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From: VCDL President

Sent: Monday, August 27, 2007 1:53 PM


Subject: VA-ALERT: VCDL Update 8/27/07

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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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VCDL UPDATE 08/27/07 - Defending your right to defend yourself

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**
**************************************************

VCDL will be addressing the Norfolk City Council over recent


harassment of gun owners by the Norfolk Police Department. TWO gun
owners were each harassed TWICE. One was told that the needless
handcuffing and harassment would continue each time the police saw
him open carrying!

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!

In a related item, eagle-eyed member Richard Popkin noticed in


Norfolk's Jeff Robertson Park, a new sign with park regulations
appeared this past week. Among other text, the sign specifically
says, "It is prohibited to discharge or possess bows and arrows,
darts, firearms or knives with a blade over 3" long, except for law
enforcement officers or people with a permit." This is is perhaps
timed to coincide with the upcoming meeting ... maybe to draw some of
the attention away from the business at hand.

The meeting starts at 7 PM and is located at:

Norfolk City Hall


810 Union Street
Norfolk, VA 23510

Carry is legal in City Hall.

**************************************************
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! **

RSVP to: picnics@vcdl.org

While the picnic is free, we would sure appreciate some volunteers to


help set up, cook on the grills, and clean up at the end. If you can
help, please contact Dennis O'Connor at <Picnics@vcdl.org>

**************************************************
3. VCDL membership meeting in Richmond THIS Thursday!
**************************************************

VCDL is having a membership meeting in the Henrico/Richmond area on


Thursday, August 30th, from 7 to 8:30 PM at the Tuckahoe Library.
Like all membership meetings, the public is welcome - so bring along
some friends and family members!

George Marchenko, who is running against Henrico Board of Supervisor


member Patricia O'Bannon, will address the group briefly and answer
any questions about his candidacy.

The address for the library is:

Tuckahoe Area Library


1901 Starling Drive
Richmond VA 23229
Ph: (804) 270-9578

After the meeting we will adjourn to a local restaurant for continued


fellowship.

**************************************************
4. Virginia Tech probe finds no fault in massacre response
**************************************************

Did you expect anything different? I know I didn't:

<http://tinyurl.com/yvmrhk>

Virginia Tech probe finds no fault in massacre response


From CNN Producer Eric Fiegel

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An internal review of the actions Virginia Tech


took in the hours after student Seung-Hui Cho's April shooting spree
makes suggestions to boost security but assigns no blame for the
deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.

The report was requested by Virginia Tech President Charles Steger.


It was released Wednesday and includes reviews of the university's
security systems, communications and counseling services that dealt
with at-risk students.

It recommends many improvements -- ranging from locks on classroom


doors to overhauling the campus communications system -- but doesn't
fault any university or police officials for the way they handled the
massacre.

Cho killed 32 fellow students and faculty members before killing


himself April 16 on the Blacksburg, Virginia, campus.

"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

"He was determined to commit murder, planned the crime meticulously


and managed to conceal his homicidal urges from all of law
enforcement authorities, and the mental health experts who tried to
help him and presumably from his own family," Steger said.

The 23-year-old student had been described as a loner by his


roommates, and the violence in his writings had worried his teachers.
After Cho expressed suicidal thoughts to a roommate, who then alerted
others, Cho was given a psychological evaluation and a judge ordered
he be treated.

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.

In the days following the shooting, Steger defended the university's


actions, saying that he initially thought the dorm room shooting was
"a domestic fight, perhaps a murder-suicide."

"It was characterized by our security people as being contained to


that dorm room," he said in April.

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.

Other recommendations include a centrally controlled card key system,


mass notification techniques within classrooms, a people locator
system and more frequent emergency exercises.

One area of concern in the report is the way the university


identifies and supports at-risk students. The report says "the system
may not be robust enough to provide the kind of analysis that is
warranted by more complex, high risk cases."

The committee recommends expanding a student group that works with


at-risk students, creating a threat assessment team that would
examine the most complex cases and improving communications with
external agencies that treat troubled students.

The university's report comes days before a high-profile independent


group -- formed by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine -- is scheduled to release
its broader investigation.

Kaine's Virginia Tech Review Panel, which includes former Homeland


Security Secretary Tom Ridge, is looking at the shooting and police
response, as well as the mental health system that failed to identify
Cho as a threat and effectively deal with him in the months before
the massacre.

