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Not yet a VCDL member? Join VCDL at: http://www.vcdl.org/join.html
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VCDL's meeting schedule: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings.html
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Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html
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1. Reminder: Richmond picnic celebrating state park victory
2. Iraq vet brutalized over guns in D.C.
3. Who needs a gun at home in Fredericksburg?
4. Legislature streamlines Virginia gun permit process
5. Man shot in attempted robbery
6. Town hall date set for Delegate Herring/Senator Barker (representing Alexandria area)
7. Jamestown gun demo [VIDEO]
8. Culpeper shooting case
9. Gun owner shoots "knifeman"
10. Knife control in Virgina
11. Playboy talks protection and 'baring' arms
12. Virginia man arrested at border for carrying illegal handgun
13. VPC PR aimed at Virginia (and other) RKBA
14. Automobile vs gun deaths [VIDEO]
15. More on gun deaths vs car deaths
16. She's 'packing pretty' and blogging about it
17. NC Gates County armed robbery foiled
18. Clerk shoots, kills two men attempting to rob store [VIDEO]
19. Who needs a carry permit in New Jersey?
20. This man did everything right
21. Great Britain is so peaceful after disarming its citizens
22. Venezuela abolition of RKBA
23. Who needs a gun in an outhouse?
24. Why are you paying lobbyists to restrict your gun rights?
25. Virginia State Police update web site to show AG ruling on guns in vehicles
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1. Reminder: Richmond picnic celebrating state park victory
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VCDL is having a picnic at the Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield County on Sunday, June 3rd. We will be celebrating the formal removal of the open carry ban in State Parks.
Thanks to VCDL member Tony Wells for arranging and coordinating the picnic.
The picnic is open to the public, so bring the family! We ask that you bring a dish to share if you can. If you can't, then come anyhow!
As with all VCDL events, if you carry, or how you carry, is completely up to you.
Where: Pocahontas State Park
10301 State Park Road Chesterfield, VA 23832
Shelter #4 Reservation has been made under "OCDO picnic"
When: Sunday, June 3rd
11:00 am to whenever (shelter reservation starts at 8:00 and runs all day)
Additional: Parking Fee is $5.00, hiking trails, horse trails, fishing, canoeing, swimming, camping, RV access.
To see what needs to be brought and to RSVP, follow the link below to the OpenCarry.org web site:
http://tinyurl.com/bp5cknm
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2. Iraq vet brutalized over guns in D.C.
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The Washington, D.C. government continues to be a disgrace. The purpose of the police is not to destroy the lives of decent people for a innocent, victimless mistakes. Being thrown in jail is nothing for a gang-banger, but it is a life shattering event for a good person.
From washingtontimes.com: http://tinyurl.com/869ua7g
MILLER: Iraq vet brutalized over guns in D.C.
By Emily Miller
May 23, 2012
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) seems to have it out for our military. The department is using the city's pointless firearm registration mandate to harass, arrest and jail servicemen.
Army 1st Sergeant Matt Corrigan was woken in the middle of the night, forced out of his home, arrested, had his home ransacked, had his guns seized and was thrown in jail -- where he was lost in the prison system for two weeks -- all because the District refuses to recognize the meaning of the Second Amendment. This week, the city dropped all charges against Sgt. Corrigan, but the damage done to this reservist cannot be so easily erased.
This story will describe how Sgt. Corrigan went from sleeping at home at night to arrested. Subsequent installments of the series will cover the home raid without a warrant, the long-term imprisonment and the coverup by MPD.
Sgt. Corrigan, 35, and his attorney Richard Gardiner appeared before Judge Michael Ryan at D.C. Superior Court on Monday. The District's assistant attorney general moved to dismiss all ten charges against him - three for unregistered firearms and seven for possession of ammunition in different calibers.
Wearing a blue suit and black-rimmed glasses, Sgt. Corrigan looked unemotional after the hearing that ended his two-year ordeal. Outside the courtroom, I asked him how he felt. I expected some vindication or, at least, relief. Instead, he was weighed down by the losses and trauma of the experience. For court, I put on a face showing I'm okay, he said. Overall, this has broken me.
Nighttime Raid
Sgt. Corrigan was asleep in rented apartment on North Capitol Street in the Stonghold neighborhood at 4am on Feb. 3, 2010, when he heard his name being called on a bullhorn from outside. There was a heavy snow falling -- the first storm of what became known that winter as snowmageddon.
Flood lights glared through the front and back windows and doors of his English basement apartment. Matt Corrigan, We're here to help you, Matt, the voice said in the darkness. An experienced combat soldier, he assumed a bunker mentality and hid in the dark room.
He turned on his cell phone and a police detective immediately phoned and said, Matt, don't you think this is a good time to walk your dog? The SWAT team outside could obviously see the 11-year old pit bull, Matrix, a rescue from dog fighting, who had been with Sgt. Corrigan since graduate school in Northern California.
I'll come to the window and show myself, he offered on the phone. Sgt. Corrigan still didn't know why his house was surrounded, but he knew exactly what he should do in such situations. I've been on the other end of that rifle trying to get someone out, he explained.
He said that the cop on the phone answered that, 'It's gone beyond that now.'
Iraq
Sgt. Corrigan volunteered to serve for a year in Iraq from 2005-2006. He's an Army reservist in a drill sergeant unit based in Alexandria. By day, he is a statistician at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. His unit would generally never be needed overseas, but the Army need people to train the Iraqi soldiers. So, the then-drill sergeant signed up for the deployment because he thought it would be good for his military career.
The reservist and nine other soldiers were embedded with the Iraqi army to train them to be a functional military force. He was stationed in Fallujah during the transition from the assault on the city to allowing the civilian population to move back in and through the elections. The team was spread out over 4 or 5 locations so that each Iraqi company could have a very different tasking from the Marines who operated that battlespace.
Among other duties, the sergeant would go out on patrol with the Iraqis, clear routes of IEDs, prevent new IEDs from being placed in the urban areas. During patrols, he would search for any detail in the street that had changed in a way that would indicate a possible new explosive, then he would scan the horizon for the enemy with the detonator. He says that in his daily life now, he's still looking for the IED triggerman. He was awarded the bronze star.
His twelve months of service ended without much time to re-adjust to civilian life. In 20 days, I went from being shot at to sitting in a cube wearing a suit, he recalled of the difficult transition returning to his statistician job. Your body is in America. Your head is in Iraq.
Night of the arrest
Sgt. Corrigan never fully recovered emotionally from the combat and continues to have vivid nightmares that gave him insomnia. The Veterans' Affairs (VA) hospital gave him medication to help him sleep, but by early 2010, he started having new dreams.
I kept seeing my own dead body with my friend and family standing over me, looking disappointed. Sometimes I died in Iraq, sometimes here, he recalled. I didn't sleep for four or five nights in a row.
At the same time, he was tasked to prepare a mental health manual for his soldiers on mild traumatic brain injury and suicide prevention. On a pamphlet from VA hospital, he saw a link to a website VeteransCrisisLine.net. On it, he found a number for a counseling hotline, which turned out to be a suicide hotline.
