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VCDL's Gun Dealer Legal Defense Fund -- help fight Mayor Bloomberg's
scheme to cripple Virginia firearms dealers. See:
www.vcdl.org/index.html#DefenseFund
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VCDL's meeting schedule: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings.html
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Thought for the day: "I don't expect any paid professional to
actually protect me. Like was demonstrated in New Orleans and the LA
riots some time back, when things really get bad enough for
professional help, it won't be around." Thom Bateman.
1. VCDL speaking at Norfolk City Council on 8/28 **We need a good turnout**
2. VCDL PICNIC IN SEPTEMBER!
3. VCDL membership meeting in Richmond THIS Thursday!
4. Virginia Tech probe finds no fault in massacre response
5. VT now has a blanket firearms ban
6. VT changes storage policy
7. The signals are there: VT Panel to recommend more gun control
8. Any women students who can testify about being armed on campus?
9. Why you need a gun in a parking lot
10. Member responds to GMU anti-gun policy!
11. Member addresses media re: GMU policy.
12. GMU student anti- editorial
13. Campus Security "Enhancements" at VCU
14. Newport News cops target guns to fight teen violence
15. Students in Norway must be armed -- school lends guns
16. Channel 9 WUSA: Virginia Remains Major Source Of Illegal Guns
17. NY Times blames Virginia for NY violence
18. Professor of Government takes issue with media arguments re: Virginia
19. Member analysis re: reliability of Virginia permit holders
20. Woman uses a gun to fight off pitbulls breaking into her home!
21. Fred Thompson calls Bloomberg like he sees him
22. Pro-gun article by Walter Williams
23. Bloomberg uses tax money to villainize guns
24. Woman targets toy guns
25. Knife crime sharply higher in the UK
26. Counter-protest planned Tuesday
27. Gun shows and events! VCDL PICNIC IN SEPTEMBER!
**************************************************
1. VCDL speaking at Norfolk City Council this Tuesday 8/28 **We
need a good turnout**
**************************************************
Worse, one member, Chet Szymecki, who was attending a festival, was
actually arrested and charged under a newly passed, and totally
illegal ordinance. Chet's wife was told she would be arrested if she
attempted to film the arrest of her husband. She, along with 5 young
children, were escorted off the public property where the festival
was being held and left alone on a corner in downtown Norfolk, with
no car keys or way to get in touch with her husband.
This cannot be tolerated and VCDL needs a huge turnout to get the
message across!
**************************************************
2. VCDL Legislative Victory Picnic, WYTHE COUNTY, September 15
**************************************************
Come join us at our cookout to enjoy free food and beverages and help
celebrate another victorious year in restoring rights of gun owners.
See the location here:
<http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/new.shtml#picnicshelters>
The public is invited for fun and camaraderie, and to thank Delegate
Bill Carrico for again successfully carrying one of VCDL's bills
through to signing into law. The picnic will be held from 11:30 to
1:30 at the New River Trail State Park picnic shelter at Foster Falls
-- same site as last year.
** We do ask you to RSVP if you are coming. Let us know how many
people you are bringing, too. We want to make sure we have plenty of
food and drink! **
**************************************************
3. VCDL membership meeting in Richmond THIS Thursday!
**************************************************
**************************************************
4. Virginia Tech probe finds no fault in massacre response
**************************************************
<http://tinyurl.com/yvmrhk>
"We at Virginia Tech have been forever changed by the crimes of this
severely disturbed young man," Steger said during a news conference
Wednesday. Watch Steger announce the results ª
But that order was not entered into the criminal background database,
and Cho was able to buy the two guns he used in the shooting spree.
Many students criticized the university for not giving them
sufficient warning after Cho's first two victims were found dead in
West Ambler Johnston dormitory.
The report released Wednesday says there was good cooperation and
sound agreements between Virginia Tech and local police. It also says
that the campus communications system was "dramatically stressed,"
but performed adequately during the crisis. The review recommends
replacing the entire system.
Member Dave Yates researched, and found the new rule text. The text
doesn't mention any punishment for visitors who fail to comply with
removal request, but most likely it would be a trespass charge.
The areas where the ban is in effect is given in the wording of the
below. Carry in parking lots, sidewalks, grassed areas, etc. look to
be allowed.
