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Not yet a VCDL member? Join VCDL at: http://www.vcdl.org/join.html
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VCDL's meeting schedule: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings.html
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Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html
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1. ORAPAX range hearing date moved to Wednesday, January 2nd!
2. 2013 Traveler's Guide Mail Order Sale and Deadline
3. VCDL on news in Charlottesville on College Carry!
4. Warning regarding wasp spray recommendation
5. Chesapeake Parks and Recreation Center
6. ODU Safety Timely Warning
7. Police need your help to find shooting suspect
8. Don't resist a criminal...and get shot
9. Man who shot robber in Norfolk won't face charges
10. Robbery suspect shot and killed
11. Pepper Spray
12. President to bypass Congress on semiautomatic weapons ban? [VIDEO]
13. Heads roll after Fast and Furious investigation
14. Change on veterans' gun rights lights fire
15. MILLER: Paul Ryan's guns
16. Anti-gun hypocrite gets caught bringing a gun onto an airplane
17. Media spins red state shooting for gun control, ignores blue state shootings
18. Church Security Alliance helps protect churches
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1. ORAPAX range hearing date moved to Wednesday, January 2nd!
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The meeting of the Goochland Board of Supervisors to decide the Orapax Sporting Clays range's status is on Wednesday, January 2, and not on the 8th, as earlier thought. If you can attend to support Orapax, please do so as the antis are bragging how they turned out 35 last time and our side only turned out 10. We need ranges and we need to stand together on this.
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2. 2013 Traveler's Guide Mail Order Sale and Deadline
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The 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 to the next local gun show have we got 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.
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 membership card you can reduce the price by $2.
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 than they need.
To order one 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!
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3. VCDL on news in Charlottesville on College Carry!
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http://www.nbc29.com/story/20309101/proposed-bill-could-allow-guns-on-college-campuses
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4. Warning regarding wasp spray recommendation
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Dave Knight emailed me this:
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Maybe the Mexican police don't have a problem with this, but if you read the label on the can of wasp/hornet spray (sold in the US), it is a violation of federal law to use it in any manner inconsistent with the directions printed on the can, and I doubt seriously that any such spray cans include instructions for spraying it at a human predator!
Dave
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5. Chesapeake Parks and Recreation Center
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Member Rich DeStefano has told me that Chesapeake Parks and Recreation Centers ban guns illegally. I have contacted them and expect the signs to be changed soon.
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6. ODU Safety Timely Warning
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Who needs a gun at ODU?
John Young emailed me this:
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Norfolk Police are investigating a robbery, which was reported to have occurred off campus on Dec. 2, 2012 at approximately 1:35 a.m. on 42nd Street near Elkhorn Avenue.
Four non Old Dominion related individuals stated they were walking along 42nd Street when they were approached by a group of five males, one of which had a handgun. The suspects took personal property from the four and then fled on foot towards Hampton Blvd.
The suspect description is limited at this time to the following:
Suspect 1- approximately 5'7" last seen wearing a black hoodie, black pants and had a chinstrap style beard, black male, armed with a black handgun.
Additional suspects are only described as black males at this time.
Old Dominion Police have increased patrols in the area and are encouraging individuals to follow common safety practices.
Walk with a purpose and choose sidewalks that are well lit or heavily populated. Drink alcohol in moderation and remain aware of your surroundings. Avoid carrying large sums of cash and keep your valuables concealed.
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7. Police need your help to find shooting suspect
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Who needs to carry a gun at home?
Dale Hawley emailed me this:
From whsv.com: http://tinyurl.com/a63gejp
Police Need Your Help to Find Shooting Suspect
by Elizabeth Lamb
December 4, 2012
WAYNESBORO, Va -- A woman was in her bathroom when a man broke into her home and then shot her through the bathroom door. The woman was sent to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Desiree McCutchen, a nearby neighbor, said she and her family were sleeping when they heard gunshots. McCutchen said it sounded like the gunshots started on one side of the house and ended on the other side.
McCutchen said hearing gunshots shocked her and her family.
