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Not yet a VCDL member? Join VCDL at: http://www.vcdl.org/join
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VCDL's meeting schedule: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings
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Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html
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1. Virginia specifically targeted for attack on our gun rights!
2. We still need more team leaders for Lobby Day on January 20th!
3. Pre-Lobby Day dinner in Richmond on Sunday, January 19
4. VCDL President interviewed about Moms Demand Action gun-control push
5. VCDL membership meeting in Fredericksburg on Sunday, January 5
6. VCDL's new Mental Health Advisory Committee has SIXTEEN experts on it!
7. 2014 Traveler's Guide Mail Order Sale and Deadline
8. Brandishing: a reminder on the legality
9. Demystifying the age to acquire, possess, and carry handguns in Virginia
10. NRA beat Bloomberg anti-gun group in 65 of 67 Va. delegate races
11. Who needs a gun at an ATM?
12. Fort Eustis Privately Owned Weapons (POW) Range
13. The Fed Loves Guns...for Feds
14. Top five reasons Americans own guns [VIDEO]
15. CNN's Bourdain and Lemon defend gun rights, legal gun owners
16. [MA] Politician wants unannounced home searches by police to enforce gun law
17. [CA] LAX shooting, criminal was in control [VIDEO]
18. [NY] anti-gun Police Commissioner wants six-man security team when he leaves office
19. [NJ] Fearful of being shot, victim grabs gun from robber
20. [LA] Kidnap victim's cousin kicks down door, shoots and kills abductor [VIDEO]
21. [PA] Delivery driver fends off three would-be attackers with gun [VIDEO]
22. [CO] Latest Colorado recall gets nasty
23. [CO] Gun control advocate threatens to 'shoot and kill' recall activists [VIDEO]
24. Gun bills are starting to appear for the 2014 legislative session!
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1. Virginia specifically targeted for attack on our gun rights!
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The antis really hate Virginia and our successful rollback of gun control for the last 18 years. And Bloomberg despises us. (Life's good!)
So they have specifically targeted us for "special treatment."
Bring it on.
Oh, and if you don't have a VCDL membership card in your wallet, it's definitely time to get one. You can join on our web site: vcdl.org
From the washingtonpost.com: http://tinyurl.com/kwebz2j
Gun-control groups are shifting efforts and resources to handful of states
By Philip Rucker, Published: December 11
DENVER — In Colorado, a state scarred by two mass shootings, Democrats passed some of the nation's toughest gun legislation this year. Gun rights supporters responded by recalling two state senators who had championed the bills.
Now gun-control advocates are plotting their revenge. Inside a hotel conference room here this week, 60 activists spent a day strategizing to defend the remaining legislators who voted for the measures and protect them from repeal efforts. They also vowed to take a page from their opponents' playbook by possibly mounting campaigns to recall Republicans who opposed the new restrictions.
Gun-control activists have largely given up on Congress, which did not pass background-check legislation after the school massacre in Newtown, Conn., last December that killed 20 children and six adults. The groups are shifting their resources to a handful of states such as Colorado, where they have hired political operatives to try to build permanent gun-control movements.
The effort, however, is certain to run into heavy resistance from gun rights groups such as the National Rifle Association, which has focused for years on building relationships with state legislators, contributing to their campaigns and hiring lobbyists to pressure them to loosen existing laws or block legislation.
Groups run by New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (I), former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and other gun-control advocates intend to spend more than $25 million in 2014, most of it in the states, said officials with knowledge of the plans, which have not been previously reported. ***Their strategy is to pressure state legislatures and pursue ballot initiatives for stricter gun laws, as well as to defend or attack politicians in next fall's campaigns based on their gun votes, the officials said.***
A consensus has emerged among activists that pushing for federal background checks is a lost cause for now.
"It was a confusing time right after Newtown and the horizons of the possible grew tremendously," said Arkadi Gerney, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress who convened the Denver strategy summit. But, he added, "there's no shortcut, no silver bullet." [PVC: ROFL! - I wonder what he thinks HE is going to shoot that "silver bullet" out of?]
Gerney said the groups are "not giving up federally, but recognizing that in order to move something federally you've got to go to the contested territory, whether it's congressional districts or states, and build a stronger movement there."
The Senate this spring did not pass a package of gun laws, including expanding federal background checks for firearm purchases, which polling showed was overwhelmingly popular. The NRA pressured lawmakers to block the bill. In the first half of 2013, the NRA and other gun rights groups outspent gun-control organizations on federal lobbying, $12.2 million to $1.6 million, according to the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation. [PVC: And pro-gun groups don't get our money from insecure, controlling billionaires, we get our funds from millions of like-minded patriots.]
As a result, gun-control advocates have calculated that state lawmakers might be more open to considering such measures as expanding background checks, banning assault weapons and limiting the size of ammunition magazines. [PVC: Oh, I don't think so.]
Pia Carusone, executive director of Americans for Responsible Solutions, the group Giffords and husband Mark Kelly founded, said, "I think state legislators aren't as ingratiated into the hardened political system as members of Congress and the Senate are. It's not that they're naïve, but they're more confident that they can tell their side of the story without the fear of the special interests." [PVC: So Americans for Responsible Solutions is NOT a special interest group? ROFLAMO!!!]