--
**************************************************
6. VT changes storage policy
**************************************************
<http://tinyurl.com/36m9yd>
Page 26 starts the campus weapons policy. An excerpt here reads:
**************************************************
7. The signals are there: VT Panel to recommend more gun control
**************************************************
The VT Panel will release its findings this week. I fully expect
that, contrary to all the evidence that has been shown about the very
real dangers of 'gun-free zones,' the Panel is going to recommend
more gun control.
I base that on the makeup of the Panel and things that have been
stated publicly by Panel members.
It is the 'easy way out' for the Panel. Even if it makes the
campuses more dangerous and won't prevent another Cho from creating a
massacre, recommending gun control is the politically correct thing
to do.
**************************************************
8. Any women students who can testify about being armed on campus?
**************************************************
VCDL is looking for some women, 21 years of age or older, who would
be willing to testify in front of a General Assembly subcommittee in
January or February about wanting the right to protect themselves on
college or university campuses.
Reply to this email if you are interested or know someone who would be.
**************************************************
9. Why you need a gun in a parking lot
**************************************************
The antis are always saying that it is the presence of a gun that
causes arguments to escalate to violence.
I guess it must have been the presence of a screwdriver that made one
man start stabbing the other over a parking space.
Or perhaps some people will kill you with whatever they get their
hands on if you have made them angry?
<http://www.wtopnews.com/?sid=1228905&nid=25>
Here's what police say happened in the 900 block of Bonifant Street
in Silver Spring.
The driver, whose identity the police have not released, was waiting
for someone.
The two men started arguing. Banya grabbed a screwdriver and stabbed
the man over and over again in the hand and torso, police say. The
wounds, according to Montgomery County Police spokesman Officer
Rodney Barnes, were superficial. The man was released from the
hospital Tuesday night.
**************************************************
10. Member responds to GMU anti-gun policy!
**************************************************
--
I was saddened to read that GMU has tightened and extended its campus gun ban.
This is not about guns. It's about whether or not the management of
GMU considers its staff, students and visitors capable of taking care
of themselves. The Cho incident proved that the staff cannot take
care of them. It is completely unreasonable to prevent them from
reasonable, lawful measures to defend themselves. You are saying, in
effect, that we should ignore history, learn nothing from it...that
you will keep us safe. That's not what I was taught in history class.
The founders of this country, George Mason not the least, looked to
the citizenry to defend society. A solution such as I propose would
honor them as well as providing a new bond of community on campus.
Regards,
Douglas R. Pratt
Herndon, VA
**************************************************
11. Member addresses media re: GMU policy
**************************************************
Member Andrew Dysart has been sought after by media since his
arguments for students to be able to defend themselves became known.
Here is his appearance on the Washington Journal against the Brady
Campaign (44 min):
<http://tinyurl.com/2jzdfj>
More videos are can be seen through the "GMU Students for Concealed
Carry" section of the VA Gun Info web page:
<http://vaguninfo.com/videos/gmuscc.htm>
**************************************************
12. GMU student anti- editorial
**************************************************
<http://tinyurl.com/355snm>
EDITORIAL
No Guns on Campus
Concealed Carry Would Only Make Things Worse
Over the course of the past several months, a debate has erupted over
the proper place of handguns and other weapons within the University
community. Dueling Facebook groups supporting and opposing the right
of students, faculty and staff to carry concealed weapons on campus
sprang up and the national media paid close attention to the issue,
featuring Andrew Dysart and his GMU Students for Concealed Carry many
times in a wide variety of outlets. Yet despite the massive amounts
of publicity that the push to allow guns on campus has generated, the
fact remains that such a move would not be in the best interests of
George Mason University's students, faculty or staff.
Dysart is the Mason campus leader for a larger group called Students
for Concealed Carry on Campus which states in its mission statement
that "After such tragedies as Columbine and Virginia Tech, it is
abundantly clear that the only way to stop mass murderers is to have
responsible citizens in the classroom and on campuses able to carry
their licensed handguns." Such logic is incorrect. The invocation of
Columbine is a misleading emotional appeal designed to overstate the
value policies such as theirs could even theoretically carry. The
policies they propose would only allow people with a concealed carry
permit to carry guns on campus. In most states such people must be 21
years old.