When he called it a little before midnight, he asked to speak to someone about the bad dreams and sleeplessness. The woman asked for his name, address, phone number, whether he was active duty, if he was using alcohol or drugs, and his unit. Then she asked if he had any firearms.
Sgt. Corrigan had three personal guns for protection and for competition in his home. He had recently moved from Virginia to the District, but had not registered them because he thought the process was too convoluted and risky.
It didn't sound right that I could just carry my guns to the police station and not get arrested. He recalled thinking that, I'll just wait for them to clear up this complicated process and do it then. The only places in the United States that require citizens to register every single gun they own with the government are Hawaii, New York City, Chicago and the District.
After the police raided his home that night, they took the three firearms: a Sig 226 in .40 caliber, a Smith and Wesson 5904 in 9mm and a M1A Springfield Armory Scout Squad rifle.
At the Monday hearing at D.C. Superior Court, Mr. Gardiner petitioned the court to return the property. It took two years for the firearms' attorney's other active-duty veteran client, Lt. Augustine Kim, to get his guns returned.
Judge Ryan gave the attorney general's office three days to file a document in opposition to the release, and he said he will make a decision by the end of this week.
When asked by the VA hospital counselor on the night of Feb. 2 whether he owned guns, Sgt. Corrigan answered truthfully.
The woman answering the suicide hotline would not listen to him. I told her, 'I don't have the gun out.' And she kept saying, 'Put down the gun.' She talked like I had the gun in one hand and my cell phone in the other."
"She insisted I repeat the words, 'The guns are down,' he said. I finally got agitated and said, 'I shouldn't have called' and hung up. Then, Sgt. Corrigan took a prescribed sleeping pill and went to bed.
Attack and Surrender
After being jolted awake four hours later, Sgt. Corrigan agreed to exit his home to show that he was fine. As he walked out his front door, he turned the lock on the knob so that it would lock when he closed it. He had a stow-away key in a box outside.
When he opened the door, he saw about 25 officers in full body armor and kevlar helmets, carrying M4 assault weapons. SWAT and explosive ordinance disposal teams were on all sides. Streets were barricaded for blocks. They were prepared to be blown up or attacked, Sgt. Corrigan remembered. Experienced in combat, he knew how to surrender with the least chance of being hurt. He put his hands over his head and spun around so they could clearly see he was unarmed.
In the dark, snowy night, the Iraq vet was an easy target. I looked down at saw 10 jiggly red dots all over my chest, he said, appearing afraid at the memory. I crumbled.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one officer ready to tackle him, so he dropped to his knees and crossed his ankles to demonstrate complete defenselessness.
They immediately zip-tied me tighter than I would have been allowed to zip-tie an Iraqi, Sgt. Corrigan said, pulling up his dress shirt cuff to show his wrist. We had to check to fit two fingers between the tie and the Iraqi's wrist so we weren't cutting off circulation. They tied mine so tight that they hurt.
Mr. Gardiner, the defense attorney, still questions whether this initial arrest was legal, since there were no charges against him at this point. The only thing the police had was the word of a VA operator saying he claimed to be a gun owner. He was not read his rights. MPD spokesman, Gwendolyn Crump, would not comment on the case.
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3. Who needs a gun at home in Fredericksburg?
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VA-ALERT reader Rafael Pabon emailed me this:
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Be careful, I have heard that there have been several similar incidents in the surrounding areas of Fredericksburg ! ! !
From the Stafford County Sheriff's Office: http://tinyurl.com/86jhwjh
CRIME ALERT
By PIO Bill Kennedy
Stafford County Sheriff's Office, Crime Prevention Unit, Stafford, Virginia
May 21, 2012
The Stafford sheriff's office is investigating a home invasion robbery that took place early Monday morning at approximately 12:30 a.m. in the Widewater Village subdivision located in North Stafford. Two suspects forcefully entered the home through a basement window. They awakened the homeowners (husband and wife) while asleep in their upstairs bedroom with their 10 month old baby. One of the suspects was armed with a knife. The suspects ordered the victims to disrobe and then taped their mouths and bound their hands. They were then escorted throughout their home as the suspects stole various items to include cash and jewelry. Once completed, the suspects escorted the victims to their basement where they were further bound and threatened their lives if they left the room. Later, the man and woman were able to free themselves and fled to a nearby neighbor where the Sheriff's Office was notified.
We are seeking the assistance in the apprehension of these suspects who are described as:
Black Males, late teens to early twenties. Both appeared to be about the same size. Approximately 5'6-8" in height, weighing 140-165 pounds. Both were wearing Black sweatshirts, Blue jeans, Black hats and had their faces covered with Blue bandanas.
Items taken from the residence include Rolex watches, Seiko watches, Sony digital camera, Cannon digital camera, several hundred dollars in Japanese Yen and a gold ring.
Sheriff's Detectives are also investigating a burglary to a residence in that same area that occurred within the past 24 hours. Forced entry was also made to this residence through a basement window. That residence was unoccupied at the time of the burglary. Detectives are investigating to determine if the two are related.
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4. Legislature streamlines Virginia gun permit process
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VCDL EM and attorney Mike Stollenwork emailed me this:
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From examiner.com: http://tinyurl.com/c27fs8e
Legislature streamlines Virginia gun permit process
Mike Stollenwerk, DC Gun Rights Examiner
May 23, 2012
[SNIP]
Two bills passed by the Virginia General Assembly this year will work together to streamline Virginia's process to obtain concealed handgun permits (CHPs).
Effective July 1, 2012, localities are prohibited under HB 754, patroned by Delegate Ben Cline (R - Amherst), from requiring CHP applicants to provide fingerprints. And under SB 563, patroned by Senator Frank Ruff (R - Clarksville), local circuit courts will be both prohibited from requesting "information or documentation other than that which is allowed on the application," and required to issue permits "via United States mail."
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5. Man shot in attempted robbery
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VA-ALERT reader Bill Hine emailed me this:
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From nbc12.com: http://tinyurl.com/ccyv86g
By Monique Wright
May 21, 2012
CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) - Chesterfield police are on the look out for two men said to be involved in a violent attempted robbery.
It happened around 12:30 Monday morning at the 7-11 on Belmont Road.
Police say the victim was sitting in the car when two armed men told him to get out and give them his money.
When the victim refused, police say the suspects shot at the man.
As the victim ran for the store, police say the suspects fired more shots.
The victim was hit, but is expected to be ok.
The suspects were described as:
Suspect 1: Black male, about 5 feet 7 inches tall, with a thin/slender build. He had a dark complexion and gray/partially gray hair. He was wearing dark jogging pants, a gray shirt and a hat.
Suspect 2: Black male, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, about 250 pounds with a heavy/stocky build. He had a medium complexion and short, black hair.
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6. Town hall date set for Delegate Herring/Senator Barker (representing Alexandria area)
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VCDL member and attorney Kurt Mueller emailed me this:
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Hello Philip,
As you can see from this email, both Delegate Herring and Senator Barker will be appearing at the Beatley Public Library, 5005 Duke Street, Alexandria,VA 22304 on June 9th from 10 to noon.
