- Nov 11, 2009
- 30,987
| 1. VCDL membership meeting in Loudoun County THIS Thursday, Sept. 15 2. ACTION ITEM: Credit cards to monitor purchases from gun stores 3. Help needed: 2022 Green Top Outdoor Expo on Oct. 1-2 4. VCDL-PAC Top-Gun event wrap up 5. CMP is starting their next round of 1911 sales! 6. VCDL president to speak at Freedom Rally 2022 in Boones Mill on Sept. 24 7. New study finds there are over 1.7 MILLION defensive gun uses per year 8. How gun trafficking in Virginia compares to other states 9. Three criminals break into a Texas home, but only one survives. 17-year-old with shotgun stops them 10. Caution: While Tactical Machining is exempted for now from new frame and receiver law, its clients are not 11. One million guns sold for 37th consecutive month! 12. The Assault Weapon Massacres of 1964? 13. Replays of Sunday’s VCDL virtual membership meeting and last Tuesday’s “Ask a gun lawyer” session 14. Liberal gun-policy failures 15. [FL] Who needs a gun in a state park? 16. Why smart guns are a dumb and dangerous idea 17. 3rd Annual Firearms Law in Virginia Seminar 18. [AZ] Guns saving lives 19. Report card on Virginia’s Congressional legislators 20. Gun advocates fight for bump stocks in latest court hearing 1. VCDL membership meeting in Loudoun County THIS Thursday, Sept. 15 The third Thursday of this month is this coming Thursday, September 15, so VCDL will have its regular membership meeting at the beautiful facility at XCal in Ashburn: XCAL Shooting Sports and Fitness 44950 Russell Branch Pkwy Ashburn, VA 20147 The meeting is called to order at 8 pm. Come early (6pm-7pm) if you want to shoot and/or eat before the meeting at the XCal Cafe. VCDL members get $5 off a lane on meeting night. Delegate John McGuire, a candidate for the Virginia Senate in 2023, will speak briefly about his candidacy and take any questions. We will be discussing current events relative to firearms in Virginia, including the issue with credit cards flagging gun store purchases. 2. ACTION ITEM: Credit cards to monitor purchases from gun stores Gun stores are going to get a special code for use by credit card companies to indicate a purchase at the store. The code does not say what was bought, only the amount spent. It could be a gun, ammunition, a gun safe, a knife, etc. Some Congressional legislators, including two from Virginia (see below) pressured the card companies to adopt this policy. New York also pressured them. While the new policy (not yet in effect) does not seem extremely troublesome, it can lead to things that are bad news. For example, a credit card company might decide that you spend too much money at gun stores and cancel your card. The card company could also prevent purchases at gun stores, similar to what PayPal has done. Supposedly this change is so credit card companies can flag suspicious customers and report them to the police. But since they can’t tell what you bought or in what quantity, how can they possibly flag you for anything? This sounds like virtue signaling that can be used for a more devious purpose down the road. Member Fred T. sent me this as a work around for not using your credit cards to buy guns or ammo: Buying products at gun stores might be best accomplished using a "Gift Card". As a bonus, you might realize a discount for using the store’s gift card. A gift card has a special Visa, Mastercard, and American Express "PRODUCT CODE" that would be reported instead of a gun store code. So, if you wanted to purchase new or additional sporting goods or outdoor gear, buy a gift card first. Of course, if you purchase locally you can pay with cash. You could also use a money order or a cashier’s check if ordering remotely or locally. That would, of course, slow down the ordering process. Member Scott W. sent me this: I searched for the Congressional letter below to see if any Virginian legislators signed it. Yep. Jennifer Wexton and Don Beyer did. https://dean.house.gov/2022/9/congresswoman-dean-and-senator-warren-urge-bank-ceos-to-adopt-new-code-for-gun-and-ammunition-retailers Here’s one article on the issue. Many thanks to all the members who sent me various articles to make sure VCDL was aware: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/10/guns-credit-card-trackable ACTION ITEM Let’s contact the three major credit card companies to protest the new policy of flagging sales from gun stores. The point to make is that gun ownership is constantly under attack by those who don’t like guns. The new policy on tracking sales at gun stores could be used in the future to restrict the right of law-abiding citizens to purchase guns and ammunition. The policy could also be used to shutdown gun stores by denying them any credit card sales. Urge the card companies, politely, to not implement the new policy. American Express customer service: 1-800-528-4800 Visa customer service: 800-847-2911 MasterCard customer service: 800-627-8372 3. Help needed: 2022 Green Top Outdoor Expo on Oct. 1-2 HELP WANTED VCDL MEMBER-VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED AT THE 2022 GREEN TOP OUTDOOR EXPO OCTOBER 1-2, 2022 The Green Top Outdoor Expo is the largest hunting, fishing, shooting sports show in the entire Mid-Atlantic region. The attendees don’t necessarily go to gun shows, so this is a great chance to contact a different group of gun owners! For the third year VCDL will have a booth at this huge event and we need member-volunteers to talk about protecting and defending our Right to defend ourselves. NO previous gun show or event experience is required. Only your enthusiasm and dedication to help VCDL grow stronger at this huge expo. Sign-up to volunteer for one or more of the following shifts: Saturday, Oct 1 morning shift - 