Massacres like the Virginia Tech tragedy are extremely rare. The mere
fact that the media presents each one as though it were part of an
epidemic does not mean there actually is an epidemic. Furthermore,
there are already "responsible citizens in the classroom and on
campuses" who are charged with protecting the safety of people on
campus-the police. [Yes - the police sure made a difference at VT. -
PVC]
"Gun-free zones, such as GMU and VT, just don't work," contends
Dysart. "Criminals that are set on committing evil acts will not
follow the laws and rules of society. VT showed us that college
campuses are not really as safe as we have been led to believe."
Such claims are not borne out by reality. In fact, the opposite is
true. College campuses are the best American examples of why gun
control works.
Virginia Tech was a tragedy, but it was also an anomaly. To use that
disaster as an excuse to arm students and kill off a successful
policy would almost certainly cost lives, rather than save them.
**************************************************
13. Campus Security "Enhancements" at VCU
**************************************************
Over and over and over again, the people in the Ivory Towers prove
that they just don't understand what happened at Virginia Tech. They
don't consider what happens when all their 'safety measures' fail and
a student is face-to-face with death with no 'authorities' to help.
I think in such a case, VCU just wants the student to die quietly:
<http://www.vcu.edu/alert/>
The alert is in the form of a memo from the VCU President Eugene
Trani, and is posted at the link. It is excerpted here:
...
...
This fall, we will add five sworn police officers to the 79 officers
we already employ -- keeping VCU's campus police the largest such
force in Virginia. Our police officers have full arrest powers and
maintain jurisdiction beyond the physical boundaries of our two
campuses. Our officers are both well trained and well equipped, and
we have active partnerships with police in the City of Richmond, as
well as in surrounding jurisdictions.
As you walk across our campuses, you see the flashing yellow lights
which mark almost 300 emergency response telephones, each of which
provides a 24 hour, direct link to the VCU Police. In addition,
there are more than 100 "trouble alarm" buttons in academic buildings
and residence halls.
For the start of the new academic year, we have updated maps showing
safe exit routes from each instructional space where more than ten
students are scheduled. Please look for these maps and other
directions so you know how to exit safely from any building. Remember
that the quickest way to get help in an emergency is to call the VCU
Police at 828-1234.
...
Best regards.
Sincerely,
Eugene P. Trani
President, Virginia Commonwealth University
**************************************************
14. Newport News cops target guns to fight teen violence
**************************************************
The Hampton Roads Daily Press carried this item on the Newport News
police targeting guns as the cause of teen violence -- reported with
classic media anti- bias. The police chief says flatly guns are the
problem. [Absolutely - we have all seen guns wandering the streets
looking for innocent drug dealers and gang members to murder! - PVC]
<http://tinyurl.com/2matqt>
An excerpt is here:
Police Chief James Fox has said the main objective for the police
department is to get guns off the street and out of the hands of
young people - who have little trouble getting them despite laws that
prevent handgun sales to minors.
"We're seeing a lot of chatter on (the social networking Web site)
MySpace - young people on there with guns, representing themselves as
tough guys, and playing it out on the streets," Fox said.
Police don't know how many teens are armed with guns, but they do
know that many people won't report them to police, even when they
commit violent acts. The fear of retaliation is too much of a
deterrent. But police say the silence of witnesses and victims
perpetuates the violence.
"We're having people being shot and robbed who won't tell us who did
it," Fox said. "If that happens two or three times, you know you're
going to get away with it."
Police have had 100 reports of firearm assaults so far this year.
That includes nonfatal shootings along with pistol-whippings and
shootings in which a person was shot at but not hit.
In Newport News, Fox said the numbers point to one conclusion: "The
guns are what's causing the violence." [And a Fox is an animal that
likes to waste time chasing its own tail ;-) - PVC]
**************************************************
15. Students in Norway must be armed -- school lends guns
**************************************************
No crying here about how guns are going to lead to a worse tragedy.
<http://tinyurl.com/2dn736>
"We feel more secure and look forward to learn a lot more," said
Helga Therese Tilley Tajet of Moelv. She's studying meteorology at
the University of Oslo and will concentrate on the Arctic marine
climate for the next six months at the university on Svalbard, UNIS.