School started this week for 28,000 Virginia Tech students.

All About Cho Seung-Hui:


<http://topics.cnn.com/topics/cho_seung_hui>
**************************************************
5. VT now has a blanket firearms ban
**************************************************

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.

If somehow the University discovers that a permit holder is carrying


a gun (that should only happen if the permit holder is carelessness
or stupid), the permit holder will be asked to remove the gun from
the campus immediately. Failure to do so may lead to legal and/or
disciplinary action.

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.

The applicable University text reads (in part):

--

2.2 Prohibition of Weapons The university employees, students, and


volunteers, or any visitor or other third party attending a sporting,
entertainment, or educational event, or visiting an academic or
administrative office building or residence hall, are further
prohibited from carrying, maintaining, or storing a firearm or weapon
on any university facility, even if the owner has a valid permit,
when it is not required by the individual's job, or in accordance
with the relevant University Student Life Policies.

Any such individual who is reported or discovered to possess a


firearm or weapon on university property will be asked to remove it
immediately. Failure to comply may result in a student judicial
referral and/or arrest, or an employee disciplinary action and/or
arrest.

**************************************************
6. VT changes storage policy
**************************************************

A redacted version of the Security Infrastructure section of the


report can be found at this link (35 pages):

<http://tinyurl.com/36m9yd>
Page 26 starts the campus weapons policy. An excerpt here reads:

Police Department staff reviewed all internal Police Department gun


storage procedures. As a result of the internal review, the Student
Weapons Storage Form, attached as Appendix M was modified. Additions
to the request form are highlighted in yellow. The additions require
requesters to report if they have ever been convicted of a felony and
to indicate whether or not they have a concealed weapons permit.
Further, the form now requires that the student attest that they are
the lawful owner of the firearm being stored and are in compliance
with applicable Federal and State law concerning the possession and
ownership of the weapon. Finally, the form now clearly states that
the detection of alcohol on the breath of the person wishing to check
their gun out would prohibit the weapon from being released to them.

**************************************************
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.

I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think I will be.

**************************************************
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.

Hmmm - I'm not sure what happened then in this case.

I guess it must have been the presence of a screwdriver that made one
man start stabbing the other over a parking space.

Gee, I have picked up lots of screwdrivers, all different sizes and


makes, but never did I suddenly feel an uncontrollable urge to stab
someone over a parking space.

Perhaps the driver had some kind of special 'assault' screwdriver


that Sarah Brady will now ask Congress to ban?

Or perhaps some people will kill you with whatever they get their
hands on if you have made them angry?

Member Tom Pike sends:

Too bad he lived in MD and couldn't defend himself.

<http://www.wtopnews.com/?sid=1228905&nid=25>

Parking Spot Fight: Man Stabs Driver With Screwdriver


August 23, 2007

SILVER SPRING, Md. - One man is repeatedly stabbed with a


screwdriver. The other faces assault charges. The two were arguing
over a parking spot.

Here's what police say happened in the 900 block of Bonifant Street
in Silver Spring.

Edward Banya, 42, of Hyattsville, saw the 28-year-old Silver Spring


man parked in a spot, it appeared the man was ready to pull out.
Police say Banya thought the driver was slow to leave the spot.

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.

Police charged Banya with first-degree assault and reckless


endangerment. He also faces copyright offenses after police found
thousands of pirated DVD movies in his car.

**************************************************
10. Member responds to GMU anti-gun policy!
**************************************************

Our mini-VA-Alert of 19 August announced: GMU formally reinstates


anti-gun policy! The same day, Member Doug Pratt sent this letter to
the GMU Provost. I really like how he says that permit holders
should be viewed as a security ASSET and not a liability by the
university!:

--

I was saddened to read that GMU has tightened and extended its campus gun ban.

I see it as perfectly reasonable that underage students and visitors


should not be allowed to carry guns on campus. However, a person with
a Virginia Concealed Carry permit is over 21 and has been through a
training program. Statistics show that permit holders are far less
likely to use a gun illegally than the average citizen. There is no
sensible reason to ban permit holders from carrying on campus.

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.

