virginia citizens defense league

Defending Your Right to Defend Yourself

va-alert

Published 1/6/2026

1. second amendment sanctuaries update

2. lobby day pages, including info on checking your gun, buses, car pools, carry vs no-carry areas, and more

Here is the link with Lobby Day details:  https://vcdl.org/LobbyDay

The 2026 Legislative Tracking Tool is up and running:  https://vcdl-lis.org/

3. rsvp if you are coming to vcdl's pre-lobby day dinner on jan. 18th

We need to hear from you if you are attending the pre-lobby day dinner! This year it will be at the Golden Corral located at 4050 Gaskins Rd, Glen Allen, VA

We will meet at 7pm and the restaurant closes at 9pm. Simply let the cashier know you're with VCDL and they will direct you to our area.

RSVP by visiting https://vcdl.org/LobbyDayDinner. We look forward to seeing you there!

4. HELP NEEDED: salem GUN SHOW ON JANUARY 17tH & 18TH

VCDL MEMBER-VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED AT THE SALEM GUN SHOW - January 17 & 18, 2026

The next gun show will be January 17 & 18, 2026 at the Salem Civic Center, 1001 Roanoke Blvd, Salem, VA 24153. This is the first scheduled gun show of the year at this venue.

If you are unfamiliar with the location, you can find it easily on google maps or at the link below.

The website for the show is:

https://www.cegunshows.com/salem%2C-va

As before, VCDL will have a table at this 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.

We need volunteers for the Saturday afternoon shift especially!

Sign-up to volunteer for one or more of the following shifts:

Saturday, January 17 set-up – 7am - We need about three people to assist with set-up

Saturday, January 17 - morning shift

Saturday, January 17 - afternoon shift

Sunday, January 18 - morning shift

Sunday, January 18 - afternoon shift

For more details and to sign-up to help at the show:

gunshows.swva@vcdl.org

We need more gun owners to write Letters to the Editor (LTE), as they are a great way to educate your fellow citizens on their right to keep and bear arms.

Thomas Hobert shows us how it is done. Thanks to the Daily Press for publishing his letter:

We need more gun owners to write Letters to the Editor (LTE), as they are a great way to educate your fellow citizens on their right to keep and bear arms.

Thomas Hobert shows us how it is done. Thanks to the Daily Press for publishing his letter:

 https://www.dailypress.com/2025/12/29/letters-for-dec-30-gun-policy-talk-should-begin-by-recognizing-the-right/

6. lawyer william kirk on virginia's new government and gun control [video]

https://youtu.be/-e39hdaW9uM?si=6G9IBWRR_FLFXQtX

7. prince william house democrats public meeting tonight, jan. 6th!

From a member:

I saw on Instagram that Delegate Josh Thomas (D) and Senator Danica Roem (D) are having a town hall meeting on the upcoming 2026 legislative session on Tuesday January 6th from 6pm – 7:30pm at the Bull Run Library, Community Room, 8051 Ashton Ave, Manassas VA 20109. There is an RSVP link in the Instagram post, I'm not sure if that's necessary to attend.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DS78j68Er1C/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I figured you might be able to send out an action item for Prince William County residents to attend the event and make our voices heard!

8. paper corrects article on henrico county chief of police, but issues still exist

Based on an article in the Henrico Citizen newspaper, VCDL called out the Henrico County Police Chief English for his comments on gun ownership in a VA-ALERT on December 22. The paper has now issued a correction on that article, saying their reporter got part of the story wrong and the paper takes responsibility for the mistake.

Here is the original text in the article:

“Responding to an audience member who asked for clarification on gun-permitting, English told the audience that possessing a gun makes people more of a target when stopped by police. English told a father to weigh the safety benefits and risks of gun ownership with a child at home.”

The updated text now reads:

“Responding to an audience member who asked for clarification on gun-permitting, English told the audience that possessing a gun doesn't make people more of a target when stopped by police. Roundtree told a father to weigh the safety benefits and risks of gun ownership with a child at home.”

VCDL’s pushback on Chief English was done in good faith based on that article. In the interest of being fair, we wanted to share the correction with our members. 

However, while I am certainly relieved to see the Henrico County PD is not going to make someone more of a target because they are a gun owner, I’m still not thrilled with the Chief’s implication that one should weigh the safety benefits of gun ownership when there is a child in the home. There is no more important duty than to make sure that one’s family is safe. The only considerations on gun ownership should be which guns to own, how to secure them when not in use, and how to teach children to be safe around them.

9. taurus issues recall on some gx4 pistols

The drop safety could be faulty on some of the Gx4s.

If you have a Taurus Gx4 pistol, you can check to see if it is subject to a recall here:  https://gx4safetynotice.com

10. doj 2a civil rights update

https://truthsocial.com/@harmeet/115826337763477458

11. open carry, caution

This is a repeat from a previous alert:

Here is a video by VCDL firearm attorney Gilbert Ambler that explains a bad court ruling on what defines brandishing in Virginia:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hHzJCaGNqgw&pp=ugUEEgJlbg%3D%3D

12. what happened to homicide rates after the bruen decision?

The world was supposed to end according to the gun-control crowd, but instead violent crime has decreased significantly.

https://www.ammoland.com/2025/12/what-happened-to-the-homicide-rate-after-the-supreme-courts-bruen-decision/

13. [ca] open carry prohibition ruled unconstitutional by us ninth circuit court of appeals (at least for now)

California’s Ninth Circuit has struck down California’s extreme restrictions on open carry as unconstitutional. We have open carry in Virginia, but this certainly helps provide ammunition should the gun-controllers try to make it illegal here.

https://bearingarms.com/camedwards/2026/01/05/court-decision-shredding-californias-open-carry-ban-could-have-national-implications-n1231094

14. caution: fake gun seller/scammer website

A VCDL member stumbled on a website that offers guns for sale and appears to be fraudulent. The website is tacticalfirearmhub.com.

Why does that website appear to be fraudulent?

• Their prices are not just low, but ridiculously so. Just picking a gun at random, you can get a new Colt Gold Cup pistol for $265.99. How about a Winchester Cowboy Commemorative Model 94 for $99.99?
• With those unreasonably low prices, they offer free shipping WORLDWIDE! Worldwide? Very few countries even allow their subjects to own firearms, much less get them off the internet.
• Their website makes no mention of needing to ship to an FFL, nor are there any legal disclaimers. Just buy as many guns as you want and have them shipped free directly to you.   Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to be back in the days when you could buy a gun and have it shipped directly to you through the mail – no background checks, no delays. But that’s not how it works in 2026.

15. article on jay jones's illegal attempt to appeal the recent universal background check decision

16. second amendment poem by vcdl member

Second Amendment

The founding father's wisdom

echoes through the years,

their great foresight gives us the right

to defend what we hold dear.

We are proud to call this country home

and are going to keep it free,

that is why no one should try

to take my guns from me.

Don't tell free men we have to bend

our knee to someone else,

we possess inalienable rights

to arm and protect our self.

Old English law and the Minute Mens’ call

support this right for me,

ingrained in the fabric of our freedom

by the constitution's guarantee.

So heed the cry that echoes high

Across this American land;

If you want my gun you'll pry it from

my cold dead hand!

Bob Quinn

17. for a laugh: santa is 2a friendly

Santa with CCW gets pulled over, tells Ohio deputy 'you got to protect yourself' during festive traffic stop