"Polar bears are one thing," Sand noted. "Even more dangerous is the
extreme cold, and the winds. There also are dangerous glaciers, steep
cliffs, and it's a long way between settlements."
**************************************************
16. Channel 9 WUSA: Virginia Remains Major Source Of Illegal Guns
**************************************************
<http://tinyurl.com/37o7yc>
(WUSA) -- Two weeks ago, on August 7th, a burglar busted into the
Dominion Arms gun shop in Manassas and stole between 15 and 20
handguns. Those weapons already have begun turning up, as federal,
state and local law enforcement continues to battle the same old
problem of illegal gun flow up and down the Eastern Seaboard.
"You have the I-95 Corridor which has been called in times past 'The
I-95 Iron Corridor' for the issue of firearms being trafficked up and
down the I-95 Corridor," Edgar Domenech, Agent-in-Charge of the U.S.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms & Explosives' Washington Field
Office, told 9NEWS NOW.
The ATF report traced more than 10,000 illegal guns recovered in DC,
Maryland and Virginia during 2006. It found more than half of those
traced originated in Virginia. However, it also found most of the
guns recovered in Maryland came from Maryland, and similar results
were found in many other states including New York, Pennsylvania and
North Carolina. In those other states, Virginia was the secondary
source of illegal guns. [In Connecticut, New York was the leading
outside supplier of such guns. The reporter is 'cherry picking.' -
PVC]
Prince George's County's Chief of Police Melvin High tells 9NEWS NOW,
"Most of the guns we recover here in Prince George's County are
coming from within our own state. And so, I think Maryland has its
own challenges. But I think the challenges Maryland has, the entire
nation has." [Chief - don't confused the drive-by media with the
facts, please! - PVC]
**************************************************
17. NY Times blames Virginia for NY violence
**************************************************
<http://tinyurl.com/2aeryw>
**************************************************
18. Professor of Government takes issue with media arguments re: Virginia
**************************************************
<http://tinyurl.com/yvasrl>
"In Study of Gun Traffic, Va. Stands Out," reads the front-page
headline in the August 21 Washington Post. According to the lead
paragraph,
Say what? Itís front-page news when you combine the number of guns
from two states and a city, and one state accounts for nearly half
the total of these three jurisdictions? In fact, Virginiaís share was
actually 46 percent.
We know this because the Post kindly presented the actual figures in
a table on an inside page: Virginia 7,571 guns recovered, Maryland
7,025 guns, and DC 1,831.That means Virginia outpaced Maryland by
just under eight percentage points, and both far outstripped
Washington DC, which has a far smaller population than either state.
But thatís hardly front-page news.
To see just how misleading the Postís lead was, we can make a simple
statistical adjustment that reflects these population differences.
According to July 2006 US Census estimates rounded to the nearest
thousand, Virginiaís population is approximately 7,643,000,
Marylandís is 5,616,000, and the District of Columbiaís is only
582,000. That means Virginia, which accounted for eight percent more
guns than Maryland, also accounts for 36 percent more people.
And on a per capita basis, the rate of guns recovered was about ten
per 100,000 people in Virginia, thirteen per 100,000 in Maryland, and
31 per 100,000 in the District. So the article could just as easily
have concluded that guns were recovered at a rate three times as high
in DC as in Virginia, relative to population.
Update
The Washington Post is not the only paper to stumble over the data:
In today's New York Times, the editorial page notes,
"Virginia dealers have been a standout source for guns used in crimes
up and down the seaboard, according to the federal study. They
accounted for half of the 10,000 guns tracked by the study in the
metropolitan Washington, D.C., area, and one in 11 in New York City."
**************************************************
19. Member analysis re: reliability of Virginia permit holders
**************************************************
Member Bill Heath has been arguing with a family member about the
reliability of concealed weapon permit holders in general, and
Virginians specifically. He writes:
--
I have recently been debating long and hard with my oldest brother
about the benefits of concealed carry and the law-abiding nature of
those with permits. He considers himself an independent thinker, but
I feel that without him even realizing it, his judgment has been
obscured by the constant bombardment of anti-gun propaganda. My
attempts to convince him with facts and reason have all but failed.
He said I needed to provide him with facts and statistics from an
official government source.
