Alexandria Virginia PD Targeting Gun Owners

Alexandria Virginia PD Targeting Gun Owners
Alexandria Virginia PD Targeting Gun Owners (click to view larger)
Virginia Citizens Defense League
Virginia Citizens Defense League

Covington VA –-(Ammoland.com)- The Alexandria police department has its officers going business to business, providing a flyer with **misinformation** on Virginia’s gun laws, targeting mostly open carry.

Unfortunately for the police, a Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) member was present when they came into a restaurant this morning, handed a flyer to the owner, and chatted with the owner for a few minutes.

Afterward, the restaurant owner showed the Virginia Citizens Defense League member the flyer and said that the police told him that he didn’t have to allow open carry and if he saw somebody doing so, he could call the police!

While true – a business owner can call the police to enforce a trespass charge – it is certainly out of the ordinary for the police come into a business out of the blue and encourage a business owner to infringe on his customer’s civil liberties.

The flyer particularly endangers 18 to 20 year olds as it incorrectly tells a store owner that if they see someone under 21-years-old with a handgun on their hip, that is illegal!   That is NOT true and having the police show up on a bogus “man with a gun” call endangers everyone unnecessarily.

The flyer also makes these other FALSE claims about the law, which again could lead to unnecessary man-with-a-gun calls to the police:

  • Open carry is not legal in churches
  • Open carry is not legal in government buildings (we’ll show that’s not true when we flood their city hall on Saturday, December 13th – see below).

The flyer makes a point of saying that sometimes gun owners hold “demonstrations or events” to raise awareness of the constitutional right to keep and bear arms and those events “may cause alarm” and to call the police if the store owner sees “anything suspicious or of concern.”

Alexandria Virginia PD Targeting Gun Owners
Alexandria Virginia PD Targeting Gun Owners

Aside from the blatant falsehoods, the flyer appears designed to demonize lawful open carry and to confuse and scare the business into calling the police to confront law-abiding gun owners.  It does this by citing laws regarding reckless gun handling to paint a frightening image of gun owners brandishing and shooting up his establishment!

The police, of all people, should NOT mislead the public or actively seek to create a chilling effect on the exercise of civil liberties.

You can see a copy of the offending flyer by clicking here: https://vcdl.org/sites/default/files/Alexandria_Flyer.jpg

ACTION ITEMS

1.  So openly carried guns aren’t allowed in government buildings? Let’s flood City Hall with gun owners wearing “Guns Save Lives” stickers on Saturday, December 13th 2014 from 9:30 AM to 10 AM during the public comment period.  I will certainly be open carrying to make the point that it is NOT illegal and hopefully educate the police at the same time.  I will also address City Council about the egregiousness of the police targeting law-abiding gun owners exercising their right to openly carry handguns.

Address:

City Hall
Council Chamber
301 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

A big turnout would send a strong message that Virginia gun owners do not appreciate being discriminated against or having the police disseminating blatantly false, misleading, and inflammatory information to the public on gun laws.

2.  Let’s also flood City Council with webmail.  Click here:

https://request.alexandriava.gov/CCC/#tab=Departments&group=MayorandCityCouncil&service=CNC_GROUP

or https://tinyurl.com/lglaus8

Suggested comment:

The Alexandria police are providing false, misleading, and inflammatory flyers to businesses about gun owners openly carrying handguns.  It is not the role of the police to foment public bias against gun owners.  Direct the police department to stop handing out the offending flyers and spend their time looking for criminals instead of encouraging unnecessary confrontations with law-abiding citizens who are doing nothing more than exercising an important civil right.

 

About:
Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right. Visit: www.vcdl.org

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Robert Persons

I was at Alexandria City Hall this morning with my children and they were terrified. You all should be ashamed of yourselves.

John

I sent them a little message about the first amendment and reminded them of who pays their salaries. Also, let them know that I would patronize business only if they permit open or concealed carry, otherwise I will not spend a dime in the city ever again. I have in the past spent thousands of dollars in the city over the years. I will urge others to boycott them as well. Hit them in the purse, that always works.

schock

Perhaps it would be beneficial/helpful to each of us who are not well-versed in the Open Carry Laws of Virginia to have an article put into the newsletter that will give us the “gospel truth” as to what the laws states regarding OPEN CARRY..

I would find that very informative and helpful.

Thanks you.

Stephen

Eric

In the immortal words of Nuremberg -Superior orders , you say you were following orders , but it was still illegal so you all are guilty.

A. Veteran

To my Brothers and Sisters in Law Enforcement. As long as you honor your oaths, the majority of the nations Armed Forces Veterans have your back. Violate that oath ,and in future I assure you we will have your heads on a plate or pike. Glad we could clear this up. Be safe out there.

GenEarly

Northern VA may as well be in MD as far as the LEO’s are concerned. This “plan” was probably hatched at Herr Holder’s Dept. of Injustice and slated for like minded Polezi nationwide. CYA, comrades. The USSA is here.

Vanns40

If you go be sure and strictly observe the parking regulations. Alexandria parking enforcement people are despicably efficient in enforcing the regulations TO THE MINUTE.

mikrat

ahh yes more of those “Good” cops just following corporate policy (orders).