In addition to Colorado, the Center for American Progress is convening strategy summits with representatives of the major gun-control groups in Georgia, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, ***Virginia,*** Washington state and Wisconsin. ***The sessions include tutorials for gun violence victims and other local activists on how to tell emotional stories to lawmakers and in the news media.*** [PVC: Here we go - they know they don't have facts or logic on their side, so they are taking lessons in how to produce fake tears on demand! ]
Dudley Brown, a leader of the National Association for Gun Rights, an umbrella organization of state-level groups, scoffed at the notion that gun-control advocates would find success in the states. Brown helped organize the recall campaigns in his home state of Colorado, and warned that his group will work to defeat "gun grabber" lawmakers in other states as well.
"We'll go after legislators who went wrong on the issue, even Republicans," he said. "When they get weak-kneed, we'll go after them."
An NRA spokesman declined to detail the group's state strategies for 2014, although data suggest that it was successful in 2013. In the year since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, 1,500 state gun bills were introduced. Of the 109 that became law, nearly two-thirds loosened gun restrictions, according to a New York Times analysis.
In Washington state, for example, legislation to expand background checks did not pass the Democratic-controlled House, despite lobbying from Giffords.
Activists with the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility hope to take the issue to voters, collecting signatures from about 325,000 state voters to force background checks on the ballot in the 2014 elections.
"When you're playing in these narrow legislative districts and the narrow hallways of the legislatures, you're on your opponent's turf," said Zach Silk, who is managing the ballot initiative campaign. "So we decided to take it directly to the people."
Gun-control advocates in other states where bills narrowly failed or were vetoed also are vowing to try again, including Nevada and Oregon.
"The public is better educated and knows solutions are available and supports them, and a movement has begun to build for change that we know will come," said Mark Glaze, executive director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. "But change takes time."
The victories claimed by gun-control advocates over the past year have been small. In Virginia, they note that Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe (D) campaigned on toughening firearms restrictions, saying in one debate, "I don't care what grade I got from the NRA." [PVC: When McAuliffe switched from talking about social issues and started to spout statements like that one late in the campaign, his numbers began to slip. And they continued slipping from 17% down to 2%.]
They also see opportunity in Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where citizens have been organizing chapters of grass-roots volunteers to push for tougher laws.
"If you're a suburban mom outside of Philadelphia who's angry about this issue, just because it wasn't on the floor of the Senate doesn't mean you woke up and stopped caring about it," said Jon Carson, executive director of Organizing for Action, a nonprofit group formed from President Obama's reelection campaign.
Here in Colorado, Brown, the gun rights group leader, said he will use the new firearm laws "as a sledgehammer" to "destroy" Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) and Democratic state legislators who are up for reelection in 2014. "I'm going to wade through their China shop," he said.
Gun-control supporters here said they are prepared to fight back. At the Denver strategy summit, pollster Kevin Ingham presented results and video from focus groups on the two state senator recall elections. His conclusion: It wasn't the gun laws that led to their defeat, but a confluence of factors, including a negative perception that they had "gone Denver" and were being controlled by party bosses.
"You can actually win on this issue," Ingham said, noting that women in particular tend to support the laws. [PVC: It is true that there are too many women who believe in gun control. Women gun owners - you need to work on these misguided ladies to show them the light. Invite them to go shooting with you sometime, for example.]
State House Speaker Mark Ferrandino (D) said, "We're going to defend the laws we passed and we'll have the evidence to show that it's working."
Since Colorado's law took effect in July, background checks have stopped 72 criminals or domestic violence abusers from buying guns, according to newly released state data. [PVC: They forgot to put "temporarily" that sentence.]
State Senate President Morgan Carroll (D), whose district includes the Aurora movie theater where 12 people were killed and 70 others injured in a shooting last year, took over after then-Senate President John Morse (D) was recalled. She said she has an answer for critics of the gun laws.
"It's like, 'Really? Really? You really don't think there should be a process to keep guns out of the hands of criminals?' " Carroll said. "That's not a mainstream view in this state." [PVC: We'll see if she can sell that baloney to the gun owners in Colorado. I think they know political silliness and outright lies when they see them.]
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2. We still need more team leaders for Lobby Day on January 20th!
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Team Leaders are still needed for Lobby Day. If you have already stepped up, thank you. If you are available to lead a team, please contact Bob Sadtler at LobbyDay@vcdl.org.
Be sure to let him know who your Senator and Delegate are. If you aren't sure, find them here.
http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/VGAMain?openform
We are just over halfway to our goal. We need eight more. Currently, each team would be seeing nine Delegates and four Senators. The optimal is six and two. If you are available, please let us know.
Oh, and as if you don't have enough reasons to come to Lobby Day, here's another one:
"Half of the cast of Deliverance is in town." - anti-gun Richard Saslaw, Senate Majority Leader, as overheard by VCDL EM John Pierce in an elevator at the General Assembly during Lobby Day on January 21, 2008.
