The Protest

As posted earlier last week, thirty two protesters participated in the Brady Campaign "lie-in" at noon across the street from the Richmond Gun Show Saturday. I consider these Brady stunts to be tasteless, especially when they use the families of victims to promote a political agenda. Worse, they provide talking points that have no basis in fact for their participants to regurgitate.

The facts are clear - 98% of all firearm transactions at gun shows go through licensed dealers. The term "unlicensed" dealer is both misleading and false. There is no such classification. If you are selling firearms as a primary function, and you are doing it without a license, you are violating federal law and the penalty is 10 years in federal prison. Someone who sells firearms from their personal collection for any reason is not a dealer - unlicensed or otherwise.

You can read the Richmond Times Dispatch's coverage of the protest by clicking here.

South Richmond Baskin-Robbins Manager Charged

I have refrained from posting about this story because there were so many unanswered questions about the events but now that the ice cream store manager has been charged with reckless discharge of a firearm while defending himself, other employees and his store against a career criminal with a record of robberies and prison time, I felt it was time to include a post on the story.

Some background - David Fielding, a 21-year-old art student at Virginia Commonwealth University who was shift manager at a Forest Hill Avenue Baskin-Robbins store was working on Sept. 6, the night of the robbery. Fielding fatally shot Jerome Davis, during the robbery just after 9 p.m. Fielding had been on duty when another man robbed the store Aug. 14.

Following that robbery, he purchased a 9mm handgun and took it with him to the store, according to a Richmond Times Dispatch (RTD) report. Richmond police said Davis entered the store with a BB-gun copy of a semiautomatic handgun and demanded money from the cash register. He then ordered two ice-cream parlor employees to retreat to the back of the store. That's when Fielding got his gun and fired at least eight shots at the suspect, according to police. One of the shots shattered the window to the store. Police said one shot hit 43-year-old Davis in the hand, and another struck him in the back.

On September 28th, Richmond prosecutors announced they will seek a felony indictment on a charge of reckless discharge of a firearm against Feilding.

The RTD quoted Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Michael Herring as saying "We have considered everything the police officers have brought in, the witnesses interviewed, the review of the scene and the forensic evidence collected, and I believe there is probable cause that a crime has been committed,"

Investigators told the RTD it appears three of the shots fired that night by Fielding were fired from inside the store. Outside the store, investigators found evidence of eight additional shots fired.

Community members collected over 500 signatures requesting the Commonwealth's Attorney to not seek charges. Now that charges have been filed, the leader of the effort, Richard Diggs said that he understood Commonwealth's Attorney Michael N. Herring's decision to seek to have Fielding indicted on a charge of reckless discharge of a firearm. "I guess the grand jury couldn't be a better place to decide this," Diggs told the RTD.

I will keep you posted on the outcome of this story. To read more you can go here.