Gun Giveaway: Free Guns In Virginia
YOU would expect Virginia to be the last place in the United States to hold a “gun giveaway” so soon after the deadliest mass shooting in American history. But if you get your gun-hungry paws down to Fairfax County on Thursday you could win a semiautomatic pistol, a hunting rifle or some ammo.
Yes siree! In protest at New York mayor Michael Bloomberg’s crackdown on unscrupulous Virginia gun dealers, the Virginia Citizens Defense League has commandeered a government building to hold a firearms raffle. And according to the New York Sun, the attendees will all be packing.
“League members routinely lobby the Virginia General Assembly with guns on their hips,” the Sun reports, adding. “Fairfax County officials are furious about a gun event staged in a government building but say they can’t do much to stop it because the General Assembly won’t allow local governments to ban the possession of guns in public buildings.”
Mayor Bloomberg is leading a crackdown on Virginia gun dealers after a number of weapons used in New York crimes were traced to Virginia. He recently sent investigators to the state to conduct “straw purchases,” in which one person fills out a form to buy a gun for someone else. So far, six dealers are being sued for such illegal sales.
Are Virginians happy that a fellow American is stepping in to fight the sale of illegal guns? Not when he’s a billionaire from the North.
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine told the Washington Post: “I want to enforce the laws, the law needs to be enforced, but I don’t think you should have out there a bunch of rogue folks.”
The state’s attorney general, Robert McDonnell, warned Bloomberg that his undercover tactics “will be punishable as a felony in Virginia.”
As for the Virginia Citizens Defense League. It’s president Philip Van Cleave called Bloomberg a “vigilante” and claimed the league was “trying to protect the gun stores that Bloomberg attacked.”
Their solution is the raffle which is open to anyone who spends more than $100 on a weapon from two of the gun stores being sued by New York City. The money will help pay the store owners’ legal fees.
But the raffle is not popular with everyone. Virginia Delegate Adam Ebbin labelled the event “embarrassing” and said, “It would be nice if they put their energy into making sure people who shouldn’t have guns don’t, instead of passing around extra guns.”
And a commenter on the Washington Post website remarked: “While I am proud to live in Arlington, there are often times that I am embarrased to live in Virginia. This is certainly one of them. I keep waiting for the state to join the late 20th, let alone early 21st century, to no avail.”
Posted: 15th, May 2007 | In: Anorak In New York Comments (12) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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December 23rd, 2008 at 12:23 am
Heroin is outlawed in all 50 states AND most countries. Yet is is easy to buy on the streets of any city in America. Don’t blame Va. for NYCs murders. Blame NYCs murderers.
November 8th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I belive in the right to bear arms! But only for me to carry them - not others!
November 8th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
A tragedy has unfolded in the US where an 8 year old shot his father and another man.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7717545.stm
November 8th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
The first recorded murder in the history of mankind did not involve guns. Just as Cain rose up and killed Able, so too, any man or woman whose heart is set on murder will accomplish the act regardless of the tool/tools used.
I think that the whole “Gun Control” bit is a sham, a con, a conspiracy if you will to regulate yet another of americas freedoms.
Facts speaking louder than all other words - go to http://www.justfacts.com and find out the number of gun-related murders, accidents, etc., and then compare that number with the FACT that there are 300 million people in this country. I believe you will find, as I did, that alot of time and effort is being spent to control a freedom - not a fault!
May 20th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
Sharon Dupree,
Surely as a prosecutor you realize that the vigilante tactics used by Bloomberg, without the knowledge of Virginia law enforcement, potentially subvert ongoing criminal investigations by REAL law enforcement, not just private investigators. Also, after viewing Bloomberg’s evidence, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms found no criminal intent and no prosecutable offenses committed by the gun dealers. They also complained about the Mayor’s rogue tactics interfering with their own federal investigations. In fact the only crime there is evidence of was committed by the private investigators when they made the “straw purchases.” In the end, with no crime found by actual law enforcement authorities, Bloomberg had to resort to civil litigation to try to bankrupt the gun shops with legal fees. So Sharon, imagine if some billionaire with a grudge against you tried to hold you hostage in court with frivolous lawsuits until you were penniless, even though you never committed any crime.
McAttack has a good point too. I think Virginia should sue Mayor Bloomberg for not controlling all the drugs and criminals that New York City sends down here.
-DK in Richmond, Virginia.
May 20th, 2007 at 5:45 am
Virginia has some of the most stringent gun transfer laws of any state - see http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/forum54/2647.html.
As for gun carry laws, Virginia is about normal for most states - 18 to carry handguns openly (no license needed), 21 plus permit to carry concealed. See http://www.OpenCarry.org.
May 18th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Sorry, also want to point out that the guns are being LEGALLY purchased in VA for the most part. Then they are handed off, sold second hand, stolen, etc. by 2nd and 3rd parties. How is the dealer responsible?
Do you hold the Ford car dealer liable when somebody uses a Mustang to run over his ex-wife?
May 18th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
I respect all opinions in this matter, but a LOT of information is being left out of these news reports:
1. All recipients of guns must pass background checks, which are MORE stringent in VA than in many states (both a state AND fed check must be conducted). Did you folks know that? Didn’t think so. Didn’t know there is a one-handgun-per-month law, either, did you?
2. Bloomberg did some VERY shady things in setting up these gun dealers. He used husband and wife teams to do his ’straw purchases.’ News reports are trying to paint gun dealers as selling to anybody to make a fast buck. The FACT is that NY private investigators posed as middle class husbands and wives, where the husband talked and the wife filled out the paperwork. Technically, against the law. But in reality, very shady. What, should gun dealers not sell to anyone other than single people who walk through the door?
May 18th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
So some people in Virginia get upset when a ”bunch of rouge folks” come down to help them inforce the gun laws. Yet you can bet if someone in their neighboring states started handing out drugs to their citizens, they would make a lot of noise about drug laws being ignored in other states and insist something be done to protect their own law abiding citizens!. And what terrible timing with regards to the horrible scene at Virginia Tech. I bet a lot of citizens of W. Virginia are embarrassed & disapointed in the knuckleheads behind this.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
WHATS THE ADDRESS???
May 16th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
As a former prosecutor I am disgusted with the attitude of Robert McDonnell. This appears to be more of a testosterone issue for him than one of a public safety measure meant to prevent injury and/or loss of life. As the Attorney General, he is supposed to keep his personal emotions out of law enforcement matters. Would it take the people who are transporting these weapons out of Virginia to stay there and use them or sell them to someone else who uses them for him to cooperate?
Everyone acted so shocked that the incident at Virginia Tech happened and I don’t understand why they were so surprised. Promoting unlimited guns as an answer to gun violence is like giving unlimited drugs to a junkie: The situation is guaranteed to get worse. The bizarre rhetoric that, “Guns don’t kill people- people do”, is just another way of condoning and continuing the violence this country.
was built upon.
I live in a gun control state, and like it is in New York, too many guns come from states without effective gun control laws into my state.
May 15th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
Virginia Tec and now this? Guns don’t kill people…