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The Capitol Police said that there were easily 500 gun owners at the first VCDL rally at the General Assembly today!
Oh, and there was a grand total of TWO anti-gun protesters there today, neither one looking very happy.
The remaining part of the roll of "Guns Save Lives" stickers that were handed out indicates that the total count of VCDL members that were at the General Assembly today was right at 600 - that's a 50% increase from last year's 400 attendees!
Everywhere I turned, there were those VCDL stickers. Teams of VCDL members were going in and out of legislator's offices for two hours.
From what I've seen and heard, we were well received everywhere.
The rallies at the Bell Tower had some fantastic speakers and the weather cooperated nicely - those of you who could not make it this year really missed out. :-(
We should have some great videos of Lobby Day and the rallies soon and I will let you know when they are on-line. The videos were made by Matt Gotschalk and Ian Branson, so they are going to be really great.
Others members took some video, too - so there will be even more video online in the coming days.
Special thanks to EM Dave Vann for doing a great job in getting guest speakers and playing a critical role in keep the event moving with near perfection.
Thanks also to EM Chip Fetrow for getting the PA system up and running and keeping it so. The sound out there was truly fantastic.
Here is an excellent picture of the first rally that will give you an idea of the attendance - pretty damned impressive:
Here is the press coverage, some articles have video if you follow the link to their web sites:
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Guns rights advocates rallied Monday at Capitol Square in Richmond.
They were there to be heard as delegates and senators prepare to take
up gun bills this session.
Those who support gun rights listened to speakers at the Bell Tower
before fanning out to talk to individual legislators about guns
rights.
They say false impressions about gun shows and gun dealers have been
created, and they hope to set the record straight.
"There is no loophole. There is nothing you can do at a gun show that
you can't do outside a show. It would have made no difference at
Virginia Tech. It's just a scheme to register guns and we are not
going to let it pass by," says Phillip Van Cleave, a rally organizer.
"Sometimes people meet at gun shows, but otherwise a dealer must do a
background check. It's a felony if he doesn't," says Ward Fetrow with
the Virginia Citizens Defense League.
There have already been two meetings of the crime commission this year.
The meetings have been packed.
Last week in Richmond, some Virginia Tech parents and others seeking
to close the gun show loophole held a rally of their own.
Both sides will try to get legislators to support their views during
the legislative session.
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Gun-rights backers rally today at Va. Capitol
By Staff Reports
Published: January 19, 2009
Members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League plan to meet at the
state Capitol in Richmond today at 9 a.m. to lobby the General
Assembly.
The league is opposed to any new gun laws and wants a repeal of the
state's ban on carrying concealed weapons in restaurants.
The league also plans to hold two rallies at the Bell Tower on the
Capitol grounds.
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Pro-Gun Legislation
Gun owners from across the state are planning to converge on the
General Assembly Monday to lobby for several pro-gun bills. While they
say they think guns will curb violence in state, others aren't so
sure.
It's an age-old debate asking question about allowing guns on
campuses, in restaurants and even in elementary schools. The General
Assembly will decide some of these issues as several bills cross the
table this session.
Ben Fordney, former member of the Board of the Virginians Against
Handgun Violence, says, "On school grounds? I mean, come on. We've had
terrible incidents on school grounds of people who have weapons."
Fordney says residents concealing weapons isn't the answer, but not
everyone agrees.
Philip van Cleave, president of the VA Citizens Defense League, says,
"They forbid students and faculty to bring guns on campus and nobody
had any except the person who wanted to commit murder. Nothing was
going to effect him except somebody might have been able to stop him
had any of those students and teachers been armed."
Van Cleave supports bills that would repeal a ban on carrying
concealed handguns in restaurants licensed to serve alcohol, allowing
concealed permit holders to enter K-12 schools, and permitting
full-time college faculty members to be exempt from any college
administrative rules against carrying weapons on campus.
He says, "Why walk around in a crowded restaurant with a gun on your
side when you can have it neatly concealed away where no one even
knows it's there and not make an issue out of it."
On the other hand, Fordney says, in places where guns are regulated,
the violence is extremely low, especially when you consider that more
than 32,000 people are killed by gunshots every year.
He says, "I'm not sure why I understand why that's necessary in a
place like Harrisonburg for example, but okay, that's their right. But
there are situations where it's not simply a good idea."
The Virginia Citizens Defense League will hold two rallies in Capitol
Square in Richmond on Monday.
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Guns on Hand at State Capitol
The mission was simple Monday for dozens of members of the Virginia Citizens'
Defense League, (a group that supports 2nd amendment rights), slap on an
orange sticker, grab an agenda, and find your local legislator.
"We have teams that are going to break up and they're going to visit every
single legislator that is in the building today," remarked Mark Stollenwerk, a
VCDL organizer.
Impassioned group members roamed the hallways of the General Assembly
building, showcasing their support for legislation that would allow concealed
handgun permit holders to carry in restaurants and on school grounds.
The gun rights advocates, many of whom drove for hours to lobby lawmakers,
hope their very presence will speak volumes.
"People come out and say whether they're for or against something, and it
means something," noted VCDL member Marco Handy. "Anybody can sit home and not
show up. But you want (lawmakers) to know that you really support this or
oppose it."
So, how influential can a capitol visit be?
"Obviously the live visit shows a certain level of commitment," remarked
House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith. "If you're making a three-hour drive down
here, and then a three-hour drive back home, obviously you care very
passionately about the issue."
On issue that did not gain much attention was the so-called gun show
loophole, which Delegate Griffith described as "dead" after the State Crime
Commission failed to endorse the measure.
--
Hundreds at Richmond rally to back pro-gun bills
By _Dave Forster_ ( http://hamptonroads.com/2007/10/dave-forster)
The
Virginian-Pilot
© January 20, 2009
RICHMOND
About 300 people rallied Monday at the Virginia Capitol to support the many
pro-gun-rights bills that have been introduced this session.
Concern over those rights is especially high this year after the election of
Barack Obama, perceived by some as a gun control proponent, said rally
participant Sam Beatty, 30, a Marine veteran from Henrico County.
"The last several gun shows that I've been to, I've seen them just more
packed than I've ever seen them in the past 10 years - people buying just cases
upon cases of ammunition, firearms," Beatty said.
The Virginia Citizens Defense League has highlighted as priorities this year
legislation that would allow people with concealed handgun permits to carry
their concealed firearms into restaurants that serve alcohol, HB1821, and
schools, HB1822.
Another bill, HB1655, would require a court to award attorney fees and costs
to anyone who wins a case challenging a local gun control measure.