"We were lying in bed. It was around 11:30 at night and we heard this huge boom, thump, thump, thump, crash," said McCutchen, "It woke my son up. It shook the apartment, it was so loud."
A spokesperson for the Waynesboro Police Department said the victim was in the bathroom when the shooting happened. A muscular man with his face covered confronted her and shot her through the bathroom door.
Police are still looking for the suspect, but they don't know who he is or what he looks like. They need neighbors to call them with any information.
If you have any information on the suspect, please call the Waynesboro Police Department at 540-942-6675. You can also leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-322-2017.
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8. Don't resist a criminal...and get shot
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The robber walked in at closing time and shot the first victim BEFORE he announced the robbery. Give them what they want and they won't shoot you - right!
From hamptonroads.com: http://tinyurl.com/bhc7kyp
2 workers shot during Virginia Beach store robbery
by Cindy Clayton
December 4, 2012
Two employees were shot Tuesday morning during a robbery at a pizza shop in the 1000 block of Aragona Blvd.
Around 2 a.m., a man went into the store, darted around the counter and shot one of the employees after being told the shop was closed, police wrote in a news release.
He charged at a second employee and shot him while demanding money.
The employee gave the man some money, and he fled the store.
Police would not describe the extent of the employees' injuries but said they were not life-threatening.
Both were taken to a hospital for treatment. One was released Tuesday, said Officer Grazia Moyers, a police spokeswoman.
The man was described as white, 40 to 45 years old, and 140 to 160 pounds with a thin build.
He wore a gray, orange and blue polyester jacket, khaki pants, a gray winter trapper hat and plastic sunglasses.
Police are asking anyone with information to call Virginia Beach Crime Solvers at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP (562-5887).
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9. Man who shot robber in Norfolk won't face charges
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Virginia's Stand Your Ground laws in action.
Member Chuck Orr emailed me this:
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From hamptonroads.com: http://tinyurl.com/cw9cmoe
Man who shot robber in Norfolk won't face charges
by Patrick Wilson
December 7, 2012
NORFOLK - A man who fatally shot a robber was justified, the city prosecutor has determined.
Commonwealth's Attorney Greg Underwood sent police Chief Mike Goldsmith a letter Nov. 30 saying he would not bring charges in the death of Kendrick Scoggins, 38.
According to the letter:
The victim of the robbery attempt, whose name was not released, left work April 12 and stopped at a bank to get money to pay a subcontractor working on his home on Herbert Street in Norview Heights.
He pulled into his driveway about 4:15 p.m. and got out of his truck.
Witnesses said Scoggins approached the victim and confronted him. The victim told police that Scoggins pointed a gun at him and, using an expletive, demanded all of his money.
The victim shot Scoggins twice; Scoggins shot the victim in the arm.
Underwood wrote that the victim had the right to use deadly force to defend himself when Scoggins confronted him with a gun.
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10. Robbery suspect shot and killed
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Walter Jackson emailed me this:
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From wavy.com: http://tinyurl.com/b8d63nt
Robbery suspect shot and killed
by Lauren Compton
December 8, 2012
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - A robbery suspect was killed early Saturday morning when the man he was trying to rob pulled out a gun and shot him.
Police say a man was walking in the 900 block of Virginia Beach Boulevard near the Virginia Beach Convention center around 4 a.m. when he was approached by another man who tried to rob him. The robbery suspect attacked the man who pulled out a gun and shot the suspect.
The suspect died from the gunshot wound, according to a police spokesperson. He has not been identified at this time.
WAVY.com spoke to a man who heard the gunshot Saturday morning. Kevin Pennington says he was walking home from the Oceanfront when he heard a loud noise.
"I heard a single gunshot. It was loud as hell. I didn't think nothing of it. I thought somebody was playing around with a gun," Pennington told WAVY.com.
Pennington was just blocks away from the crime scene. It wasn't until later he found out that shot he heard was headed towards a would-be robber.
"I wake up this morning, and come out, and everybody is talking about somebody killed over a robbery or something," said Pennington.
Pennington says he still can't believe what happened.
"I'm still trying to put the pieces together myself and figure out what going on with it," said Pennington.
