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No matter how devoted you are to multitasking, some things obviously shouldn't be done simultaneously, such as driving and putting on mascara. State Sen. Kenneth Stolle, R-Virginia Beach, wants to add drinking and hunting to that list. Since it's already illegal in the commonwealth to hunt while under the influence of alcohol or drugs , Stolle's bill (SB 1149) -- which the state Senate passed unanimously -- would set the blood alcohol limit for hunters (.02) even lower than it now is for drivers (.08). Who'd have a problem with that? The Newington-based Virginia Citizens Defense League apparently does. VCDL...

Gun rights lobbyists said yesterday that they will sue the state for its ban on weapons at the state Capitol. "They've given us no choice, we're preparing to file a lawsuit," said Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League. The new ban, implemented last year by a handful of powerful lawmakers without a public hearing, forbids anyone without a concealed-weapons permit to openly carry weapons into the Capitol or the General Assembly building nearby.

Gun control bills at the Virginia General Assembly usually enjoy the fate of a wounded quail in hunting season. It’s only a matter of time ’til death comes calling. Bills piled already on this year’s dust heap include proposals to ban guns in libraries and day-care centers and to close a glaring loophole in gun-show regulation. A companion bill to the latter still lives in the House, but surely not for long.

This is the text of an alert from VCDL: Guys and Gals, In a bizarre turn of events in yesterday's Militia, Police and Public Safety, several key gun bills did not get heard and will be dead for the year unless we can convince Republican leadership to get the bills heard on Monday (cross-over day is Tuesday and it will be too late then). The most important pro-gun bills that did not get heard are: HB 2424 - Del. Cole's restaurant ban repeal HB 2935 - Del. Cline's bill to remove the Capitol gun ban (Sen. Cuccinelli's bill is dead...

By taking no action yesterday, two legislative committees left intact a new rule that bans people from openly carrying guns in the Capitol and General Assembly Building unless they hold a "concealed carry" permit. The Senate Rules and the House Militia, Police and Public Safety committees, in concurrent meetings yesterday morning, did not bring up bills that would drop the rule. Neither panel plans to meet again before Tuesday's deadline for the House and Senate to act on their own bills, essentially killing the measures.

To Philip Van Cleave, a new rule that bans people from openly carrying weapons in the Capitol unless they hold a concealed carry permit defies the Constitution. "Virginia has a proud history of law-abiding citizens being able to carry a gun without having to beg permission from the government," said Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League. "It flies in the face of the Second Amendment."

A small country store in rural Georgia became the site of bloodshed yesterday. According to the Associated Press, two men entered Shoats Grocery & Package with the intent of robbing the establishment. When the husband and wife owners failed to give them money quickly enough, one of the robbers shot at the husband, Bobby Doster. Fortunately, he missed. At that point both the Dosters each drew weapons and killed the robbers. While it is a tragedy that lives were lost, no reasonable person can argue that the Dosters were at any fault; the local officials in Georgia agree. It’s sad...

Backers of failed bill say state's resistance is known nationwide The Virginia Senate yesterday blocked renewed efforts to close a loophole in gun-control laws that allows people to buy weapons while avoiding on-the-spot criminal-background checks. "I beg you," said Sen. John Watkins, R-Powhatan, urging lawmakers to require the instant checks for all firearms purchases. Watkins, whose district includes part of Richmond, a city vexed by a stubbornly high homicide rate, opposed the measure in previous years. To prevent firearms from falling into the hands of criminals, Virginia has required for more than a decade that licensed dealers perform instant background...

Along with borrowed books, Virginians can continue to take guns into public libraries. The Senate Local Government Committee defeated 9-6 yesterday a bill that would let local governments ban guns from libraries. A House committee dumped similar legislation last week.

RICHMOND, Jan. 17 -- The metal detector just inside the doors of Virginia's General Assembly Building let out a shriek Monday as Stafford resident Bruce Jackson strode through. That was not at all surprising, since Jackson was wearing a loaded .45-caliber handgun under his blazer. On the other side of the gate, a uniformed Capitol Police officer examined his driver's license, then his concealed handgun permit, had a quick word and waved him along. The routine took only a few moments, but for Jackson and other members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, it required one step too many.

