Philip Van Cleave

Last updated

Philip Van Cleave (born 1952 in Kankakee, Illinois) [1] is an American gun rights advocate and the president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL). In 2018, he appeared on the show Who is America? where he instructed preschool children how to use guns in a fictitious show.

Contents

Early life

Van Cleave grew up in Illinois. When he was 16, his mother bought him his first gun: a .410 bore shotgun. [2] When he was 21, he volunteered as a reserve deputy sheriff in San Antonio and purchased his first .357 magnum Ruger service revolver. [2]

Career

Van Cleave joined the Virginia Citizens Defense League in 1995, a year after it was founded. [2] In June 2004, he received the Gun Rights Defender of the Month Award from the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. [1]

Views

Van Cleave is a proponent of a strong interpretation of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, believing open access to guns guarantees that individual Americans have the right to defend themselves and, as he put it in 2004, "to take back your country should it ever become a totalitarian state." [2] Although some other gun rights groups (such as the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms) [2] have criticized the VCDL for having its members open carry en masse, Van Cleave has defended this practice, saying that it helps educate both citizens and the police about Virginia's gun laws. [3] He has also defended the VCDL's advocacy for passing concealed carry laws that allow college students to carry guns on campus if they have a permit, saying after the Virginia Tech shooting, "If just one of those adult students had been armed in that building, there would have been a much better chance that somebody would have stopped the madman." [4] In 2010, it was reported that he was pressuring Virginia lawmakers to legalize gun carrying and drinking among non-police officers as well as police officers, so long as they are not drunk while carrying the gun, arguing that "We're not allowed to drink, but they can. That's two classes of citizens." [5]

Van Cleave has been interviewed on 60-Minutes, [6] Nightline, [7] the Washington Post, [8] and a host of other places.

Van Cleave appeared on The Daily Show in 2013 for a segment about gun control in Australia. On the show, he was interviewed by John Oliver, and said of gun control that "At the end of the day, none of it works." He went on to say that the United States only had such high gun crime rates because it had so many guns, to which Oliver replied "That's my point." [9]

Sacha Baron Cohen interview

In 2018 Van Cleave appeared in a fake promotional pro-gun rights video advocating the arming of children and toddlers by Sacha Baron Cohen's Showtime spoof interview series, Who is America? Baron Cohen had disguised himself as an Israeli ex-Mossad agent and invited Van Cleave to Washington, DC to receive a "Friend of Israel" award in honor of Israel's 70th anniversary by a fictitious pro-Israel group created by Baron Cohen. In the segment Van Cleave endorses “Kinderguardians,” a phony program to teach and arm schoolchildren as young as three to protect themselves in the classroom. [10] In the segment Van Cleave argued that, since children have not developed a conscience, "they would make very effective soldiers". [11] Other notable pro-gun politicians were duped by the fake award into appearing in the segment, including former US Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, former US congressman Joe Walsh, and former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court Roy Moore. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali G</span> Fictional character created by Sacha Baron Cohen

Alistair Leslie Graham, better known as Ali G, is a satirical fictional character created and performed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. A faux-streetwise poseur from Staines, England, Ali G speaks in rude boy-style Multicultural London English and brags about coming up "in da heart of da Staines ghetto" and leading a local street gang, "Da West Staines Massiv." He conducts interviews with unsuspecting subjects who do not realise they have been set up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacha Baron Cohen</span> British comedian, actor, producer, and writer (born 1971)

Sacha Noam Baron Cohen is an English comedian, actor, writer and producer. He is best known for his creation and portrayal of the fictional satirical characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard, and Admiral General Haffaz Aladeen. His characters interact with unsuspecting subjects who do not realise they have been set up. At the 2012 British Comedy Awards, Baron Cohen received the Outstanding Achievement Award and accepted the award in-character as Ali G. In 2013, he received the BAFTA Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy. In 2018, The Times named him among the 30 best living comedians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eli Cohen</span> Israeli spy (1924–1965)

Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen was an Egyptian-born Israeli spy. He is best known for his espionage work in Syria between 1961 and 1965, where he developed close relationships with the Syrian political and military hierarchy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Hannity</span> American television host and political commentator (born 1961)

Sean Patrick Hannity is an American conservative broadcast host and writer. He hosts The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show, and has also hosted a commentary program, Hannity, on Fox News, since 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isla Fisher</span> Australian actress and author (born 1976)

Isla Lang Fisher is an Australian actress and writer. Born in Oman to Scottish parents who moved with her to Australia during her childhood, she began appearing in television commercials and came to prominence for her portrayal of Shannon Reed on the Australian soap opera Home and Away (1994–1997), for which she received two Logie Award nominations.

