When I got to work today, I had a message from the Virginia Civil Defense League.

That’s the group angry over the lawsuit brought against gun dealers by Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s coalition, Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

Two of the gun dealers are in Virginia and so the league decided to raffle off a handgun and a rifle. The original idea was to raise money for the dealers’ defense (though the contest was later modified after Virginia officials objected.)

The stunt—tacky and tasteless—was called the “Bloomberg Gun Giveway” and it was about to take place when 32 students and professors at Virginia Tech were massacred. And if you thought that was the end of it, you would be wrong.

Apparently the group went ahead Thursday night. That was the message on my phone this morning. On its Web site it has the names of the winners and a link to photos, one of which mocks a protester.

What it doesn’t have is this information from The Washington Times:

Among the protesters were parents of Mary Karen Read and Reema Samaha, two of the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting. Peter and Cathy Read and Joseph Samaha held posters picturing their daughters.

”’This doesn’t go away for the rest of your life,’ said Mr. Read, who was wearing an orange Virginia Tech hat and maroon ‘Virginia Tech Dad’ sweatshirt.”

You could probably find the whole gamut of opinions about guns and gun control among the parents of the victims. But you’ve got to admire these parents for showing up despite their pain.

By the way, the dealers were sued because they allegedly sold firearms illegally to undercover investigators. And the mayors belonging to the coalition—including Phil Amicone of Yonkers and Ernie Davis of Mount Vernon—don’t want the guns to end up in their cities.