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Gun Group Asks Northam to Remove Restrictions on Indoor Ranges

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Virginia Citizens Defense League, who had a key role in the gun rally at the Virginia Capitol in January, want the Commonwealth’s gun ranges reclassified as essential businesses.

Virginia gun owners are calling on Gov. Ralph Northam to remove indoor gun ranges from the list of non-essential businesses closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Meanwhile, this comes as background checks for firearm purchases saw double digit growth from February to March. The Second Amendment advocacy group Virginia Citizens Defense League said that indoor ranges aren’t places of entertainment, rather places where people can practice lifesaving skills. 

The group has rallied its supporters to urge Northam to reconsider the closing of indoor ranges, which are part of two recent executive orders requiring Virginians to stay at home and non-essential businesses to close until June 10.

Under Northam’s orders, gatherings of 10 or more people are prohibited. Indoor gun ranges, along with many other businesses deemed recreational and entertainment facilities, have been required to close. That includes racetracks and historic horse racing facilities, bowling alleys, arcades and movie theaters. Beauty salons, spas, massage parlors and other non-essential establishments that can’t keep people more than six feet apart must close. 

A patron of an indoor gun range fires their rifle at a target downrange. (Photo by Vincent Baffa)

Essential businesses such as grocery and convenience stores, pharmacies, pet stores, electronic and hardware retailers, and banks can remain open.

“The governor’s view of ranges is that they are for entertainment, or that has been what he has classified them as,” VCDL President Philip Van Cleave said. “Ranges are where people get to practice lifesaving skills, and there are so many new gun owners now that have realized that their safety is in their own hands.”

Gun sales have spiked in some areas around the nation since the COVID-19 outbreak began, according to NPR. In Virginia, gun stores conducted 83,675 background checks in March, a 20 percent increase over January and February data, which were 68,420 and 67,257 respectively, according to FBI firearm background check statistics. Background checks are required for a purchase, but multiple firearms could be purchased for each background check.

Though Northam’s order does not designate firearm and ammunition retailers as essential retail businesses, they can remain open but must abide by the social distancing order and not allow more than 10 customers at a time.

The VCDL has sought legal counsel to push back against Northam’s executive order deeming indoor gun ranges as non-essential businesses, Van Cleave said. William J. Olson, the organization’s lawyer, sent two letters to Northam. The first asked for the indoor ranges to be removed from the list of non-essential businesses, and the second notified the governor of the Department of Homeland Security guidance to list jobs at gun manufacturers, retailers, and U.S. gun ranges as being part of the “essential critical infrastructure workforce.” 

Gun rights advocates chant “USA” as speakers address a crowd of over 10,000 in front of the State Capitol to advocate for Second Amendment protections. (Photo by Jeffrey Knight)

Citing the silence from the governor’s office and the issuing of Executive Order 55, which extended the timeline businesses must remain closed, Van Cleave said the VCDL Board of Directors voted to advance a lawsuit to put a stay on the closure of indoor gun ranges.

“The Board of Directors voted, and we are going to move forward with the lawsuit, but I can’t give any further details at this time,” Van Cleave said Wednesday.

Colonial Shooting Academy in Henrico County closed its indoor shooting ranges to comply with Northam’s order. Peyton Galanti, Colonial Shooting Academy’s marketing department manager, said the decision to close should be left up to businesses and not the governor.

“A lot of people don’t know that indoor gun ranges are under a lot of scrutiny with a lot of different government departments anyways,” Galanti said. 

Galanti explained that indoor ranges like Colonial Shooting Academy have to meet guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to include proper ventilation of indoor ranges due to lead particulates that are released when a gun is fired.

“The practices that we have on a daily basis are so much stronger than other businesses in terms of our cleaning standards on every level that we have to comply with.”

Van Cleave said that indoor ranges “can easily limit the number of people allowed” by putting an empty lane in between shooters to keep people several feet apart and comply with the governor’s order.