No charges have been filed against the robbery victim and the incident remains under investigation.
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11. Pepper Spray
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Gary Slider emaild me this:
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DC Does not ban Pepper Spray.
§§ 7-2502.12 For the Purposes of §§ 7-2502.12 Through 7-2502.14, the Term:
Self-defense spray - means a mixture of a lacrimator including chloroacetophenone, alphacloracetophenone, phenylchloromethylketone, orthochlorobenazalm-alononitrile or oleoresin capsicum.
7-2502.14 Self-defense sprays are lawful if used or possessed by a person 18 or over "in the exercise of reasonable force in defense of the person or the person's property only if it is propelled from an aerosol container, labeled with or accompanied by clearly written instructions as to its use, and dated to indicate its anticipated useful life." When purchasing such a spray, the buyer must complete a standard registration form, and the vendor must forward the form to the Metropolitan Police Department.
Stay Safe, Gary Slider
Co-Owner www.handgunlaw.us
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12. President to bypass Congress on semiautomatic weapons ban? [VIDEO]
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From foxnews.com: http://tinyurl.com/cdr9jev
President to bypass Congress on semiautomatic weapons ban?
Gun rights activist John Snyder explains
Duration3:46
DateDec 2, 2012
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13. Heads roll after Fast and Furious investigation
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Jay Minsky emailed me this:
From wibw.com: http://tinyurl.com/asbqgek
Heads Roll After Fast And Furious Investigation
by Kion Hudson
December 5, 2012
(CBS/AP)-- Heads are beginning to roll nearly two years after the Fast and Furious gunwalker scandal first came to light. William McMahon, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) official who was in charge of field operations during the controversial operation, has been fired, according to his attorney Mark Zaid who told CBS News "we will be appealing the decision."
Other ATF managers reportedly face similar fates, and announcements could be made soon, though neither they nor their attorneys would confirm it.
They are: Mark Chait, who was ATF's assistant director for field operations; Bill Newell, who was ATF's Special Agent in Charge of Phoenix; and George Gillett, Newell's second in command. Chait's attorney David Laufman stated in an email: "Mr. Chait has not been advised of any adverse finding or recommendation by the Professional Review Board at ATF, and any such action would be utterly without merit."
Another key Fast and Furious figure who's leaving the Justice Department today is Attorney General Eric Holder's chief of staff Gary Grindler. Grindler was faulted by the Justice Department's Inspector General for not informing Holder about the "significant and troubling" link between ATF's Operation Fast and Furious, and rifles found at the murder of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry on December 15, 2010.
In announcing his departure this week, Holder made no mention of Fast and Furious, and said Grindler "has demonstrated time and again his good judgment and an ability to make the tough - and correct - decisions." Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who led the House investigation into Fast and Furious, said Grindler's "departure from the Justice Department is warranted and long overdue."
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, which neither the Justice Department nor ATF would confirm, two other Phoenix-based agents have been recommended for disciplinary action: David Voth, who led the team that conducted Fast and Furious; and the lead agent on the case Hope MacAllister. According to the Wall Street Journal, they would receive demotions, reprimands and/or transfers.
In Operation Fast and Furious, ATF agents allowed thousands of weapons "walk" or to fall into the hands of Mexico's killer drug cartels. Many of them turned up after being used at crime scene in Mexico and the U.S. The Justice Department initially denied any gunwalking had occurred, but, over the course of a lengthy congressional investigation, eventually acknowledged the controversial strategy.
Besides Chait, McMahon, Gillett, Newell, Grindler, Voth and MacAllister; ten other Justice Department and ATF officials faulted by the Inspector General (IG) include:
Emory Hurley, the lead prosecutor with the Arizona U.S. Attorney's office assigned to Fast and Furious. The IG concluded Hurley's knowledge of "the clear public safety risk" being created by the suspects in Fast and Furious, who were allowed to continue to traffic in firearms for many months; should have prompted him to act urgently. Hurley was reportedly transferred out of the criminal division in the wake of the controversy.
Mike Morrissey, Hurley's supervisor at the U.S. Attorney's office, who was faulted for poor supervision.
