VCDL Update for 11/5/2025

1. Paperwork for most NFA items is getting easier

Here’s an article on what’s coming:



https://www.ammoland.com/2025/10/atf-drops-cleo-notification-from-form-1-nfa-applications/

2. Wythe County Board of Supervisors removes firearms-prohibited language from their park rules; Wytheville treachery

Good news! Wythe County Board of Supervisors (BoS) member Stacy Terry let me know that the BoS have agreed to fix the county parks page to remove the wording about firearms being prohibited except when allowed by law. That meaningless and misleading wording was from back in 2011 and we thank Mr. Terry for leading the charge to remove the language.

Wytheville Treachery

When public comment came up for the proposed gun ban at government buildings, community and recreation centers, parks, and permitted events at the last Wytheville Town Council meeting on October 20, the Mayor and Council said they either didn’t know this was coming up or that they only wanted to ban guns in parks, just as Wythe County had done with an ordinance the County supposedly has, and staff had merely screwed up.

Mr. Terry knew that Wythe County had no such ordinance banning guns in their parks, so he became suspicious. Here is a link to a post on Facebook by Mr. Terry about the Wytheville October 20 meeting:

https://www.facebook.com/100063539812447/posts/1407253614735952/?rdid=I7KQQh1CzwdPq99t

Mr. Terry immediately filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Town. Mr. Terry’s FOIA request came back, and it revealed some serious lying/treachery from most of the Wytheville Town Council. Here are the results of the FOIA:

https://www.facebook.com/share/1AHZPsvmb6/

It turns out that the Interim Town Manager, Sherry Corvin, was the one that asked for the ban – not just in parks, but the complete ban as presented on October 20. The Mayor, Beth Taylor, the Vice-Mayor, Candice Johnson, and Council members Cathy Pattison, and Holly Atkins all approved the full ban being on the agenda for October 20! The only Council member that did not seem to be a part of the gun ban was Joseph Hand.

And what also stuck in my craw was Candice Johnson saying, “I have no issue with the prohibition on firearms and ammunition, etc. as we need to keep our constituents and vendors safe.” 

Ms. Johnson, you do NOT make anyone safer by taking away their ability to protect themselves and their families! That is a stupid as saying people would be safer on the roads if it were illegal to wear seat belts! Or kids would be safer if they were never taught how to swim.

It sounds to me like most of Town Council was trying to pull a fast one – giving short notice and rushing through the discussion, a hearing, and vote on the same night. Bad mistake, as VCDL has lots of active members in all parts of the Commonwealth looking out for gun control to rear its ugly head.

Might Town Council try this again, when things have died down? Since they lied to us about this attempt, it’s quite possible and we need to keep them under a microscope from here on out. Let this be a reminder to all of us to keep our eye on our local government!

3. Reminder: VCDL membership meeting in Danville on Sunday, November 16, 3pm

4. VCDL Virtual membership meeting on November 9

VCDL will have its monthly virtual membership meeting on Sunday, November 9, at 8pm. More information will be provided as the date gets closer. (post script: you can watch the video here.)



5. Anti-Gunners Just Obliterated Their Own Gun-Control Myth

Do more guns equal more crime? Apparently not:

https://www.ammoland.com/2025/10/anti-gunners-just-obliterated-the-greatest-gun-control-myth/

6. Last week’s item on VSSA suing Culpeper County appears to be an AI fake

Member Tim F. went to investigate a Culpeper zoning ordinance for ranges that was mentioned in last week’s VCDL Update. It turns out that the article was fake and written using artificial intelligence (AI). It fooled me and the member who forwarded it to me.

We will all have to be on the lookout for this new kind of fake news, which can be very convincing, going forward.

7. Goochland Gun works is hiring!

If you are a gunsmith and looking for a fulltime job, here is a job opportunity offered by Goochland Gun Works:

NOW HIRING – FULL-TIME GUNSMITH
Goochland Gun Works is seeking a professional gunsmith to join our operation. This is a full-time position. We need someone who can contribute to an active workflow quickly.