Wouldn't it be more sensible to be proactive? Have the Chief of


Security offer classes in self defense, with or without guns. Treat
the licensed permit holders as useful adjuncts to campus security.
Make sure they are briefed and prepared to work with the police if
something happens. Double your security force at a minimal cost!

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
**************************************************

This item appears in the GMU on-line publication "Broadside". The


writer would appear to argue that only 32 killed at VT represents a
successful gun control policy!!!

<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.

By most standards, college campuses should be frequent targets of


violent crimes and murders. There are large numbers of young people
living together, having sex, and dating one another under stressful
conditions, in an environment with frequent alcohol and drug use.
[Permit holders are probably NOT going to be living on campus. We
are talking adults. - PVC] All of those are correlated with higher
crime and higher violent crime. However, according to FBI's Crime in
the United States report in the decade between 1995 and 2005, the
most recent year for which data is available, Virginia's college
campuses saw only three murders and one gun murder. It strains the
imagination to think that if more guns were allowed on campuses the
number of murders would decrease.

The idea that an increase in guns would result in a decrease in


murders is a ludicrous one. It is not a realistic claim either; the
available statistics from 1995 to 2004 prove that the policies that
are in place work. While Virginia state murders ranged from 7.5 to
5.2 murders per 100,000, state campuses only went as high as .5 per
100,000. The facts don't square with Dysart's claim that only guns
can save us.

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
**************************************************

A member anonymously sent us this link to an alert by the Virginia


Commonwealth University (Richmond) and added: "Lights, sirens, and
e-mail! Oh boy! I feel so much safer."

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:

Subject: Campus Security Enhancements at VCU

Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues:

Providing a safe environment on our campuses to learn, study, teach,


work and participate in campus activities has been and remains VCU's
top priority. That priority has guided us in making policy, staffing
and funding decisions over the years of my presidency. Nonetheless,
the Virginia Tech tragedy has led us to re-examine everything we do
in this area, and to look for ways to strengthen our already strong
practices surrounding campus security. I am writing to let you know
about some of the changes we are implementing, and how you can help
us keep VCU safe and secure.

Communications capacity is key. Events which threaten human life


sometimes occur with little or no warning -- placing a premium on the
ability to communicate quickly with students, faculty, and staff. To
deal with these and other threats, VCU is implementing a rapid,
multi-level system for communicating emergency information. Many
components of the system are operational now.

Our primary communications channel will be through text messaging,


which is now available to students, faculty, staff and parents. You
can sign up now by linking from the VCU home page or by going to
http://www.vcu.edu/alert/notify/. There is no cost to you for
enrolling. We will use text messaging to notify you immediately
about emergencies, and about closings and delays for inclement
weather.

Text messaging is reliable and fast. Nevertheless, text messaging is


only effective if everyone signs up and keeps his or her information
up-to-date. For that reason, I urge you to enroll today.

...

The additional channels detailed below will provide that information.

* Should an emergency occur, the VCU Alert Web site at


<http://www.vcu.edu/alert> will be updated regularly with information
and instructions about how to respond. For day-to-day use, the Alert
web site provides useful information about how to prepare for
emergencies before they happen. The site is being updated and made
more accessible from VCU's home page (http://www.vcu.edu).

...

Our re-examination of other aspects of VCU's security staffing and


infrastructure has been extensive, and it has led us to conclude that
our capacity and infrastructure are sound. Nevertheless, we have
taken steps to make them stronger. I want to be sure you are aware
of some of the changes and remind you about security measures we
already have in place.

Since early 2002, VCU has had in place a University-wide Emergency


Preparedness Plan, developed and guided by a professional staff
person whose sole responsibility is emergency planning. We organize
response activities around a single incident commander, buttressed by
an Incident Response Team which includes representatives from
operational and academic areas on both campuses. The Incident
Response Team trains using real-world scenarios, and its performance
is critiqued and improved with each exercise. Exercises involve
city, state, and federal staff where appropriate.

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.

In contrast to many other institutions, our residence halls have


security staff on site 24 hours, 7 days a week. Residence halls are
also equipped with recording cameras focused on the entry and on exit
points. Hall-specific ID cards with student pictures are required
for entry. Guests must be signed in by a resident. Security officers
also are stationed in several academic buildings on campus, including
the library.

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.

VCU Police provide a number of safety and crime prevention programs.


