Officials Furious Over “Gun Giveaway” Inside Government Building

May-15-07

A gun-rights organization is planning to hold a “gun-giveaway” on Thursday at the Mason District Government Center in Annandale, Virginia to protest New York City Mayor Bloomberg's efforts to crack down on allegedly illegal gun sales in Virginia.

The event will also lend support to two Virginia gun shop owners who have been sued by the mayor. The Virginia Citizens Defense League is sponsoring the event and will hold a drawing for a semiautomatic pistol, a hunting rifle, and ammunition to raise money for two gun shops that Bloomberg has filed suit against.

Fairfax County officials are furious 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.

"These people have concealed-weapons permits, and we know they are packing, but they are legal," Fairfax Supervisor Penelope Gross, a Democrat of Mason told the Washington Post. "I swore to uphold the law, whether I like it or don't, and I don't."

League members are reported to routinely lobby the Virginia General Assembly with guns on their hips. No permit is needed if someone 18 or older wants to carry a gun in plain sight in Virginia. The league, which says it has 3,300 members, sent out an e-mail this past week reminding members that "lawful gun carry is optional at the Bloomberg Gun Giveaway."

The Citizens Defense League organized the event  to raise money for Bob Moates Sport Shop in Richmond and Old Dominion Gun and Tackle in Danville, two of the six Virginia dealers New York has sued. Bloomberg alleges that Virginia is a major contributor to violent crime in New York.

According to the lawsuit filed a year ago in federal court in Brooklyn, the city alleges that Bob Moates and Old Dominion Gun illegally sold guns to Mayor Bloomberg's undercover agents.

Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, said, "We are trying to protect the gun stores that Bloomberg attacked." He called the Republican mayor "a vigilante. He has come into Virginia and taken the law into his own hands."

To help pay the gun dealers' legal fees, the league has encouraged people to buy weapons from the Moates and Old Dominion stores. Those who spend more than $100 will have their names entered into Thursday's drawing. Winners will be able to view the guns at the meeting but will take possession of their weapon at a gun shop after filling out the paperwork, Mr. Van Cleave said.

The Virginia Citizens Defense League was formed in 1994 to fight for the rights of people who want to carry concealed weapons.

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