surprise
to us (Guns Save Lives), but those on the other side need to have it
pointed out to them,
and Mr. Suber has done a great job.
Regards,
John Stock
http://tinyurl.com/yaz3jt5
http://blogs.dailymail.com
**************************************************
29. "Gun Owners Against Illegal Mayors"
**************************************************
Group forms to fight anti-gun Mayors Against Illegal Guns
http://tinyurl.com/ygqvuhs
www.stopillegalmayors.com
**************************************************
30. Homeland Security reports losing guns
**************************************************
File this under "Only the government should have guns."
James Durso emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/ycoruof
www.usatoday.com
Homeland Security reports losing guns
By Thomas Frank, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON -- The nation's Homeland Security officers lost nearly 200
guns in bowling alleys, public restrooms, unlocked cars and other
unsecure areas, with some ending up in the hands of felons. The
problem, outlined in a new federal report, has prompted disciplinary
actions and extra training.
Most of the misplaced weapons -- including handguns, shotguns and
military rifles -- were never found. "Most losses occurred because
officers did not properly secure firearms," says the Homeland Security
inspector general report.
At least 15 of the guns ended up in the hands of gang members,
criminals, drug users and teenagers, inspector general Richard Skinner
found. His report documented 289 missing firearms from fiscal year
2006 through 2008, although not all were lost because of negligence.
Some were lost in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and others were
stolen from safes.
The report is the first accounting of guns lost by Homeland Security's
185,000 workers.
Homeland Security "took immediate action" to correct problems,
department spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said Wednesday. Workers are getting
extra training and officials are improving tracking and inspection of
guns, Kudwa said.
"The department is strongly committed to ensuring that weapons ... are
kept secure," Kudwa said.
Although the number of guns lost is only a small fraction of Homeland
Security's 190,000 firearms, any lost weapon "is a very serious
matter," said Hubert Williams, president of the Police Foundation, a
think tank on law-enforcement issues. "It reflects the competence of
the officer."
The report does not say if any of the guns were used in crimes.
Homeland Security said employees have been fired and suspended for
losing guns. Guns are carried by many Customs, Border Patrol and
Immigration agents.
A 2008 report found 76 guns lost by the 4,800 agents of the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in a five-year period ending
in 2007.
**************************************************
31. Alabama Prof. Went to Range Before Shooting
**************************************************
Bill Hine emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/yc4nduz
www.foxnews.com
Alabama Prof. Went to Range Before Shooting
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The husband of an Alabama professor accused of fatally shooting three
colleagues said that the couple went to a shooting range recently, but
that he didn't know where she got the gun she used for practice.
His description of Amy Bishop's "normal" demeanor leading up to
Friday's shooting at a faculty meeting matched an account by a
witness, who said the gathering was unremarkable until the gunfire
broke out. Bishop, a Harvard-educated neurobiologist, is accused
shooting six people at the meeting, three fatally. Two of the
survivors remained in critical condition Monday.
Bishop's husband, James Anderson, said he knew his wife had a gun, but
didn't know when or how she got it.
"I really don't know how she got it, or where she got it from," he
told The Associated Press on Monday in an interview at his home.
Police have previously said Bishop had no permit for the gun they
believe she used in the shooting, and investigators said they didn't
know where she got it. It's not clear if that was the same gun that
her husband knew about.
Bishop's husband said nothing unusual happened on their trip to the
shooting range, and that she didn't reveal why she took an interest in
target practice. Nothing in her behavior in the days before the
shooting foreshadowed the violence last week, either, he said.
"She was just a normal professor," he said.
Before the gunfire broke out Friday, the meeting was tranquil enough
that ecology professor Robert O. Lawton was working on a manuscript
about trees instead of paying full attention to the discussion.
"It was an ordinary faculty meeting. Then it became unordinary,"
Lawton said Monday, declining to elaborate on what he saw.
Associate professor Joseph Ng, who was also present at the meeting,
told the Associated Press that the meeting had been going on for about
half an hour when Bishop "got up suddenly, took out a gun and started
shooting at each one of us. She started with the one closest to her
and went down the row shooting her targets in the head."