ABOUT THE ROLE
You will be responsible for diagnostics, mid-stream repairs, complete builds, and maintaining workflow accuracy under existing SOPs. Our shop runs on standard procedures and organized parts systems — the right hire will adapt into that framework rather than reinventing it.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
✔ Prior professional gunsmithing experience in a retail or manufacturing environment
✔ Strong mechanical aptitude with AR-platform competence (trainable on our specific setups)
✔ Ability to follow SOPs and maintain clean documentation of work performed
✔ Self-directed work ethic — able to carry tasks without constant supervision

PLUS, NOT REQUIRED
– Certified armorer (Glock, Sig, Colt, etc.)
– NRA Gunsmithing Cert or graduation from recognized gunsmithing program

CULTURE FIT

Fast-paced shop. If you work clean, communicate clearly, and respect the process, you’ll be an asset here.

COMPENSATION
Pay based on experience and capability.

TO APPLY
Send a brief summary of your professional gunsmithing background and sample work history or portfolio to: info@goochlandgunworks.com

8. “I just took Everytown’s online firearm training course…”

When VCDL first learned of Everytown offering “firearm training,” we knew it was going to be something negative. Everytown certainly didn’t disappoint on that:

https://thegunwriter.substack.com/p/i-just-took-everytowns-online-firearm

9. More info on the P320

More on my take of the Sig P320 “uncommanded discharge” issue.

SOME HISTORY

In a previous VA-ALERT, I explained how some on social media were recreating a P320 “uncommanded discharge” by merely wiggling the slide. But it wasn’t that simple. They used a screw or other device to hold the trigger back to just after the wall, and they would then wiggle the slide. The gun would fire a primed cartridge, and I would roll my eyes.

I included a video of someone doing the same thing to ten other brands of striker-fired pistols (Glock, Springfield Armory, Walther, etc.) and all had the same “uncommanded discharge.”

The explanation is simple. When the trigger is pulled back, it disables the striker-block safety, and it lowers the sear to where it is just barely holding onto the striker. Since the sear is in the frame and the striker is in the slide, even a tiny movement of the slide can cause the striker to slip off the sear with such a tenuous connection between the two. With the striker block safety disabled by the trigger being partially pulled, the gun will discharge. So, these videos were red herrings.

I recently found a video that shows some simple steps to verify that your P320’s safety features are all functioning correctly.

The first part of the video shows how to verify the striker-block safety in the slide is working. If you have a striker-fired pistol, Sig or any other brand, it is a good idea to check that safety on your gun. I do it whenever I clean a striker-fired pistol. The shape and location of the safety on the slide varies by manufacturer, but how it works is basically the same.

The second part of the video tests to make sure that if an external force pushes down on the sear, without the trigger being pulled, that the striker-block safety is not disabled. If the P320 is working correctly, the gun won’t fire when the striker slips off the externally depressed sear.

As the video also shows, if the Sig P320 is improperly reassembled, it can cause the sear to be barely holding on to the striker. Manipulating the slide in that mode can cause the striker to slip off the sear, but either the second sear or the striker-block safety will keep the gun from firing. In practice, this is not as dangerous as it might seem, as the gun is designed so that you cannot put a magazine into the gun to load it if the gun is not properly reassembled.

All the safeties on my P320s were operating properly. I purposely misassembled my P320s and if I manipulated the slide for a minute or so I got two of them to drop the striker. And in both cases, the striker block safety worked, and the firing pin never made it through the hole in the breach. The other P320s simply would not drop the striker.

Here is the video showing how to do the above simple tests that only require a field strip:

https://www.youtube.com/live/0INmpFYGyy4

10. Virginia State Police email regarding no more UBCs

This email went to gun dealers and others:

From: Firearms (VSP) firearms@vsp.virginia.gov
Date: Fri, Oct 31, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Subject: PRIVATE SALES

*** Effective immediately ****

Private Sale Background Checks No Longer Available / Required

In compliance with the injunction and final order entered by the Circuit Court for the City of Lynchburg in Raul Wilson, Wyatt Lowman, Virginia Citizens Defense League, Gun Owners of America, Inc, and Gun Owners Foundation v. Colonel Matther D. Hanley, CL25000582-00, October 29, 2025, “[t]he Virginia Department of State Police, and all law enforcement divisions, agencies, and officers within the Commonwealth, to include their successors or replacements in office, are hereby permanently enjoined and prohibited from administering; enforcing, or otherwise imposing upon any person the requirements of, the Act (Va. Code § 18.2-308.2:5).”

The Order prohibits the State Police from running, or assisting in the running, of private sale background checks pursuant to the provisions of § 18.2-308.2:5.

Virginia law currently does not require, and VSP will not provide, criminal history background checks for the private sale of firearms. 

As of 3pm today, the radio button that allows Dealers to mark a transaction as PRIVATE SALE will be DISABLED.