Anyone have any pics or videos of Lobby Day they want to share?

heres some of the the "good guys" and the antis as well.

THE ANTIS:

















The GOOD GUYS

Looks like the Anti's had a decent size group of idiots. Bloomberg must have doubled his payment.

Would have thought VCDL would have had a larger turnout.

Yeah, you WOULD think that, right?

But of all the times I've been going, this was the SMALLEST turnout I've seen, and I am pretty disgusted by it.

We are our own worse enemy, and the apathy of my fellow gun owners quite frankly disgusts me.

Excuses are cheap.

I think turnout was slightly--just slightly--better than last year, but last year was horrible.  Let's be honest with ourselves - we had more people than the antis, but (based on the photos above) not by that much.

I agree with bulldog1967.  Why are 300 gun owners carrying the weight for hundreds of thousands of gun owners across the state?  Election Day is still the most important day to show up, but Lobby Day is not far behind that.

We are too complacent based on past successes and a deceiving numerical advantage in the House of Delegates.  By my last count there were 67 Republican delegates, 32 Democrats, and 1 independent who is essentially a Democrat.  Not all 67 Republicans are pro-gun.  And there are plenty of very pro-gun delegates and Senators who are in competitive districts.  Richard Anderson, Jackson Miller, Dick Black, and a few others come to mind first.  These particular three are all solid and I worry about them losing their seats long before they would betray us, but not every Republican in the caucus has that much integrity.  There are probably at least a handful who would sell us out on certain issues (like "universal background checks") if they thought it would help them win.

Personally, I went to two lobby days and I didn't feel like it did much good.  There wasn't any dialogue with a politician, it was just walking around and handing a piece of paper to them (or usually their assistant).

I had hoped it would be more "town hall" like or something where we could have a back and forth.  The speeches that people gave at the two I went to were mostly decent, but there wasn't a politician around.

I dunno.  I didn't see much value in it.  And I don't feel like taking 10% of my yearly vacation days (we didn't get 1/19 as a holiday) to stand around and feel like I'm doing no good.

I support VCDL and the NRA monetarily when I can and as much as I can.
I email my representatives every chance I get to remind them they work for me.
I do not get MLK day off, therefore, working to provide for my family took precedence over lobby day.

It is quite offensive to be told I should be ashamed that I didn't go to Lobby Day. I would find it more shameful if I was unable to put food on my family's table.

I have emailed Sen Newman and Rep Garrett twice now over McAwful's proposals.

It's not SUPPOSED to be like this.  The group you're with should have DIRECT dialogue with each delegate or senator you visit.  Granted, you won't be in their office for long, but you should have an opportunity (or at least your group leader should) to speak your mind about specific bills or issues.  

That said, your body in those offices and hallways wearing a bright orange GSL sticker I believe sends a strong message that we are here, we are watching and we vote.  It's an intangible effect, but one that needs to happen, I believe.  

The snarky side of me says "if you do nothing, then don't come here and bitch when your rights get eroded by politicians".  But I don't know what else you might be doing over the course of the year to address your politicians, so I wouldn't say that in the case.

Both of the times I went, when the team leader DID get to talk it was just to the politicians that were already on "our side".  The ones on the fence usually just had their assistants take documents from us and that was that.  Same for antis, mostly.  If there ever was a dialogue, it didn't go beyond the typical 30 second soundbites and felt to me like it was a waste of time.

It's definitely good to have the larger numbers.  The two years I went were the year of the VT shooting and the year after it.  The numbers were hugely lopsided, and that was the main thing I was proud of afterwards.  But if I was asked what I actually DID to promote the cause.... I couldn't definitively say that I did.

You could maybe say that I'm the anti-Colin Goddard of our side.  I was the college student who wanted to carry and met with VT officials about carrying and DID carry and had a history of carrying on campus in classes and was SUPPOSED to be in the first classroom the shooter went into.  But I never stood on a podium.

