Saturday, May 30, 2009
Bolling, Cuccinelli Win Nominations
A lesson is in this for the Republican Party, or at least for those who say the party needs to rebrand it self to "broaden its tent." While it was widely believed the AG race would be close and go to at least two ballots, the candidate who's prefiled delegates showed up to the convention were those who belived in the core conservative values of limited government, the value of life, and the right to keep and bear arms. Ditching those core values to "reach out to moderates" will spell doom for the party. What they need to do is sell those values to the so-called moderates.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
VSSA on Facebook
VSSA Endorses Bill Bolling for GOP Lt. Gov. Nomination
This is in addition to our previous endorsement of State Senator Ken Cuccinelli for the GOP Attorney General nomination.
Both of these elected officials have been unwavering in their support for law abiding gun owners and sportsmen. It is important that we now stand with them when they need us most.
If you are a delegate to the Republican Party of Virginia Nominating Convention, please arrive early to insure that you receive your credentials and are inside the coliseum well in advance of the vote. Registration begins Saturday morning at 7:30 and the convention will convene at 10:00 AM.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Fort Lee Shooting Range
Fort Lee Firing Range Needs Shooters:If you live in the Tri-cites area and are looking for a place to shoot, this looks like a great spot at a good price.
Late last year, Fort Lee re-opened its newly reconstructed, Privately Owned Weapons (POW) shooting range off River Road in Prince George. It is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays, and is now also open 5-8 p.m. on Wednesdays. The Range Safety Officers have told me they are required to report the number of shooters and number of rounds fired to justify keeping the range open, but few people use the range and they are afraid of losing their jobs if it is shut down for lack of use.
The times I have been there on Sundays I have seen maybe 4 or 5 other people at most firing a couple boxes or so, and when I was there for a couple hours last Wednesday, I was the only shooter who was there at all, even though they have so many empty lanes available! RSOs were sitting in the bleachers twiddling their thumbs wondering why no one uses their range.
Cost is only $5 for the first hour, and $2.50 for each additinoal 30 minutes. Targets are available for purchase, but you must bring your own eye and ear protection, and ammunition.
Shooting is currently limited to handguns, muzzle loaders, shotguns, and rimfire, although work is in progress to open it up for centerfire rifles in the future (if it gets sufficient use to stay open).
Directions: Heading toward Fort Lee from Temple Avenue in Colonial Heights, passing South Park Mall, turn left on River Road and cross over the railroad tracks. Turn right into Range Control and follow the road to the end where you'll reach the POW range.
For more information, call Range Control at 763-2286 on Sundays, or Outdoor Recreation at 765-2212 during busines hours M-F, or visit: http://leemwr.com/Rec/rec_odr_pow.htm
Hat-tip to VA-Alert.
Obama Picks Sonya Sotomayor for Supreme Court
This is particularly troubling because she clearly believes courts should make law and not interpret the law. Take for instance this quote, reported by the Washington Post reported that while speaking at Duke University in 2005, Sotomayor said:
“All of the legal defense funds out there, they’re looking for people with court of appeals experience” because “the court of appeals is where policy is made.”
This will come as a surprise to those who believe that the legislative branch makes policy and law. To be fair to Ms. Sotomayor, she realized she was on tape and tried to cover her tracks by saying:
“I know this is on tape and I should never say that, because we don’t make law, I know. Um, okay. I know. I’m not promoting it, I’m not advocating it.”The audience got her point and chuckled. President Barack Obama said he wanted someone who has “empathy” with everyday people in making judicial rulings. Looks like he found the person he was looking for.
So what does her record say about her when it comes to Second Amendment cases? SCOTUS Blog has this on her past rulings related to the Second Amendment.
Second Amendment: Sotomayor was also a member of the panel that issued a per curiam opinion in another controversial case that may be headed for the Court next year. In Maloney v. Cuomo, 554 F.3d 56 (2009), the panel considered (as relevant here) a claim by a New York attorney that a state law prohibiting possession of a chuka stick (also known as nunchaku, a device used in martial arts consisting of two sticks joined by a rope or chain) violated his Second Amendment right to bear arms. The district court rejected the claim on the ground that the Second Amendment does not apply to the states. On appeal, the panel affirmed. Relying on the Supreme Court’s 1886 decision in Presser v. Illinois, it explained that it was “settled law . . . that the Second Amendment applies only to limitations the federal government seeks to impose” on the individual’s right to bear arms. The Supreme Court’s recent decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, the court continued, “does not invalidate this longstanding principle.” And while acknowledging the possibility that “Heller might be read to question the continuing validity of this principle,” the panel deemed itself bound to follow Presser because it “directly controls, leaving to the Supreme Court the prerogative of overruling its own decisions.” Maloney’s lawyers intend to file a petition for certiorari in late June.And this from Dave Kopel's October 2008 article in NRA's America's First Freedom magazine:
According to Sotomayor, “the right to possess a gun is clearly not a fundamental right.” (U.S. v. Sanchez-Villar, 2004).