More information is available at <http://www.vcu.edu/police> or by
calling VCU Police information line at 828-1196.

You have an important role in keeping our campuses secure. By


signing up for emergency text messaging, learning the safe exit
routes from your classrooms and offices, knowing where to get
information about emergencies, following any emergency instructions
from designated authorities, knowing how to contact VCU Police, and
knowing how to prepare for emergencies before they happen, you help
make our University campuses safe and secure. We will ask faculty to
take on the additional responsibility of discussing these
responsibilities with their students.

...

Because of the importance of this communication, I am emailing it to


faculty and staff, and I am also sending it by U.S. mail as well.
Working with you, we will continue to do everything we can to keep
VCU strong, our campuses secure and our students, faculty, and staff
safe.

We look forward to a successful academic year.

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]

The full article is here:

<http://tinyurl.com/2matqt>

An excerpt is here:

NN cops target guns to fight teen violence

With armed youths increasingly linked to violent crimes, police seek


to wrest the guns from the hands of teenagers.

BY JENNIFER LATSON August 19, 2007

In an evidence storeroom at police headquarters, handguns line walls


in rows that reach up to the ceiling. They include nearly 3,000
weapons confiscated since 2002 because they were used in crimes or
were in the possession of juveniles and convicted felons: 135 were
taken out of the hands of people younger than 18.

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.

That also puts the number of gun-related assaults on track to be less


than the 224 reported last year. Fatal shootings, however, are likely
to push the city's homicide count by year's end to the highest it's
been in the past five years.

In neighboring Hampton, police have seen an unusually low number of


killings - three so far this year, compared to 15 in all of 2006.
Hampton police say they have no way of determining the number of
nonfatal shootings in their city, nor the number of guns police there
have confiscated.

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>

Aftenposten English Web Desk


Nina Berglund

This is an article from www.aftenposten.no.


Updated: 20 August 2007

Armed for first day of school


Hundreds of thousands of students had their first day of school on
Monday. Some of them had to learn to carry guns and be prepared to
shoot -- polar bears.

Students on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard aren't allowed to


leave their village without a shotgun and ammunition. That's because
hungry polar bears can be behind every swing on the island.

Although no one wants to shoot a polar bear, and they're indeed


protected by national law, the huge white animals can quickly outrun
a human. And humans don't have a chance if confronted by an
aggressive bear.

So everyone on Svalbard needs to be able defend him- or herself, and


students undergo weapons training every year.

"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.

The students are also trained in Arctic survival techniques in


addition to how to use a weapon. "It's absolutely necessary," said
UNIS director Gunnar Sand. Much of the course work involved is
carried out in the field, and the students also go trekking in their
free time.

The school lends out weapons, ammunition, tents, sleeping bags,


survival suits, snow scooters and other equipment that's essential in
the Arctic landscape.

"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>

Virginia Remains Major Source Of Illegal Guns


Written by Gary Reals 9NEWS NOW
8/21/2007

(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]

Domenech of the ATF adds Virginia's law enacted in 1993, which


prohibits the purchase of more than one gun a month by the same
individual, has had a "tremendous effect on the patterns of gun
traffickers ... because it's forcing those who are looking to violate
the law ... to making it more difficult for them."

**************************************************
17. NY Times blames Virginia for NY violence
**************************************************

<http://tinyurl.com/2aeryw>

The New York Times

August 22, 2007


Editorial
Virginiaís Gun Market

The "Iron Pipeline" of Interstate 95 remains alive and deadly, as a


new federal study grimly confirms. Saddest of all is the evidence
that some of the most far-reaching shady gun marts continue to
operate in the state of Virginia, where the suicidal Virginia Tech
student shot 32 people to death only four months ago. 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. [And many of
those guns are stolen by New York criminals that Bloomberg ignores. -
PVC]

Richmond officials deny their gun control laws are porous,


particularly now that the state announced it was closing the loophole
that allowed the Virginia Tech marauder to legally buy guns despite
his documented history of mental disturbance. But for every loophole
closed in the wake of the nationís latest gun mayhem ... from
Columbine to the D.C. sniper, ad infinitum ... others beg attention
in the crazy quilt of state and federal regulations cynically
manipulated by the gun lobby. [WHAT??!!!?? The 'gun lobby' has been
trying to get rid of that 'crazy quilt' of gun laws! We want uniform
gun laws! - PVC]