Gov. Ralph Northam speaks at a press conference about COVID-19 (photo courtesy of Gov. Northam’s Twitter @GovernorVA)

There are approximately 70 shooting ranges in Virginia, according to the National Rifle Association data. Northam’s order doesn’t include outdoor shooting ranges, though a majority of outdoor ranges require paid memberships. 

The VCDL also implored the governor to veto House Bill 264, which would require Virginians to take an in-person class and demonstrate competence with a firearm to obtain a concealed handgun permit, ending the current option to take an online class in order to qualify for such a permit.

“Applicants would be socially isolated, while still getting training. That would be impossible if HB 264 becomes law,” VDCL said in a newsletter.

If signed by Northam, HB 264 would take effect Jan. 1, 2021.

Written by Chip Lauterbach, Capital News Service. Top Photo: Thousands filled the streets around the Capitol to protest proposed gun legislation during a cold Lobby Day. Photo by Jeffrey Knight.

Amended Assault Firearm Bill Squeaks Out of House

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Gun rights groups don’t like it, but regardless, there’s an increasing possibility that the General Assembly will pass an assault weapons ban this year.

A controversial bill banning assault firearms passed the House this week along party lines, and after several amendments whittled away at certain requirements that had caused the loudest opposition. 

The House of Delegates passed HB 961 this week 51-48, which bans the sale of assault firearms and other firearm accessories. Sponsored by Del. Mark H. Levine, D-Alexandria, HB 961 is one of the many gun control efforts being introduced this session and backed by Gov. Ralph Northam.

The bill has been amended several times, and because of this Levine believes that lawmakers have reached the best compromise. Levine also said he wants to counter misinformation being used by pro-gun groups.

“There have been a lot of scare tactics being used,” Levine said. “No one is going to send the police to kick down your door to take away your firearms.”

Amendments to the bill include striking the requirement that current owners of firearms categorized as assault weapons register them with the state police. Also removed was a section that banned suppressors, also known as “silencers.” Originally the bill required that the suppressors be destroyed, moved out of state, or surrendered to law enforcement by January 2021. Now the bill only restricts future sales of assault firearms and suppressors.

Protesters at the Virginia Citizens Defense League rally on Lobby Day at the Capitol. Photo by Chip Lauterbach/Capital News Service.

The bill in its current form would ban the sale and transfer of new assault rifles, as well as restrict the size of a magazine’s capacity to 12 rounds. An earlier version of the bill would have made possessing any large-capacity firearm magazine a class 6 felony violation, but that penalty was amended and reduced to a class 1 misdemeanor. 

“I have been talking to and listening to the concerns from law abiding citizens,” Levine said. “I have also worked with my colleagues across the aisle; Sen. Amanda Chase was instrumental in helping with these amendments.”

Former Arizona congresswoman and gun control advocate Gabrielle Giffords on Monday urged Virginia lawmakers to “act with courage,” in a statement released the day before the vote.

Statewide opposition has swelled in response to proposed gun control legislation that the Democrats promised after gaining control of the General Assembly and the governor’s mansion for the first time since 1993.

Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, is a leading voice against the gun control bills that have been introduced.

“We will be working to kill the bills that crossed over,” Van Cleave said. “Expect VCDL to have a presence in all the subcommittee and committee rooms on gun bills, we will fight hard to stop it in the Senate.”

Capitol Police estimated that approximately 22,000 people attended the Virginia Citizens Defense League rally on Lobby Day at the Capitol; 7,000 were inside the gates and 15,000 outside. Photo by Chip Lauterbach/Capital News Service.

Van Cleave and the VCDL held a massive pro-Second Amendment rally on Jan. 20 that drew over 22,000 people to Capitol Square and the surrounding areas. Northam declared a state of emergency before the event, citing concerns over safety and threats of violence.

Van Cleave said his group hasn’t planned another rally, but that is something that could change on short notice.