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3. Pre-Lobby Day dinner in Richmond on Sunday, January 19
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EM Tess Ailshire has made reservations for a pre-Lobby Day dinner:
The dinner is being held at 6:30 PM on Sunday, January 19, at:
Hibachi Sushi and Supreme Buffet (Westland Shopping Center)
8087 W Broad St.
Richmond VA 23294
(https://hibachisushiandsupremebuffet.com/).
The dinner is open to the public, so come and join us!
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4. VCDL President interviewed about Moms Demand Action gun-control push
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From wwbt.com: http://tinyurl.com/m9ttnoc
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5. VCDL membership meeting in Fredericksburg on Sunday, January 5
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VCDL will have a membership meeting on Sunday, January 5, in the Fredericksburg area at:
The Scottish Horse Thief
110 North Main Street
Bowling Green, VA
The meeting will be called to order at 1 PM. We will be discussing Lobby Day (January 20th) and the gun bills that will be coming up during the session. We will also be discussing current events.
The meeting is open to the public, so bring friends, family, and coworkers!
Thanks to Philip Hamilton for making the reservations!
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6. VCDL's new Mental Health Advisory Committee has SIXTEEN experts on it!
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I am pleased to announce that we have not one, not two, but sixteen mental-health experts on the new Mental Health Advisory Committee (MHAC)! These include people practicing in the field either currently or in the past, as well as attorneys who specialize in dealing with the American with Disabilities Act.
VCDL should now be in a position to respond correctly to any and all mental health bills that in anyway affect gun ownership.
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7. 2014 Traveler's Guide Mail Order Sale and Deadline
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The 2014 Traveler's Guide to the Firearm Laws of the Fifty States is being ordered and is expected to arrive about the 3rd week in January. If you do not want to wait until the next local gun show, do we have a deal for you!
The VCDL Fulfillment Center has a copy on order with your name on it!! If you would like one, we need to receive your order by January 11th.
Orders will be processed in the order in which they are received.
There are two options:
If you want it sent in a sturdier envelope and by priority mail the cost will be $20.00
If you want it sent in a standard manila envelope and by first class mail the cost will be $18.00
If you include a copy of your current membership card you can reduce the price by $2. (We accept copies of membership cards that expired in 2013, since we are late getting renewals out.)
Also, if you typically buy your copy from a VCDL table at a gun show, please include a note with the show's location so we do not swamp our coordinators with more guides than they need.
To order, please send a check or money order made out to "VCDL" to:
VCDL Fulfillment Center
PO Box 254
Garrisonville, Virginia 22463
ATT: Book Sales
Also, please consider including a donation to either the VCDL, the VCDL-PAC or BOTH!
(If you donate to the PAC, please make it a separate check and include your employer and job title. -- Thanks!)
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8. Brandishing: a reminder on the legality
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A reminder: under Virginia law you can only brandish a gun legally if you are in position of being able to use deadly force legally.
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9. Demystifying the age to acquire, possess, and carry handguns in Virginia
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EM John Pierce kindly and clearly provides the facts about handguns, age requirements, and the Code of Virginia. John also neatly addresses the actual meanings of terms such as "minor" in relation to handgun matters in Virginia. Thanks for this excellent resource, John!
--
From JohnPierceEsq.com: http://tinyurl.com/l9wuz7v
Demystifying the age to acquire, possess, and carry handguns in Virginia
By John Pierce, Esq.
November 12, 2013
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10. NRA beat Bloomberg anti-gun group in 65 of 67 Va. delegate races
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If Virginians had any interest in more gun control, the House elections would have been very different.
Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:
--
From WashingtonExaminer.com: http://tinyurl.com/k59vphp
NRA beat Bloomberg anti-gun group in 65 of 67 Va. delegate races
By Paul Bedard
November 8, 2013
Nearly 10 percent of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's anti-gun group Mayors Against Illegal Guns retired from their job or were sacked in Tuesday's elections, including the organization's two leaders: Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.
Some 95 key members of the group that targets and criticizes lawmakers backed by the National Rifle Association are losing their title of "mayor." According to an election review of Bloomberg's membership list of about 1,000, three quit the group, 69 retired from their jobs, and 23 were rejected by voters.
On the retirement list: Bloomberg and Menino.
Among the defeated members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns were the mayors of Annapolis, Md.; Omaha, Neb.; Atlantic City, N.J.; Rochester, N.Y.; and Seattle, Wash.
Guns and Bloomberg's group were issues in some of the campaigns where the incumbents were defeated. In Chambersburg, Pa., newly-elected Republican Mayor-elect Darren Brown declared that among his first moves will be unhooking the town from the anti-gun group.
"The very, very first thing I'd like to do is get Chambersburg off the Mayors Against Illegal Guns list," Brown said.
What's more, while Bloomberg's Independence USA PAC can claim a victory in its campaign and advertising against Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli, a review of all NRA-endorsed candidates in the state show that the mayor had virtually no impact.
For example, of the 67 NRA-endorsed candidates for the Virginia House of Delegates, 65 won their election on Tuesday.
What's more, after the 2011 legislative elections in Virginia, there were 63 states delegates rated an "A" by the NRA and that number grew to 65 on Tuesday.
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11. Who needs a gun at an ATM?
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Dropping the cash on the ground might have better diverted the criminal's attention as she sped off in her vehicle. It is always best to flee from a criminal if you can do so safely, but if you can't, having a gun dramatically increases your odds of surviving a violent crime.
Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:
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From DailyPress.com: http://tinyurl.com/kgkehrz
Newport News: 45-year-old woman robbed, shot at in incident at ATM
By Andrea Castillo
November 15, 2013
A 45-year-old Newport News woman told police she was robbed at gunpoint at a Wells Fargo ATM Saturday night, a spokesman said.
Just after 10 p.m., police were called to the bank at 600 Thimble Shoals Boulevard #100, where the woman said she had been making a cash deposit when she heard footsteps and a man approached the driver side window, pointed a silver handgun in her face and demanded money, Newport News Police Department spokesman Harold Eley said.
The woman sped away after giving him the cash, and he fired rounds in her direction after he ran the opposite way. She was not injured, Eley said.
Police said the man ran east toward Pilot House Drive.
The robbery remains under investigation, Eley said.
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12. Fort Eustis Privately Owned Weapons (POW) Range
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Member Richard Thomas passed along this notification regarding the upcoming opening of the Privately Owned Weapons Range at Fort Eustis. Members with military affiliations residing in the Newport News area may find this of particular interest. The range and mandatory Range Safety Officer course are only available to Active Duty or Retired Military and DoD Civilians and their family members, 18 and older.
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Subject: Fort Eustis Privately Owned Weapons (POW) Range
Date: November 13, 2013
BLUF: In preparation for the upcoming opening (date TBD) of the Privately Owned Weapons (POW) Range on Fort Eustis, the 733d Security Forces Squadron Combat Arms Instructor will conduct the required Range Safety Officer (RSO) class for those who wish to fire on the range. This class is separate from the class given by Range Control and it is required in order to fire on the POW Range. Classes are open to all Active Duty, Retirees, DoD Civilians and their Family Members (18 and older).
1. Class size is limited to 25 people per iteration and will be filled on a first come, first served basis. If you are not on the class roster, you will not be permitted entrance into the class. The classes will take place in the conference room in Building 648, Washington Boulevard (Police Station). Parking is limited in the area surrounding Building 648, so you are required to park in the Bowling Alley/Anderson Field House parking lot and walk to the building. You will enter the building though the outside entrance facing the Aquatics Center.
2. There are currently three classes scheduled - attendance will drive the requirement for additional classes.
14 NOV 2013 - 1400
15 NOV 2013 - 1400
15 NOV 2013 - 1700
3. Operating instructions and range information will be provided during the class, please do not use the POC for any questions other than to sign up for the class.
4. POC if you would like to sign-up for the class is Officer Richard Thompson at 878-3806 or by email at richard.p.thompson14.civ@mail.mil If you choose to e-mail your request, identify your request by placing "POW Range" in the subject line of your email.
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13. The Fed Loves Guns...for Feds
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From TheBlackSphere.net: http://tinyurl.com/kdavfl6
The Fed Loves Guns...for Feds
By Kevin Jackson
November 8, 2013
When government employees get shot, guess what those Feds request for protection?
If you guessed, "More police," then you are just being silly. Because if you'd been shot at, you would request what you really need…a gun!
Examiner.com reports:
In the aftermath of the shooting incident at Los Angeles
International Airport, the American Federation of Government
Employees, the labor union that represents 45,000 federal
transportation security officers, on Monday urged the Department
of Homeland Security's new secretary and President Barack Obama
to create special units of armed TSA security officers with
police training and arrest authority while on duty at the nation's
airports.
The TSA is presently unarmed, a rule established when the TSA was formed right after 9/11. However, in the event of the tragedy at LAX, the TSA wants guns.
There are plenty of cops at airports, cops able to respond faster than they could in almost any neighborhood, but the best Liberal white neighborhoods. However fast that response time it, the TSA is not impressed. And rightfully so, as it didn't save one TSA agent from losing his life.
I'm torn on this one, since the TSA is already pretty mean and heavy-handed. I can only bet that these "wannabe" Gestapos (not all of them are Gestapo!) will only get more forceful in their public molestations.
That said, I do understand the desire to have the best protection available.
The Left will have a difficult time reconciling giving TSA guns, when they so desperately want to take guns away from private citizens.
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14. Top five reasons Americans own guns [VIDEO]
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Member Terry McKenna emailed me this:
--
From Gallup.com: http://tinyurl.com/lddsk2j
Top five reasons Americans own guns
By Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport
November 1, 2013
Gallup Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport explores the top reasons Americans own guns, including personal safety/protection (60%), hunting (36%), and recreation/sport (13%).
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15. CNN's Bourdain and Lemon defend gun rights, legal gun owners
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CNN? Somebody pinch me, I must have fallen asleep at my keyboard!
Member Bill Albritton emailed me this:
--
From Breitbart.com: http://tinyurl.com/ltrxccv
CNN's Bourdain and Lemon defend gun rights, legal gun owners
By Awr Hawkins
November 12, 2013
Following the November 10th season finale of CNN's Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, Bourdain joined CNN host Don Lemon for dinner and discussed his penchant for guns and the upstanding people he met in red state America.