For all the official dedication to closure in Richmond these days,


the State Legislature rejected a proposal to close the egregious
loophole by which "private" (i.e. unlicensed) dealers sell weapons at
weekend gun shows free of the federal obligation to conduct
background checks on buyers. More than a quarter of the dealers have
been found selling guns as easily as midway trinkets. Their lethal
marts should be flying the skull-and-bones of pirates ... the better
to attract sportsmen shoppers. [And the New York Times should fly
the Yellow Journalism Flag! - PVC]

Virginia is hardly alone in following the gun lobbyís diktat to


protect laissez-faire gun shows. But political cowardice only
compounds the grief at Virginia Tech over its contribution to the
domestic gun toll of 30,000 lives a year. In Richmond, where pressure
from the bloody campus was greatest, the vote to retain the gun show
loophole was close. But now a legislative battle looms over the gun
lobbyís brazen counterinitiative to legalize concealed weapons on
campus. [Hey! We resemble that remark! ;-) -PVC]

**************************************************
18. Professor of Government takes issue with media arguments re: Virginia
**************************************************

The president of the non-partisan Statistical Assessment Service,


affiliated with GMU since 2004, says 'not so fast' with media playing
fast and loose with numbers to support their editorial bias against
Virginia and guns.

<http://tinyurl.com/yvasrl>

Counting Gun Traffic


Robert S. Lichter, Ph.D
Updated August 22

Did the Washington Post [and NY Times] malign Virginia?

"In Study of Gun Traffic, Va. Stands Out," reads the front-page
headline in the August 21 Washington Post. According to the lead
paragraph,

"Law enforcement authorities traced more than 10,000 guns recovered


in Virginia, Maryland and the District [of Columbia] last year - and
nearly half came from Virginia, according to federal data released
yesterday."

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.

The article goes on to discuss other evidence, such as other east


coast states where Virginia-traced guns have turned up. But the focus
is on the DC-VA-MD comparison a local angle that backfires. In fact,
we recommend that the Post switch to higher caliber information in
its bulletins on firearms.

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:

--

How law-abiding and safe are concealed handgun permit holders?

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>)

I will use Florida Concealed Weapons Permits as an example.


"How many permits were issued? From October 1, 1987, when the new
law went into effect, to December 31, 1993, there were 205,631
applications received. A total of 986 applications were denied (572
for criminal history, 414 for incomplete application). A total of
188,106 licenses were issued, of which 105,214 were valid as of
December 31 1993. (Many licensees did not renew.) Several thousand
applications were either in process, denied and under appeal,
suspended, or withdrawn by the applicant. [36]

A total of 350 licenses have been revoked. The revocations were


for: clemency rule change or legislative change (66); illegible
prints (10); crime prior to licensure (74, of which 4 involved a
firearm); crime after licensure (182, of which 17 involved a
firearm); and "other" (18). Thus, of the 188,106 licensees,
approximately 1 in 10,000 (1/100th of 1%) had a license revoked for a
crime involving a firearm. [37]

36. Florida Department of State, Concealed Weapons/Firearms


License Statistical Report for Period 10/01/87 - 12/31/93
(Tallahassee, Florida).
37. Florida Department of State, Concealed Weapons/Firearms
License Statistical Report for Period 10/01/87 - 12/31/93
(Tallahassee, Florida)."

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.

To put the 17 number into normal crime rate statistics, we convert it


to crimes per 100,000. In this case, that translates to 9 of 100,000
permit holders got their permits revoked for some kind of gun crime.

Now, to compare this to the average citizen in Florida. I would use


the same period, but the Florida Department of Law Enforcement does
not go back that far. Their most recent data is for 1997 to 2006. If
we take the average, per 100,000, for this time period we get 172 per
100,000 for Firearms Used in Violent Crimes and Manslaughter.

(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.

Thus revealing that Concealed Carry Permits holders are approximately


19 times less likely than the average citizen to commit a gun related
crime.

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.

Converting these number to per 100,000 we get (assuming 300 million


people in the US):
Low End: 167 per 100,000
High End: 833 per 100,000

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>

Pit Bulls Break Into Home, Maul Woman

Associated Press

Aug 21, 2007

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 woman, who was not immediately identified, was taken to a


hospital in Tacoma, where she was listed in serious condition.

