VA-ALERT: VCDL Mini-Update 2/20/13, ACTION ITEM

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1. ACTION ITEM: Republicans and Democrats in the Senate working on background-check compromise
2. DHS ordering targets of children, elderly, pregnant women to desensitize officers?
3. Let's use the government's own terminology for modern semi-automatic firearms: Personal Defense Weapons
4. VCDL President to speak at the Patrick Henry Supper Club meeting on March 5 in Richmond
5. Let's help out: Pott's Mountain shooting range donations
6. Report on VCDL meeting in Salem
7. York County repeals concealed carry statute
8. Time to boycott Bank of America - anti-liberty bank shuns local gun dealer
9. Governor's key school bill dealing with firearms dies
10. Virginia disgrace: article mentions about how General Assembly members sold out school safety for federal dollars
11. Gun Owners of America - excellent information on universal background checks and more
12. Good interview with FBI agents analyzing major shootout with bad guys back in 1986
13. Gun-control doesn't work - death count in Chicago for January 2013

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1. Republicans and Democrats in the Senate working on background check compromise
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Normally pro-liberty Republican Senators are working with the likes of Senator Chuck Schumer to come up with an enhanced background check scheme. :-(

Here is a link to an article on that subject:

From washingtonpost.com: http://tinyurl.com/aqqdl4n

If you haven't done so yet, call Senators Warner and Kaine and tell them "no more gun control, no new background checks, no bans on Personal Defense Weapons, no magazine bans":

Sen. Tim Kaine: 202-224-4024
Sen. Mark Warner: 202-224-2023


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2. DHS ordering targets of children, elderly, pregnant women to desensitize officers?
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I'm not sure where to begin. Targets depicting pregnant women, children, older citizens defending their home? This is currently such a big threat to federal law enforcement that they need to increase their practice on such "common" targets? Or is this about something else?

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but it certainly is getting more interesting every day: 7,000 new Personal Defense Weapons, thousands of new 18 to 24 year-old recruits for FEMA, billions of rounds of hollow point ammunition, a sudden big push to disarm the public, and now these particular targets?

We're reporting, you decide for yourself what it means, if anything.

The link has photos of the targets.

From shtfplan.com: http://tinyurl.com/bd8h3w7

DHS Supplier Provides Shooting Targets of American Gun Owners

Paul Joseph Watson
February 19th, 2013
Infowars.com

A provider of "realistic" shooting targets to the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies has created a line of "non-traditional threat" targets that include pregnant women, mothers in playgrounds and elderly American gun owners.

Law Enforcement Targets, Inc. is a 21-year designer and full service provider of training targets for the DHS, the Justice Department and thousands of law enforcement agencies throughout the country.

The company's website offers a line of "No More Hesitation" targets "designed to give officers the experience of dealing with deadly force shooting scenarios with subjects that are not the norm during training." The targets are, "meant to help the transition for officers who are faced with these highly unusual targets for the first time."

The targets include "pregnant woman threat," "older man with shotgun," "older man in home with shotgun," "older woman with gun," "young school aged girl," "young mother on playground," and "little boy with real gun."

Why are top training target suppliers for the government supplying the likes of the DHS with "non-traditional threat" targets of children, pregnant women, mothers in playgrounds, and elderly American gun owners unless there is a demand for such items?

This is particularly alarming given the fact that the Department of Homeland Security has purchased roughly 2 billion rounds of ammunition over the course of the last year, enough to wage a near 30 year war.

In comparison, during the height of active battle operations in Iraq, US soldiers used 5.5 million rounds of ammunition a month.

The DHS also purchased no less than 7,000 fully automatic assault rifles last September, labeling them "Personal Defense Weapons."

The fact that targets of armed pregnant women, children, mothers in playgrounds, and American gun owners in general are being represented as "non traditional threats" "for the first time" is deeply concerning given the admitted preparations for civil unrest undertaken by Homeland Security as well as other federal agencies.

A leaked US Army Military Police training manual for "Civil Disturbance Operations" also outlines how military assets are to be used domestically to quell riots, confiscate firearms and even kill Americans on U.S. soil during mass civil unrest.