I was able to visit both of them in person during lobby day, and I intend to appear during this event to politely and diplomatically express my disappointment in both of them voting against my requests to support several items of gun rights legislation.
I hope you will spread the word to others who might be interested. You may also wish to make sure the legislation tracking tool is available and up to date so people can compile a list of our representatives' votes on the bills from this past session.
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7. Jamestown gun demo [VIDEO]
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Back when guns were simply a tool and not a political punching bag.
VA-ALERT reader Mark Shinn emailed me this:
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Hello, Philip.
I visited Jamestown, Virginia last week. It was a good experience to learn the principles and doctrines of the first permanent English colony.
I enclosed a photograph taken at the visitors center in Jamestown, Virginia
"In the beginning, All America was Virginia" -William Byrd, 1732
-Mark Shinn
From YouTube: http://tinyurl.com/c4sqy5a
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8. Culpeper shooting case
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VCDL member and attorney Dan Hawes emailed me this:
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From starexponent.com: http://tinyurl.com/7m8fhpo
Defending Harmon-Wright
By Allison Brophy Champion
May 18, 2012
A pro-gun advocate, attorney and author of the "Deadly Force Seminar" has agreed to represent the Culpeper Police officer who shot and killed Patricia Cook Feb. 9 on East Street.
Lawyer Daniel L. Hawes of Broad Run said Thursday he would represent Culpeper Police Officer Daniel Wayne Harmon-Wright through "whatever came up," including the wrongful death civil suit filed last week, which he said has not yet been served on his client.
Hawes said he would present several defenses.
"It's pretty much a clear case of self-defense," he said.
Hawes said Harmon-Wright, in shooting Mrs. Cook, had "a reasonably held good faith belief" that he faced an imminent threat of serious bodily harm, and that the shooting therefore was justified.
In addition to representing clients, based out of a home office in Fauquier County, Hawes is an avid blogger on the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. He has been chatting online, as recently as Thursday, about the fatal shooting in Culpeper.
In an April 25 post at opencarry.org - one of many online pro-gun forums - Hawes said he had agreed to represent 32-year-old Harmon Wright, a husband and father.
"I've spoken to the young man accused in the shooting, and I've come to the conclusion that he has exactly the same affirmative defense that we'd all expect to enjoy in similar situations, so I've agreed to represent him," Hawes, a George Mason University School of Law grad, said in the post.
Hawes, whose firm is called Virginia Legal Defense, referenced comparisons made in the Cook shooting to the deadly shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida by George Zimmerman.
Hawes noted Virginia and Florida have very similar laws on the subject of personal defense.
"Here's my definition of the defense involved in both cases: 'If you have a reasonably held, good faith belief, based on an objective fact, that you or another innocent person is being faced with an imminent threat of serious bodily injury, then you may use such force as is necessary, up to and including deadly force to quell the threat.' I assert that the rules apply in exactly the same way to cops as to everyone else, both as to liability and as to defense," Hawes wrote in the April 25 post.
In addition, the attorney wrote of his contact with Harmon-Wright, "The fact that I've spoken with the officer as an attorney does not give me personal knowledge of any facts, and obviously, I can't talk about what he tells me. As has been pointed out ... there are a couple of wrinkles that could make it difficult for him, but I think his explanation makes sense and that we'll be able to show why what he did was justifiable," Hawes wrote.
In an April 27 post, the lawyer said his secret to winning cases is that he tries to represent people who are innocent.
Hawes wrote, "As I like to say in my 'Deadly Force Seminar' ... I want my clients to be able to get on the witness stand and testify for themselves and say, 'You're damn right I shot him. I was right to shoot him, I'm glad he's dead because now he's not a threat to other innocent members of our community. Anyone in his right mind would have done what I did in the same situation, and if faced with the same threat again, I'd do exactly the same thing. I regret having had to kill the bastard, but I did have to, and here's why ..."
The Virginia State Police has said Harmon-Wright had his arm trapped in Cook's window as she began driving away and that he was being dragged, a story contradicted by eyewitness accounts.
Gary Cook, the deceased's husband, filed a $5.35 million wrongful death lawsuit against Harmon-Wright last Friday alleging negligence and neglect by the officer in the shooting of his unarmed wife.
In a blog post Thursday, Hawes said the officer "never claimed to have been 'dragged,' nor did he ever say that he hadn't put his hand on the door-handle. A lot of stuff that gets noised about (including a lot of stuff in the complaint, statements which the complainant has absolutely no way of knowing or any factual basis for) are 'straw-man' allegations; lawyers do that in order to mischaracterize the other party's case in order to put them on the defensive ... It's merely trial strategy," the lawyer said.
"In this case, I suspect it's because they also intend to color the news reportage with statements they couldn't make publicly without running afoul of defamation laws - what gets filed in a judicial complaint is entitled to absolute immunity from defamation counts."
Hawes also blogged Thursday about the latest allegations against Harmon-Wright by Culpeper resident Jeannette Price who claimed the officer roughed her up during a domestic dispute call several years back. Hawes said he asked the officer about that incident, and that Harmon-Wright indicated, Mrs. Price has, at one point or another, made complaints against almost every officer at the PD. She has a long history of disorderly conduct and other offenses.
According to Hawes, Harmon-Wright went on to say Mrs. Price was cursing at her husband in a most profane manner in front of small children playing next door, and that she cussed him when the officer told her to stop: Mrs. Price is known to get out control, the officer told his lawyer.
The town of Culpeper declined comment on the civil case against Harmon-Wright, saying the town was not named in the complaint and had nothing to say about it.
Members of Culpeper Town Council have reportedly purposely been given little information about the Feb. 9 shooting because it is an ongoing investigation of the Virginia State Police.
The matter of potential criminal charges against Harmon-Wright is now in the hands of a special prosecutor who has summoned a special grand jury to make that call.
Culpeper Mayor Chip Coleman, however, has called a special closed meeting of town council to discuss the issue to be held in town hall tonight at 6. The purpose of the meeting, according to the special meeting notice, is to discuss litigation in the Cook v. Harmon-Wright case. The mayor said the purpose of the meeting is to bring town council up to date on what town staff knows about the officer named in the wrongful death civil suit.
Meanwhile, the town's insurance provider through Virginia Municipal League is also providing legal counsel in the civil suit for Harmon-Wright, who remains on the town's payroll.
Julia Judkins with Bancroft, McGavin, Horvath & Judkins of Fairfax will represent the officer, according to town spokesman Wally Bunker. She was out of town and could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Attorney Hawes, an NRA member and an NRA certified firearms instructor, in addition to representing clients in defense cases, hosts a Deadly Force Seminar. The seminar offers tips about self-defense, defense of others, the lawful use of deadly force and how to interact with law enforcement personnel and the criminal justice system.
Hawes said he typically represents clients accusing police in shooting incidents.
One of my pet peeves is that there is more than one rule for society, Hawes said. The same law that applies to cops applies to everyone else.
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9. Gun owner shoots "knifeman"
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A CHP holder shot and killed a man who attacked with a knife.