Patrick Cunningham, former U.S. Attorney's office criminal chief, who was faulted for poor oversight. He resigned last January.
Dennis Burke, the Arizona U.S. Attorney who was faulted for poor oversight and lack of urgency. Burke resigned in August 2011.
Billy Hoover, ATF Deputy Director, who was faulted for deficient oversight and deficient response to the murder of Brian Terry. Hoover was reassigned in October 2011 in a post-Fast and Furious shakeup.
Kenneth Melson, former ATF Director, who was blamed for deficient oversight and failure to take appropriate action after Terry's murder. Melson resigned as head of ATF in August 2011, and was given a job at Justice Department headquarters. He resigned from that post when the IG report was released last September.
Monty Wilkinson, Holder's former deputy chief of staff. The IG faulted Wilkinson for failure to properly inform Holder about the link between Terry's murder and Fast and Furious.
Lanny Breuer, Justice Department Assistant Attorney General. The IG found Breuer failed to alert his superiors about the "obviously flawed" gunwalking techniques being used.
Jason Weinstein, former Justice Department Deputy Assistant Attorney General. The IG found Weinstein knew about gunwalking in a previous operation, and should have asked more questions when Fast and Furious arose. Weinstein resigned last Sept. when the IG report was released.
Chuck Higman, a former ATF agent who supervised a short-lived Bush administration-era gunwalking operation known as "Wide Receiver." The IG found Higman did not properly supervise that investigation.
Those who responded to the IG report said they did nothing wrong, and disputed some details. In some cases, the officials said they feel they were made "scapegoats."
Chait's attorney says, "Mr. Chait had no contemporaneous knowledge or reason to believe that ATF agents in the Phoenix field division were allowing firearms to flow to suspected straw purchasers, or were foregoing the interdiction of firearms transfers when operationally feasible and permissible under law.
Nor did he fail to take any appropriate actions based on the information disclosed to him at the time and existing ATF policies and procedures. Moreover, upon learning that ATF agents had come forward with allegations of misconduct, Mr. Chait immediately took steps to protect their legal rights as whistleblowers."
The family of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry said in a statement today, "The news that an ATF disciplinary panel has recommended the firing of four senior managers found to be responsible for implementing the failed strategy of walking guns in the botched gun trafficking investigation known as Operation Fast & Furious is welcomed news.
These officials lost sight of their primary mission which is to protect the American public and failed in their professional capacities as federal law enforcement officers."
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14. Change on veterans' gun rights lights fire
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Rafael Pabon emailed me this:
From washingtontimes.com: http://tinyurl.com/b4z2htc
Change on veterans' gun rights lights fire
Coburn wants decisions by judge rather than VA for impaired troops
by David Sherfinski
December 3, 2012
A major defense-spending bill hit an unexpected bump on its journey through the U.S. Senate over an amendment on veterans' gun rights, which devolved into a heated floor debate and foreshadows a potential battle over Democrats' vows to tweak the filibuster rules in the clubby, traditionally collegial body.
Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, wants veterans who have been deemed "mentally incompetent" to have their cases adjudicated by a judge — rather than the Department of Veterans Affairs, as happens currently — and argued that veterans who simply cannot support themselves financially are needlessly given the label and, as such, cannot buy or possess firearms.
"We're not asking for anything big," Mr. Coburn said Thursday evening on the Senate floor. "We're just saying that if you're going to take away the Second Amendment rights … they ought to have it adjudicated, rather than mandated by someone who's unqualified to state that they should lose their rights."
The late-night tussle served to pick at the scab of the ongoing debate over Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's bid to reform the chamber's filibuster rules to place limits on the minority party's ability to hold up debate on legislation, however.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, objected to Mr. Coburn's proposal once he found out it was part of a package of amendments to the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act the body was to vote on.
"I love our veterans; I vote for them all the time, they defend us," Mr. Schumer said. "But if you are mentally ill, whether you're a veteran or not, just like if you're a felon, if you're a veteran or not, and you have been judged to be mentally infirm, you should not have a gun."
