VCDL

VCDL

by

Virginia Citizens Defense League

1994

 

VCDL

About the Virginia Citizens Defense League

The Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) is an all-volunteer, nonpartisan grassroots gun rights organization that has been active in Virginia since October 1994. Led for many years by president Philip Van Cleave, the group focuses on gun-friendly legislation in Richmond, especially concealed carry, and on holding localities to Virginia’s state preemption law. Its approach relies on member alerts, legislative tracking and in-person pressure at the Capitol, and the citizens defense league name is shared by similar volunteer groups in other states.

VCDL is best known nationally for Lobby Day, an annual gathering of gun owners at the Virginia State Capitol held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The 2020 event, organized as an extension of the Second Amendment sanctuary movement, drew an estimated 22,000 people on January 20, 2020, after Governor Ralph Northam declared a temporary state of emergency; the rally ended peacefully with no reported violence. VCDL also organized the 2007 Bloomberg Gun Giveaway drawing to help two Virginia dealers fund their defense against lawsuits filed by New York City.

Key Facts

  • October 1994: VCDL founded as a nonpartisan grassroots nonprofit
  • 2007: Organizes the Bloomberg Gun Giveaway drawing to support two Virginia gun dealers
  • January 20, 2020: Lobby Day rally in Richmond draws an estimated 22,000 people and ends peacefully

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Sources

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