From fredericksburg.com: http://tinyurl.com/cq37ke4
Man shot, killed in Stafford
By Keith Epps
May 23, 2012
A Stafford County man was shot and killed late Tuesday after he tried to stab a man who had refused to give him money, police said.
Christopher Rigby, 29, of no fixed address, was pronounced dead shortly after being shot in the chest in the parking lot of Earl's True Value on Chatham Heights Road in southern Stafford about 11 p.m.
Sheriff Charles Jett said a young couple were in a vehicle parked in the part of the lot farthest from the hardware store when they noticed a couple of men walking around.
The men eventually walked over to the car and one of them asked for a dollar. The man in the vehicle told him no and to leave them alone and the men left.
Later in the evening, Jett said, the two men returned. The one who had asked for the dollar went to the driver's side window and tried to stab the man with a knife. The driver got a gun from his console and shot the knife-wielding man in the chest.
The woman in the vehicle called 911 and two deputies who were in the area responded immediately. The man who was with the shooting victim fled when the gun was fired.
Jett said that Rigby, who was homeless but previously lived on Ringgold Road a few miles away, was pronounced dead at Mary Washington Hospital. The knife was on the ground beside him when police arrived.
Jett said police found a homeless camp behind Earl's where the shooting victim had been staying and got information leading to Rigby's identity. Jett said his family was notified early Wednesday.
Police also found the man who was with him Wednesday morning and interviewed him. Jett said his story supported the ones told by the man and woman in the car.
He told police that after returning to the camp, the shooting victim became enraged about being turned down in his request for money. He told people in the camp that he was going back to get revenge.
The second man said he followed him but did not participate in the incident.
The couple in the car told police they were there having a conversation. The man has a valid concealed-weapons permit, Jett said.
No charges have been filed. Jett said police believe alcohol played a part in the incident.
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10. Knife control in Virgina
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VA-ALERT reader Mark Myers emailed me this:
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From washingtontimes.com: http://tinyurl.com/blbjvz7
EDITORIAL: End knife control
Virginia's vague concealed-weapon statute needs reform
May 22, 2012
Virginia's General Assembly has finally purged the remnants of gun control from its books. The meaningless one-gun-a-month purchase restriction was repealed last session, and two years ago, Gov. Bob McDonnell signed a law granting concealed-carry permit holders permission to eat in restaurants that serve alcohol. Now it's time for lawmakers to fix the state's knife laws that are so irrational, they make walking around with a box cutter in one's pocket a crime punishable by a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
The need for change is real. In the late 1990s, a man was convicted in Richmond for driving with a common steak knife under his car seat. He wasn't a thief; he threatened no one. A police search found the small, plastic-handled blade next to a shirt, boots, a cooler, beer and other trash that were to be used on a fishing trip. The man got lucky, as the Court of Appeals ultimately reversed the conviction after observing that the steak knife in fact has the appearance and characteristics of an ordinary household steak knife.
Such rulings are premised on the interpretation of an Old Dominion statute outlawing the concealed carry of any dirk, bowie knife or weapon of like kind. This language has been on the books since 1849, yet the terms are so vague that court rulings on the topic frequently resort to the use of photographs to make their point. Even the appellate bench finds the law troublesome. Although framed in legalese, essentially, like the character portrayed by Paul Hogan in the film 'Crocodile Dundee,' we find ourselves repeatedly posing the question in these cases, 'You call that a knife?' and occasionally agreeing; 'Now THAT'S a knife?' Judge Robert J. Humphreys explained in a dissent to a 2009 case.
Neither police nor the public has any way to know what's legal and what's not legal because the final call is left to the whim of judges who can't even agree among themselves. In 2001, the state Supreme Court upheld a ruling that box cutters fell under the concealed-weapons ban, then decided the opposite in a 2007 ruling. The only part of the law that is well-defined is the prohibition on nunchaku and throwing stars - no doubt protecting the residents of the commonwealth from an outbreak of ninja attacks.
The rest of the statute remains unconscionably and unconstitutionally vague, serving little purpose. At the very least, the General Assembly has a duty to update the law so that concealed-carry permit holders are not put in the absurd position of being arrested for possession of a steak knife in one pocket while lawfully carrying a far more deadly pistol in the other.
Virginia is a pro-gun state, but its knife statute provides a glimpse at how irrational gun laws might have looked had the Second Amendment not spelled out an explicit protection for the right to keep and bear arms. The same principle ought to be applied to other, less dangerous tools used for self-protection.
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11. Playboy talks protection and 'baring' arms
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Proof positive that people DO read the articles in Playboy magazine. John has outdone himself this time! ;-)
VCDL EM John Pierce emailed me this:
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From monachuslex.com: http://tinyurl.com/budwavn
Playboy talks protection and 'baring' arms
By John Pierce
May 22, 2012
[SNIP]
"I am only buying it for the articles." - Everyone
The June 2012 edition of Playboy, which hit the newsstands last Friday, features an article by Pat Jordan entitled Armed & Dangerous: Has Gun Culture Gone Too Far? In the article, in which I am quoted, Pat discusses the open carry movement and the concerns that some have expressed about gun owners baring it all.
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12. Virginia man arrested at border for carrying illegal handgun
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This Virginia gun owner got off relatively easily. Remember: New York is not part of the United States! You cannot have a handgun in the state unless you live there and have a permit. I'm talking about simply possessing a gun, not even carrying it.
From myabc50.com: http://tinyurl.com/boxnu5p
Virginia man arrested at border for carrying illegal handgun
By Holly Boname
May 23, 2012
A Virginia resident has been arrested at the Wellesley Island Port of Entry in Alexandria Bay after illegally possessing a handgun while crossing the border.
David W. Johnston, 51, of Linden, VA, was arrested and charged with one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 4th.
Johnston was found in possession of a unloaded Springfield .40 caliber handgun while at the Wellesley Island Port of Entry. He legally had a right to carry the gun in Virginia however did not have a valid NYS Pistol Permit.
Johnston was arraigned before Town of Leray Justice George Meade, pled guilty to Disorderly Conduct, paid a $125 fine and was released.
The weapon will be destroyed as part of the plea agreement.
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13. VPC PR aimed at Virginia (and other) RKBA
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More "statistics" from the Violence Police Center (VPC). Of course comparing an accident to an intended murder is a non-starter and is comparing apples to oranges, but that's the VPC for you.