Obama, having disappointed the far left when it comes to the war and immediately seeking to restrict the Second Amendment rights of law abiding Americans, has given them everything they wanted in a Supreme Court Justice.
Update: More from Kopel on Sotomayor's views on the Second Amendment based on the Maloney v. Cuomo decision can be found here. Hat tip to Sebastian.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
ABC News Blogger: Guns Rule Congress
Senator Barbara Boxer was quoted after the Senate passed the carry in national parks amendment to the credit card bill:
It is a shame. But you have to come to a realization around here that at this point in time, the N.R.A. gets the votes.
Either you are going to bring down the whole Senate and never do anything or you or going to swallow hard and say, I will just vote my conscience on those amendments and speak out until people get a hold of their senses.
Paul Helme said he believed law makers are over estimating the political might of the pro-rights activists:
I wish there could be more courage and leadership from our friends on the Hill.
Then there is Tom Shine, a blogger at the ABC News web site. You remember ABC News, the network that did a one sided 20/20 segment on gun shows that was nothing more than propaganda for the anti-rights side of the issue. In this blog post yesterday before the House took up the credit card bill, he wrote:
So when Senator Chris Dodd unveiled his tough credit card bill, which placed sweeping restrictions on what the banks could do to the consumers who use their plastic, Senator Tom Coburn knew he had found the perfect vehicle to attach his gun amendment to.Maybe Senator Coburn reasoned there were enough Senators that would vote the way their constituents wanted. Setting aside the issue of the vehicle used (since this is a gun rights blog I won't get into the issue of whether the government should be telling banks how to run their credit card business), as the New York Times noted, timing is everything and Senator Coburn being the smart individual that he is, took advantage of the moment and freedom was the victor.
He reasoned, correctly, that he could get enough senators, frightened by the mighty NRA, to support his provision allowing loaded, concealed weapons in national parks and once it became part of the credit card bill, he knew there was no way senators would kill the entire bill just to kill his gun amendment. It worked perfectly in the Senate.
Coburn told the Times:
I don’t like guns necessarily. What I want is those constitutional rights to be protected.How refreshing, an elected official that values the Constitution over his/her personal views. If we had a few more Tom Coburns this country's heritage of freedom would be safe for the next generation.
Hat tip to Cleveland Gun Rights Examiner.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
More on the Florida "Tax" issue.
In a letter to Governor Crist, Bronson cited "unprecedented growth" in applications for gun permits that has created a "tremendous backlog" of cases to be processed.
To balance the $66.5 billion state budget that takes effect July 1, legislators swept nearly $600 million from dozens of accounts known as trust funds. Among those funds is $6 million from fees paid into the lisenceing trust fund paid by applicants wanting concealed carry permits. According to Bronson, the sweep would leave between $2 million and $3 million in the fund.
"By law, the department is required to issue licenses within 90 days of receipt of a complete application," Bronson wrote in his letter to Crist dated May 14. "If we do not meet this time frame, an applicant may, by law, request the license to be issued even without the results of the criminal background check being reviewed. We simply cannot process all of these applications in a timely manner because of this unprecedented surge in new applications."
A legislative budget committee in February gave Bronson the okay to spend $3.9 million more to hire 61 temporary workers.
In April, the state received 15,534 concealed weapons permit applications, compared with 9,207 in April a year ago. In March, the state received 12,809 applications, compared with 7,996 for the same month a year earlier.
Firearms in National Parks
Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y., chief sponsor of the credit card bill, said she was opposed to the gun amendment but did not want to see it hold up the underlying legislation, which she has tried to pass for several years. “This is one credit card bill that the American people cannot afford to have become past due,” she said.Good news for law abiding gun owners who frequent national parks.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
TAX Imposed on Second Amendment Rights
Please notify all gun owners about this outrageous tax on the Second Amendment and encourage them to contact the Governor and encourage him to veto the tax.
URGENT - TAX Imposed on Second Amendment Rights in Florida
DATE: May 14, 2009
TO: USF & NRA Member and Friends
FROM: Marion P. Hammer
USF Executive Director
NRA Past President
When government takes money from citizens for general use by government, IT'S A TAX.
When government confiscates user fees from trust funds intended to be used to administer specific programs and converts it to government use for other purposes, IT'S A TAX.
When government leaders claim to oppose tax increases and promise not to create new taxes but then raid trust funds, they have deceived you because THEY HAVE CREATED A NEW TAX.
In a last minute sneak attack on gun owners, the Florida Legislature raided the concealed weapons and firearms licensing trust fund and CREATED A TAX ON THE EXERCISE OF THE SECOND AMENDMENT.