With this challenge in mind, I present him (and you) with the
following: (Data and quotes taken from the "Second Amendment
Project" website. <http://www.davekopel.com/2A/LawRev/ShallIssue.htm>)
Based on this, we see that 17 people out of 188,106 had their permits
revoked because of a crime involving a gun. It doesn't break it down
any further than that. We do know, however, that gun crimes are made
up of both violent (robbery, murder, assault) and non-violent (not
properly registered, possession or carry where guns are banned, etc).
Based on this, we know some of these 17 were probably for non-violent
gun crimes and some from violent gun crimes. Of those that involved
a violent gun crime, some may have ended in the victim being injured
or killed, but most probably did not. This is because "violent gun
crime" includes crimes like armed robbery, which include cases in
which none of the victims where physically injured. So of the 17
permit holders that lost their license for a "gun crime", we can
confidently say that at least some were not cases were the victim
ended up injured or killed, assuming there were victims.
(Source: <http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/FSAC/Crime_Trends/violent/fa_index.asp>)
So to compare:
9 per 100,000 for Concealed Carry Permit Holders
172 per 100,000 for All Citizens
172 / 9 = 19.
Now, to see if concealed carry permit holders do more good than bad.
Accurate stats are not available for how many times those with
concealed carry permits use their weapon to lawfully defend
themselves. Therefore, I will use results from the closest available
studies. The best available data has to do with "How many citizens
in the US use a firearm each year to legally defend themselves or
others?" The most conservative estimates show that people in the US
use a firearm for legal self-defense about 500,000 times per year.
The most liberal estimates put the number at 2.5 million per year.
Thus, between 167 and 833 people per 100,000 people use a firearm in
self-defense per year in the US. Since these were not studies on
just concealed carry permit holders, we have to assume that these
numbers fairly represent what they would be for those with concealed
carry permits. I don't think we should have a problem making this
assumption because those with concealed carry permits are much more
likely to have a firearm with them than the average citizen. Thus it
makes sense that they would at least have an average as high as (or
much higher than) the average citizen for use of a firearm in
self-defense. Can we agree that these numbers are probably accurate
then for those with concealed carry permits? Let's assume that they
are. (In all likely-hood their number per 100,000 is probably much
higher.)
So, using all this data we see that those with concealed carry
permits are 18 (167/9) to 93 (833/9) times more likely to legally and
safely defend themselves with a firearm then they are to use a
firearm to commit a gun crime. Or, put another way, each time a
concealed carry permit holder commits a gun crime, 18 to 93 concealed
carry permit holders use their gun legally to deter crime.
This is why I feel that those with concealed carry permits are
stellar, trustworthy, and law-abiding citizens and we should not fear
their presence, but embrace it. Not only are they 19 times more law
abiding than non-permit carrying citizens, but they are at least 18
times more likely to use their weapon for good.
**************************************************
20. Woman uses a gun to fight off pitbulls breaking into her home!
**************************************************
Why carry a gun at home or, at a minimum, have one within easy reach
at all times?
<http://tinyurl.com/yow3ag>
Associated Press
GIG HARBOR, Wash. (AP) - Two pit bull terriers broke into a house
through a pet door Tuesday and attacked a woman in her bed, mauling
her badly, a Pierce County sheriff's spokesman said.
The woman was able to grab a gun and try to shoot the dogs, then
break away from the attack and lock herself in her car, where she
called 911, sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.
The pit bulls also killed a neighbor's Jack Russell terrier, which
entered the house during the attack, Troyer said.
"The thought is that the Jack Russell heard noise in the neighbor's
house, came in and was attacked by the dogs," Troyer said.
Firefighters responded first, locking the dogs in the house, treating
the woman and calling for an ambulance.
Officers "had to pepper spray and fight the dogs until they were
detained. We almost had to shoot them on site," Troyer said.
It was not immediately known why the dogs entered the house, whether
the woman had dogs of her own or what set off the attack.
**************************************************
21. Fred Thompson calls Bloomberg like he sees him
**************************************************
<http://tinyurl.com/3bxype>
Anybody who knows me knows I've always cared deeply about the Second
Amendment right to keep and bear arms. So I've always felt sort of
relieved when I flew back home to where that particular civil liberty
gets as much respect as the rest of the Bill of Rights.