“We are watching the gun bills,” Van Cleave said. “What happens with those bills will have bearing on our next move.” 

With Levine’s bill inching closer to becoming law, many gun store owners statewide have reported an uptick in sales from state residents buying anything that would be banned under the bill. 

Eric Tompkins, owner of Paladin Strategic in Mechanicsville, said that the legislative gun control push has helped sales at his gun store, but predicted that his business probably won’t last if HB 961 were signed into law.

“It’s been a double-edged sword, because the past few months since the election have been great,” Tompkins said. “I have had a ton of customers each day, but I know that’ll drop off, and I don’t know whether my business will continue.”

A woman holds a sign in support for Second Amendment rights outside of the Capitol on Lobby Day. The frigid weather, with morning temperatures in the mid-20s, didn’t stop the throng of supporters from showing up early. Photo by Jeffrey Knight

The bill now heads to the Senate. Firearm bills passed earlier by the Senate include SB 70, which requires a universal background check when people sell firearms. SB 69 limits handgun purchases to one a month, while SB 35 allows localities to ban firearms in a public space during a permitted event. SB 240 allows authorities to take away the firearms of someone deemed to be a threat to themselves or others, a measure known as a red flag law. SB 543 makes background checks mandatory at gun shows.

Written by Chip Lauterbach, Capital News Service. Top Photo: At Showmasters Gun Show, a vendor looks on as a customer handles a scoped assault rifle. A majority of vendors, including the one pictured, owned retail stores around Virginia and traveled to the Richmond show with a smaller selection to sell. (Photo by Erin Edgerton)

VA Pro-Gun Organization Helps Shoot Down Gun Safety Bill

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Richmond has seen an uptick in gun thefts over the last several years, and often, these guns end up in the wrong hands. 

In the Virginia House and Senate, legislators recently struck down a bill that would require gun owners to report missing weapons within 24 hours of noticing they are gone. Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham, who worked with state legislators to bring the bill to the General Assembly floor, described it as a “simple piece of legislation that would allow him and his officers to do their jobs.” 

In an effort to curb the stream of unaccounted firearms in our city, HB-43 was introduced. The bill required the lawful owner to report missing firearms within 24 hours, or face a civil fine of no more than 250 dollars. This would help police to keep a list of any missing firearms, and occasionally return stolen property. 

The bill was vehemently opposed by the Virginia Citizens’ Defense League, whose membership significantly overlaps with the NRA and who endorsed 7th district-loser Dave Brat. Brat refused to comment on this issue. 

“The victim gets punished twice: Once by the theft or loss, and next by the government for not reporting the loss quickly enough,” said the VCDL. 

The NRA and VCDL both advocate for responsible gun ownership, making the VCDL’s reaction puzzling for a bill designed to promote that exact purpose. As a responsible gun owner myself, I find it suspect that anyone who owns a firearm would not wish to do their civic duty, and inform the police of a missing firearm in the community. 

Shoddy logic from this group shouldn’t come as a surprise. The VCDL’s President, Phillip Van Cleave, in case you’ve forgotten, appeared on Sasha Baron Cohen’s TV show Who Is America. Van Cleave’s scene in the show depicts the VCDL President unironically promoting guns for children as young as three years old — which clearly does not align with responsible gun ownership. 

A VCDL spokesperson was quick to point out that “there are times when a lost or stolen gun will not be used in a crime for five, ten, or twenty years.” This logic is blatantly a Red-Herring defense, irrelevant and meant only to deter attention from the issue at hand: and it still admits that the gun will eventually be used in a crime. The police are better off having an idea of how many — and what kind of — weapons are unaccounted for, and gun owners need to take responsibility for handling their firearms with care. 

Guns are a huge facet of American life, and that doesn’t look like it will change anytime soon: But without effective regulation, it should come as no surprise that gun-related crimes continue to be magnanimous in our society. 