EM Dave Hicks emailed me this:
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From vpc.org: http://tinyurl.com/6tnyugd
Gun Deaths Outpace Motor Vehicle Deaths in 10 States in 2009 New Analysis Shows
May 22, 2012
[SNIP]
Latest State Figures Show Injury Prevention Strategies Working to Reduce Motor Vehicle Deaths While Gun Deaths Mount
WASHINGTON, DC--A new Violence Policy Center (VPC) state-by-state analysis of government data comparing firearm deaths and motor vehicle deaths shows that gun deaths outpaced motor vehicle deaths in 10 states in 2009, the most recent year for which state level data is available. The 10 states which experienced more firearm deaths than motor vehicle deaths in 2009 are: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, and Washington (see alphabetical listing of states with mortality figures below). Nationally, there were 31,236 firearm deaths in 2009 and 36,361 motor vehicle deaths according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
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14. Automobile vs gun deaths [VIDEO]
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I'm on local television in Richmond discussing VPC's "statistics." Unfortunately, some of my better comments were left on the cutting room floor. :-(
When asked why Virginia would have more gun-related deaths that automobile deaths, one of my answers was: "Virginians are really, really good drivers." ;-)
From wric.com: http://tinyurl.com/6u2nhnh
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15. More on gun deaths vs car deaths
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Board Member Dale Welch emailed me this:
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From examiner.com: http://tinyurl.com/d6b97w8
'Gun deaths' vs. 'car deaths' charge perceived as ruse for more restrictions
David Codrea, Gun Rights Examiner
May 25, 2012
[SNIP]
Claims by a gun control group that firearms deaths in Michigan and 9 other states now outpace motor vehicle deaths result in unlikely conclusions, a noted legal scholar wrote Wednesday. Professor Eugene Volokh of the UCLA School of Law responded to a Detroit Free Press article promoting a Violence Policy Center call for more consumer product regulation on his The Volokh Conspiracy blog by adding perspective to the assertions.
The number of accidental gun deaths in Michigan in 2009 (the most recent year reported in WISQARS) was 12, compared to 962 accidental motor-vehicle-related deaths, Volokh wrote. 99% of the gun deaths in Michigan that year consisted of suicides (575) and homicides (495).
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16. She's 'packing pretty' and blogging about it
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More and more women are discovering guns, shooting, and self-defense. And as a bonus for men, women look incredibly sexy with a holstered gun on their hip! ;-)
From dailycaller.com: http://tinyurl.com/ceahzjs
She's 'packing' pretty and blogging about it
By Barbara Baird
May 23, 2012
With this first in a series on female gun bloggers, we visit with Gracie McKee, who pens Packing Pretty from her home base in Portland, Oregon. ~ Barbara Baird, Women's Outdoor News
Babbs: I see that you're a firearms instructor, certified by the NRA? In what disciplines and where do you teach?
Packing Pretty: I primarily teach at Clatskanie Rifle & Pistol Club and am certified in NRA Basic Pistol, NRA Home Firearm Safety, NRA Personal Protection in the Home. This year I will be getting my rifle and shotgun certifications as well. There are a number of non-NRA affiliated classes I also teach, including Intro to Oregon Concealed Carry, Street Carry and Defensive Pistol. With the help of my co-instructor and mentor, Gregg Smith, I have also had the opportunity to write and teach classes that have become quite a success.
I have recently been accepted as an NRA Training Counselor training candidate. I am very excited about this candidacy because this would put me in the unique position to help develop new female NRA instructors as well as help male instructors understand how to get across to women.
Babbs: How did you come to set up this blog and hey, I love the name what inspired that?
Packing Pretty: What inspired me to start Packing Pretty was my desire to share what I know with other women. When I started getting into shooting and concealed carry, I noticed that although there were a good handful of girls' gun blogs on the Internet, there weren't many that got down and dirty discussing the more tactical approach to shooting and personal protection for women. When I became an instructor and started shooting competitively, I decided that it was time to establish my own blog.
The name Packing Pretty came to me as I was getting dressed for a formal event. I put my gun on under my dress, looked at myself in the mirror and said, I'm packing pretty tonight . The term Packing Pretty became a sort of motto, something I aspire to accomplish every morning when I get up and put on my gun.
Babbs: What gun did you attach to yourself when the light came on about calling your blog Packing Pretty?
Packing Pretty: I was actually putting on my highly customized 4.5 inch Springfield XDm 9mm. What I love about my Pink XDm is that it embodies what Packing Pretty is about. Although it is pink and feminine looking, it is combat grade, and the after-market customizations have given it a real tactical edge.
Babbs: If you don't mind disclosing this info, do you own a variety of carry guns? What's your next gun to purchase on your list?
Packing Pretty: I do own a variety of carry guns. I most often carry something from my large collection of Springfield XD/XDms. I am a firm believer that consistency will help keep things simple if ever I have to use my sidearm. There will be plenty of other things I will need to be focusing on instead of whether or not the gun I'm carrying today has a magazine disconnect or a thumb safety.
That being said, I've been dying to get my hands on the new Smith & Wesson M&P Shield. The Shield or the XD(s) will probably be my next purchase.
Babbs: When you teach women, sometimes, let's face it you're dealing with a lot of emotions. For good reasons, women might come to your class with baggage. One time I taught a woman to shoot whose only experience with firearms was watching her dad put a gun to her mom's head. How do you attempt to personalize the experience for your students?
Packing Pretty: As an instructor, I believe it is crucial to know my audience so that I can be sure everybody's individual needs are met and to avoid any surprises that could disrupt the learning experience for others. I talk to all my students before they attend my classes. I ask questions and make an effort to get to know about their experiences, motivations, and goals regarding firearms. This helps me evaluate whether or not a private class is a better option, or whether I will need to bring in extra instructors to work one on one with the student.
Just last weekend I had a student who had some very personal and private reasons for taking my course. Obviously, the entire class was a very emotional experience for her. In situations like that, I make sure that my instructors and I work with the individual, helping him or her to work through their emotions as the class progresses.
Babbs: What do you do when you want to unwind and you don't want to shoot?
Packing Pretty: My mind keeps going 100 miles per hour, even when I'm physically relaxed; so I rarely truly unwind . The only time I can honestly say that my mind is completely free from stress and other concerns is when I'm zipping through the trails on my quad at 60 mph surrounded by nothing but forest. However, I am blessed enough to have wonderful husband whose very presence is calming and comforting after a long day. I have also found that attending mixed martial arts classes is great for decompressing.
Babbs: How do you counsel women who are on the fence about whether they are ready to carry concealed?
Packing Pretty: It would be wrong for me to try and push a woman in any way into carrying concealed. Whether or not a woman is ready to carry gun and mentally carry the burden of possibly using it is a very private and personal decision. The best I can do is to help her ask herself the tough questions that will aid in her journey to self-discovery on the matter. I also reassure her that if or when she is ready, I'll be waiting to help her with every aspect of concealed carry the mental and emotional, as well as the physical.
Babbs: Finally, who else is onboard at Packing Pretty and why? Isn't there a guy there? Does he pack pretty too?
Packing Pretty: Packing Pretty consists primarily of myself. I run the website, create the content, network, promote Packing Pretty, and write much of the training material. However, it would be foolish for me to teach a class without a handful of qualified and trusted instructors to back me up.
In order for any type of training session to really be successful, there must be a good chemistry between the student and the teacher. Everybody learns differently: some students (be they male or female) learn better from male instructors rather than female instructors. For this reason, I have brought three highly knowledgeable and qualified instructors into the group to help out, mostly with the training end of Packing Pretty. The plan is that these men will also be contributing content once in a while on the Packing Pretty website. Packing Pretty has grown into a fairly large blog in the past few months, and many of my followers are male, so it will also be nice to get the chance to display a different perspective to my followers.