Officers planned to talk to the dogs' owner.

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.

The dogs were taken to a Humane Society and will probably be


destroyed, he 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
**************************************************

Fred Thompson, the undeclare presidential candidate for president who


is out-polling his declared and presumed rivals, put these comments
about Bloomberg's anti-gun stings on his "Tennesseans For Thompson"
blog site.

<http://tinyurl.com/3bxype>

Fred on the Issues

A New York State of Mind

When I was working in television, I spent quite a bit of time in New


York City. There are lots of things about the place I like, but New
York gun laws don't fall in that category.

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.

Unfortunately, New York is trying, again, to force its ways on the


rest of us, this time through the courts. First, they went after U.S.
gun manufacturers, seeking through a lawsuit not only money but
injunctive control over the entire industry. An act of congress in
2005 blocked, but did not end, that effort.

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.

The lawsuit has been a lesson in out-of-control government from the


get-go. Mayor Bloomberg sent private investigators to make "straw"
purchases ñ illegally buying guns for somebody else. According to the
ATF, NY's illegal "stings" interfered with ongoing investigations of
real gun traffickers.

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.

Ironically, all of this comes at a time of historically low violent


crime rates and historically high gun ownership rates nationally.
States where it is legal to carry guns are also at an all-time high,
up to 40 from 10 in 1987 by NRA reckoning.

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>

The author, Walter E. Williams, Ph.D., is the John M. Olin


Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University in
Fairfax, Va.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007


A call for black vigilantism
Last year, among the nation's 10 largest cities, Philadelphia had the
highest murder rate with 406 victims. This year could easily top last
year's with 240 murders so far.

Other cities such as Baltimore, Detroit and Washington, D.C., with


large black populations, experience the nation's highest rates of
murder and violent crime. This high murder rate is, and has been,
predominantly a black problem.

According to Bureau of Justice statistics, between 1976 and 2005,


blacks, while 13 percent of the population, committed over 52 percent
of the nation's homicides and were 46 percent of the homicide
victims. Ninety-four percent of black homicide victims had a black
person as their murderer.

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.

Up through 1979, the FBI reported homicide arrests sorted by racial


breakdowns that included Japanese. Between 1976 and 1978, 21 of
48,695 arrests for murder and non-negligent manslaughter were
Japanese-Americans. That translates to an annual murder rate of 1 per
100,000 of the Japanese-American population. Would anyone advance the
argument that the reason why homicide is virtually nonexistent among
Japanese-Americans is because they can't find guns?

The high victimization rate experienced by the overwhelmingly


law-abiding black community is mostly the result of predators not
having to pay a heavy enough price for their behavior. They benefit
from all kinds of asinine excuses, such as poverty, racial
discrimination and few employment opportunities.

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.

So here's the question: Should black people accept government's


dereliction of its first basic function, that of providing
protection? My answer is no. One of our basic rights is the right to
defend oneself against predators. If the government can't or won't
protect people, people have a right to protect themselves.

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.

Example: A number of years ago, black Muslims began to patrol


Mayfair, a drug-infested, gang-ridden Washington, D.C., housing
project. The gangs and drug lords left, probably because the black
Muslims didn't feel obliged to issue Miranda warnings. Black men
should set up neighborhood patrols, armed if necessary, and if
politicians and police don't like it, they should do their jobs. No
one should have to live in daily fear for their lives and safety.

**************************************************
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!

Like I do? Oh, Heaven forbid...

<http://tinyurl.com/2eqsgx>

Springfield kids turn in toy guns


Saturday, August 18, 2007
By PATRICK JOHNSON
pjohnson@repub.com

www.MassLive.com

SPRINGFIELD, MA - As the children sat in a row on the small stage at


Linda Park on Main Street, clicking and clacking their toy guns like
a squad of baby-faced killers, Milta M. Franco could only shake her
head.

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.

"The danger is of them growing up and thinking it's OK to play with


real guns," she said.

Franco, director of the North End Outreach Network, was on hand


yesterday for the organization's second annual toy guns for ice-cream
exchange.

Children who turned in a toy gun enjoyed a free ice-cream cup,


donated by Stop & Shop Supermarkets.
Approximately 50 children gave up their toy guns for ice cream,
slightly more than last year.

