Norfolk City Council Meeting

[Update] Meeting audio HERE [/Update]

We had a pretty good showing at the Norfolk City Council Meeting tonight. if I was going to guess, I'd say between 50 and 75 VCDL members were there. The press was in attendance as well so we'll have to see how the issue is treated in the Pilot tomorrow.

As usual, there was some shenanigans about having to show ID, sign in and even submit to having a digital photo taken, but that was all straightened out by the time I got there so I missed the excitement. One of our Executive Members is going to submit an FOIA request regarding the basis for such rules and what is done with the records. I'll let you know if I hear any more about it.

I do have audio of the whole thing, but I'll need to edit it down to the pertinent parts and compress it somewhat to make it small enough to post. I'll update this post with a link to it in a day or so.

I spoke. I felt that, as a resident of Norfolk, I should. Believe it or not, I'm not very good at speaking in public. I get nervous and flounder about, lose my train of thought and end up not making any sense. Because of that, I wrote out a statement ahead of time to read. I'm sure this will come as a shock to anyone who's been reading for long, but I can tend to be a bit wordy when I write.

I got the important parts out, but they cut me off before I got to my big finish.

For your edification and entertainment (I know...you're not laughing AT me...you're laughing ABOUT me, right?), here's the director's cut of my big speech:

My name is Curtis Stone, and I live at redacted, Norfolk.

"Walking around downtown with a gun on your hip, that's just somebody trying to get attention, somebody trying to embarrass the city," ... "This is not Wyatt Earp in the wild, wild West. It's an urban city with lots of problems." --Councilman W. Randy Wright

"I believe in the right to bear arms, but I just don't understand why somebody feels the need to strap a gun on his side, knowing full well that people are going to be alarmed and upset. I don't understand why they have to be such big, bad macho men." --Councilman Barclay C. Winn

"Before we issue another $10,000 check, we should go to the highest court in the land" ... "We should call Bob's Gun Shop and have him deliver eight 9-millimeters to us, we'll keep them on our desk in case we need them." --Councilman Paul R. Riddick

Some other quotes from notable public figures regarding the second amendment to compare and contrast:

"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence. From the hour the Pilgrims landed to the present day, events, occurrences and tendencies prove that to ensure peace, security, and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable. The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere restrains evil interference, they deserve a place of honor with all that's good."
--President George Washington

"Arms are the only true badge of liberty. The possession of arms is the distinction of a free man from a slave." --Andrew Fletcher

And one from a more modern contemporary of our illustrious council members:

"How a politician stands on the Second Amendment tells you how he or she views you as an individual... as a trustworthy and productive citizen, or as part of an unruly crowd that needs to be lorded over, controlled, supervised, and taken care of." --Texas State Rep. Suzanna Gratia-Hupp

In contemplating what I would say here tonight, I thought about outlining all of the very valid reasons that these quoted statements from our Council Members are wrongheaded. How lawful gun owners are among the most law abiding demographic in the United States. How the fears of "the wild west" (which wasn't as wild as hollywood would have us believe) are unfounded and based upon nothing more than irrational emotions. I could argue that one reason the Police openly carry firearms is as a deterrent to crime and point out that the Police are nothing more than citizens who have been granted powers by their fellow citizens in order to more efficiently carry out functions that are, at root, the responsibility of ALL citizens.

But I quickly realized that such arguments would fall upon deaf ears. The statements reported in the Virginian Pilot leave no doubt as to the contempt with which this "august" body regards its constituency. In such an environment, in the face of such elitist and condescending attitudes, rational discourse and reasoned debate are bound to be fruitless.

Therefore, in that light, my statement will rely on a single undeniable fact. That fact is that this body, this city, and this government are bound by the same laws as every other citizen of the City of Norfolk and the State of Virginia. The contempt in which this body holds its employers...the taxpayers of this good city...is moot. The regard...or lack thereof...that the members of this body may personally have for the rights of other citizens of this City is irrelevant.

The only relevant point is the law. The law on this matter is settled and clear. The right of the citizens to bear arms openly with or without a permit is well established. The precedent that the Police have no authority to detain citizens without cause, who are breaking no law and posing no threat is well established. The opinions of the members of this body, the opinions of the Chief of Police, the Opinions of individual police officers on this matter are of NO CONSEQUENCE. The law is clear. As a registered voter, taxpayer and citizen of this City and State, I expect and demand for my employees to follow that law, just as I am expected to do.

One council member quoted in the Pilot asked: "When you see a guy standing downtown in front of a bank with a gun on, what would you expect the average policeman to do?"

The answer to that question is very simple. I expect the average Policeman to follow the law. I expect the average Policeman to treat people whom they have no valid cause to suspect are breaking the law with the respect they are due as fellow citizens. And I expect the average Policeman to respect the rights of their fellow citizens as they are required to do by law.

As a citizen and taxpayer, I don't think that's too much to ask.

In closing, I'd like to leave with one final quote from former US Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson:

"It is not the function of the government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error."

Thank you.