VCDL Lobby day: carpool from Staunton, Virginia

[motorhead]

Hello folks,

Every year, the Virginia Citizens Defense League has a lobby day at the General Assemble Building in Richmond, VA. This year, it is scheduled to January, 19. The purpose of Lobby day, is to meet our Senators, and Representatives in person and express our views on second amendment issues. IMO, this is the single most important thing you can do to protect your second amendment rights in Virginia this year! You can find out more information about the day here: http://www.vcdl.org/

The purpose of this thread, is to organize carpooling/convoying from Staunton for the event. The plan, is to meet up at the Walmart in Staunton, park any extra vehicles for the day, and be on the road to Richmond at 7:00 a.m. on January, 19, 2009. If anyone from the Staunton area would like to meet up, and hopefully ride share with other VCDL members, please let us know you are coming, either in this thread, or by contacting me.

Please show up a little before 7:00 a.m. so we can decide who's riding where, and leave on time. It will be helpful if you are ready to roll, so have both you and your vehicle fueled up!

I'm suggesting we meet in the lower part of the Walmart parking lot FARTHEST from Lowes, that seems to be where folks usually leave motor homes, trucks etc. I THINK that would be the Northwest corner. Just remember the corner farthest from Lowes, and farthest from the Walmart storefront!

Mike Piper
VCDL Coordinator

 

[armoredman]

Would reccomend having someone stay to watch the cars, WalMart can be a rough parking lot! Good luck, and have fun!

 

[herohog]

This Wal-Mart in this town... the cars will be fine.

 

[motorhead]

Just wanted to bump this back up, and wish everyone a Merry Chrismas!

 

[motorhead]

O.K. folks, the time is near! Below are the firearm related bills that have been introduced SO FAR!

Here are the gun bills, and any other bills that affect your gun
rights, that have been introduced as of 1/14/09:

VCDL STRONGLY SUPPORTS (9)

HB 1587 - Delegate Marshall - opts Virginia out of Real ID (better
known as Dangerous ID)

HB 1655 - Delegate Carrico - Puts teeth in preemption (put in for VCDL)

HB 1656 - Delegate Marshal - Allows full-time faculty members with CHP
to carry in universities

HB 1734 - Delegate Pogge - Cleanup: CHP applications can be mailed in,
denial reason must be specified, simplifies renewals, more... (put in
for VCDL)

HB 1748 - Delegate Pogge - Cleanup: specifies that once you have been
issued a CHP, there is to be no fingerprints required on renewal, even
if the old permit has already expired (put in for VCDL)

HB 1821 - Delegate Johnson - restaurant ban repeal. This bill is
similar to the bill that was vetoed last year. Has some issues that
we will try to fix.

HB 1822 - Delegate Johnson - allows CHP holders to carry on K-12
school property

HB 1851 - Delegate Lingamfelter - exempts active duty military from
One Handgun a Month (put in for VCDL)

SB 1035 - Senator Hanger - restaurant ban repeal. This bill is
similar to the bill that was vetoed last year. Has some issues that
we will try to fix.


VCDL SUPPORTS (5)

HB 1813 - Delegate Morrissey - allows for simplified restoration of
rights after 8 years of clean record. Has an exception for
misdemeanor domestic violence, which VCDL will oppose.

HB 2282 - Delegate Bowling - allows deer to be hunted with a .223 or
a .22-50 rifle (currently .22 is disallowed for deer hunting).

SB 841 - Senator Cuccinelli - opts Virginia out of Real ID - not as
strong as HB 1587 by Bob Marshall.

SB 877 - Senator Martin - allows retired officers from other states to
be able to carry concealed in Virginia

SB 1289 - Senator McEachin - allows for simplified restoration of
rights after 5 years of clean record. Has an exception for
misdemeanor domestic violence, which VCDL will oppose.