Meet the Virginia Man Who Wants to Arm Toddlers

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Philip Van Cleave, President of the Virginia Citizens Defense League and “Friendly Grown Up,” wants to arm your toddler with pistols, machine guns, and grenade launchers.

Van Cleave was apparently duped by filmmaker and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen on the inaugural episode of Cohen’s new television series, “Who is America?” The clip, which has already been viewed upwards of 11 million times on YouTube, features Cohen posing as an Israeli anti-terrorism expert soliciting Van Cleave’s advocacy for a program called Kinderguardians that would train and arm toddlers to protect themselves from school shooters.

Van Cleave is an influential, yet gullible, gun lobbyist in the region. His opinions on second amendment issues are frequently cited by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and he has been interviewed on 60 minutes, Nightline, and by the Washington Post. Van Cleave also organizes an annual pro-gun rally at Capitol Square in downtown Richmond attended by Republican politicians.

This is not the first time Van Cleave has become the object of ridicule in front of a national audience. In 2013 he was interviewed by John Oliver on The Daily Show, and struggled to make a coherent argument against gun control.

Oliver mockingly tells the audience: “You can’t argue with Philip, even his logic is bulletproof.”

Cohen’s prank is far more elaborate. The producers of “Who Is America?” reportedly provided Van Cleave with limousine rides and monetary compensation for meals and other expenses over the course of the two-day shoot.

During the segment, Van Cleave seems blissfully unaware that he is being tricked. He is delighted when Cohen, in disguise as Col. Erran Morad, suggests arming children between the ages of three and 16. “We were thinking seventh or eighth grade,” said Van Cleave, “but you’re talking much younger than that.”

Cohen’s Morad then tells Van Cleave that Kinderguardian’s wants “three-year-olds who are real experts at what they’re doing, not three-year-olds who are reckless.”

“We don’t teach two-year-olds because they call it the terrible twos for a reason,” he adds.

Cohen’s costume, which features extensive face makeup, is barely passable, and the interview and accompanying instructional video are so bizarre that one has to wonder how Van Cleave wasn’t aware that something strange was going on.

The instructional video, which bears some resemblance to the Nickelodeon children’s show “Blue’s Clues,” features Morad and Van Cleave introducing a fictitious gun TV series for toddlers, named “Gunimals.” They start with the “Puppy Pistol,” a .22 caliber pistol with a stuffed dog attached to the top.

“Remember to point Puppy Pistol’s mouth right at the middle of the bad man,” said Van Cleave. “If he has a big fat tummy, point at that.”

Other guns available in the series are “Gunny Rabbit” and “Uzi-corn”, both submachine guns, as well as “Dino-gun,” a fully automatic machine gun, and “Rocket Ship RPG,” a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

“We’re gonna teach you how you can stop these naughty men, and have them take a long nap,” said Van Cleave.

At the end of the clip, in a segment called “Song Time with Gunny Rabbit,” Cohen has Van Cleave perform an instructional sing-along to the tune of the children’s song, “Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes.”

“Aim at the head, shoulders, not the toes, not the toes,” sings Van Cleave, in a painfully awkward monotone.

After the episode aired last week, Van Cleave stated that he knew that he was being pranked, and only went along with it so that he could warn other gun rights activists who might also be lured into the trap.

Nate Peterson, creator and host of the Richmond-based podcast “Let’s Get Drunk and Talk About It,” interviewed Van Cleave recently, and said he considers Van Cleave a friend of the show.

“I thought he was done with that kind of stuff, you know,” said Peterson. “If his goal was to see the joke through to the end so that he could stop others from going on the show, he didn’t do a good job.”

It was reported that Cohen has also successfully fooled prominent Republican figures Sarah Palin, Joe Walsh and Roy Moore into appearing on his show, and will be featured in upcoming episodes of “Who Is America?”

“Who Is America?” premiered on July 15. The first season will run seven episodes, with the final episode airing on Aug. 26.