This also dovetails with the continuing characterization of Americans who are "suspicious of centralized federal authority," and "reverent of individual liberty" as "extreme right-wing" terrorists by DHS-funded studies.

The US military trained last year to take on another "unusual target" – zombies – which some fear is just a ruse to get troops used to engaging crowds of people with deadly force. As Alex Jones documented in his film Police State 2000, numerous "urban warfare" training drills stretching back well over a decade have revolved around incarcerating and battling the American people on domestic soil.

See the other "non-traditional threats" that are being provided in the form of shooting targets to the DHS and thousands of law enforcement agencies below.

Note: The website containing these targets has crashed since this article was published, but this graphic shows a screenshot of the page with the URL visible.


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3. Let's use the government's own terminology for modern semi-automatic firearms: Personal Defense Weapons
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From examiner.com: http://tinyurl.com/apblerf

Homeland Security seeking to purchase 7,000 'assault rifles'

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking to purchase up to 7,000 "personal defense weapons" (PDW) -- the same rifles called "assault weapons" when owned by civilians, The Blaze reported Saturday.

The initial request was posted last June, but just recently came to light, Jason Howerton wrote.

According to Steve McGough of RadioViceOnline.com, DHS said the "select-fire" weapons are "suitable for personal defense use in close quarters." The weapons sought by the DHS would be capable of semi-automatic and automatic fire and would be equipped with high-capacity 30-round magazines, the same type some want to see banned for use by civilians.

New York state Sen. Greg Ball, a Republican, addressed the request in a press released earlier this week.

"Now the Department of Homeland Security even agrees that these modern sporting firearms, made illegal by Governor Cuomo, are suitable for self defense," he said.

On Thursday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced a sweeping gun control bill that would limit magazine capacity to ten rounds and ban the same basic weapon sought by Homeland Security.

"Critics of such a ban on semi-automatic rifles are already arguing that the government is showing its hypocrisy by essentially saying they are good 'personal defense' for them, but not for American citizens. When civilians own semi-automatic rifles, they somehow become 'assault weapons,'" Howerton wrote.

McGough also noted the hypocrisy in the government's request.

"If it is appropriate for law enforcement, why is it not appropriate for civilian use?" he asked, noting that select fire/automatic weapons "are generally not used in situations where you need accuracy; like for home defense."

Howerton says that while it's reasonable for Homeland Security to be armed with the tools it needs to keep Americans safe, some, like Sen. Feinstein, apparently do not think average citizens should be allowed to protect their families with the same kind of "personal defense" weapons.

Last Tuesday, two New York students scared off armed intruders with an empty AR-15 rifle.


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4. VCDL President to speak at the Patrick Henry Supper Club meeting on March 5 in Richmond
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I will be speaking at the Patrick Henry Supper Club on Tuesday, March 5. The meeting is open to the public.

Dinner will begin at 6 pm and I will speak at 7 pm.

The meeting is held in a private room at:

Major Willie's
115 South 15th Street
Richmond.


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5. Let's help out: Pott's Mountain shooting range donations
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Let's help make sure we all have places to shoot. One way we can do this is to donate money for the Pott's Mountain shooting range, run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forestry Division, in the Jefferson National Forest. We can also help with a weekly clean up at the range or being volunteer range masters.

EMs John Wilburn and Ken Modica are heading up that effort for VCDL. Coordination began at the Craig County Board of Supervisors meeting on February 7th.

Here is an email that Ken Modica got from Forest Ranger Cindy Schiffer:

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Donations can be sent to our office here in Blacksburg with checks made out to "USDA Forest Service". Our mailing address is Eastern Divide Ranger Station, 110 South Park Drive, Blacksburg VA 24060.

I know some folks spoke about peer to peer education and assisting with some major cleaning 4 times a year. I would be very interested in speaking with your organization about these two concepts. We will be pursuing volunteer range masters for both our ranges (one is about 5 minutes outside of Blacksburg and the other is the Potts Slope range about 5 minutes outside of New Castle).