VCDL STRONGLY OPPOSES (11)

HB 1338 - Delegate Barlow - Makes brandishing a **felony**

HB 1741 - Delegate Pogge - makes possession of a handgun or "assault
weapon" by someone under the age of 18 a felony ***This bill was not
drafted properly and Delegate Pogge said it will be fixed so that only
if the person under 17 can be shown to have evil intent will the law
apply. Until the bill can be fixed we will strongly oppose the
current wording ***

HB 1910 - Delegate BaCote - allows guns to be complete banned in a
library

HB 2004 - Delegate Crockett-Stark - makes possession of a silencer a
class 6 FELONY. It does provide an affirmative defense that you
registered it with the Feds. But who wants to be arrested for mere
possession and then have to prove their innocence in court?

HB 2227 - Delegate Marsden - treats air guns that can expel a
projectile at more than 250 feet per second as a weapon that can't be
concealed. Exactly how is the speed going to be measured by the
citizen or the police?

HB 2318 - Delegate Morrissey - requires anyone selling three or more
firearms at a gun show without a table or who has a table at a gun
show and has even one gun to be an FFL.

HB 2481 - Delegate Ward - requires change of address notification to
be provided to the state police for machine gun owners. We need to
get rid of the expensive state machine gun registration scheme we
have, not make it more complicated. The feds already maintain the
machine gun database.

SB 832 - Senator Locke - allows localities to ban guns in any building
where an official government meeting is being held.

SB 1046 - Senator Miller - enables Real ID in Virginia

SB 1053 - Senator Whipple - allows localities to ban guns in any
government buildings and grounds.

SB 1257 - Senator Marsh - requires any private sales at gun shows go
through a background check. Same bill he had last year.


VCDL OPPOSES (5)

HB 2136 - Delegate Miller - allows police to be able to arrest someone
for a class 1 or 2 misdemeanor at will. Same bill as before - third
year.

HB 2144 - Delegate Nutter - blocks the state police from giving out
CHP holder information, but does NOT block courts from doing the
same. We NEED to close off both sources.

SB 529 - Senator Houck - blocks the state police from giving out CHP
holder information, but does NOT block courts from doing the same. We
NEED to close off both sources.

SB 1166 - Senator Watkins - raises fee for background check on a
firearm from $2 to $5. We need to get rid of the fee altogether, not
raise it. On the positive side, the bill does make the purchase form
unavailable to the public, which is good.

SB 1254 - Senator Marsh - Misc CHP: eliminates taking an internet
based training course for a CHP, expands a disqualification for public
drunkenness to include such an offense in any other state, requires
reciprocal permits be carried with a photo id (not needed for many
such permits, which already have a photo on them), more...


VCDL IS NEUTRAL (2)

HB 2042 - Delegate Gear - allows officers of the State Lottery
Department to be able to purchase their handguns on retirement.

HB 2178 - Delegate E.T. Scott - prohibits convicted felons from
possessing ammunition

 

[Titan6]

I'm in Kansas so you and Dale will have to give them hell for me.

 

[MikePGS]

Very nice! We should get something like this going for Michigan...

 

[motorhead]

Titan and Mike,

Thanks for the moral support, even if you can't be here in person! I got involved with the VCDL a couple of years ago, and have been very impressed with the results that we have been able to achieve under our leaderships direction.

About a year ago, the WVCDL West Virginia Citizens Defense League started up, and from what I understand, they are doing good things in out neighboring state.

I don't remember who made quote, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing", but it's still true today!

If there isn't a group like ours in your state, START ONE!!! Start an e-mail group with your friends, and keep abreast of legislative issues. You'll be suprised how fast word spreads, and people will be willing to help. Once you get a good size group of contacts built up, form an organization and grow from there!

My experience from working the table at the gunshows, has been that many people want to get involved and promote our second amendment rights, they just need some guidance as to what is going on, and how to do it!

If I may, I suggest that you guys visit www.vcdl.org, and sign up for our e-mail alerts. Some of the information won't affect you, since you're not in Virginia, but it will show you how we get things done!