As far as these guys packing pretty ; well, you'd have to ask them. Visit Packing Pretty. Visit Women's Outdoor News
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17. NC Gates County armed robbery foiled
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Guns Save Lives!
VA-ALERT reader Donald Wright emailed me this:
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From wavy.com: http://tinyurl.com/6rfeeph
Store owner kills robbery suspects
By Rachel West
May 22, 2012
GATES COUNTY, N.C. (WAVY) - Two suspects have been shot and killed after an attempted robbery at a store in Gates County, according to officials.
Sheriff Edward Webb with the Gates County Sheriff's Office told WAVY.com the attempted robbery happened at the Joppa Road Store located at the intersection of Acorn Hill Road and Hinton Road in North Carolina around 6 p.m.
Webb said two men wearing bandanas on their faces and armed with guns tried to rob the store's owner, who is in his 60s.
"The store clerk was knocked to the ground. He was kicked in the back of the head, stomped on and kicked in the back of the ribs," Webb said.
When the owner fell to the ground, he was able to grab a gun and shoot blindly over his shoulder, hitting one suspect, Webb said. When the owner got up, he shot the second suspect. [PVC: 2 for 2, including a blind shot over his shoulder. Hah, Arnold Schwarzenegger - eat your heart out!]
Webb told WAVY.com the suspects shot back at the owner, but he was not struck.
The suspects fled out of the store. One collapsed just outside the door while the other fled into a wooded area, where he also collapsed.
Both died at the scene.
"Unfortunately they're just two young men that did something very uncalled for," said Webb. "And, of course, they have paid the ultimate price."
According to Webb, the store's owner was taken to Albemarle Hospital where he was treated and released.
Deputies are searching for a third person they believe was a getaway driver for the suspects. There is no description of that person at this time.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is assisting the Gates County Sheriff's Office with the investigation. Stay with WAVY.com for the latest on this developing story.
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18. Clerk shoots, kills two men attempting to rob store [VIDEO]
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More coverage of Item 17.
VA-ALERT reader Steve W. emailed me this:
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Who needs a gun in North Carolina? This is a good one Philip! Even a video!
From wtkr.com: http://tinyurl.com/849vrjk
Sheriff: Clerk shoots, kills two men attempting to rob store
By Reed Andrews
May 22, 2012
Two men are dead after they allegedly beat up and tried to rob the clerk at a general store on Acorn Hill Road in Hobbsville.
The victim is in the hospital for some pretty serious bruising.
Two men stormed into the general store around 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
They put their large guns in the face of the store owner and demanded money.
The clerk was hit with the guns and then kicked repeatedly on the floor.
That's when police say he was able to grab a gun he had hidden underneath the register and he shot at the suspects.
One was hit in the stomach, his body was found near a red car.
The other ran away, but didn't get too far; he died just a quarter mile down the road on Acorn Hill.
The sheriff's office says the two robbers fit the description of a duo that's been robbing Duck Thrus in the area lately.
They aren't sure if they're the same suspects.
Police have not been able to identify either of the robbers or find their getaway car.
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19. Who needs a carry permit in New Jersey?
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Even if the impossible could be done and all guns were removed from Earth, a knife can put you six-feet under pretty fast. If the person attacking you with that knife is younger, stronger, bigger, and faster than you, it can bode quite badly.
VA-ALERT reader John Treaster emailed me this:
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From philadelphia.cbslocal.com: http://tinyurl.com/dxoydhz
Police: 2 Canadian Tourists Killed In Random Atlantic City Stabbing Attack
By Todd Quinones
May 21, 2012
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CBS) Two female tourists were stabbed to death in what appears to have been a random and unprovoked attack in Atlantic City Monday.
At about 10 a.m., an officer on patrol in the 1900 block of Pacific Avenue in Atlantic City saw a 44-year-old woman, identified as Antoinette E. Pelzer, stabbing another woman. The officer drew his gun and ordered Pelzer to drop the knife. She complied and was taken into custody.
Police say an 80-year-old woman and a 47-year-old woman, both Canadian residents, were stabbed multiple times in the upper body region and taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center where they succumbed to their injuries.
It is unclear if the victims are related; their names are being withheld pending family notification.
Witnesses say Pelzer was attempting to rob one of the victims of her purse. There is no indication the victims and suspect knew each other, according to investigators.
Pelzer had a driver's license from Pennsylvania and police are looking into where and how long she has been staying in Atlantic City. Those who knew Pelzer are shocked to hear of the news.
She's a very good girl, she's very upstanding and has been a very good friend of mine, said one woman who did not wish to be identified.
Pelzer is charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and robbery. She was also charged with two counts of aggravated assault, but it is anticipated that there will be additional charges due to the deaths of the victims. Bail was not set as of 6 p.m. Monday.
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20. This man did everything right
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Well, almost everything. Taking your gun to the range and practicing once in a while is a good idea.
VA-ALERT reader Josh Spicer emailed me this:
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From kxly.com: http://tinyurl.com/7os6s4l
Homeowner shoots intruder: "It came down to either me or him"
By Jeff Humphrey, KXLY4 Reporter
May 14, 2012
NEWMAN LAKE, Wash. - A jealous ex-boyfriend broke into the Newman Lake home of his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend early Sunday morning and was shot and killed by the homeowner.
Spokane County Sheriff deputies say a Honeymoon Bay homeowner was acting in self defense when he shot the armed intruder, identified late Monday afternoon by the Spokane County Medical Examiner as 43-year-old Sean M. Parsons.
Parsons had been served a no-contact several hours prior to the shooting, but that didn't stop him from taking a shotgun and a pistol to Doug Snarski's Honeymoon Bay home to confront his ex-girlfriend and Snarski.
Early Sunday morning around 1 a.m. Parsons slipped into the couple's home, when he started calling out to the couple.
"All of a sudden we heard his voice down here saying 'Where are you? Come out' and that's when she said that's him. She recognized his voice," Snarski said.
So he grabbed his revolved and stood at the top of the stairs while Parsons detailed his intentions to kill him and his girlfriend.
"He goes 'Nobody's getting out of here alive. I got 24 rounds for my shotgun, I plan using them all,'" he said.
At that point 911 dispatchers were on the phone - Snarski had already dialed them - and listening as he tried to defuse the situation.
"I'm trying to talk him down, just leave, don't worry about it, it'll be OK but he was on a mission to kill," he said.
At that point Parsons fired a pair of shotgun blasts at Snarski, peppering the top of the stairwell with buckshot. Snarski decided he'd hold his fire unless the gunman tried to reach the second floor.
"I just laid on the ground around the corner and watched his shadow come up with the lights and as soon as I knew he had hit that last step I just pointed up and let him have it," he said.
It was the first time Snarski ever fired his revolver.
Parsons was shot and killed; the spot where he fell now marked by black plastic which covers the spot where the man bled to death.
Snarski took no pleasure in the shooting, but the damage to rounds of buckshot fired at his bathroom door is a grim reminder of what could have happened if he hadn't defended him and his girlfriend.
"Like I said I played it right to the end. I tried to talk him down. I mean nobody wants to kill anybody but it came down to either me or him," he said. [PVC: Amen.]