Investigators haven't commented on a possible motive, but Bishop was
vocal among colleagues about her displeasure over being denied tenure
by the university, forcing her to look for work elsewhere after this
semester.
On Monday, some victims' relatives were questioning how Bishop was
hired at the university in 2003 after she was involved years ago in
separate criminal probes. University of Alabama in Huntsville
officials were meeting privately to review the files concerning her
hiring.
In 1986, Bishop shot and killed her 18-year-old brother with a shotgun
at their Braintree, Massachusetts, home. She told police at the time
that she had been trying to learn how to use the gun, which her father
had bought for protection, when it accidentally discharged.
Authorities released her and said the episode was a tragic accident.
She was never charged, though current Braintree police Chief Paul
Frazier questions how the investigation was handled. Frazier said she
also fired once into a wall before hitting her brother, then fired a
third time into the ceiling.
In another incident, The Boston Globe reported that Bishop and her
husband were questioned by investigators looking into a pipe bomb sent
to one of Bishop's colleagues, Dr. Paul Rosenberg, at Children's
Hospital Boston in 1993. The bomb did not go off, and nobody was ever
charged.
Anderson defended himself and his wife as innocent people questioned
by investigators casting a wide net. He said the case "had a dozen
people swept up in this and everybody was a subject, not a suspect."
Huntsville police spokesman Sgt. Mark Roberts said his department
didn't find out about either of the older cases until after the
shooting on campus. He said police were checking with law enforcement
to confirm details of the pipe bomb probe.
Sylvia Fluckiger, a lab technician who worked with Bishop in the early
1990s, said Bishop had been in a dispute with Rosenberg shortly before
the bombs were discovered, though she didn't know the nature of the
disagreement.
"It was common knowledge," she said Sunday.
It was not clear Monday if UAH spoke with Rosenberg when it hired
Bishop, an associate professor whose research led to an innovative
cell incubator now being developed for market by a private company,
Prodigy Biosystems, that employs her husband.
Sammie Lee Davis, whose wife, Maria Ragland Davis, was killed in the
shooting, expressed concern that UAH hired someone with a past like
Bishop's.
The slain professor's two stepdaughters said they were shocked that
Bishop was hired.
University of Illinois law professor Matthew Finkin said that because
Bishop wasn't charged with a crime before, the fatal shooting and pipe
bomb cases would not have shown up on most background investigations.
Bishop is charged with one count of capital murder, which can lead to
a death sentence in Alabama if convicted, and three counts of
attempted murder.
Killed were Gopi K. Podila, the chairman of the Department of
Biological Sciences, and professors Adriel Johnson and Davis. Two of
the wounded -- professor Joseph Leahy and staffer Stephanie
Monticciolo -- were in critical condition Monday. The third, Luis Cruz-
Vera, had been released from the hospital.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
**************************************************
32. Drivers license renewal (new format) possible problem with
concealed carry
**************************************************
A member emailed me this:
--
Philip,
Thought this may be of benefit for the group and wanted to see if you
thought it was as well.
What brought about this was that my wife had her drivers license
renewed to the new format, in that process they issue you piece of
paper, and punch "void" on your pictured drivers license. now as
concealed weapons permit holders we need a govt issued pictured ID
along with our concealed permit to carry legally. that form of ID is
now "void" and i wanted to clarify with the State Police on that. here
is what i wrote to VA. State Police.
--
Hi,
I have a quick question regarding the "photo-identification issued by
a government agency of the Commonwealth" , my wife recently had her VA
drivers license renewed for the new card type and her existing drivers
license was stamped "void" and she was given a piece of paper that
takes its place until the new license arrives.
My question is that since Iam a concealed weapons permit holder, when
my time comes to renew my license and my pictured license is stamped
"void" does this make it illegal to carry concealed now that my "photo-
identification issued by a government agency of the Commonwealth" is
voided?
Or does carrying the "voided" picture ID and the DMV issued paper make
it ok to carry legally with those two documents and my permit?
