Annandale, Va.
More than 200 firearms enthusiasts — most of them openly armed — packed a normally sedate government building Thursday night, hoping to win a pistol or rifle and at the same time send a defiant message to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other gun-control advocates.The Virginia Citizens Defense League, a gun-rights group, organized the "Bloomberg Gun Giveaway" in large part to thumb its nose at New York's mayor. Bloomberg drew gun owners' ire by launching a series of out-of-state stings against gun shops suspected of allowing illegal straw purchases of firearms.
Two guns were awarded, a Para-Ordnance pistol and a Varmint Stalker rifle, each worth about $900. The winners did not immediately receive the weapons — they will still be required to undergo federal and state background checks.
The first winner, Jay Minsky of Fairfax, responded with an obscene hand gesture when asked what message he hoped to send to Bloomberg.
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