Now, the same activist federal judge from Brooklyn who provided Mayor
Giuliani's administration with the legal ruling it sought to sue gun
makers, has done it again. Last week, he created a bizarre
justification to allow New York City to sue out-of-state gun stores
that sold guns that somehow ended up in criminal hands in the Big
Apple.
Obviously, New York won't get much cash out of the few dozen shops
being sued in Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and
Virginia; so the purpose can only be political. Some of those sued
have already buckled under the financial strain of legal defense and
agreed to live by New York City rules.
While this attack by New York City on the Second Amendment reinforces
the importance of appointing judges who apply the law as written,
there is another important legal point. Federalism, though usually
seen as a protection of the states from the federal government,
actually grew out of the need to protect states from other states
that interfered in free commerce beyond their borders - as New York
is doing today. In this case, we need Federalism to protect states
from a big bully in New York City.
**************************************************
22. Pro-gun article by Walter Williams
**************************************************
This item appeared in the on-line e-zine World Net Daily. While VCDL
does not support vigilantism, Walter Williams is actually saying
quite strongly that if government can't protect us, we have a right
to protect ourselves - in an organized fashion if necessary:
<http://tinyurl.com/238dsx>
Blacks are not only the major victims of homicide; blacks suffer high
rates of all categories of serious violent crime, and another black
is most often the perpetrator.
Liberals and their political allies say the problem is the easy
accessibility of guns and greater gun control is the solution. That
has to be nonsense. Guns do not commit crimes; people do.
During the 1940s and '50s, I grew up in North Philadelphia where many
of today's murders occur. It was a time when blacks were much poorer,
there was far more racial discrimination, and fewer employment
opportunities and other opportunities for upward socioeconomic
mobility were available. There was nowhere near the level of crime
and wanton destruction that exists today. Behavior accepted today
wasn't accepted then by either black adults or policemen.
Police authorities often know who are the local criminals and drug
lords and where crack houses are located; however, various legal
technicalities hamper their ability to make arrests and raids.
Law-abiding citizens are often afraid to assist police or testify
against criminals for fear of retaliation that can include murder.
The level of criminal activity not only puts residents in physical
jeopardy but also represents a heavy tax on people least able to bear
it. That heavy tax includes higher prices for goods and services and
fewer shopping opportunities because supermarkets and other large
retailers are reluctant to bear the costs of doing business in
high-crime areas.
You say, "Hey, Williams, you're not talking about vigilantism, are
you?" Yes, I am. Webster's Dictionary defines vigilantism as: a
volunteer committee organized to suppress and punish crime summarily
as when the processes of law are viewed as inadequate.
**************************************************
23. Bloomberg uses tax money to villainize guns
**************************************************
Mr. Yan Goldovskiy sent this item after seeing posters on the streets
of NY City. Photographs are at the link. He writes:
--
"I thought that you would like to see posters on streets of NYC
saying 'Guns = Prison'. As a law abiding gun owner I am outraged by
Bloomberg's claim that 'Guns = Prison'. I hope that more mayors quit
Bloomberg's coalition 'Mayors against illegal guns' after they learn
that the word 'illegal' became irrelevant in Bloomberg's fight
against guns.
Here are the pictures that I took on streets of NYC, just blocks from
the City Hall: "
<http://tinyurl.com/2ejdw6>
**************************************************
24. Woman targets toy guns
**************************************************
"The danger is of them growing up and thinking it's OK to play with real guns"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
<http://tinyurl.com/2eqsgx>
www.MassLive.com
The toys the children were playing with yesterday - a small arsenal
of water guns, dart guns, futuristic laser pistols and shiny chrome
six-shooters with orange tips - were clearly not dangerous, Franco
said.
On April 18, 2006, Franco was sitting in her car on Church Street at
the end of the day, talking to a co-worker, when a stray bullet from
a drive-by shooting hit her in the back.
"I was 5 minutes away from being home," she said. Instead, she was
laid up for six months recovering from her injuries.
Polishing off their ice cream, Juan Perez, 12, and Gabriel Brady and
Joe Rodriguez, each 8, said they enjoyed it.
The trio turned in a squirt gun, a pistol that shoots foam darts and
a cap gun, which Gabriel called "a gun that makes noise."
But they indicated the North End Outreach Network has more work to do
before they will give up toy guns for good.