After a similar plea from Sen. Barbara Boxer, California Democrat, and a warning from Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, that the move could embolden Democrats' push for filibuster reforms, Mr. Coburn eventually backed off.
"There's more here, frankly, than just a refusal to allow an amendment," Mr. McCain said. "That is going to mean that it's more likely that we have this showdown, which we think — many of us think — would be devastating to this institution and the way that it's done business for a couple of hundred years."
The quarrel over the broader bill and the filibuster continued on the Senate floor Monday when Mr. McCain dinged Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, when he alluded to Mr. Paul's previous threats to filibuster the bill if there was not a vote on an amendment to ensure a trial to American citizens accused of terrorism. That provision was approved by the Senate last week.
The measure that sparked last week's late-night imbroglio is also part of a still-pending sportsman's bill that the Senate declined to vote on last week. Similar legislation has been proposed in past years, and a bill introduced by Sen. Richard Burr, North Carolina Republican, and Sen. Jim Webb, Virginia Democrat, passed the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs unanimously in September.
The debate on the measure should not be about gun control, but about veterans' mental health, said Tom Tarantino, senior legislative associate for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
"If even one person will not go to seek the help they need and they fall through the cracks because we failed to remove the mental health stigma as much as possible, then we've failed," he said. "Right now, what happened is someone pulled the thread of politics in something that should not political. And that thread's starting to unravel."
But Brian Malte with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said simply that if Mr. Coburn's amendment passes, more than 100,000 people deemed medically incompetent would immediately be able to purchase guns. He also noted that the declaration is not absolute.
"There is due process," Mr. Malte said. "Gun possession is allowed if competency is restored. It's up to the professionals to make that determination."
The 1993 Brady Bill established a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' enforcement regulations declared that those deemed mentally defective could not purchase or possess a firearm.
The Department of Veterans Affairs forwards the names of those labeled mentally incompetent to the FBI for inclusion in a national federal database, barring them from purchasing or carrying firearms.
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15. MILLER: Paul Ryan's guns
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Walter Jackson emailed me this:
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From washingtontimes.com: http://tinyurl.com/csoggxt
MILLER: Paul Ryan's guns
by Emily Miller
October 30, 2012
Paul Ryan has become the most high-profile gun owner in the nation this year. The Republican vice presidential candidate is known as an avid hunter, but what's less known is that he exercises his right to own a handgun for self protection.
This is a new feature exploring the firearms owned by high-profile individuals. The series will be a fun way for gun owners to learn about the specific makes and models and their intended use.
Hopefully, these stories will dispel the myth perpetuated by gun grabbers that owning more than one gun is a sign a person is a danger to society. On the contrary, gun owners are thousands of times more likely to use their weapon to prevent a crime than to commit one.
Mark Olcott is Paul Ryan's brother-in-law, good friend and frequent hunting buddy. Mr. Olcott is married to the former Molly Little, who is Janna Little Ryan's younger sister. "Paul would agree with me. We both married up," Mr. Olcott said in an interview Friday before he went bowhunting for deer near his home in Frederick, Md. "Our wives are just incredible people. We're lucky men."
Mr. Olcott said the Wisconsin congressman got him interested in hunting. "When we met nine years ago, one of Paul's first questions to me was whether I had a problem with him hunting, since I'm a veterinarian," he explained "I said, 'No, I'd be interested to learn more about it.' And I've been hooked every since."
The two hunt mostly in Wisconsin and at their wives' family ranch in Oklahoma. I asked Mr. Wolcott what guns Mr. Ryan owns. He said the Wisconsin Republican usually hunts deer using his Remington Model 700 rifle which is chambered in .30-06. For duck and turkey hunting, Mr. Ryan uses his a 12 gauge shotgun. He owns the Super Black Eagle model made by Benelli, a company owned by Beretta.
Mr. Ryan also likes to challenge himself by shooting with his revolver. "He likes hunting with a handgun," Mr. Olcott said of his brother-in-law. "He'll carry his .357 in the stand -- in a holster -- and wait for a deer comes in range for a handgun, which is more like bow range, 30 yards or closer," said Mr. Olcott. "He's shot a lot of deer with his handgun. He really likes that."
