A
Anonymous
Guest
i tried to enlighten and educate some of our representatives, as i believe they are being mislead, i re-sent them all.
all i'm going to say at this point is, i just received a delightful email.
please if you haven't sent them something, do it now.
and thank you everyone that has already sent something.
here's a copy of what i sent:
Hello,
I am writing in regards to HB 2078.
This bill proposal is very disturbing to me.
In my personal opinion, it is being pushed by an archeaology group looking for work.
The things that archeaologists claim to be taken places are just not true and I can prove it. I read an article that quotes an archeaologist, (I think one that pushes this bill), and in it, he states that civil war bullets are being sold often on the internet for $35 each. In actuality, a person is lucky if they can sell a civil war bullet for $2 each. I see why the archeaologists are distorted the facts, they claim that this is all about money, and I totally disagree. Anyone that has any experience with dug civil war bullets for sale knows they sell for $1 to $2. The retail stores right here in downtown Fredericksburg are loaded with such bullets.
What I think this is about more than anything else is, Americans potentially losing more of their rights and freedom.
Most of us detectorists don't even sell our finds. We just enjoy staying out of trouble, getting some fresh air, doing an outdoor activity that is not only healthy but very enjoyable.
The felony part of this bill is really disturbing. This is messing with a free market society in which prices are based on natural supply and demand. To me, it looks like this bill would manipulate the price of dug relics and other artifacts to a point where, there is no market, no value, or face a felony charge. It just doesn't make sense to me. But, I see why it's in this bill, because archeaoligists want it that way. They claim that it's all about money. Again, I think this is untrue. I've been detecting for 25 years, and I have never once sold anything I found, never ever! And, most detectorists I know have never sold a thing either.
Detectorists are not the evil grave robbers that archeaologist portray us to be. Sure, there are those out there that will break the law and tresspass on private property, and steal. Those people should be punished. And, we do already have existing tresspassing laws in place to protect private and historic property and punish the violaters.
Detectorists are basically good people. We just have a passion for finding things. It's our hobby.
Detectorists have worked side by side with many archeaologists in the past, at places like Little Big Horn, to preserve history.
Which leads me to, we detectorists are saving some history for future generations from the bulldozers. This land is being developed at such a fast rate in Virginia, many historic artifacts are being bulldozed, destroyed, and covered up faster than anyone can get them out of the ground. Additionally, these metal objects in the ground are slowly corroding, rotting, and disintegrating into nothing. I've seen the difference between a civil war button or buckle dug recently vs. just 20 years ago. Today, a person is lucky around here if they can pull a button out of the ground without it falling into a 100 pieces in their hand.
In my personal opinion, we detectorists are doing a good thing by saving some history for future generations from total destruction. At the same time, we are for the most part law abiding citizens and taxpayers just enjoying a hobby.
It does no one any good in the state of Virginia or our great country, to let these artifacts be destroyed by developement or by decay.
Please don't take away our great hobby or put burdening restrictions on it. And, please don't pass this bill which would manipulate a free market society for coin and relics finds.
Thanks for listening.
all i'm going to say at this point is, i just received a delightful email.
please if you haven't sent them something, do it now.
and thank you everyone that has already sent something.
here's a copy of what i sent:
Hello,
I am writing in regards to HB 2078.
This bill proposal is very disturbing to me.
In my personal opinion, it is being pushed by an archeaology group looking for work.
The things that archeaologists claim to be taken places are just not true and I can prove it. I read an article that quotes an archeaologist, (I think one that pushes this bill), and in it, he states that civil war bullets are being sold often on the internet for $35 each. In actuality, a person is lucky if they can sell a civil war bullet for $2 each. I see why the archeaologists are distorted the facts, they claim that this is all about money, and I totally disagree. Anyone that has any experience with dug civil war bullets for sale knows they sell for $1 to $2. The retail stores right here in downtown Fredericksburg are loaded with such bullets.
What I think this is about more than anything else is, Americans potentially losing more of their rights and freedom.
Most of us detectorists don't even sell our finds. We just enjoy staying out of trouble, getting some fresh air, doing an outdoor activity that is not only healthy but very enjoyable.
The felony part of this bill is really disturbing. This is messing with a free market society in which prices are based on natural supply and demand. To me, it looks like this bill would manipulate the price of dug relics and other artifacts to a point where, there is no market, no value, or face a felony charge. It just doesn't make sense to me. But, I see why it's in this bill, because archeaoligists want it that way. They claim that it's all about money. Again, I think this is untrue. I've been detecting for 25 years, and I have never once sold anything I found, never ever! And, most detectorists I know have never sold a thing either.
Detectorists are not the evil grave robbers that archeaologist portray us to be. Sure, there are those out there that will break the law and tresspass on private property, and steal. Those people should be punished. And, we do already have existing tresspassing laws in place to protect private and historic property and punish the violaters.
Detectorists are basically good people. We just have a passion for finding things. It's our hobby.
Detectorists have worked side by side with many archeaologists in the past, at places like Little Big Horn, to preserve history.
Which leads me to, we detectorists are saving some history for future generations from the bulldozers. This land is being developed at such a fast rate in Virginia, many historic artifacts are being bulldozed, destroyed, and covered up faster than anyone can get them out of the ground. Additionally, these metal objects in the ground are slowly corroding, rotting, and disintegrating into nothing. I've seen the difference between a civil war button or buckle dug recently vs. just 20 years ago. Today, a person is lucky around here if they can pull a button out of the ground without it falling into a 100 pieces in their hand.
In my personal opinion, we detectorists are doing a good thing by saving some history for future generations from total destruction. At the same time, we are for the most part law abiding citizens and taxpayers just enjoying a hobby.
It does no one any good in the state of Virginia or our great country, to let these artifacts be destroyed by developement or by decay.
Please don't take away our great hobby or put burdening restrictions on it. And, please don't pass this bill which would manipulate a free market society for coin and relics finds.
Thanks for listening.