I believe we have several local hunter/firearms safety instructors interested in volunteering at the ranges to provide peer to peer instruction. We are mainly interested in making sure the range goes cold on the ½ hour and hour and only authorized targets are used.

The second concept, which I believe Mr. Van Cleave spoke about, is to have 4 major clean up/maintenance days per year. We are thinking the dates would be the Monday and Tuesday of the second week of Jan/April/July/Oct. We'd like to see a good group of volunteers come and help complete a major cleaning , replace chicken wire and metal posts, patch bullet holes and repair other vandalism, and so on. We'd make a list ahead of time. We close the Blacksburg Range every Monday for cleaning/maintenance and will be closing the Potts Slope Range on Tuesday for the same purpose. So the major cleaning/maintenance/refurbish dates remaining in 2013 would be April 8/9. July 8/9, October 14/15.

If we get enough donations we would probably use one of these 3 dates to do some sound abatement work. Please contact me at your convenience to discuss - or direct me to the most appropriate contact within your organization to work with on this.

Cindy

Cindy Schiffer
Eastern Divide District Ranger
Blacksburg, VA


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6. Report on VCDL meeting in Salem
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We had an excellent turnout at last nights VCDL dinner in Salem. Great food, and great company!

VCDL was presented a check for $4,000, which represented the proceeds for a raffle run by VCDL in SW Virginia! The raffled item was an ATV from Burglund Outdoors. The winner was M. Andrews from Pulaski, VA, who had the matching ticket number (425) to the Virginia Pick-3 lottery drawing on 12/24/12. VCDL will use those proceeds to fund educational items. Thanks to all the great people out that way who put so much time and effort into that raffle to make it a success!

And, as a surprise, there was a birthday cake at the dinner for me! The cake was decorated with a Glock 27, which, as a complete coincidence, was exactly the make and model I happened to be carrying that night!

Just one more in a long list of humbling experiences I've had as President of VCDL and I thank SW VA VCDL for taking the time to surprise me like that.


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7. York County repeals concealed carry statute
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York County has now repealed its concealed carry ordinance, leave only state law to prevail.

Great job by York County Sheriff Danny Diggs and VCDL EM Doug Peterson, who I authorized to speak on my behalf due to another commitment.

Thanks to Bill Watkins for the link:

http://tinyurl.com/aydl6sc

York Supervisors Discuss Budget, Erase Concealed Weapons Ordinance
February 20, 2013 By Gregory Connolly

The York County Board of Supervisors discussed at their Tuesday meeting the budget, sequestration and a proposal to strike the concealed weapons ordinance from county code, which passed 5-0.

The removal of the concealed weapons ordinance does not impact existing laws or rights, as the York-Poquoson Sheriff's Department already prosecutes concealed weapons violations via the Virginia State Code, according to Sheriff J.D. "Danny" Diggs.

The concealed weapons ordinance was last discussed at the Supervisors' Nov. 20 meeting, where it was decided they would table the issue to give time for research and allow enough time to get the word out about a public hearing.

"There seems to be no need for a county ordinance," said County Attorney James Barnett Jr.

One person spoke during the public hearing portion of the discussion of the concealed weapons ordinance. Doug Peterson of the Virginia Citizens Defense League said he agreed with removing the ordinance as it does not impact Virginia statute and it makes it easier for people who visit the county, as they only have to comply with one set of laws.


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8. Time to boycott Bank of America - anti-liberty bank shuns local gun dealer
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I got the following email from Richard Hanes and I have personally called Gary Lewis, who owns Gary's Guns & Transfers, to confirm. And it is even worse than described in that email - Bank of America is now demanding that Gary AND his WIFE close out all their company AND personal loans, checking, and savings accounts and cease to be a customer of BOA! Gary's accounts and safety deposit box are all in excellent standing and have been for the last TWENTY YEARS.

When Gary went to the bank to close out his safety deposit box, and, for the first time ever at that bank, there was an armed guard present.

I have bought guns from Gary and he has always struck me as professional and ethical. This attack on him is uncalled for and we need to all walk away from Bank of North Korea, er, America.

