VA-ALERT: VCDL Update 8/14/26

VCDL is going to have a picnic on Sunday, August 16, from 11am to 4pm, with food being served at 1pm. The time was extended to allow those going to church that morning to be able to attend. The picnic is at:

Osborne Park

Shelter 1

9530 Osborne Turnpike

Henrico, VA 23231

VCDL picnics are always a fun event for the family and are open to the public.

There is no charge to attend, and you don’t have to bring any food. However, if you do wish to bring a dish to share, that would be much appreciated!

VCDL will be supplying hot dogs, hamburgers, buns, and associated fixings. We will also have drinks, chips, paper plates, eating utensils, and some other food items.

We need to have a handle on how many are going to attend and if you are going to bring an optional dish to share.

To RSVP send an email to me: president@vcdl.org

In the subject line indicate how many are in your party, such as, “Picnic, party of 3”

In the text of the email, give me your name and, if you are bringing a dish to share, what you are bringing. I am trying to avoid duplicate dishes.

3. The Powhatan County Republican Committee unanimously adopted a resolution discouraging Powhatan County from limiting shooting on private property beyond state law limitations

The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors (BoS) is considering creating an ordinance to restrict shooting in subdivisions.

In response, the Powhatan County Republican Committee has presented a resolution to the BoS encouraging them NOT to pass the ordinance but continue to let state law apply to anyone shooting on private property.

Here is the resolution (the red text toward the end is my emphasis of key points):

RESOLUTION OF THE POWHATAN COUNTY REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE

Affirming the Second Amendment Rights of the Citizens of Powhatan County and Opposing Local Firearms Ordinances Exceeding the Requirements of State Law

Resolution No.I Adopted: August 13, 2026

WHEREAS, the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States provides that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, and Article I, Section 13 of the Constitution of Virginia declares that a well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, constitutes the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state, and that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; and

WHEREAS, this Committee holds that the right to keep and bear arms is not a privilege conferred by government but a pre-political right secured against government, and that the ownership and responsible use of firearms upon one's own land forms an ordinary and honorable part of rural Virginian life; and

WHEREAS, the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors itself adopted a resolution on November 25, 2019, declaring Powhatan County a Second Amendment Sanctuary, and thereafter voted unanimously on July 27, 2020, and February 23, 2026, to reaffirm the County's pro-Second Amendment position, thereby committing itself publicly and repeatedly to the defense of these rights; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia has already enacted a comprehensive body of criminal law governing the misuse of firearms, including Virginia Code § 18.2-56.1, which punishes the reckless handling of a firearm so as to endanger the life, limb, or property of any person, § 18.2-282, which punishes pointing, holding, or brandishing a firearm in such manner as to reasonably induce fear in the mind of another, § 18.2-279, which punishes the malicious or unlawful discharge of a firearm within or at an occupied dwelling house or other building in such manner as to endanger the lives of those within, and§ 18.2-286, which punishes the discharge of a firearm in or across any road or within the right-of-way thereof, together with the hunting regulations of Title 29 .1; and

WHEREAS, the common law of Virginia further affords every landowner a private action in nuisance and/or trespass against a neighbor whose use of his own property unreasonably interferes with the quiet enjoyment of adjoining land, so that a citizen aggrieved by a neighbor's shooting possesses a complete and adequate remedy without any new exercise of governmental power; and

WHEREAS, Virginia Code § 15.2-915 expressly preempts local regulation of the purchase, possession, transfer, ownership, carrying, storage, and transporting of firearms except where the General Assembly has expressly provided otherwise, and the narrow authority granted to counties by Virginia Code§ 15.2-1209 extends only to areas of a county so heavily populated as to render outdoor shooting dangerous to the inhabitants, which condition does not obtain across the rural expanse of Powhatan County; and

WHEREAS, this Committee holds that a government which sets out to prevent every possible harm will find no natural stopping place, since nearly every liberty a citizen enjoys carries with it some conceivable risk to someone, so that the pursuit of perfect safety legislates away the ordinary freedoms it was meant to protect, and that a county which legislates in response to every grievance will find itself legislating without end; and

WHEREAS, the citizens of Powhatan County elected a Board of Supervisors composed entirely of Republicans upon the strength of a platform that promises limited government and the vigorous defense of constitutional liberty, and this Committee bears a duty to the voters who trusted that promise;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Powhatan County Republican Committee as follows:

FIRST: The Committee Affirms Its Unqualified Support for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

The Powhatan County Republican Committee affirms, without qualification or reservation, that the right of the people to keep and bear arms stands among the foundational liberties of the American republic and of this Commonwealth. This Committee stands in the tradition of the Virginians who wrote that right into our founding charters and of the statesmen and jurists who have defended it since.

George Mason of Fairfax, addressing the Virginia Ratifying Convention in June of 1788, put the matter plainly when he asked what the militia was, and answered that it is "the whole people, except for a few public officials."

Patrick Henry, speaking in that same convention, declared that "the great object is that every man be armed."

St. George Tucker of Williamsburg, the first great American commentator upon Blackstone and a judge of this Commonwealth, wrote in 1803 that the right to keep and bear arms constitutes "the true palladium of liberty," and observed that the right of self defense stands as the frrst law of nature.

Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the Supreme Court of the United States in District of Columbia v. Heller, reminded every legislature in the nation that "the enshrinement of constitutional rights necessarily takes certain policy choices off the table."