Do you want to carry in National Parks in your state (assume no state law against it)? Please read on! VCDL has finally got a Petition for Rule Making (PRM) ready to present to the Department of the Interior. Unlike writing letters to the Department of the Interior or signing regular petitions, all of which the DOI can ignore, the PRM will force the DOI to consider allowing permit holders to carry in National Parks. They will have to hold a public comment period. I will advise when that happens, as then we will need lots of comments sent to...

********************************************************************** 1. Keystone Kops at the Capitol ********************************************************************** Dennis O'Connor, myself, George Pettit, and Jim Kadison went to the Capitol last week to speak with a senator about a VCDL bill. Thanks to that trip, Dennis now has a new nickname: Dennis "Lightning rod" O'Connor. Dennis gets that well deserved nickname because he is always the one singled out for 'special' treatment ;-) I really don't know what it is about Dennis. Those of you who have met him will agree that he is a friendly-polite-Irish-Roman-Catholic-middle-aged-retired-soldier-turned-Libertarian (say THAT quickly 10 times). Dennis' special treatment last week started when he arrived...

Gun-rights advocates want to change a new state regulation approved by senior Virginia lawmakers without fanfare that bars anyone without a concealed-weapons permit from openly carrying weapons into the state Capitol in Richmond. The restriction, approved by the Joint Rules Committee earlier this spring, went unnoticed by many for months because the measure was not subject to a vote by the full legislature....

Dunblane, Scotland. March 13, 1996. A man walks into a school with a number of handguns and opens fire. Sixteen kindergarten children and a teacher are slaughtered. Britain reacts with such revulsion that Parliament enacts a nationwide ban on privately owned handguns. Littleton, Colorado. April 20, 1999. Two students at Columbine High School enter with a number of weapons including a modified semi-automatic handgun. The pair opens fire, killing twelve fellow students and a teacher. In the aftermath, the most significant change enacted is the placement of metal detectors at many U.S. schools. Private handguns remain plentiful in America. The...

RICHMOND, VA. - Something of a night owl, Philip Van Cleave likes to take walks around the lake in his subdivision around midnight. When he does, he "double carries" in case an assailant knocks one weapon out of his hand. It's not about fear, he said. "Who would do that if they were afraid? The word is preparedness." While he was growing up in Illinois, the only gun in Van Cleave's house was his BB gun. When he was 15, just as the family was moving to Texas, his father died suddenly. The next year, his mother bought him his...

Va. Group Openly Carries Guns in Its Effort to Change Laws RICHMOND -- Philip Van Cleave, a slight, balding, 52-year-old computer programmer, chose beige corduroys to wear this morning, a blue tie and a white shirt with thin blue strips. And a gun to match the outfit. Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, always carries a gun because you never know when you'll need it. But which one to carry and how can be complicated, he said, much like the choice a woman faces in accessorizing her outfit with the right shoes. Today, he picked a compact...

Those Open Arms Wednesday, July 28, 2004; Page A18 EVER SINCE July 1 -- when yet another gun-lovers' law loosened up Virginia's already lax governance of weapons -- it's been one big macho-fest for heat-packers who get their courage from strapping on pistols. Not every diner may relish the sight of six armed men at the next table, but unless the General Assembly comes to its senses next year, families out for a gathering will have to get used to pistols and ammo belts with their burgers and fries. .....

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) - Carrying a weapon in public is legal in Virginia, but it's also upsetting to some. One restaurant chain owner had employees at his four northern Virginia shops post signs last week prohibiting firearms and declaring themselves a "safe zone." Kevin M. Tracy, director of operations for The Bungalow, said the restaurants banned gun-toting customers in March after a man with a firearm strapped to his hip sat down in its Franconia restaurant and ordered a drink. The man properly asserted that Virginia law allows him to openly carry his weapon. But Tracy thinks guns, with the...

"The National Rifle Association has endorsed Del. John A. ``Jack" Rollison for re-election, infuriating his conservative opponent and several other gun groups"...