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Gary Lewis, owner of Gary's Guns & Transfers, is my neighbor and good friend. I helped him a lot when he was starting his business about 5 years ago after he purchased Jim Jarrett's inventory when NYC/Bloomberg forced Jim to shut down.

I sent him an email about Bank of America shutting down Gun manufacturer's accounts some time ago.

He just called me to tell me that BOA had just done the same to him, without cause or reason. They even locked up his safety deposit box and
restricted his access, telling him he had to make an appointment to empty his safety deposit box and if he did not do so they would drill it and take
the contents!


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9. Governor's key school bill dealing with firearms dies
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Rather than rush through a bill that could have terrible unexpected consequences, the House Courts of Justice committee killed SB 1377 and greatly scaled back SB 1378.

VCDL EM Hal Macklin discovered a real unintended problem with SB 1377 - it would have allowed police officers who had gone rogue to come onto school property and commit cold-blooded murder and not be subject to same charges as any other citizen would! I told the committee of the issue and they decided it was best to look at the bill over the summer in the Crime Commission.

From hamptonroads.com: http://tinyurl.com/ab8f6gp

Va. panel OKs tougher law for 'straw man' gun buys
By Kathy Adams
The Virginian-Pilot

A House committee this evening decided the fate of two of the governor's school safety bills, deciding in favor of increasing the penalties for some illegal firearms transactions but against creating a new offense for potential school shooters.

The House Courts of Justice Committee approved SB1378 to ramp up the consequences for anyone who buys or sells a gun knowing it's going to someone who is prohibited from having one, such as convicted felons and individuals with mental health issues.

If approved by the House later this week, those so-called "straw man" purchases would increase from a Class 5 felony to a Class 4 felony, punishable by a mandatory minimum of one year in prison.

The goal is to reduce the number of illegally obtained firearms that someone may use to commit crimes, including against a school, said the bill's patron, Sen. Tom Garrett, R-Louisa County.

While only 15 people were convicted of "straw man" transactions in the 2011 and 2012 fiscal years, the Department of Justice estimates that 40 percent of firearms used to commit crimes are obtained that way, Garrett said.

The bill was a recommendation of the Task Force on School and Campus Safety, which Gov. Bob McDonnell formed after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre to offer suggestions on how to make Virginia's school more safe.

The committee rejected another of the task force's proposals to make it a Class 2 felony to bring a gun or explosive on school property with the intent to hurt people. Committee members said they worried the legislation was too rushed and redundant with other sections of the criminal code.

They tabled the measure, SB1377, but agreed to ask the state Crime Commission to study it for next session.


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10. Virginia disgrace: article mentions about how General Assembly members sold out school safety for federal dollars
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Delegate Bob Marshall's bill to prohibit state and local government employees from aiding or assisting federal agents in enforcing unconstitutional gun control passed after 12/31/12 was killed a couple of weeks ago. A reminder of this disgraceful act by the General Assembly:

From the latimes.com: http://tinyurl.com/aelrqxp

State legislators seek to block any new federal gun laws
February 14, 2013, 4:21 p.m.

WASHINGTON — In Alaska, state House Speaker Mike Chenault says he's heard complaints from all over the state about the federal government "trampling" on gun owners' 2nd Amendment rights.

In Pennsylvania, state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe declares that gun control advocates have "gone far enough." And in North Dakota, state Rep. Roscoe Streyle says, "We know what's right for our citizens."

They are among a wave of lawmakers in at least 20 states who are pushing back against the Obama administration's drive to pass tougher gun laws after the Newtown, Conn., school shooting. They seek to exempt their states from any new federal regulations.

Even before Congress votes on new gun laws, some state legislators are intent on promoting bills like the Firearms Freedom Act — introduced in Alabama, Michigan and Oklahoma, among other states — based on a theory that guns and ammunition made and kept within state borders do not involve interstate commerce and are out of Washington's reach.

Other bills — such as Pennsylvania's proposed Right to Bear Arms Protection Act — would make it a felony, punishable by up to seven years in prison for government officials to attempt to enforce new federal gun restrictions in their states. A Tennessee bill declares that any federal action seeking to restrict gun ownership in the state "shall be deemed an intentional violation of state sovereignty and shall be unenforceable within the borders of Tennessee."