<i>Da Ali G Show</i> British satirical television series

Da Ali G Show is a British satirical television series created by and starring English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. In the series, Baron Cohen plays three unorthodox journalists: faux-streetwise poseur Ali G, Kazakh reporter Borat Sagdiyev, and gay Austrian fashion enthusiast Brüno Gehard. These characters conduct real interviews with unsuspecting people, many of whom are celebrities, high-ranking government officials, and other well-known figures, during which they are asked absurd and ridiculous questions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borat Sagdiyev</span> Fictional character created and portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen

Borat Margaret Sagdiyev is a satirical fictional character created and performed by Sacha Baron Cohen. He is supposedly a Kazakhstani television journalist and is the main protagonist of the mockumentary Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006), its sequel Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2020), and a main character of Da Ali G Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brüno Gehard</span> Fictional character

Brüno Gehard is a satirical fictional character portrayed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. A flamboyantly gay fashion reporter from Austria, Brüno first appeared during short sketches on Paramount Comedy 1 in 1998, before reappearing on a 2003 episode of Da Ali G Show. Following the success of Ali G Indahouse and Borat, Universal Studios gained the rights to produce and release a 2009 feature film about the character, also called Brüno. The character has since been retired.

<i>Borat</i> 2006 mockumentary directed by Larry Charles

Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is a 2006 mockumentary black comedy film directed by Larry Charles and starring Sacha Baron Cohen. Baron Cohen plays the leading role of Borat Sagdiyev, a fictional Kazakhstani journalist who travels through the United States to make a documentary which features real-life interactions with Americans. Much of the film features unscripted vignettes of Borat interviewing and interacting with real-life Americans who believe he is a foreigner with little or no understanding of American customs. It is the second of four films built around Baron Cohen's characters from Da Ali G Show (2000–2004): the first, Ali G Indahouse, was released in 2002, and featured a cameo by Borat; the third, Brüno, was released in 2009; and the sequel to Borat, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, was released in 2020.

"In My Country There Is Problem", also known as "Throw the Jew Down the Well" after the song's key line, is a song written by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen for his comic character Borat Sagdiyev. It features in the episode "Peace" of the series 3 of Da Ali G Show, in the 'Country Music' segment of "Borat's Guide to the USA ", that focuses heavily on the positive reaction of the patrons of a honky-tonk in Tucson, Arizona to the antisemitic sentiments of the song. It appeared in Stereophonic Musical Listenings That Have Been Origin in Moving Film "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Pratt</span> American politician

Lawrence D. Pratt is the executive director emeritus of Gun Owners of America, a United States-based firearms lobbying group, and a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates.

<i>Brüno</i> 2009 mockumentary comedy film by Larry Charles

Brüno is a 2009 mockumentary comedy film directed by Larry Charles and starring Sacha Baron Cohen, who produced, co-wrote, and played the gay Austrian fashion journalist Brüno. It is the third film based on one of Cohen's characters from Da Ali G Show, following Ali G Indahouse and Borat. The film was released on July 10, 2009, to mostly positive reviews from critics.

"The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed" is the sixteenth episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 457th episode overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 28, 2010. In this episode, the Simpsons vacation in Jerusalem with Ned Flanders, but Homer does not appreciate the city's religious importance—until he gets lost in the desert, and in a severe state of dehydration, believes himself to be the Messiah.

<i>The Dictator</i> (2012 film) 2012 film by Larry Charles

The Dictator is a 2012 political satire black comedy film co-written by and starring Sacha Baron Cohen as his fourth feature film in a leading role. The film is directed by Larry Charles, who previously directed Baron Cohen's mockumentaries Borat and Brüno. Baron Cohen, in the role of Admiral General Aladeen, the dictator of the fictional Republic of Wadiya visiting the United States, stars alongside Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, and Jason Mantzoukas with uncredited appearances by John C. Reilly and Garry Shandling.