Mr. Ryan also owns a 9mm Glock for home self defense. He sometimes brings the pistol from Wisconsin to the Oklahoma to do target shooting at the ranch's 100-yard outdoor range.
Mr. Olcott said the congressman occasionally goes target shooting when he's back in Washington for work. He shoots with the Capitol Hill Police at their range. A spokesman for the department did not respond to my questions for information on the location of the range or if other members of Congress use it.
The Ryan-Olcott families see hunting as a family activity. Mr. Olcott bought his son, Aidan, a Remington 700 .243 youth rifle with a scope. Mr Ryan brought the same gun for 10-year old daughter Liza last year for Christmas.
Mitt Romney's running mate also stopped at Bass Pro Outdoor World in Ohio on the campaign trail in September to buy camouflage clothing for his daughter since this is the first year she can hunt herself. The families are going to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving. They typically go back between Christmas and New Year for more "family hunting."
"When we're in Oklahoma, Paul will take one of the kids -- Liza, Sam, Charlie -- in the stand each day. Then he starts all over again. Hunting is very much part of the family. That's the way he grew up. That's important to him to take time with kids to teach them about hunting."
Hunters say you really get to know another person spending that much time closely together in the woods. "He's just a good, honest guy," Mr. Olcott said of Mr. Ryan, who is his son's godfather. "Honestly, as people get to know him, what you see is what you get. He's a genuinely nice guy. I'm fortunate to have him as a friend."
If the Romney-Ryan ticket wins the election next week, gun owners will have an ally in the White House.
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16. Anti-gun hypocrite gets caught bringing a gun onto an airplane
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This is so typical of the anti-gun legislative hypocrites! This Illinois state senator votes against allowing citizens to carry guns for self-defense, while he sets himself up to do so by supposedly moonlighting for a security firm.
"Guns for me, but not for thee."
What a lowlife.
Walter Jackson emailed me this:
From chicago.cbslocal.com: http://tinyurl.com/be45lqc
State Sen. Donne Trotter Arrested For Trying To Take Gun On Plane
December 5, 2012
CHICAGO (CBS) – An Illinois state senator running to replace Jesse Jackson Jr. in Congress was arrested Wednesday morning after he allegedly tried to bring a gun onto a plane at O'Hare International Airport.
Sen. Donne Trotter (D-Chicago) was charged with a felony count of attempting to board an aircraft with a weapon, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's office. The charge carries a penalty of 1 to 3 years in jail.
WBBM Newsradio's Steve Miller reports Chicago police said TSA agents found the gun in a carry-on bag around 7 a.m. as Trotter was going through a security checkpoint. A TSA spokesperson said in an email that the gun was loaded with seven rounds, but there was not a round in the gun's chamber.
A police spokeswoman said Trotter is licensed to carry a weapon and has a valid Firearm Owner's Identification card.
Trotter was being held at the Jefferson Park District lockup, police said. He was due to appear for a bond hearing Thursday, according to prosecutors.
Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said, "I don't know why he would have a gun. If it's a legal gun, he should know better than bringing it on a plane."
CBS 2′s Mike Parker reports Trotter told authorities he had the gun because he moonlights at Allpoints Security and Detective Inc., and forgot he had the gun in his garment bag when he went to O'Hare for a flight to Washington, D.C.
Trotter's wife Rose told Newsradio she has no comment.
"I don't have any more information to add to what you already have," she said.
An aide to Trotter, Gil Medina, said he's still trying to reach Trotter.
Employees at the security agency would not comment on the arrest.
Trotter, 62, has been a state senator since 1993. Before that, he was a state representative from 1988 to 1993. During his time in the legislature, he has regularly been an anti-gun vote, and has opposed legislation that would allow for concealed carry in Illinois.
He represents the 17th District of the Illinois Senate, which covers portions the Far South Side and southern suburbs, including the Pullman, Hegewisch and Chatham neighborhoods, and as far south as Kankakee County.
He announced last week that he would run in the special election in the 2nd Congressional District to replace Jesse Jackson Jr., who stepped down last month.