This Committee holds these principles to be binding upon every level of government, from the Congress of the United States to the Board of Supervisors of Powhatan County, and it holds that a right which yields to local convenience is no right at all.

SECOND: The Committee Opposes Any Local Ordinance Exceeding State Law

The Powhatan County Republican Committee opposes, and will continue to oppose, the proposal, drafting, introduction, or adoption of any ordinance, regulation, zoning provision, permit requirement, noise standard, setback rule, or other instrument of local government which restricts the ability of the citizens of Powhatan County to possess, carry, transport, store, or discharge firearms upon their own property beyond the restrictions already imposed by the general law of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

This opposition extends to measures cast in the language of nuisance, safety, or land use where the practical effect of such measures falls upon the lawful exercise of Second Amendment rights, and this Committee will regard the form of such a measure as immaterial where its substance operates as a firearms restriction.

THIRD: The Committee Will Withhold Its Endorsement and Support

The Powhatan County Republican Committee resolves that it will not endorse, nominate the endorsement of, contribute to, or otherwise lend its organizational support to any candidate for the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors, whether incumbent or challenger, who proposes, sponsors, drafts, or votes in favor of any ordinance of the character described in the Second Resolution above.

This Committee adopts this position openly and in advance, so that no member of the Board of Supervisors may claim surprise, and so that every member may weigh the matter with full knowledge of where this Committee and the Republican voters of Powhatan County stand.

FOURTH: Transmittal

The Chairman of this Committee shall transmit a-certified copy of this Resolution to each member of the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors, to the County Administrator, to the Clerk of the Board, to the Sheriff of Powhatan County, to the Republican Party of Virginia, and to the members of the General Assembly representing Powhatan County, and shall cause this Resolution to be published to the membership and to the public.

FIFTH: Duration

This Resolution shall remain in full force and effect until amended or rescinded by a vote of this Committee.

4. NFA injunction on suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, and AOWs is now in effect, but ATF owes gun owners, dealers, and manufacturers some answers

For now, it is best if we wait for clarification before acting on the new NFA injunction. Important warnings below, as we wait for ATF clarification.

NFA Injunction Takes Effect, Now ATF Owes Gun Owners Answers (Ammoland)

https://www.ammoland.com/2026/08/nfa-injunction-atf-answers-gun-owners/

The Morning After: What We Know. What We Don't Know. (William Kirk, Washington Gun Law, VIDEO)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-JD3rwj2zY

Big Plot Twist! ATF Counterattack? NFA Madness Continues in Day 2 Updates (Firearms Attorney Tom Grieve, VIDEO)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7wieyN2Bl4

5. Daniel Defense is offering a VCDL member discount off purchases through the end of the month!

Daniel Defense is offering a 10% discount on purchase made now through the end of August. When paying, use code: VCDL10

6. Reminder: RRRC’s VCDL benefit match is coming up in September

Registration and squadding is open for this excellent match, which is held every year by the Roanoke Rifle and Revolver Club to benefit VCDL. RRRC has been a wonderful supporter of VCDL for many years now, with VCDL membership being one of the options to qualify for RRRC membership.

If you have never shot in one of these matches, you are missing out on a lot of fun and some great practice!

RRRC September USPSA-VCDL Benefit Match Roanoke Rifle Revolver Club

Match starts: September 26, 2026 @ 10:00 AM · Match ends: September 26, 2026 @ 2:00 PM

Location:
1305 Gun Club Drive
Hardy, VA 24101

Level I USPSA match.

Appendix holsters are NOT permitted for use on RRRC property (per RRRC Board of Directors).

RRRC does NOT accept credit cards for payment, only cash and personal checks.

https://practiscore.com/rrrc-september-uspsa-match-2/register

7. Gun Owner’s Highway Patrol Encounter Highlights Importance of Asserting Rights

First, criminal defense attorney Jeff Hampton gives excellent advice on what to say/do during traffic stops to protect yourself and your rights. Watch these videos to see what you should and shouldn’t do during a traffic stop (on the last two videos: while it’s unlikely that any of you would be legitimately stopped for DWI, you can be accused of it nonetheless as an excuse to get you talking):

If Cops Ask "Why Are You So Nervous?" - Say THIS to STOP Them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlTrE4od7fo

If Cops Ask "Know Why I Stopped You?" - Say THIS (Simple Phrase)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJdXo3do00k

LAWYER: If Cops Say "I Smell Alcohol" - Say THESE WORDS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxGbU_Xi13Q

LAWYER: 5 Favorite Tricks Cops Use During DWI Stops

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O0U8sIOGkg

Here is a link to all of Jeff’s great videos (warning – there is so much good information in that huge library of videos, you are probably going to be spending a lot of time on Jeff’s YouTube channel): https://www.youtube.com/@hamptonlawfirm

Now here is a video of a gun owner who didn’t know about Jeff’s advice, and you can see Jeff’s warnings playing out with an officer during a simple traffic stop for speeding. I cringed over and over again. The gun owner was just trying to be friendly and cooperative, but you’ll see what that got him. This ordeal could have been easily avoided with a few simple words early on and invoking his right to remain silent and not answer any questions. Know your rights and exercise them, politely, but firmly:

https://www.ammoland.com/2026/08/gun-owners-highway-patrol-encounter-highlights-importance-asserting-rights/