Each of the guns collected, Franco said, will be unceremoniously


tossed in the trash.

The issue of children growing up desensitized to violence has taken


on a special meaning for her since last year, Franco said.

"I'm very passionate toward it, personally and professionally,


because I am a victim of it," she 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.

In addition to getting children to give up their toy guns, the


exchange seeks to show parents they can buy other toys for their
children, Franco said.

"They don't have to play with guns," she said.

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.

Enver Soloman, deputy director of the London-based CCJS spoke to the


the newspaper. He said:

"There is no doubt there are more kids carrying knives but it is not clear why.

"Much of it is for personal safety rather than for putting it against


someoneís throat."

Norman Brennan, director of the Victims of Crime Trust, said he was


not surprised by the figures:

"We are facing a national crisis with knife crime.

"Why is it that increasing numbers of people do not think twice about


slipping a knife into their pocket before they leave the house?
[Because they can't slip a gun into their pocket to protect
themselves? - PVC]

"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.

"The next [step] is to do a mass, nationwide stop and search. And


police should take community leaders with them so they can see the
feral youngsters who are roaming our streets.

"And we need to introduce something to occupy the disenfranchised


young people. Whether that is national service or mandatory
community-based work, it would help."

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.

"Public protection is our top priority which is why we have recently


introduced tough legislation, such as increasing the maximum sentence
for carrying a knife in public without good reason from two to four
years.
"We will continue to tackle knife and other forms of crime through
police powers and prevention."

The study is expected to be published in full next month.

**************************************************
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:

Realco Guns, Inc,


6108 Marlboro Pike,
District Heights, MD

http://tinyurl.com/2eqchf

Second Amendment Activists Support Anti-Gun Protesters' Rights

Published on: August 24th, 2007 07:20pm by: JeffKnox

Manassas, VA (OPENPRESS) August 25, 2007 -- Second Amendment activists


are vowing to attend protests, prayer meetings, and vigils organized
by Jesse Jackson's Rainbow-PUSH coalition and The Brady Campaign
Against Guns this Tuesday.

"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 these misguided folks are protesting about "illegal guns" in a


park near the "Gun Free School Zone" where an illegal alien executed
three people recently in New Jersey, our people will be taking steps
to ensure that such atrocities won't happen to them and their loved
ones." said Knox.

"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.

National Exercise Your Rights Day is This Tuesday, August 28.

Jeff Knox will be attending the Washington, DC area event scheduled


for Noon to 2:00 in front of Realco Guns, Inc, 6108 Marlboro Pike,
District Heights, MD

Details about other planned events can be found on the Firearms


Coalition web site under "Most Popular", "National Exercise Your
Rights Day"

The Firearms Coalition is a nationally active coalition of grassroots


gun rights organizations and individuals and is based in suburban
Washington, DC.

**************************************************
27. Gun shows and events! VCDL PICNIC IN SEPTEMBER!
**************************************************

The Virginia Citizens Defense League thanks the following


member-activists who generously gave of their time to advance and
help defend the rights of their fellow gun owners by working our
recruiting and information booth at the Virginia Outdoor Sportsman
Classic, Aug. 10-12:

Sherrill Smith, Al Steed Jr., James Ellison, Dave Knight, Rodney


Metheny, Bruce Powers, Speedy & Terri Mercer, Herb Spangler, Paul
Henick, Ken Greek, Ken Modica, Don Beheler, and Kathy Smith.

As an all volunteer organization, VCDL depends on YOU to volunteer


your time at our area events, where we recruit new activists and keep
gun owners informed. No experience necessary; if it's your first time
we'll pair you with a veteran volunteer. To find out more about
helping at our gun show tables, go to:

<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:

a. HARRISONBURG <http://www.showmasters.us>, August 25-26

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.

Please contact Bob Schmidt at <Shenandoahgunshows@vcdl.org> to help


in Harrisonburg.

b. NORFOLK (at the Norfolk Scope, <http://www.showmasters.us>, 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 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Please contact Ron and Jean Hyson at <Norfolk-VBgunshows@vcdl.org> to


help at the Norfolk Scope.

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.