I just do e-mails to the politicians.  I'm spending more of my time fighting my local zoning bureaucrats these days over the placement of a 10'x10' shed on an 8 acre property...  

Also, I'd like to know how many of those "moms" are actually from VA.

I know that not everyone can make it but IF you can please do. its a few hours of one day a year.
Remember....the squeaky wheel gets the grease. We can do the squealing or the soccer moms can do the squealing. Personally I dont want them getting the grease.....because we will get the SHAFT!!!

All those law makers seeing those orange stickers tells them something. And if its dwindles down...that tells them something too, especially when those orange stickers are replaced with yellow stickers.


I'm not going to make excuses ...I'm showing up!!!!   It's the least I can do to preserve gun rights for myself and my son.

Your story would be a good one to tell in the face to face meetings with legislators on Lobby Day.

Your point about questioning what good you did by being at Lobby Day is an important one - I do believe that each and every person we have at Lobby Day adds value, but perhaps we have not done as good a job as we need to of explaining why that is.  I'll try to put together some points once I've had time to think it through.  Perhaps we could create a short handout that VCDL could use to explain to people why Lobby Day is important and what good each and every person who attends Lobby Day does for the cause.  The purpose of each engagement with legislators is different depending on whether they are friend, enemy, or something in between - but our presence (and our numbers) on Lobby Day sends an important message to each one of those groups of legislators.

I've only been able to tell the story to a legislator one time.  He was actually a college professor for me in WV when he was an acting sheriff.  He spent the first 20 minutes of class talking about how the Patriot Act gave up freedom for security, and how that is deplorable.  He declared to the entire class that he got an A rating from the NRA, and he only didn't get an A+ because he didn't think "drunk kids should be able to carry guns around at school".  The class nodded and some laughed.

When he said that it was easy for him to see that I was highly irked.  I was normally the person that he loved to talk to during the class about the perspectives from the class, because I thought things out very thoroughly.  There were actually a few times that I explained his position to the class better than he did.  He respected me, and I respected him.  After he saw that his statement irritated me, he stopped the class and said "I see you disagree, Mr. Maverick, do you feel differently?"

I'll try to remember exactly what I said... it was damn near perfect... I said something like:

"I find it very interesting that a person as politically correct as yourself still finds it a safe bet to stereotype college students into being just a bunch of drunk idiots.  I also find it interesting that after spending 20 minutes talking about how we shouldn't give up freedom for safety, you do a complete 180 and say that you think we should.  However, let's look at that a little more closely.  VT was a gun free zone.  The idiot (I refuse to call him by his name) that shot up the school passed a background check.  He carried just two handguns in 9mm and in .22LR.  By all accounts he was shooting fish in a barrel.  Let's play through this logically.  Sheriff ______, if you got a call that this school was being shot up, how long would it take your officers to get here?"

"About 3 minutes."

"3 minutes.  That's a pretty good response time.  Do we all in this room no how long 3 minutes actually is when someone is executing your class mates?  What would your officers do when they got here?"

"Um, uh...."

"I'll tell you what they'd do.  They'd probably stand outside.  At Columbine, at Virginia Tech, any of these shootings, the first responders waited outside for more first responders until they made entry.  Does the class know that the police have no obligation to protect us?  Legally speaking, supported by the supreme court, they can just sit outside and contain the threat.  And that's typically what actually happens until the entry teams show up.  And how long would it take for them to get here, get their gear on, set up a plan, and begin to execute that plan, Sheriff?"

"Maybe 8 minutes."

"8 minutes sounds like a believable estimate, maybe a little optimistic.  From the time the Virginia Tech police got the first 911 call to the time that the doors in the building were breached, 11 minutes passed by according to reports.  When those doors were breached by shotgun, it's said that the shooter shot himself in the head immediately.  That gave him 11 minutes.  11 minutes to do whatever it is he wanted.  And as soon as that coward was challenged, he did us all a favor and put a bullet in his brain.  Do we want to sit here for 11 minutes in silence and see how long that is?"