Bourdain focused on a segment titled "Gun Culture" from the New Mexico episode of the show. Regarding that segment, Bourdain said:
Those people in the segment, as many people in red state America--in gun country America--these are nice people. They like guns. As a matter of fact, I've gotta admit, I like guns. I like holding guns. I like shooting guns.
Bourdain said we shouldn't compare the U.S. "to Great Britain or Europe" or other places that differ from us on gun laws: "It doesn't help, we're not them."
Lemon concurred: "Those people who you were out shooting with--those were law abiding citizens who were trained for guns and respect them. They're not the people going into malls and shooting people."
When another guest at the table brought up their belief that we need expanded background checks, Lemon said, "The people who own guns illegally on the streets--they're not going to go for background checks."
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16. [MA] Politician wants unannounced home searches by police to enforce gun law
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MA has been a police state for a very long time. King George would be proud of how they turned out!
Let's not let this kind of thing happen in Virginia.
Member Bill Albritton emailed me this:
--
From Breitbart.com: http://tinyurl.com/nma4z2lhttp://tinyurl.com/nma4z2l
Massachusetts politician wants unannounced home searches by police to enforce gun law
By Awr Hawkins
November 11, 2013
Swampscott, Massachusetts Selectman Barry Greenfield is pushing a measure to give police the authority to conduct home searches to check proper storage of firearms.
Greenfield said "state law requires Massachusetts gun owners to keep their firearms locked away or rendered inoperable." There are "600 registered gun owners in [Swampscott]," and the selectman wants police to be able to drop in unannounced, enter the homes of each gun owner, and verify compliance.
According to the Swampscott Patch, Greenfield has spoken with Swampscott Police Chief Ron Madigan about this issue, and has spoken with other selectmen. At least one of the selectmen--Glenn Kessler--said he wants all parties, including citizens, brought together for a discussion on this topic before any action is taken.
Kessler also pointed to civil liberty concerns inherent in allowing police to enter homes unannounced and without first securing a warrant.
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17. [CA] LAX shooting, criminal was in control [VIDEO]
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When gun-free-zones fail, as they have a tendency to do, the results for the unarmed public can be disastrous.
Member David Custer emailed me this:
--
Witness Leon Saryan says what we already knew. "He was calm. He was walking slowly," Saryan said. "He must have felt that he was in control, because he had his weapon and nobody else did at that time."
From NBCNews.com: http://tinyurl.com/l5myasd
Gunman opens fire at LAX, killing TSA worker and wounding others
By Pete Williams, Andrew Blankstein, Erin McClam, and Tracy Connor
November 2, 2013
A man carrying anti-government material and an assault rifle shot his way through security at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, killing a Transportation Security Administration worker and wounding two others - after sending a suicidal text message to his family, authorities said.
The gunman who sent travelers diving for cover and fleeing onto the tarmac - identified by authorities as 23-year-old Los Angeles resident Paul Anthony Ciancia - was shot in the chest by law enforcement and taken into custody in critical condition.
The TSA confirmed the identity of the slain officer as 39-year-old Gerardo I. Hernandez, according to an agency official. Hernandez is the first officer to have been killed in the line of duty in the agency's 12-year history.
Law enforcement officials said at a news conference Friday afternoon that the crime scene is extensive and that authorities are still investigating the suspect's background. While airport terminals 1 and 2 are being reopened, Terminal 3 remains shut down, officials said.
The motive isn't clear, but it's believed the suspect had anti-government views based on written materials he was carrying, the officials said. He texted his brother in New Jersey before the shooting and said he was thinking about killing himself, police told NBC Philadelphia.
Federal officials told NBC News it was unclear whether the gunman was targeting the TSA or was trying to shoot his way farther into the airport. But a witness said the shooter, calmly walking through the terminal with his weapon, approached him with a one-word question.
"All he said was, 'TSA?' Just like that," Leon Saryan told MSNBC.
The shooting started about 9:20 a.m. (12:20 p.m. ET) at Terminal 3, which serves Virgin America and other airlines.
The gunman walked through an "exit" lane reserved for passengers leaving the secure area of the airport, pulled the .223-caliber semiautomatic assault-style rifle out of a bag and opened fire at the security checkpoint, officials said.
As he walked through the terminal, still firing, airport police pursued him. At a cluster of restaurants in the rear of the terminals, near the waiting area for some of the gates, they shot him several times in the chest, law enforcement sources said.
"He's been shot and he's been treated. He survived," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said at the news conference.
The mayor added that the suspect had "more than 100 more rounds that could've literally killed everybody in that terminal today."
When the gunfire erupted, travelers who were waiting to snake through the security line suddenly had to abandon their suitcases and hit the ground.
"We were just standing there in line, and somebody started shooting," said Nick Pugh, a witness, who told NBC Los Angeles that he heard eight to 10 shots. "Everyone dropped to the floor and started crawling along the ground."
The shooting brought one of the nation's busiest airports to a standstill.
Eyewitness Leon Saryan talks about his experience at the Los Angeles airport and his interaction with the gunman.
Officials said 746 flights were affected, 46 of which were diverted. The rest were held on the ground in Los Angeles or at their originating airports, said Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports. The ground stop applied to airports roughly west of and including Denver, officials said. It was imposed shortly after the shooting began and was lifted at 3 p.m. (6 p.m. ET)
"This has been a trying day for everyone, I know," Lindsey added.