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21. Great Britain is so peaceful after disarming its citizens
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Gun-free cultures are so non-violent and safe, er, well...
VA-ALERT reader Edward Martin emailed me this:
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From dailymail.co.uk: http://tinyurl.com/6qc5s45
Father, 56, fighting for life after being stabbed trying to shield dying son from frenzied attack by hoodie gang outside pub after Chelsea match
By CHRIS HANLON
May 21, 2012
A gang of 20 hooded youths stormed a pub after the Champions League final before dragging away a 25-year old man and stabbing him to death in scenes 'like a horror film', friends said today.
'True gent' Luke Fitzpatrick was killed and his father Bernard, who threw himself on top of his son in a desperate attempt to shield him, remains in a critical condition in hospital after being stabbed four times.
The pair were attacked when a gang armed with bats and knives stormed the north London pub after father and son had watched Chelsea win the cup together at on Saturday.
A forensic tent remained at the scene of the tragedy just yards from the pub near his Dollis Hill home.
A female friend, 22, who asked not be named, said: 'Luke was one of the nicest guys around, always looking after people, he actually cared about people, a really nice, funny guy.
'The amount of flowers that are here just shows how loved he was, this has ruined this community.
'I was there on Saturday and it was like something out of a horror film.
'There were about 20 young black guys all with their hoods up armed with sticks and bats and knives. They just ran in the pub and started trying to attack people.
'It was really frightening. But it should not have happened to Luke, it shouldn't have happened to anyone, but he was a complete innocent.'
His mother Constance, 56, and brother Ryan, 21, were in Majorca and had to rush home.
Bernard, 56, is out of intensive care and has mumbled a few words but is not fully conscious, Miss McKeon said.
She added: 'He was just watching the football, but it had nothing to do with the game - Luke was an Arsenal fan.
'Everyone in the pub knows each other, we all grew up together, we are a really close community.
'It was such a good atmosphere in the pub then within a minute it was changed by a minority just looking for trouble.
'A couple of them had tried to start an argument with someone in the shop about two hours before this happened, but it was nothing to do with Luke.
'Then they rounded all their mates up and stormed the pub. I didn't see exactly what happened to Luke, but at 17 why have they got knives? It is disgusting. He was a true gent.'
Three people including two 17-year-olds were arrested and have since been bailed. Today a fourth man remained in custody after being arrested an address in Wembley yesterday.
The gang of youths often hung around the shops where the argument took place and three weeks ago an elderly man had been punched in the face as he got off a bus, she said.
Luke's best friend, Ricci Whiteside, 25, said: 'There was an argument in the shop opposite the pub at half-time.
'Luke wasn't anything to do with it, but we all heard that something had gone on.
'A group of black guys arrived at the door of the pub with bats and knives and they were looking for someone who had been outside the shop earlier.
'People were throwing chairs at the door to try and stop them from coming in.
'There was a lot of confusion. They got Luke and dragged him outside. They were pulling him up the road.
'His dad was running after them. But by the time he got to Luke he was already on the floor. Bernie threw himself on top of Luke. He was trying to protect him, but it was too late.
Tess Fitzpatrick, Bernard's sister, said: 'The men who came for Luke were like a pack of wolves. My brother ran after them as they were dragging Luke up the street.
'He covered him with his body, but they had already stabbed Luke all over.'
Pal of the roofer Michael O'Rourke, 25, added: 'There is not one person who would say one bad word about him, he was one of the most loved people here.
'He had never done a bad thing in his life but he can't even go to the pub with his dad and have a pint without getting murdered. Luke was just the nicest guy you could imagine, an absolute gent.
'Bad things happen to good people. None of the scum bags who did this could ever live up to our friend. It is heartbreaking, absolutely heartbreaking.'
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22. Venezuela abolition of RKBA
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Disarming everyone right before elections in Venezuela.
Stephen Wenger emailed me this:
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From venezuelanalysis.com: http://tinyurl.com/8xrfvbq
Commercial Sale of Firearms and Ammunition Banned in Venezuela
By EWAN ROBERTSON
May 25, 2012
From 1 June the commercial sale of firearms and ammunition will be banned in Venezuela, confirmed Venezuelan Justice and Interior Relations minister Tareck El Aissami yesterday.
Since the measure was first passed on 29 February over 805,000 rounds of ammunition have been recovered by Venezuelan authorities as part of an auditing process of gun stores. These are now held by the Venezuelan Anonymous Company of Military Industries (Cavim), which manufactures ammunition for state security bodies.
The announcement was part of the first annual presentation by the Presidential Commission for Disarmament and Control of Arms and Ammunition, created in May 2011 to design and implement public policies aimed at gun control and disarmament in Venezuela.
As part of policies aimed at regulating the use of firearms among the civilian population, El Aissami also announced that requests for permits to carry arms will be made through the Justice Ministry and that on 1 June the period for registering arms and renewing permits will close.
In Venezuela carrying a firearm is legal with a permit; however the commission has previously stated that the government's citizen security policies are aimed at the eventual disarmament of the civilian population.
Meanwhile police bodies will be required to request and buy arms directly from the Justice Ministry. Ammunition supplied to police bodies will have special identification marking from the Cavim factory.
Other measures spearheaded by the Commission for Disarmament this year include a publicity campaign to raise awareness on the cultural problem of violent crime and promote values of peace. 78% of homicides in Venezuela are linked to the use of firearms.
The justice minister reported that in designing these policies, over the past year more than 20,000 citizens had participated in the Commission's consultation process, including 6,056 people attending workshops throughout the country.
Of those who participated in the consultation, 84.3% were in favour of banning the carrying of arms, while 79.8% supported ending the sale of arms and ammunition.
El Aissami responded to criticisms that the consultation process had only spoken with those who don't possess firearms. We are consulting the Venezuelan shooting federation, ranching sectors, [firearms] traders, the Armed Forces, police bodies, civil society, organised communities and special groups, he said.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced on Tuesday that the government's anti-crime program, the Full Life mission, will be launched in June. The program aims to bring together all the government's citizen security policies into a holistic approach toward tackling violent crime and transforming the judicial and prison systems.
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23. Who needs a gun in an outhouse?
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No, bears won't wait patiently outside while you get dressed and grab your gun. AND AGAIN, a gun in a cabin is NOT as good as a gun on your person!
From worldnews.msnbc.msn.com: http://tinyurl.com/brc6p9s
Grabbed from the 'throne': Man on camping trip survives outhouse bear attack
By msnbc.com staff
May 23, 2012
A 65-year-old Canadian man had a trip to the outhouse that he'll never forget.
Gord Shurvell of Winnipeg says he was doing his business when a black bear barged in and attacked him, leaving him with scratches and a head puncture wound, before his friend shot the animal.
Shurvell recounted his tale of survival to CBC News on Wednesday.
He said he and his friend, 63-year-old Daniel Alexander, were on a camping and fishing trip near Dunbar Lake, about 37 miles north of Sioux Lookout, Ontario, when the attack happened early Saturday.
