Gun Laws & Legislation

Group spends MLK Day raffling off .50-caliber rifle

Font Size:

Nothing says “Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day” quite like raffling off a .50-caliber rifle in front of the Virginia state legislature.

Monday morning, in an effort to lobby the Virginia General Assembly for favorable gun-ownership laws, a Virginia advocacy group will convene in Richmond on capitol grounds to promote their individual defense agenda.

According to alerts provided by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc., a self-described “grassroots organization dedicated to advancing the fundamental human right of all Virginians to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment,” the group believes that the Republican control of the Virginia State Senate will give them a leg up in repealing some of Virginia’s gun control laws.

“Do I think we have a better chance this year than last? Yes, significantly,” said advocate Philip Van Cleave in a statement.

The VCDL will host speakers and hold a raffle for a donated Serbu .50 BMG. All active VCDL members will be automatically entered as well as anyone who requests a free ticket.

The group argues that gun control laws punish all Virginians for the actions of a few criminals.

“A criminal does something wrong, he pays the price–we didn’t do anything wrong, he did,” said Van Cleave.

According to the Associated Press, there is already legislation filed to allow citizens the right to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.

The group is also pushing to prohibit colleges and universities from keeping guns off campus and to streamline background checks — by eliminating state checks and relying solely on federal checks for gun purchases.

The VCDL will be busing supporters to the Capitol and expects participation to be in the hundreds.

The Virginia Center for Public Safety will be holding a vigil for the victims of gun violence on the State Capitol Monday afternoon.

Follow Caroline on Twitter