Virginia House Bill HB2078 - major move against digging/selling relics in VA

C

cachenut

Guest
Dear Detecting Friends:

You better read all of this if you want to continue detecting in Virginia.

The bill (HB2078) currently proposed in the Virginia legislature is moving forward to law. I am very concerned it will block our hobby of metal detecting, relic hunting, coin shooting, cache hunting, and others. We are all in this together. I don?t want this to happen.

It is in committee now. I encourage everyone to immediately write their Virginia state representatives including all committee members about this bill.

The bill HB2078 will amend and make additions to the Code of Virginia Antiquities Act and also the Code of Virginia Chapter 23 of title 10.1 by adding sections 10.1-2307 and 10.1-2308 (Criminal Code I believe). This is serious!

Do it today PLEASE!

The bill has been referred to committee and now is in the Criminal Law subcommittee. This is where metal detecting or selling relics without written permission will become a criminal act. It will be either a misdemeanor or a felony.

This sub committee will meet on this bill January 24, next Monday.
You see why you must send messages right away.
Most of the contact information you need is on the Virginia Legislative Website.

In Virginia we have 40 Senators and 100 Delegates.

You can on this website:
1. Find what your district is.
2. Who you delegate is.
3. Who your senator is.
4. Their respective email addresses.
5. Their snail mail addresses.
6. The delegates and senators on the committees.
7. And the current status of the bill.

I suggest writing every member on the committee. NOW. TODAY. BEFORE MONDAY.Please write to your representatives also. Only email or phone calls will reach them by Monday. See instructions below.

To access the Virginia Legislature website click below

http://legis.state.va.us

EMAILING LEGISLATORS

To find which district you are in and who your legislators are click on Who?s my Legislator in the menu bar at top right.

Enter the required fields (address, city, zip) under Who?s my Legislator and click Lookup.

The screen should show who both your delegate and your senator are. It gives snail mail address but not email.

To find email addresses click on More about YourSenator at the bottom.
SEND them an email.

TO SEND CRIMINAL LAW COMMITTEE EMAILS

Enter HB2078 under Bills and Resolutions, far right, near top. Click GO.

Double click at bottom under status where is says 01/14/05 House: Assigned to C.J. sub-committee: Criminal Law
Click on committee members names at top.
An email address should appear. Send them each a message about the criminalization of our hobby.

TODAY.

I suggest making your main point in your email subject. With email it is easy to delete and they may just hit the del key. Or else use a subject that gets them to open the email without knowing what it is about.

I also recommend not threatening Delegates or Senators with an ?I won?t vote for you appeal? but rather trying to persuade them with a heart felt appeal for our hobby and what it means to you. They will respond better to positive ideas than to negative.

Rational arguments should work as well such as: it will be expensive, moral issues, legal issues, clog the courts, and any other issue their constituents bring up. That?s you. They represent you! Let them know what you want.

Once you email them post a note here and tell us what you did so others can see and be encouraged to do the same.

Let them know how many of us there are.

Thank You
Joe Wolfe
 

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civilman1

Gold Member
Nov 29, 2005
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You're alright Jeff.......Here's a "Spitfire" comin' atcha :icon_thumright: Any word about this yet???
 

JW15

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Apr 12, 2011
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Sorry to hear that guys and gals, hope you all beat that nonsense! Laws like that annoy the hell out of me, here's one of my favorite quotes from somebody I think you all know (lol)...........Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual. ~Thomas Jefferson
 

jrsherman

Sr. Member
Oct 15, 2008
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Someone really pulled up an old thread here, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say this one didn't make it? Just guessing from the organized relic hunts as well as all the other VA relic hunting I did in recent years past. . .
 

JW15

Bronze Member
Apr 12, 2011
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Minelab Xterra 705 w/DD coil Backup- 505,305.
jrsherman said:
Someone really pulled up an old thread here, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say this one didn't make it? Just guessing from the organized relic hunts as well as all the other VA relic hunting I did in recent years past. . .
Holy smokes! I didn't look at the date when I posted but I stand by it regardless!!!
 

Valley Ranger

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Mar 24, 2011
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Yes, this is old. And, fortunately, the Virginia legislature is only a part-time circus, unlike Congress. :icon_jokercolor:

"No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session." ~ Gideon J. Tucker
 

DCMatt

Gold Member
Oct 12, 2006
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HB2078 passed by a wide majority in March of 2005.

DCMatt
 

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