"I like ice cream and toy guns," Gabriel said. [I love it! - PVC]
**************************************************
25. Knife crime sharply higher in the UK
**************************************************
The UK's draconian gun laws have not led to improved quality of life.
When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns, and knives, or
whatever they choose to use as weapons against an unarmed citizenry.
<http://tinyurl.com/ys922c>
Knifepoint robberies have doubled in the last two years according to a report.
A study by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (CCJS) published
in todayís Sunday Times suggests street robberies involving blades
have risen from 25,500 in 2005 to 64,000 in the year to April 2007.
The figures mean on average in the last year there have been 175
knife robberies per day on the streets of England and Wales.
"There is no doubt there are more kids carrying knives but it is not clear why.
"There are three things we can do to tackle this problem. The first
is to have a mandatory five-year sentence for anyone carrying a knife.
A spokesman for the Home Office said: "Crime and violent crime have
fallen by a third in the last 10 years while sharp instrument
homicides have remained broadly stable.
**************************************************
26. Counter-protest planned Tuesday
**************************************************
If you can't make the Norfolk City Council meeting tomorrow, perhaps
you can make this event. VCDL is not going to have an official
presence, but VCDL members can go to Maryland to counter-protest from
Noon to 2:00 PM in front of:
http://tinyurl.com/2eqchf
"We disagree completely with their message, but we fully support their
right to say it and we want to demonstrate our support by being
present at their events." said Director of Operations for The Firearms
Coalition, Jeff Knox.
Knox has dubbed the day "National Exercise Your Rights Day" and is
encouraging Second Amendment activists to not only show their support
for the anti-gunners' right to free speech, but to exercise their own
rights to speech, assembly, petitioning the government, and their
right to Keep and Bear Arms by purchasing a gun or ammunition that
day.
"While they are calling for new laws to 'keep guns out of the hands of
criminals', we will be calling for authorities to take action to keep
criminals away from guns. And while they're lying down in the street
one by one up to 32 of them, we'll stop after the first one or two
because that's where the Virginia Tech tragedy might have ended had
all of the law-abiding adults in the area not been disarmed prior to
the attack." Knox said.
**************************************************
27. Gun shows and events! VCDL PICNIC IN SEPTEMBER!
**************************************************
<http://www2.vcdl.org/cgi-bin/wspd_cgi.sh/vcdl/gs.html>
and click on any of the blue links, or contact the coordinator for
the show/event listed below with which you are interested in helping.
Here are the upcoming events with which we need YOUR help:
Saturday, August 25 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 26 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 8 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 9 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
c. FREDERICKSBURG <http://www.guns-knives.com/Fredericksburg.html>,
September 8-9
Saturday, September 8 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 9 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 15 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 16 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Come join us at our cookout to enjoy free food and beverages and help
celebrate another victorious year in restoring rights of gun owners.
The public is invited for fun and camaraderie, and to thank Delegate
Bill Carrico for again successfully carrying one of VCDL's bills
through to signing into law. The picnic will be held from 11:30 to
1:30 at the New River Trail State Park picnic shelter at Foster Falls
-- same site as last year.
Saturday, September 22 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 23 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
It will be held at the Virginia War Museum, 9285 Warwick Blvd (next
to the James River Bridge). All we need is YOU to help us work our
recruiting and information table. No experience necessary!
Saturday, September 29 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 30 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Come meet national gun rights leaders and your fellow grassroots
activists at the 2007 Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. Sponsored by
the Citizens Committee to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA), the conference
affords you the opportunity to make your voice heard and get a
preview of future critical events impacting our rights.
Past speakers have included Alan Gottlieb, Philip Van Cleave, Alan
Korwin, Massad Ayoob, Tom Gresham, Wayne LaPierre, and John Lott.
We hope to see you there as part of the VCDL contingent!
Saturday, October 6 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 7 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 13 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 14 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 20 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 21 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 27 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 28 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 3 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 4 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 24 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 25 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 1 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 2 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 8 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 9 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 15 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 16 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Please contact Al Steed, Jr. at <SWVAgunshows@vcdl.org> to help in Salem.
Saturday, December 15 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 16 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 29 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 30 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 26 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 27 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 22 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 23 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
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***
VA-ALERT is a project of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc.
(VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization
dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to
Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.
VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org
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***