<i>Grimsby</i> (film) 2016 film by Louis Leterrier

Grimsby is a 2016 spy action comedy film directed by Louis Leterrier and written by Sacha Baron Cohen, Phil Johnston, and Peter Baynham. The film stars Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Rebel Wilson, Isla Fisher, Annabelle Wallis, Gabourey Sidibe, Penélope Cruz, and Ian McShane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomi Lahren</span> American conservative political commentator (born 1992)

Tomi Rae Augustus Lahren is an American conservative political commentator and television presenter. She hosted Tomi on TheBlaze, where she gained attention for her short video segments called "final thoughts", in which she frequently criticized liberal politics. Many of her videos went viral, with The New York Times describing her as "the Right's rising media star". Lahren was suspended from TheBlaze in March 2017 after saying in an interview on The View that she believed women should have legal access to abortion.

<i>The Spy</i> (TV miniseries) French television miniseries

The Spy is an English-language French espionage streaming television miniseries, created and directed by Gideon Raff, based on the life of Israel's top Mossad spy Eli Cohen, who is portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen. The series is a production by French company Légende Entreprises for Canal+ and Netflix. OCS is airing the show in France and Netflix is streaming the show internationally outside France. The six-episode miniseries, released on September 6, 2019, on Netflix, was inspired by real-life events. It is based on the book L'espion qui venait d'Israël, written by Uri Dan and Yeshayahu Ben Porat.

<i>Who Is America?</i> American comedy television series

Who Is America? is an American political satire mockumentary-style television series created by Sacha Baron Cohen that premiered on July 15, 2018, on Showtime. Baron Cohen also stars in the series as various characters and executive produces alongside Anthony Hines, Todd Schulman, Andrew Newman, Dan Mazer, and Adam Lowitt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahbod Moghadam</span> American internet entrepreneur

Mahbod Moghadam is an American internet entrepreneur. In 2009 he, Tom Lehman and Ilan Zechory co-founded Rap Genius, a website on which users can submit annotations and interpretations of song lyrics and other content. In 2015 he, Sam Kazemian and Theodor Forselius co-founded Everipedia, a wiki-based online encyclopedia, where he worked as the Chief Community Officer for several years. After leaving Everipedia, he became an entrepreneur-in-residence at the venture capital firm Mucker Capital, then worked on HellaDoge, a cryptocurrency-based social network.

<i>Borat Subsequent Moviefilm</i> 2020 mockumentary film by Jason Woliner

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is a 2020 mockumentary black comedy film directed by Jason Woliner. The film stars Sacha Baron Cohen as the fictional Kazakh journalist and television personality Borat Sagdiyev, and Maria Bakalova as his daughter Tutar, who is to be offered as a bride to then–U.S. vice president Mike Pence during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 presidential election. It is a sequel to 2006's Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

References

  1. 1 2 "Philip Van Cleave". Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. June 1, 2004. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Schulte, Brigid (November 14, 2004). "Armed and Determined". Washington Post. p. 2. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  3. ↑ Schulte, Brigid (November 14, 2004). "Armed and Determined". Washington Post. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  4. ↑ Kunkle, Fredrick (May 17, 2007). "At Gun Raffle, A Reminder Of Va. Tech". Washington Post. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  5. ↑ Barry, Bruce (April 29, 2010). "Let's Hope Philip Van Cleave Doesn't Decide to Move to Tennessee". Nashville Scene. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  6. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : The Way Of The Gun. YouTube .
  7. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : Open Carry on Nightline. YouTube .
  8. ↑ Schulte, Brigid (November 14, 2004). "Gun Group Puts Policy Goals in Public View". Washington Post. p. A1.
  9. ↑ Lallo, Michael (April 22, 2013). "US show uses Howard to embarrass gun lobby". Sydney Morning-Herald. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  10. ↑ Stuever, Hank (July 15, 2018). "Sacha Baron Cohen still knows how to punk America, but his new show erodes what little trust we have left". Washington Post. Washington DC. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  11. ↑ Bradley, Laura (July 16, 2018). "After Getting Duped, Joe Walsh Insists He Doesn't Really Want Guns for Toddlers". Vanity Fair. Retrieved July 16, 2018. As Van Cleave tells Cohen before they film the P.S.A., children "haven't quite developed what we call 'conscience,' where you feel guilty about doing something wrong...If they haven't developed that yet, they can be very effective soldiers."
  12. ↑ "Did Sacha Baron Cohen Host a Fake pro-Israel Event to Dupe Conservatives?". Haaretz. July 13, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.