Wyoming's Republican-controlled House has sent to the state Senate, on a 46-13 vote, a measure declaring unenforceable any future federal ban on semiautomatic weapons or limits on the size of ammunition magazines that remain exclusively in the state.

President Obama has called for background checks for all gun sales and reinstatement of bans that expired in 2004 on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Obama alluded to those proposals in his State of the Union address Tuesday, calling on Congress to bring them up for a vote.

A White House spokesman declined to comment on the wave of state legislation.

The spate of proposed state laws reflects the national schism of opinion on gun control.

While lawmakers in a number of states fight the Obama administration's efforts, New York recently passed a tougher gun law. California is also considering strengthening its laws, including requiring background checks for anyone who buys bullets. Maryland is weighing new limits, including licensing for handgun buyers.

A group of Colorado Democrats is quickly moving forward with legislation to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines, expand background checks and hold gun makers and sellers liable for damage caused by their weapons, though that could conflict with a 2005 federal law shielding the industry from certain lawsuits.

Some legal experts said the states' proposals to limit gun control would be unlikely to withstand a constitutional challenge. And it's uncertain whether any will be signed into law.

A spokesman for Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead, a Republican, said the governor believed there were "plenty of ways for Wyoming to send a message voicing concern about infringements on the 2nd Amendment, but he is concerned about creating an unenforceable law."

In Virginia, a GOP-sponsored measure to prohibit local and state officials from assisting federal authorities in enforcing any new gun restrictions ran into trouble after lawmakers raised concerns that it could cost the state federal aid.

A number of the gun rights measures are patterned after a 2009 Montana law. Its constitutionality is before the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, with oral arguments set to begin in March.

Legal experts cite a 2005 Supreme Court ruling upholding federal restrictions on homegrown marijuana in California as the precedent that stands to doom the spate of gun exemption laws. The court ruled that because marijuana moved in a national market, the federal government could regulate its use, even if it were grown and used only in California.

"There's apparently some people out there who have yet to read the Constitution," said Ladd Everitt of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

But the bills are also designed to sway federal lawmakers. "It is time to send a message to those in Washington, D.C., that we will not stand for the continual erosion of our rights and freedoms," Nebraska state Sen. Charlie Janssen said in an Internet message seeking support for his bill.

Metcalfe, a Republican who is the chief sponsor of the Pennsylvania Right to Bear Arms Protection Act, said the measure had generated more public reaction than any bill he had sponsored in 15 years in office.

The disparate state responses underscore the difficulty of reaching a political consensus on an issue that often divides lawmakers not just by party affiliation but also geography.

Indeed, after New York acted to tighten gun laws, Texas Atty. Gen. Greg Abbott ran an Internet ad inviting New Yorkers to keep their guns and come to the Lone Star State.


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11. Gun Owners of America - excellent information on universal background checks and more
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http://www.gunowners.org/congress02122013.htm


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12. Good interview with FBI agents analyzing major shootout with bad guys back in 1986
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Franz Bailey sent me this email:

We aren't FBI agents fighting crime but we might have to defend our lives or the lives of our loved ones one day and the information contained in this video may save a life.

This You Tube video addresses the questions of firearm accessibility, firepower, ammunition, reloading, preparedness, injuries and death, and the will to survive as it related to the 1986 Miami Shootout involving several FBI agents.

For instance, one agent concluded that a loaded shotgun on the back seat of the cruiser was just not accessible in a time of emergency. Another Agent recalls being shot and continuing the fight.

This video is worth watching in its entirety; it is titled 1986 Miami Shootout (Part 2) FBI Training Video Personal Reflections and is about 23 minutes long.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAUDnzDhQpc


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13. Gun-control doesn't work - death count in Chicago for January 2013
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Eric Kaston is going to update this number monthly. Shooting deaths in gun-free Chicago for the month of January is 42.

Compare to:

2012 Sandy Hook - 26
1993 Waco - 76
1927 Bath Mchigan - 45



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