The Federal Aviation Administration grounded flights at LAX, where 1,500 flights take off and land every day. Passengers heading there for departing flights were stuck in colossal traffic jams. Some abandoned their rides and rolled their suitcases the last distance to the airport.
Saryan said he was "cowering in a corner" when the gunman came over and asked whether he was with the TSA, even though he was in street clothes.
"He was calm. He was walking slowly," Saryan said. "He must have felt that he was in control, because he had his weapon and nobody else did at that time.
"But for the grace of God, you know, I would have been one of the fatalities," he said.
The airport said that seven people were injured in all but that the nature of all injuries wasn't clear.
A doctor from Harbor-UCLA Medical Center said two victims were taken there, including Hernandez, who was killed by a round that broke into fragments inside his torso, causing massive bleeding and chest and abdominal injuries.
Shooting suspect Paul Anthony Ciancia carried anti-government written material that was critical of the federal government and the TSA, officials say. NBC's Pete Williams reports.
Dr. David Plurad said that the victim didn't have a pulse when he arrived and that surgeons worked for more than an hour to try to revive him.
"We made every effort to stop the bleeding and get the heart to beat on his own," Plurad said.
The union that represents TSA workers told NBC Los Angeles that Hernandez was a behavioral detention officer who scanned passengers for unusual behavior and had been transferred to Los Angeles from Montana recently.
Another TSA worker was shot in the leg, said Nico Melendez, a spokesman for the TSA.
Brian Adamick, an accountant who was waiting for a flight to Chicago, spoke with a TSA agent with a leg wound on one of the buses that sped to the tarmac to evacuate passengers taking cover there.
"His right ankle is injured and he gets on and sits in the seat next to me, and I said, 'Are you OK?' He said: 'I'm fine. I got shot. Don't worry, I've been shot before,'" Adamick told NBC News in a telephone interview.
"I said, let me take a look, and he pulls up the pant leg and there's a flesh wound - 3 to 4 inches - looks like it's straight out of Hollywood, maybe a drop of blood or two," he said.
Another witness told MSNBC that there was an initial round of shots, then a pause, then more shots. An airline worker told travelers, "Go out! Go out!" and people streamed down the stairs and onto the tarmac for safety, he said.
Former Los Angeles and New York Police Chief Bill Bratton discusses the shooting that killed a TSA worker and wounded others at the Los Angeles airport.
Authorities said the suspect was living in Los Angeles but is originally from Pennsville, N.J., where his parents and brother still reside.
Pennsville Police Chief Allen Cummings said Ciancia texted his brother in the morning and said he was thinking about taking his own life. The family called local police, who alerted Los Angeles police. Officers went to Ciancia's apartment; he wasn't there, but his roommates said everything was fine, Cummings said.
President Barack Obama was briefed on the shooting, the White House said in a statement. Obama called TSA Administrator John Pistole to express his condolences to the family and friends of those injured, including the TSA employee who was killed in the line of duty, a White House official said.
In 2002, an Egyptian national opened fire at the El Al ticket counter at LAX, killing two Israelis before he was shot dead. Authorities ruled it a terrorist incident, even though the shooter was not tied to a known group.
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18. [NY] anti-gun Police Commissioner wants six-man security team when he leaves office
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The November 10, 2013 Defensive Use of Firearms Digest points out that the next Former Police Commissioner of the NYPD wants to take a few office supplies with him when he leaves public service. Most notably, he would like to retain both his six-man security detail and its city funding. Presumably, the City of New York will soon announce its plan to provide each of its ordinary citizens with a six man security detail free of charge. [Eye roll.]
Personally, to avoid being a hypocrite, I think Kelly's security team needs to be unarmed, except for having a cell phone to call 9-1-1. If Kelly thinks that's good enough for the citizens, it should be good enough for citizen Kelly, too.
From DNAInfo.com: http://tinyurl.com/lrueeag
Ray Kelly wants 6 detective detail when he leaves office
By Murray Weiss
November 7, 2013
NEW YORK CITY - Outgoing Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly wants to take half a dozen detectives to protect him and his family after he leaves the NYPD, DNAinfo New York has learned.
Citing the fact that he will remain a "high profile target" after he leaves office, Kelly informed insiders at Police Headquarters that he will request the contingent of detectives - each will remain on the city payroll making about $120,000 a year - to shepherd him around town and protect him and his family during their travels, sources told "On the Inside."
Meanwhile, over at City Hall, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided to take virtually his entire contingent of officers with him - about 17.
But that crew - a lieutenant and the rest detectives - will all file for immediate retirement, collect their pensions and head off to work for the billionaire ex-mayor, who will be paying each of them $150,000 a year.
"They've hit the NYPD lottery," a source said.
Kelly made his formal request for the six detectives about a week-and-a-half ago, sources said, informing each of them of his desire to take them with him when he leaves after the New Year, sources say.
The move was a tacit acknowledgement that he won't be asked to remain police commissioner during the de Blasio administration.
He maintains he needs the taxpayer-funded, round-the-clock protection because he has served for 12 years in a post-9/11 New York and made himself the face of fighting crime and terrorism in the Big Apple.