South Side resident Kevin Atchison, who voted for Trotter in the recent election, said Trotter's arrest could hurt him if he continues to try to run for Jackson's seat in Congress.
As for Trotter's explanation that he forgot the gun was in his bag, Atchison said, "Well, that goes around a lot. A lot of people say they forget theirs. So, I'm just totally shocked."
Trotter also ran for Congress in 2000, against incumbent Congressman Bobby Rush and future President Barack Obama, but came in third in the Democratic primary.
The Illinois Senate was in session on Wednesday. State Sen. John Millner (R-Carol Stream) said, from what little he has heard about the arrest, Trotter's explanation sounds plausible.
"My understanding of it, when I just heard about this story, is that it was an accident and he that he was employed by some security firm, and that could happen. If you're in a hurry, and you're getting off-duty, and you throw your gun in your case, you don't think about it. That can happen," Millner said.
He said Trotter has a reputation among his colleagues as "a very professional, hard-working, dedicated public servant," and that the arrest doesn't make sense to him, unless it's the result of an honest mistake by Trotter.
Millner, a former Elmhust police chief, acknowledged that – mistake or not, state senator or not – there's no provision for airport security to simply wave Trotter through after finding a gun in his bag, unless he has authorization to take a gun on a plane.
"If you carry a weapon, you have to notify them that you have a weapon, you have to have approval to have that weapon," he said. "You actually are given a form that you have to fill out. It cannot be carried onto the aircraft with you, unless you are a federal law enforcement officer, or other specialized officer that's allowed to carry while you're on an aircraft, which is rare."
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17. Media spins red state shooting for gun control, ignores blue state shootings
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Walter Jackson emailed me this:
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From breitbart.com: http://tinyurl.com/d72x99l
MEDIA SPINS RED STATE SHOOTINGS FOR GUN CONTROL, IGNORES BLUE STATE SHOOTINGS
by Ben Shapiro
December 4, 2012
It is an established fact at this point that the left media only likes to talk about gun control after a shooting in a red or purple state. If James Holmes shoots up a theater in Colorado, which has relatively open gun laws, we get a national conversation about gun control; if Jared Lee Loughner shoots Congresswoman Gabby Giffords in Arizona, we hear ceaselessly about gun control; if Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher murders his girlfriend in Missouri, we hear about gun control.
But when gun murders take place in blue areas, we don't hear a peep.
Today, the Chicago Tribune reported that shootings were up 49% this November over last November; there were 129 shootings in November 2011 in the city, and 192 in the city this November. Overall, shootings are up 11% in Chicago over 2011. This is a gun crime epidemic. And the leftist press says nothing about gun control, largely because Chicago has some of the tightest gun control regulations in the nation.
Or take Northridge, California just a few hours after the Belcher shooting, when a suspect shot four people, including two women in their 20s and two men to death outside an unlicensed boarding home. Any talk of gun control? Have you even heard about the story?
The truth is that there is no apparent difference between gun controlled states and non-gun controlled states when it comes to cities with high gun murder rates. For 2006-2007, here are the firearm homicide rates for America's most dangerous cities, per 100,000 members of the population:
New Orleans, LA -- 62.1, low gun control
Detroit, MI – 35.9, heavy gun control
Baltimore, MD – 29.7, heavy gun control
Oakland, CA – 26.6, heavy gun control
Newark, NJ -- 25.4, heavy gun control
St. Louis, MO – 24.1, low gun control
Miami, FL – 23.7, low gun control
Richmond, VA – 23.1, low gun control
Philadelphia, PA – 20.0, heavy gun control
Washington, DC – 19.0, heavy gun control
We have other societal problems we can blame for high rates of gun homicide. But lack of gun control – the so-called "gun culture" – is not one of them. But don't look for the media to tell the truth about the widespread incidents of gun homicide in blue areas. It undercuts their political agenda.
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18. Church Security Alliance helps protect churches
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Church security protects innocent lives. This organization helps churches with their security:
http://www.churchsecurityalliance.com/members/churchsecurity
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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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