He told CBC he went to use the bathroom, leaving the door open so he could enjoy the morning view, when the bear barged in.
"I'm sitting on the throne, and my feet are sort of up on the 'poopstool,' we call it," he told CBC.
"So I'm kicking at him to get away, but he grabbed my pants that were down around my ankles. And that was the start of it, and he just kept coming."
He said the bear got a hold of him by the right shoulder and dragged him out of the outhouse toward the bush.
I'm screaming for my buddy to come with a gun, he said.
Alexander was in the cabin when he heard the commotion.
"I started out of the cabin and something clicked in, and I thought 'bear.' I turned around, went back into the cabin and got the gun," Alexander told CBC.
Alexander said the bear dropped his friend and turned toward him. That's when he took aim and shot the bear in the head, killing it.
Shurvell was treated at a hospital for scratches on his head, neck and arms, as well as a puncture in the back of his head.
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24. Why are you paying lobbyists to restrict your gun rights?
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VA-ALERT reader Ray Kasey emailed me this:
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Why are you paying lobbyists to restrict your gun rights?
Cities around the country have created staff positions for professional lobbyists whose primary function is to drum up support for anti-gun legislation, ordinances and regulations.
Part of these lobbyists' salaries are being paid by grants from do-gooder groups like the Joyce Foundation, but the balance of salaries, benefits and support costs are being borne by you, the taxpayer.
In essence, the cash-strapped cities are paying tens of thousands to have an anti-rights organization's lobbyist working in their offices and pretending to be a city employee.
From wnd.com: http://tinyurl.com/6tmpfab
SCANDAL! CITIES PAY ANTI-GUN LOBBYISTS
By Jeff Knox
May 25, 2012
Cities around the country have created staff positions for professional lobbyists whose primary function is to drum up support for anti-gun legislation, ordinances and regulations. Part of these lobbyists salaries are being paid by grants from do-gooder foundations like the Joyce Foundation, but the balance of salaries, benefits and support costs are being borne by you, the taxpayer.
An associate of mine in Florida named Sean Caranna was doing some research for his grassroots rights organization, Florida Carry, Inc., when he came across something on the agenda of the Orlando City Council that he immediately recognized as a serious problem.
The item was for the renewal of a contract for a city employee. That's mundane enough, but the job title of this particular employee was Mayors Against Illegal Guns regional coordinator, and the job description is to play an integral role in the coordination and planning of gun crime prevention and illegal gun-related initiatives, events and media opportunities in the city and in the region (the full council agenda and detailed information can be found on the City of Orlando website).
In the case of Orlando, the grant is $60,000 from something called the United Against Illegal Guns Support Fund, which appears to be a front group set up by billionaire mayor of New York City Mike Bloomberg the creator of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The Joyce Foundation provides the primary funding for Bloomberg's support fund to the tune of $650,000 in 2011 and at least $1,000,000 more in the previous 3 years.
While the grant to Orlando pays the bulk of the regional coordinator's salary, the city is allocating $24,000 of citizen's money to fund the position and providing other city resources and facilities for her use. The person tapped for the job is a woman who has worked as a regional coordinator for the Brady Campaign Against Guns, and as a professional lobbyist for MAIG and several other groups.
In essence, the city is paying $24,000 to have an anti-rights organization's lobbyist working in their offices and pretending to be a city employee.
After discovering this scam in Orlando, Caranna began digging deeper and found similar sweetheart deals in several other cities around the country, including Seattle, Milwaukee, Columbus and Minneapolis. Based solely on the funding numbers from the Joyce Foundation, there should be at least 10 of these regional coordinators around the country working against rights and being compensated in part by taxpayers.
Finding them all has proven to be a bit of a challenge, as no one from MAIG, Joyce or the Support Fund seems interested in advertising the coordinators' existence. Caranna found, and my own research confirms, that some cities try to keep their participation in the scheme on the down low by using initials or euphemistic titles and job descriptions, but now that we know about the scam, I don't think it will take long to expose most all of the pseudo-city employees. With more than a million and a half dollars granted to the project over the past 4 years by the Joyce Foundation alone, there has to be a money trail to follow. We also know all 600 mayors involved in MAIG and will be scouring the books of each of them looking for traces of this scheme.
I'm asking all of the members of The Firearms Coalition and all of my readers to help us locate these taxpayer funded anti-rights lobbyists. You can find a list of all of the participating mayors on the MAIG website and then launch your own investigation into any of them you choose.
While we're at it, let's look into this whole concept of private grants funding, and influencing, public policy. On its surface, the idea of a charitable group helping a municipality do some public service seems reasonable; a family group might support municipal preschool and after school programs, for instance. But if that group has a political agenda, or demands inclusion of a controversial curriculum, the gift becomes questionable.
From one side these grants look like a way for the charitable group to make their dollars go further while helping a city reach its goals, but it is also a way for a pressure group to get public funding for their agenda.
Imagine the uproar if a city created a staff position for the promotion of firearm safety training with funding from the NRA Foundation. Even if the program focused solely on safety and never crossed into the rights issue or promotion of firearms ownership, the media and hoplophobes would go ballistic.
The very innocuous and apolitical Eddie Eagle Gun Safe program, with coloring books and video cartoons teaching kids that if they come across a gun they should Stop Don't Touch Leave the Area and Tell an Adult, comes under fire because it is given to schools and police departments free by the NRA Foundation.
Public-private partnerships can be good things, but local politicians need to be extremely cautious about giving the keys to the city to any outside group whose altruism might be driven by a political or social agenda. The old adage of never looking a gift horse in the mouth does not apply in civic matters just ask the Trojans. It is very tempting to a politician to be able to offer constituents some valuable service at a fraction of its normal cost, so it's up to the citizens to be attentive and keep their politicians on the straight and narrow.
For those who might not know, Mayors Against Illegal Guns is a political group formed by New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. It has an agenda almost identical to that of the Brady Campaign and other anti-gun groups, but it goes to great lengths to make its proposals seem reasonable and moderate when, in fact, they are intended to make firearms ownership more difficult and dangerous. Bloomberg has spent millions of dollars from his own very deep pockets and the pockets of New York taxpayers to advance his agenda and is receiving additional millions from the Joyce Foundation the same Joyce Foundation that gave Barack Obama a paid directorship as a stepping-stone into politics.
This scandal will be unfolding for weeks, and probably years, to come. The more information we can dig up on the MAIG employees infiltrating municipal government, the better chance we will have of putting a stop to this theft of taxpayer money. Check your local government for any private-public partnership grant programs particularly programs funded by MAIG and let me know what you find. Together we can pull the mask off of this beast and return control of municipal government to the people who live there.
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25. Virginia State Police update web site to show AG ruling on guns in vehicles
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Thanks to Tom Lambert with the Virginia State Police for quickly updating the VSP web site to show Attorney General Cuccinelli's opinion that containers and compartments in a motor vehicle holding loaded firearms do NOT need to be locked:
http://www.vsp.state.va.us/Firearms_Transporting.shtm
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VA-ALERT is a project of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc.
(VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization
dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to
Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.
VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org [http://www.vcdl.org/]
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