The request requires the approval of his successor, and presumably City Hall, since it involves NYPD resources.
The size of his detail will be reassessed in six months if his request is granted, sources said.
This will be the second time Kelly exited Police Headquarters with NYPD protection.
In 1994, after Kelly served as police commissioner for 18 months under Mayor David Dinkins and was in charge during the 1993 World Trade Center terrorist bombing, he kept one detective to chauffeur and escort him around town.
After four months, the detective was restored to regular police duties.
Only one other police commissioner has ever accepted taxpayer-funded police protection once they left office.
In August 2000, Howard Safir, who was commissioner for four years, took a 12-member contingent to protect him around the clock. He said the security was necessary because of vague threats against him.
After seven months, the detail was pared down to a sergeant and seven detectives. At the time, the size of his detail was sharply criticized by NYPD observers and good government groups.
"Any ex-commissioner who can afford his own security or can have someone else pay for it should not foster the cost on the public," one former commissioner said.
It is unknown what, if any, job Kelly will pursue or accept after leaving public service. He worked at Bear Stearns in 2001 as the head of security, but admits that he preferred public service no matter the pay of the private sector where he would be subject to the demands of others rather than run an agency where tens of thousands of personnel are at his beck and call.
"Kelly probably needs some security considering possible threats," another top police official said. "But this seems like a lot."
Former commissioner Bernard Kerik, who was in his post on 9/11, took no security. After leaving office, he went to work for Giuliani Partners, which funded his protection.
Former Police Commissioner Bill Bratton declined publicly financed security when he departed the NYPD.
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19. [NJ] Fearful of being shot, victim grabs gun from robber
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It is rare for a gun owner to have his gun taken away when used defensively. It is more common for criminals and police to have that happen to them. That's because the police tend to corner criminals and get in wresting matches with them and criminals tend to corner their victims, too. In either case, someone cornered in close quarters with no other options can sometimes disarm the other person in an act of desperation.
Citizens using a gun defensively tend to let the bad guy flee, thus eliminating the chance of a close quarters encounter. This is why it is better to let a criminal go and call the police, rather than chase after them and try to catch them. And remember this key point: your gun lets you project force from **a safe distance.** Take full advantage of that and avoid getting within jumping distance of a criminal.
Member David Custer emailed me this:
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From NJ.com: http://tinyurl.com/lc29lpa
Fearful of being shot, victim grabs gun from robber
By Anthony G. Attrino
November 13, 2013
Perth Amboy-Police said a robbery victim fearful he was about to be shot took the gun away from the suspect.
The incident occurred about 5 a.m. Tuesday in the 400 block of Park Avenue.
The victim told police he was on his porch waiting for a ride to work when four men approached. One of the suspects pulled out a handgun and placed it to his chest, demanding money.
The victim gave the suspect $30 cash.
At that point, the suspect racked the gun as if he was going to shoot.
The victim grabbed the gun and during a struggle with the suspects was able to take away the pistol, police said.
The weapon turned out to be a pellet gun.
The suspects fled in a blue four-door Toyota or Honda, according to the victim.
The victim told police all four were wearing dark sweaters.
Police released this statement: "The Perth Amboy Police Department does not recommend that citizens fight with any suspect who produces any type of weapon." [PVC: Is that what police in NJ tell their family members to do - just comply and go to your death quietly?]
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20. [LA] Kidnap victim's cousin kicks down door, shoots and kills abductor [VIDEO]
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Sometimes you just can't wait for the police to arrive and have to save someone's life yourself.
Member Bill Albritton emailed me this:
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From CNN.com: http://tinyurl.com/llpuc4j
Louisiana kidnap victim's cousin kicks down door, shoots and kills abductor
By Janet DiGiacomo
November 11, 2013
(CNN) -- A man looking for his abducted cousin kicked in the back door of an abandoned house and shot and killed her kidnapper, authorities in Louisiana said.
The shooting Friday has been ruled justified by the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Department.
The cousin, whose name was withheld by the sheriff's department, said he heard screams from the house, said Sheriff's Capt. Kip Judice.
The cousin said he saw a man start stabbing 29-year-old Bethany Arceneaux when he broke through the door. The cousin fired several shots with a handgun, but he told police he wasn't sure if he hit the kidnapper in the dark house, Judice said.
Inside, officers found the body of Scott Thomas, who had a child with Arceneaux and had previously violated a restraining order protecting her, Judice said.
Arceneaux was hospitalized with wounds but is expected to recover, the sheriff's captain said.
Arceneaux disappeared Wednesday night. Thomas' car was found that night abandoned behind a cane field about a mile from a road.
Police and bloodhounds had searched the area without success on Thursday. On Friday morning, police were met by about 20 relatives who had organized their own search party, Judice said.
Officers and relatives searched until about noon, when the cousin found the house.
"The cousin was at the right spot when he heard the screams," Judice said.
The sheriff's department concluded the cousin acted within a state law that allows deadly force to be used to prevent great bodily harm or death, Judice said. The case also will be reviewed by the district attorney, he said.
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21. [PA] Delivery driver fends off three would-be attackers with gun [VIDEO]
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Why would someone making a delivery need a gun?
Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:
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From Breitbart.com: http://tinyurl.com/php8fqg
Delivery driver fends off three would-be attackers with gun
November 13, 2013
A Pittsburgh man delivering chicken wings would have experienced a wildly different outcome to the story he tells here had he not been carrying a personal firearm.
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22. [CO] Latest Colorado Recall Gets Nasty
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No end to the immoral, dirty tricks played by some political activists.
Member Bill Albritton emailed me this:
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From PAGunBlog.com: http://tinyurl.com/l9o3wrg
Latest Colorado Recall Gets Nasty
Posted by Bitter in Politics
November 15, 2013
Colorado voters are mobilizing for the signature-gathering phase of another recall election, and Democratic interests groups are getting quite dirty and nasty with their tactics to keep from losing additional seats. The Democrats backing Evie Hudak are taking to scare tactics by "warning" voters that people asking for their signatures on recall petitions may be sex offenders or criminals coming to the homes. The organization listed on the warnings say that attacks and fake warnings are justified in order to keep the Democrats in power.
The door hanger warnings came back in October, but they have stepped it up this month with an official-sounding robocall telling voters that if they sign the petition, they are releasing their personal information to possible criminals. The media has picked up on these stories when worried voters called them asking to know why the police aren't doing something about these supposed criminals going door-to-door.
According to a grassroots report out of Colorado, several signature gatherers for the recall were told by a supporter that he would be going home to get a gun to shoot them.
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23. [CO] Gun control advocate threatens to 'shoot and kill' recall activists [VIDEO]
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The other side seems to be plagued with members who have anger-management issues.
Member Bill Albritton emailed me this:
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From BizPacReview.com: http://tinyurl.com/pfgmw4z
Gun control advocate threatens to 'shoot and kill' recall activists
By Michael Dorstewitz
November 15, 2013
**Warning: Strong language.**
An apparent gun control supporter threatened to "go home and get a gun and come back and kill" a group of Second Amendment activists seeking signatures on a recall petition against Colorado Sen. Evie Hudak.
After September's recall of Colorado Sen. Angela Giron and Senate President John Morse over their anti-gun stance, a group called Recall Hudak Too is trying to extend its success by tossing Hudak out of office, according to Capitol City Project.
While collecting signatures in front of the public library in Arvada, Colo., a man riding by on a bicycle can be heard to say, "I'm going to go home and get a gun and come back and kill you m****r f****rs. Would you like that?"
Hudak is best known for her insensitive questioning of rape victim Amanda Collins during Senate Judiciary Committee hearings before the state passed highly restrictive gun control measures.
After describing Collins' testimony "unsettling," she went on to attack it.
You said that you were a martial arts student, I mean person, experienced in Tae Kwon Do, and yet because this individual was so large, was able to overcome you even with your skills, and chances are that if you had had a gun, then he would have been able to get that from you and possibly use it against you," and then added that statistics weren't on her side.
Respectfully senator, you weren't there," Collins replied. "Had I been carrying concealed, he wouldn't have known I had my weapon; and I was there. I know without a doubt in my mind at some point I would've been able to stop my attack by using my firearm.
Watch the close of Collins' testimony and Hudak's response below. If you haven't already, be sure to check out Texas mom speaks out about viral letter to Obama: 'I'm one of millions'
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24. Gun bills are starting to appear for the 2014 legislative session!
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Here are the first gun bills in the hopper. The number will grow dramatically over the next few weeks.
HB 8, Delegate Ware, L., reduces the fee for a Concealed Handgun Permit from a maximum of $50 down to $25. Because localities no longer have to pay the FBI $25 for a fingerprint check, the savings is returned to the permit applicant.
HB 21, Delegate Marshall, R.G., allows K-12 school boards to appoint at least one individual to carry a concealed handgun on school property. The designated individuals will receive special training covering the use and display of a firearm, safe carrying and storage of a concealed firearm, and proper response until the police arrive in an emergency situation.
HB 43, Delegate Marshal, R.G., prohibits state agencies, local governments, or employees thereof from assisting the federal government in any searches, seizsures related to firearms, ammunition, or magazines based on any federal laws made after December 1, 2013. Also any federal attempt to create a private sale background check requirement will be treated likewise.
HB 48, Delegate Simon, provides that certain misdemeanors can disqualify someone from owning a gun for a period of time. The purpose of misdemeanors was to provide punishment for minor crimes without taking away a person's constitutional rights. The bill is another bill that provides "special" punishment for gun owners.
HB 61, Delegate Mcqinn, prohibits non-residents from purchasing long guns from a Virginia gun dealer. Why would the state restrict Virginia gun dealers from selling to out-of-state residents? The sales require a background check and we are not experiencing any problems with such sales. Thisi bill is a solution in search of a problem.
HB 66, Delegate Ramadan, requires schools to have at least one full-time resource officer. While this is a good idea, it by no means negates the need to have others who can carry concealed at the school. It is never a good idea to have all of one's eggs in a single basket. The resource officer could be out sick, in the wrong part of the school, or the first person killed during a planned attack. Unlike allowing teachers and others to be armed pretty much for free, this bill takes away money that could be used to improve education in Virginia.
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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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