I looked around the room, and people were definitely getting the picture.

"Now Sheriff, we just listened to you go on and on for 20 minutes about how we should NEVER trade freedom for security.  And I agree with you.  Yet in this stance, you want to continue a policy of gun free zones that is completely toothless and has not been shown to work.   So, what you are ACTUALLY supporting in this case is for us to trade freedom for FALSE security."

I let that sink in for a moment.  The Sheriff was completely shocked.

"One interesting piece of information... I was supposed to be in the first classroom that the shooter went into that day.  I never followed Tech's weapons policy.  I had a gun with me that day.  Had I been there, things would have turned out very, very differently.  I think it's about time that we are honest with people and tell them that their security is their own responsibility.  Do not trade freedom away for false security."

He let class out early that day after that.  I waited until everyone left, and I walked up to him and apologized for getting emotional during my speech.  He said not to worry about it, and he said "thank you".  And we shook hands and I went on my way.  That was the last day that I carried a gun in class.  On my way to school the next day I called my parents and I told them that I couldn't chance carrying to class anymore, and that I needed them to promise me that if anything happened to me at school because I didn't have my gun with me, they should sue the living shit out of whatever school I was attending.

Luckily they never had to do that.  This man is still a Senator in the WV senate.  It was one of my favorite classes, and except for that moment I absolutely loved how he handled himself in discussions, debates, and declarations of his positions.  Still respect him.

Emily Miller's Speech at Lobby Day:



David Codrea's speech:



David Codrea's writeup of his experience at Lobby Day:

Link

"It was a very worthwhile experience, absolutely time well spent. If you’re a Virginian and you don’t belong to VCDL, you’re hurting yourself and you’re hurting volunteers who could really use your help. Not only do they stand guard protecting and advancing all of our rights, but there are some great individuals I'd happily welcome more opportunities to learn from, to work with, and just to hang around with."

I agree!

Not hating on David Codrea's speech ...

... but wow ...

Emily Miller is quite a woman.  And a tough act to follow.  (I watched the videos in display order.)

Her extemporaneous comments should be pointed to with high-praise -- and endorsed -- by "feminists" across the Nation.  Something tells me this will not happen, however.  And the reason I believe it won't happen, is because Emily isn't unique.  Women who approach with an open mind the question, "Should I exercise my right of self-protection?"*, mostly end up like Emily.  And this intrudes on the oppressive ... err .... progressive ... errr ... libtard agenda.

Emily's uniqueness is her candid and engaging manner of describing her earnest examination of alternatives for personal safety.  And candidly sharing those thoughts.  And describing her efforts to satisfy the banana-republic stance of the regime in DC.  Bully to her.  And bully to VCDL for inviting Emily to share her views on Lobby Day.

Thanks for filming, editing, and posting the videos, bulldog1967, as well as for all of your efforts (over the years!) on the behalf of Virginians.

And if you'll pardon the call back to Governor William J. Le Petomane, a big "harrumph" for VCDL!

We know the 2A is intended to ensure rights 'endowed by the Creator' are not infringed.  It's not a 'second amendment right to keep and bear arms.'  It's a second amendment dictate that 'the right can not be infringed.'  It's easy to lose sight of this, so I thought to mention it for the uninitiated who happen across this thread.  

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* The right of self-protection in Virginia is more tangible in George Mason's description, "That all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety."  The Jeffersonian equivalent is in the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Listening to your story and the compelling way in which you tell it, you should be a team leader for Lobby Day, not just a participant!

I got a pretty awesome photo with Dick Heller.

I've always wanted to take on a bigger role at Lobby Day than just standing in the back. One year I spoke up during some sub-committee meetings, but that's been about it. My delegate is the head of the Militia, Police, and Public Safety committee and he is well aware of where I stand. He is a consistent pro-freedom voter.