8:00am-1:00pm Saturday, Oct 1 afternoon shift - 1:00pm-5:00pm Sunday, Oct 2 morning shift - 8:00am-1:00pm Sunday, Oct 2 afternoon shift - 1:00pm-5:00pm For more details and to sign-up to help, contact: Jamie Brannan, VCDL Coordinator: gunshows.fredericksburg@vcdl.org 4. VCDL-PAC Top-Gun event wrap up The VCDL-PAC held it's 2nd annual Top Gun Competition Fundraiser this past weekend. The weather was good, and the competitors were great! We enjoyed fellowship, good food, and were blessed with the King George 4-H Shooting Team, who coached anyone who wanted to try their hand at sporting clays. The action in the dueling tree competition was friendly but fierce. It's a fast-paced race to see who can get all the steel paddles on their opponent's side of the stand, and the last man standing took home a cool grand in cash. 32 competitors vied for the top prize. Once the field was narrowed down to four finalists we ate lunch and then held the semi-finals and finals. You can watch them on the VCDL YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/JGQEd4F_GoQ Hats off to the deputies from Stafford County for getting first and second place! Deputies from Chesterfield, Powhatan, Goochland, York, Grayson, and Cumberland counties also participated, along with other shooters. The event raised money for the VCDL-PAC, which will be used to help elect candidates who will fight for your rights. Watch for next year's event so you can come out and join the fun! 5. CMP is starting their next round of 1911 sales! From VCDL CMP-coordinator, Mike Irvin: Have you been wanting to obtain a 1911 from the CMP? Missed out on the last round of sales? Well, here's your chance to get one! The CMP just put out the following announcement: The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has announced it will begin accepting orders to purchase CMP 1911 Type Pistols through September 30, 2022. In 2018, the National Defense Authorization Act granted the first transfer of 1911s to the CMP for sale and distribution. Arguably one of the most iconic handguns ever produced, the M1911 served as the standard issue handgun for the U.S. Armed Forces from 1911 to 1985. The single-action, semi-automatic pistol uses .45 ACP rounds and is comprised of a comfortable, basic design. View the details, guidelines for purchasing, order forms and pricing on the CMP website at https://thecmp.org/sales-and-service/1911-information/. All 1911 requests must be made through the mail – no 1911s will be available in CMP stores, and no in-store or drop-off orders will be accepted. The VCDL is an affiliated club of the CMP and membership in our organization satisfies that purchase requirement. Additional information can be found here: Civilian Marksmanship Program - VCDL 6. VCDL president to speak at Freedom Rally 2022 in Boones Mill on Sept. 24 There is a Freedom Rally, Let Freedom Ring, in Boones Mill on Saturday, Sept. 24 from 10am to 3pm at: 150 Boon Bernard Drive Boones Mill, VA 24065
I will be speaking on the 2A. Other speakers will be talking about:
Open carry or concealed carry (with CHP) of handguns is welcome, but the property owner requests that no long guns be carried. 7. New study finds there are over 1.7 MILLION defensive gun uses per year https://reason.com/2022/09/09/the-largest-ever-survey-of-american-gun-owners-finds-that-defensive-use-of-firearms-is-common/ 8. How gun trafficking in Virginia compares to other states Virginia is way down the list on states that have traces on guns that come from out of state. NOTE: A trace does not necessarily mean a gun used in a crime! It could be simply an officer checking to see if a gun is stolen during a traffic stop, for example. https://247wallst.com/state/how-the-gun-trafficking-problem-in-virginia-compares-to-other-states/ 9. Three criminals break into a Texas home, but only one survives. 17-year-old with shotgun stops them A juvenile using a gun in the home to save lives happens more often than many people realize. https://www.theblaze.com/news/texas-home-invasion-17-shotgun-thwarted 10. Caution: While Tactical Machining is exempted for now from new frame and receiver law, its clients are not From Executive Member (EM) Doug Peterson: While a judge limited his injunction against the BATFE enforcing its new rule on frames and receivers against one particular company, this ruling has done major damage to that new rule! But Tactical Machining’ customers may also be subject to legal jeopardy. From Judge O’Connor’s ruling (p 22): (https://assets.nationbuilder.com/firearmspolicycoalition/pages/6573/attachments/original/1662145028/VanDerStok_v_Garland_Order_on_MPI.pdf?1662145028, “Covered by the injunction, Tactical Machining can operate its business as it has, free from the threat of enforcement of the Final Rule’s unlawful redefinitions. Presumably, Tactical Machining’s customers are still subject to felony charges for buying its products. See 18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(3). And it may be the case that Tactical Machining’s business will fail unless the injunction is subsequently amended to cover a substantial portion of Tactical Machining’s customer base.” 11. One million guns sold for 37th consecutive month! https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/guns-sales-usa/2022/09/02/id/1085804/ 12. The Assault Weapon Massacres of 1964? Semi-automatic rifles with 30-round magazines were highly available after WW II. They could be bought without background checks and shipped directly to the purchaser. So, where were all the massacres back then? Stephen Hunter: The Assault Weapon Massacres of 1964 - The Mag Life (gunmagwarehouse.com) 13. Replays of Sunday’s VCDL virtual membership meeting and last Tuesday’s “Ask a gun lawyer” session Did you miss the VCDL Live monthly meeting on Sunday 9/11/22? Here is the replay! