C.o.T.M.

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10. A visit to the AAF Tank Museum

John Wilburn emailed me this story about his experience at the anti-gun AAF Tank Museum in Danville. VCDL members have already contacted the museum owner in large numbers asking the museum to change its anti-gun policies, but to no avail. That museum is a disgrace to the memory of the soldiers who fought to protect the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

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Hello Mr. Van Cleave,

I just thought I would share my experience of going to the AAF Tank Museum in Danville, VA. I did not even think to check the Gun Owner-Unfriendly list as this is a memorial to those who fought FOR our second amendment rights. If he is paying tribute to that.... Anyway, I got there and saw a sea of signs posted, no firearms among them. Upon entering the building I saw a bag-check table to the right, but that was not being used. I entered the lobby to the left and was greeted with "how many (in your party)" and then asked immediately if I was carrying a firearm!. I defaulted to the truth and said "Yes, I am legally carrying." The Employee asked me to disarm before entering and I did so, leaving my piece in my truck.

I did ask the employee for the owners name, William Gasser, and I then firmly but politely expressed my displeasure with the policy both to her and in the guest registry comments. She voluntarily offered that he is from New York (what a shocker). Upon browsing the museum, there were more signs, directions, and prohibitions than anywhere I have ever been, government buildings included. Also, prior to closing time, the owner shut out the lights early before we had even left the exhibit hall. The mild-mannered, polite, 16 year old boy accompanying me (whom I mentor) said, "This guy must be really insecure."

That museum is a treasure chest of military history, a SUPER gun collection, and a great place to learn, but his freedom-hating policy is quite troubling. I don't write to you in hopes that you can change Mr. Gasser's attitude of distrust for gun owners other than himself (who apparently owns more guns than anyone I know), but rather to share my experience with this Gun-Owner Unfriendly establishment for anyone who may be thinking of going.

Kind regards,

John

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11. No charges in accidental death at Rampart Range firing range

Ben Piper emailed me this story. Anything mechanical can fail. Bottom line: never point a gun at anything you are not willing to destroy .

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http://tinyurl.com/ylgle29

www.gazette.com

Maria St.Louis-Sanchez

November 2, 2009

Investigators have decided not to file charges in the shooting death of an Aurora man last summer at the South Rampart Range Shooting Range in Pikes Peak National Forest west of Colorado Springs, saying it was an accident caused by a defective gun.

Prosecutors for the 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office said the evidence was insufficient to file criminal charges against Timothy Curtis for shooting Otis Freison Jr. on July 18. The shooting prompted the U.S. Forest Service to shut down the unsupervised shooting range.

Curtis told investigators he had finished shooting his Smith & Wesson SW9VE semiautomatic pistol that day and was walking toward Freison when he dropped the slide on the pistol and it discharged without him pulling the trigger. The bullet hit Freison in the chest and Curtis and other friends immediately called 911 and tried to save Freison's life. He was pronounced dead by paramedics when they arrived.

Investigators said Curtis and Freison were close friends who were not fighting that day and Curtis was very distraught.

A forensic firearms examiner investigated Curtis' pistol and discovered there was a defect which could cause it to discharge when the slide was dropped even if the trigger wasn't pulled. Because of the gun examination, the El Paso County Coroner had left the cause of Freison's death to be undetermined.

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12. VA-ALERT reader responds to safety of .357 Sig ammunition

VA-ALERT reader Bob Bray emailed me this response to item #14 "Is .357 Sig ammunition safe?" in VCDL Update 11/6/09.

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Philip

I've been concerned about bullet setback in the 357 Sig conversion barrel in my Keltec P11. This pistol has a steep ramp angle when the short barrel tilts down during loading and unloading. A consequence of this is greater rearward force on bullets being pushed against the ramp while the magazine

feed lips are holding the cartridge a few degrees above horizontal.

I've had a mind to complain to the ammomakers about the need for a canelure to resist bullet setback.

Iron curtain countries long ago unanimously indented the 7.62x25 Tokarev's short neck with pointed punch marks to resist bullet setback.

I would suggest an angled canelure, providing a wall for the case mouth to be rolled into and not the standard coined style which doesn't have the wall.

Bob Bray

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13. Reminder: VCDL to address Portsmouth Mayor on Tuesday, November 10 at 7 PM

I will be asking Mayor Holley to drop out of Bloomberg's disgraceful Mayors Against Illegal Guns (real name: Mayors Against Guns, Period).

If you are in the area, come to show support!

Portsmouth

Mayor James Holley

801 Crawford St.

November 10, 7 PM

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14. Richmond meeting - full house!

We now have 70 people RSVPd for the VCDL membership meeting at Unos in Midlothian this Thursday, November 12th!

We have blown past this size of the private room we were going to use and the manager is working on having us in the main dining area to accommodate the crowd.

Uno Chicago Grill

13933 Hull Street Road

Midlothian, VA 23112

The restaurant is about 2.5 west of 288 on Hull Street Road (360).

The meeting will start at 7:30 PM and will end at 9 PM. Fellowship begins at 7:00 PM. People can order appetizers during the meeting if they wish.

Following the meeting, those who wish to have dinner and continue their fellowship will simply stay at the restaurant.

NOTE: This is a very gun-owner friendly restaurant, which has specifically welcomed us to have our meeting there - so let's have a good turnout to thank them for their hospitality. They have excellent food, too.

Those who wish to carry will have to do so openly as they do serve alcohol on premise.

As with all of our membership meetings, it is open to the public, so bring family, friends, and coworkers.

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VA-ALERT is a project of the 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.

VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org [http://www.vcdl.org/]