©
Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, thinks he should be allowed to keep his gun concealed when he goes into a bar.
Virginia Beach Police Chief Jake Jacocks thinks that would be dangerous because waiters won't know whether they're serving alcohol to an armed customer.
Both men are entitled to their opinions. But Van Cleave is not entitled to turn this policy disagreement into a personal attack against Jacocks and the Beach's 800 police officers.
In an e-mail Wednesday to members of his organization and media outlets, Van Cleave criticized Jacocks for asking Gov. Bob McDonnell to veto a bill that would permit concealed weapons in restaurants and bars that serve alcohol.
"[I]t sounds like Chief Jacocks is afraid of his own officers carrying guns and being able to drink responsibly," Van Cleave wrote. "That's a sad commentary on his department and the other departments that are backing this position.... I've said it before and I'll say it again: a whole lot of chiefs of police are nothing more than political hacks that did not work their way up through the ranks..."
Van Cleave, meet Chief Jacocks. He began his career with the Beach Police Department at age 19. He became a sworn officer in 1973 and worked in all four city precincts as well as special operations and the detective bureau. He celebrated his 10th year as chief on Monday. He and the men and women who work for him have made Virginia Beach one of the safest cities in the nation, according to the FBI.
Chief Jacocks, meet Phil Van Cleave. He writes computer software from his home office in Chesterfield County, but his claim to fame is his leadership post with a pro-gun group that claims 5,000 members. He says he's never shot a gun outside a shooting range but carries one with him at all times. He says he drew his gun "a few times" while volunteering as a reserve deputy sheriff when he was younger.
Each winter, Van Cleave patrols the halls of the state Capitol in his corduroy jacket and his gun, asking legislators to pass bills permitting weapons in parks, shopping malls, libraries, churches and bars. Meanwhile, Jacocks and his officers are patrolling the streets of Virginia Beach protecting city residents from murderers, robbers and rapists.
So which man is the hack?
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Yahoo
I am sickened
I am sickened that the pilot has not stepped up and printed a retraction.
How can any fair person have any respect or regard for the pilot if they don't?
Philip Van Cleave should get an apology
Listen to interview your self
Phillip was misquoted. Hear what he said at: http://www.vcdl.org/audio/DW_C0209.wav
Virginia Pilot needs to develop a concience and print a correction. But we know their anti stance will not allow it.
Who's the hack?
I'd say that neither *man* is the hack. It seems that the lady doth protest too much. The audio of the interview is quite enlightening. It makes one wonder how often those who call themselves reporters are, in fact, much more akin to fiction writers.
Who is the real hack here?
There are two points in this debate. One from the enforcer of the laws that society must obey, and one from a man who believes and fights for the "right" that all of us are born with, the right of self defense. Both are honorable men. Chief Jacocks works a very hard beat. I stopped going to VA Beach years ago for vacations because of the violence and threat of violence that that city has come to represent. Few people know that the police are NOT required to protect individuals, they protect society as a whole by enforcing laws, investigating crimes, and possibly catching criminals. Individual people are responsible for their own safety. Phil Van Cleave works to protect the rights of people in Virginia to protect themselves, and possibly others, from those that Chief Jacocks is responsible to catch. We live in a very dangerous world. If Ms. Nuckols believes that banning legally carried guns from restaurants serving alcohol will make it safer for her, then she is entitled to her beliefs. This is not just about carrying a concealed weapon in a restaurant. Its about denying us a basic right. Perhaps she should research the history behind the Supreme Court case of Heller vs DC
My words were twisted
Here is a link to the audio of the interview that lead to this "opinion" piece above - judge for yourself if my I was totally misquoted (recorded March 17th at 4:11 PM):
http://www.vcdl.org/audio/DW_C0209.wav
Shout it from the rooftops!!!