--
Here is the VA. State Polce reply:
--
The temporary license does not contain a photograph and therefore must
be carried in conjunction with the old license which contains a
photograph. This will be acceptable until the new license, with photo,
is received, as long as the original license is not expired.
Please visit our website at the below link for detailed information on
Virginia firearm laws.
Sincerely,
Donna K. Tate, Manager
Firearms Transaction Center
Department of State Police
http://www.vsp.state.va.us/Firearms.shtm
**************************************************
33. Shooting at Olympics!
**************************************************
John Higi emailed me this:
--
Phil -
Did I get your attention with that subject line? Well, Frenchman
Vincent Jay got a gold medal in the men's 10km sprint the other day.
Here is also a collection of nice photos.
http://tinyurl.com/yk4nxt8
Still 8 more events! Let's root for the Americans and send them
positive vibes!
Like the silver medal winner, Emil Svendsen said, "You never know what
happens until the last shot. A person can lead and leave the shooting
range suddenly number 20."
http://tinyurl.com/yj32kny
www.nytimes.com
Go Biathlon Team USA!
Sincerely,
John Higi
Tel Aviv, Israel
**************************************************
35. I love biathlon
**************************************************
Commercial spoofs Olympic "ski and shoot" sport
http://tinyurl.com/y88fghk
http://throwtheball.blogspot.com/
**************************************************
36. Two teens shot during church service in Richmond, California
**************************************************
Who needs a gun in church?
Bruce Jackson emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/ykvkvxu
www.sfgate.com
2 teens shot during church service in Richmond
Demian Bulwa, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, February 15, 2010
(02-14) 20:05 PST RICHMOND -- Three young men with black sweatshirt
hoods pulled over their heads walked into a packed church service in
Richmond on Sunday, where one of them opened fire and wounded two
teenagers sitting in the pews, police said.
The three suspects - who may have been juveniles - fled after the
brash 12:30 p.m. attack at New Gethsemane Church of God in Christ, as
the singing of the choir was replaced by frightened screams, said
Richmond police Sgt. Bisa French.
The two victims, a 14-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man, were
hospitalized and were expected to survive. However, French said, they
were not willing to help investigators try to track down their
assailants.
"The key people aren't being cooperative," she said.
A church deacon who was present during the shooting, Charles Miller,
said one of the victims was struck in the leg and the other in the
shoulder. It was not clear, both he and French said, whether they were
intended targets.
Miller said some of the more than 120 church members who witnessed the
shooting told him the suspects had paced up and down an aisle -
apparently looking for one or more targets - before shooting the
victims near the back of the church.
Church members "were going to ask them to remove their hoods" before
the shooting, he said.
"I was listening to the choir and all of a sudden there was a 'pop pop
pop pop pop,' " Miller said. "Everyone hit the floor. I didn't know
the shooting was inside the church at first, until I heard all of the
hollering and screaming."
The shooting, at 2100 Roosevelt Ave., comes amid a violent beginning
to the year in Richmond, which has already recorded seven homicides.
The city is still recovering from a violent gang rape outside a high
school homecoming dance last year that made national headlines.
"Obviously it was a very brazen attack - in broad daylight during a
church service," French said. "It's very unusual. You'd think a church
is a safe place that people can go no matter what circumstances they
have in their life or where they are in their life. After today,
obviously not."
French said investigators were talking to witnesses and believe some
of them can identify the suspects. But French said the congregants -
apparently scared to get involved - were unwilling to look at photo
lineups.
"I don't understand," French said. "Where do you draw the line?"
She said witnesses to violent crime in Richmond often believe they
will face repercussions on the streets, but rarely do.
Miller, 64, said he was deeply troubled by the shooting, which showed
a lack of respect for his church and its members.
"It's terrible when you come to the house of the Lord and start doing
this," he said. "It's just something you don't do."
But after police emptied the church and processed the crime scene
inside, Miller said, he and some of the congregants returned to finish
services, which had begun at 11 a.m.
"We went on and had church anyway," Miller said. "We were giving
thanks that nobody was killed. We wanted to go and serve the Lord
anyway."
***************************************************************************
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/]