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E9tbRVoPow Philip, Ed, and Pat had VCDL-PAC Chair, Cathy McNickle on as well as Del. John McGuire to talk about the VCDL-PAC Top Gun FUNdraiser that was held on 9/10 at a private farm with Skeet shooting and dueling trees. Lots of fun and one lucky shooter took home the $1000 prize! - Here’s the replay of last Tuesday’s Ask a Gun Lawyer session: https://youtu.be/vvDYS3eMHHc 14. Liberal gun-policy failures Of course, with each failure they say if only they had more gun control, they could get the job done. <eye roll> https://www.city-journal.org/the-failure-of-progressive-criminal-justice-reforms 15. [FL] Who needs a gun in a state park? This is an interesting case, which breaks a stereotype. Two women in a forest claim their car has broken down. Generally, you don’t think of women committing violent crime, so a person may not have their guard up. If a woman is involved in a violent crime, it is often to lead the victim to a place where a male in hiding can attack them. In this case, the two women were acting only by themselves and committed an armed robbery with a firearm. One of the victims was armed, too, and exchanged gunfire with one of the criminals. Sadly, the victim was killed in the exchange. The criminal had her femur broken by one of the three shots that hit her. Bottom line: don’t let your guard down based on assumptions and also carry at all times. https://bearingarms.com/camedwards/2022/08/17/florida-man-killed-while-defending-girlfriend-from-armed-robbery-in-state-park-n61587 16. Why smart guns are a dumb and dangerous idea Your “smart” firearm could be disabled either by a criminal who hacks into your phone or directly into your firearm, or by the government using a secret “backdoor” to do the same. Some Coloradans recently got a wakeup call when they tried to lower their thermostats during a heatwave, only to find out that the power company had remotely locked them out! https://www.ammoland.com/2022/09/denver-thermostat-control-lockout-shows-smart-device-exploits-can-endanger-users/ 17. 3rd Annual Firearms Law in Virginia Seminar This seminar is primarily useful to attorneys that specialize in firearms law in Virginia, but anyone wishing to pay the fee can attend. From Stephen P. Halbrook, Attorney at Law: Some VCDL members might be interested in our 3rd Annual Firearms Law in Virginia Seminar 2022, Oct. 14, https://www.vacle.org/product.aspx?zpid=7674. It’s both in-person and remote. Among other speakers, we’ll have Kyle Rittenhouse’s attorney. 18. [AZ] Guns saving lives An Arizona CHP holder was shot during a surprise attack at a Fourth of July party. He was hit on the side of the head, causing him to lose an eye. But he was able to draw his pistol and engage the attacker, killing him with four shots to the chest and saving many lives. CARRY AT ALL TIMES. https://bearingarms.com/camedwards/2022/08/17/florida-man-killed-while-defending-girlfriend-from-armed-robbery-in-state-park-n61587 19. Report card on Virginia’s Congressional legislators An embarrassing number of F grades on this report card. Gun owners need to unite and vote out those who don’t honor our rights and the Constitution! The Firearm Industry Trade Association, released its 2022 Congressional Report Card, grading all 430 sitting U.S. Representatives (as of Aug. 8) and 100 U.S. Senators on key legislation that is of critical importance to the firearm industry, Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens and America’s hunters and target shooters. Five U.S. House of Representatives were not graded due to special elections to fill vacancies and have no key legislative record to review. “This scorecard is of vital importance to voters as we head into November elections. This tells voters exactly where their lawmakers stand on issues they care about like recreational shooting and hunting and the right to keep and bear arms,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “This nonpartisan scorecard reflects the voting record of each legislator. These grades indicate their public voting record as well as their sponsoring and co-sponsoring key legislation, their work on committees, letters signed to support issues and leadership to support our industry.” Several Representatives with "F" grades face challengers from excellent pro-gun rights candidates. Please do your homework and get out and support those challengers! https://www.nssf.org/articles/nssf-releases-2022-congressional-report-card/ Here are the scores for our Virginia legislators: Senators: Tim Kaine (D-VA): F Mark Warner (D-VA): F Representatives: Rob Wittman (R-VA-01): A+ Elaine Luria (D-VA-02): F Bobby Scott (D-VA-03): F Donald McEachin (D-VA-04): F Bob Good (R-VA-05): A Ben Cline (R-VA-06): A+ Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07): F Don Beyer (D-VA-08): F Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09): A+ Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10): F Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11): F 20. Gun advocates fight for bump stocks in latest court hearing VCDL and GOA has filed an amicus brief in this case, which was heard in the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The ruling will come out a little down the road. Listening to the audio from the courtroom, it sounded like the government attorney was having a really hard time making the case that bump stocks are machine guns. I don’t fault him. It’s hard pulling a rabbit out of a hat by defending the indefensible. https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2743781851852/gun-advocates-fight-for-bump-stocks-in-latest-court-hearing |