Mr. Van Cleve, this journalistic nightmare is very similar to the MSNBC hit piece that "proved" that all Tea Party members are dangerous white racist. They showed clips of white Tea Party members, followed by a close up of one Tea Party member with an assault rifle slung over his shoulder, and a loaded magazine in his pocket. MSNBC purposely concealed the fact that the man was black, and Drudge and Fox News devoured the story. This also reminds me of when Jayson Blair fabricated a story at the New York Times (another nationwide story).
We have known for many years that the MSM will do anything to infringe upon our Second Amendment rights. Now you have another item of rock-solid proof. Like you, I was the President of an organization with thousands of members back during the Reagan years. I used to shout out attacks against my membership like this from the nation's rooftops.
Your turn.
Who's pulling the Chief's strings?
I read Chief Jacocks letter opposing "guns in bars", Mr. Van Cleave's response, listened to the VP/Van Cleave interview, and read Ms Nuckols' account of these events to date. My impression of Jacock's letter is that, while written on Association of Police Chiefs letterhead, it was written (at least) in part at the behest of the powers that be in Virginia Beach, such as the Mayor, the Chamber of Commerece, and/or the Virginia Pilot. Ms Nuckols' defense of the VBPD smacks of the latter, facts be damned.
Does Mr Van Cleave troop the halls of the GA each winter? You bet he does, along with a large contingent of VCDL members who must protect their constitutional rights agains the tyrranical efforts of those who would suppress them using the likes of Jacocks as their puppet. If Jacocks did work his way up the ladder, he knows who helped him.
what a crock
Having just read Ms. Nukols article and having also just listened to the audio tape of her interview of Mr. Van Cleave I am appalled! If the Pilot has any backbone and sense of honor they will either request her resignation or cut ties and refuse to accept future submissions from her; which ever the case may be.
It is obvious she blatantly ignored Mr. Van Cleave's answers to her questions and clarifications to his previous statements. Instead she appears to have chosen to fabricate her own answers and interject them instead into her article to better fit her personal agenda. In my opinion what she has done is as dishonorable and loathsome for a journalist (I use the term loosely) to commit as if she had committed plagiarism.
I will not dignify her work of fiction with further comments other than SHAME ON YOU Ms. Nukols - SHAME!
--- because I can't carry a policeman in my pocket!!
My simple truths:
When asked why I carry a handgun with me "Because I can't carry a police officer in my pocket."
and ~ In the SECONDS it takes a crime to happen, the police are "only" MINUTES away.
I'm a law abiding citizen. My 2nd amendment rights allow me, a respectful, law abiding citizen - to carry. NOT with bravado, not to brandish and show power, but to be ready to defend my family (or those around me if needed) if confronted by a criminal. I hope I never have to use any of my weapons, but, if confronted, I am ready to defend. You never know when a criminal and your destiny will hit the same second in time. Can Police Chief Jacocks assure citizens that an officer will always be at the ready to stop that crime? ... or just help carry away the body bags afterwards and attempt to gather data to maybe find the criminal? It's just a ridiculous argument. I, take responsibility for myself in all respects of my life.
The author of this article, has distorted, lied about the actual comments made by Mr. VanCleave. Well, at least I know how to read anything she writes in the future. What hateful, slanted "journalism??" ..
Bad Article
After hearing the recording of the actual interview and then reading this article from that interview it is apparent to me that the author of the article had the article written in her mind already before she interviewed Mr. Van Cleave. He is correct that all the CHP holders in VA must pass a background check. Take me for example, I have a background in law enforcement. I served a number of years on a large Metropolitan Police agency, and I was even sworn in as a Federal Marshall on a joint task force for a number of years. I have taken numerous gun safety and gun handling classes in my life, and I have qualified on a police gun range with both handguns and shotguns numerous times over several years. I had never received any special training to handle a gun while drinking alcohol. So based on that, what training do the current police officers get that make them special and make them any safer to carry a handgun concealed in a restaurant than me? Why may I carry openly and drink, but not concealed? Why does the chief feel that my right to carry concealed in the restaurant without drinking is dangerous? Lastly, why didn't this writer of the article write a fair story telling