Contact Robert Herron at <Fredericksburggunshows@vcdl.org> to help in


Fredericksburg.

d. HAMPTON <http://www.guns-knives.com>, September 15-16

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.

Please contact Ron Lilly at <HamptonRoadsgunshows@vcdl.org> to help in Hampton.

e. VCDL Legislative Victory Picnic, WYTHE COUNTY, September 15


<http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/new.shtml#picnicshelters>

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.

While the picnic is free, we would sure appreciate some volunteers to


help set up, cook on the grills, and clean up at the end. If you can
help, please contact Dennis O'Connor at <Picnics@vcdl.org>

f. SALEM <http://www.cegunshows.com>, September 22-23

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.

Please contact Al Steed, Jr. at <SWVAgunshows@vcdl.org> to help in Salem.

g. NEWPORT NEWS, 5th Annual Military Vehicle & Militaria Collector


Show, September 29-30. Mr. Robert House, President of the Hampton
Roads Militaria Society, has donated a table to VCDL for this event.

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.

Please contact Ron and Jean Hyson at <Norfolk-VBgunshows@vcdl.org> to


help in Newport News.

h. Gun Rights Policy Conference, CINCINNATI, OH, October 5-7


<http://www.saf.org/Images/grpc2007flyer.pdf>

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!

i. DALE CITY <http://www.olddominionshows.com>, October 6-7

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.

Please contact our Northern Virginia coordinator at


<NOVAgunshows@vcdl.org> to help in Dale City.

j. VIRGINIA BEACH <http://www.guns-knives.com>, October 13-14

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.

Please contact Ron and Jean Hyson at <Norfolk-VBgunshows@vcdl.org> to


help in Virginia Beach.

k. RICHMOND <http://www.cegunshows.com>, October 20-21

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.

Contact Audrey Muehleisen at <CentralVAgunshows@vcdl.org> to help at


the Showplace in Mechanicsville.

l. ROANOKE <http://www.showmasters.us>, October 27-28

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.

Please contact Al Steed, Jr. at <SWVAgunshows@vcdl.org> to help in Roanoke.

m. ROANOKE, November 3, 2007. 4th Annual VCDL Benefit Shoot. Contact


Al Steed, Jr. at <SWVAgunshows@vcdl.org> to help or participate.

n. DALE CITY <http://www.olddominionshows.com>, November 3-4

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.

Please contact our Northern Virginia coordinator at


<NOVAgunshows@vcdl.org> to help in Dale City.

o. CHANTILLY <http://www.cegunshows.com>, November 16-18

Friday, November 16 3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Saturday, November 17 9:00


a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sunday, November 18 10:00 a.m.
- 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Please contact our Northern Virginia coordinator at


<NOVAgunshows@vcdl.org> to help in Chantilly.

p. HAMPTON <http://www.guns-knives.com/Fredericksburg.html>, November 24-25

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.

Please contact Ron Lilly at <HamptonRoadsgunshows@vcdl.org> to help in Hampton.

q. RICHMOND <http://www.cegunshows.com>, December 1-2

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.

Contact Audrey Muehleisen at <CentralVAgunshows@vcdl.org> to help at


the Showplace in Mechanicsville.

r. HARRISONBURG <http://www.showmasters.us>, December 8-9

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.

Please contact Bob Schmidt at <Shenandoahgunshows@vcdl.org> to help


in Harrisonburg.

s. SALEM <http://www.cegunshows.com>, December 15-16

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.

t. FREDERICKSBURG <http://www.guns-knives.com>, December 15-16

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.

Contact Robert Herron at <Fredericksburggunshows@vcdl.org> to help in


Fredericksburg.

u. VIRGINIA BEACH <http://www.guns-knives.com/Fredericksburg.html>,


December 29-30

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.

Please contact Ron and Jean Hyson at <Norfolk-VBgunshows@vcdl.org> to


help in Virginia Beach.

v. HAMPTON <http://www.guns-knives.com>, January 26-27, 2008

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.

Please contact Ron Lilly at <HamptonRoadsgunshows@vcdl.org> to help in Hampton.

w. VIRGINIA BEACH <http://www.guns-knives.com>, March 22-23

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.

Please contact Ron and Jean Hyson at <Norfolk-VBgunshows@vcdl.org> to


help in Virginia Beach.

-------------------------------------------
************************************************************************
***
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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