[VAcourier] SCV Member targeted by NYC

Mon Mar 19 09:25:03 EDT 2007

 Virginia Division member Bob Moates, best known for his long time portrayal
of Robert E. Lee at reenactments, is a Virginia gun shop owner who is being
targeted by New York City and it\'s Mayor, Michael Bloomberg.

     Brag Bowling
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GUN SHOPS MOCK SUIT WITH GIVEAWAY
By Kristen Gelineau
ASSOCIATED PRESS
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MIDLOTHIAN, Va. -- A new, rather uncivil war is brewing amid the Confederate
flags, anti-Yankee bumper stickers and Civil War relics displayed throughout
Bob Moates Sport Shop. 

    "Ask about the Bloomberg Gun GiveAway" reads a sign taped to the gun
shop's register, beckoning customers to enter the drawing named for New York
City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Republican whose federal lawsuits against
gun dealers in five states have drawn the wrath of Virginia's gun
enthusiasts.

    "If Bloomberg hadn't picked on Virginia, we wouldn't have gotten
involved," said Philip Van Cleave, president of the pro-gun Virginia
Citizens Defense League and creator of the giveaway, which he says has
increased business for the two participating store owners. 

    Mr. Bloomberg has sued 27 out-of-state gun dealers, saying they sold
firearms illegally to undercover private investigators conducting a sting
operation for New York. City officials say the dealers have supplied
hundreds of weapons used in New York City crimes. The lawsuits, which name
dealers in Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia, ask the
court to require monitoring of the shops' sales.

    Private investigators attempted "straw purchases" at about 45 dealers,
in which one person fills out the legal forms and makes the purchase for
someone else. The practice is prohibited by federal law and typically is
used by those who can't own firearms, such as convicted felons.

    Nine dealers, including two in Virginia, have settled with the city,
agreeing to be monitored by a court-appointed special master.

    The owners of two Virginia stores being sued said they were forced to
close because of legal fees. But in January, two other store owners began
fighting back with the gun giveaway. Through March 31, customers who spend
$100 at either of Bob Moates' stores or Old Dominion Guns and Tackle in
Danville are eligible to win a handgun or a rifle, courtesy of the Defense
League. 

    The drawing will be held today. 

    The contest has only further agitated Mr. Bloomberg, who has made gun
control a top priority in his second term.

    "These are sick people," he said in January when questioned about the
giveaway at the Mayors Against Illegal Guns summit in the District. "And if
they think that this is funny, I don't think that the parents or the spouses
or the children of those that get killed with illegal guns would find that
very entertaining."

    Mr. Bloomberg and his colleagues say the lawsuits are part of an effort
to curb the flow of illegal guns into New York. Bloomberg spokesman Jason
Post points to New York City police statistics showing that 90 percent of
the city's crime guns come from out of state.

    But Mr. Hancock and other Virginia gun-rights advocates say the lawsuits
are nothing more than a publicity stunt and a scheme to drive gun dealers
out of business.

    Richard Hill, manager of Bob Moates Sport Shop, called the lawsuits a
"nice attempt by a politician just trying to get to the White House" and
said his store always follows the law.

    "The best way to get guns off the street and criminals off the street is
to lock 'em up," Mr. Hill said. "They seem to want to pick on an old
stereotype -- it's so easy to get a gun in Virginia and run it up to New
York."

    Mr. Bloomberg's face is on a poster taped to a shotgun rack at Bob
Moates, under the words "Here are our worst enemy." 

    Sarah Brady, of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, also are pictured, though Mr.
Bloomberg's face is circled in bright pink highlighter.

    The contest has been increasing sales, with several thousand tickets
given out so far, Mr. Hancock said. The winner will receive a Para-Ordnance
handgun worth about $900.

    Dennis Alverson, owner of Old Dominion Guns and Tackle, also said
business has increased, which he attributes to his customers' contempt for
the lawsuits. The winner from his store will get a Browning Varmint Stalker
rifle, also worth about $900.

    "I've been in business 27 years, and I've probably had the best February
I've ever had," Mr. Alverson said.

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This article was mailed from The Washington Times
(http://www.washingtontimes.com/metro/20070318-104028-5241r.htm)
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