They took $6 million from the Division of Licensing Concealed Weapons and Firearm Trust Fund that is intended, by law, to be used solely for administering the concealed weapons and firearms licensing program. THAT IS A DEFACTO TAX ON GUN OWNERS (Read background Information below).
Whether you are a resident or non-resident holder of a Florida Concealed Weapons and Firearms License, this affects you!
Please Call, Fax, or Email Governor Charlie Crist IMMEDIATELY, and ask him to VETO THE SECOND AMENDMENT TAX created by the confiscation of $6 million from the Division of Licensing Trust Fund.
Phone number: (850) 488-4441 or (850) 488-7146
Fax number: (850) 487-0801
Send your email to the Governor at this address:
Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com
Please send your email today!!!!! And/or please contact the Governor's office by phone or fax ASAP.
YOU MUST DO IT NOW. THE GOVERNOR WILL ACT ON THE BUDGET SOON.
BACKGROUND:
Because legislative budget officials have refused to allow the Division of Licensing to use their own trust fund money to hire necessary staff and upgrade equipment, the Concealed Weapons and Firearms Licensing program is in crisis.
It is a crisis created by the legislature and anti-gun budget staffers. They refused to allow gun owners' money to be used to administer the gun owner program -- as required by law -- then confiscated gun owners' money for their own political purposes. THEY CREATED A SECOND AMENDMENT TAX.
Right now, the concealed weapons and firearms licensing program is backlogged and overloaded due in part to the refusal of budget officials and the Legislature to allow the Division of Licensing to use its own trust fund money to hire more employees and expand/upgrade equipment.
Crates of unopened mail containing license and license renewal applications sit in storage. The backlog of mail sitting unopened, at times, has extended beyond 90 days while existing licenses are expiring because renewal applications haven't been opened and processed.
Currently (although the Division of Licensing has been working weekend shifts to clear the backlog), it is taking 13-14 weeks to process a "perfect" application once it has been opened. That is an unequivocal violation of the law that requires issuance or denial of a license by a time certain –– a violation of law that legislative leaders are condoning by their actions.
THE LAW REQUIRES THE DIVISION OF LICENSING TO ISSUE A LICENSE WITHIN 90 DAYS OF RECEIPT OF THE APPLICATION -- or deny the license "for cause," based upon the criteria set forth in the law. Theft of operating funds by the Legislature is not "just cause" for failure to issue licenses or renewals within 90 days.
Theft of those operating funds IS A TAX ON THE EXERCISE OF THE SECOND AMENDMENT.
While applications sit gathering dust, legislative leaders took $6 million of approximately $8 million held in the trust fund. That $6 million is supposed to be used to pay employees, buy upgraded equipment, upgrade or replace computers or software, and to otherwise administer the concealed weapons and firearms licensing program.
BUT, feigning a desperate need for funds for education and health care, legislative leaders recklessly and ruthlessly confiscated gun owners’ trust fund money. Why? Because they were building a so-called "working capital" fund for the 2010-12 legislative term, reported now to be in the neighborhood of $1.8 BILLION DOLLARS. This so-called "working capital fund" is for the use of future legislative leaders. THAT MAKES IT A TAX ON THE EXERCISE OF THE SECOND AMENDMENT.
While Senate leadership reportedly fought to stop the ruthless raids on trust funds, in the end, they simply caved and HELPED the House of Representatives CREATE A SECOND AMENDMENT TAX.
The bad behavior doesn't end there.
Obviously fearing the Governor would use his line-item veto to stop THE SECOND AMENDMENT TAX, proviso language was inserted in the bill in a clear attempt to intimidate the Governor.
The proviso language says that if any portion of the moneys swept from this and other trust funds does not become law (meaning it is vetoed), that portion of the money shall be deducted from the EDUCATION BUDGET. This is clearly designed to keep the Governor from vetoing THE SECOND AMENDMENT TAX, and prevent trust fund money from being taken back out the House leadership's so-called "working capital" fund.
Money in the concealed weapons trust fund came from gun owners. No money to administer and run the concealed weapons and firearms licensing program has ever come from general revenue, or any other state fund or revenue source. The taking of these gun owner user fees is a de facto tax on the exercise of the Second Amendment.
AGAIN, Please Call, Fax, or Email Governor Crist IMMEDIATELY, and ask him to STOP THE SECOND AMENDMENT TAX -- VETO THE $6 MILLION RAID on the Concealed Weapons & Firearms Trust Fund!
Send your email to the Governor at this address:
Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com
Please send your email today !!!!!
You may also call the Executive Office of the Governor at: (850) 488-7146
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Media Reports on NRA Annual Meeting
KNVX reported later in the weekend that an estimated 70,000 people attended the annual meeting this year pumping $70 million into the local economy. That breaks last year's record set in Louisville.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Mitt Romney is Closing out the American Values Forum
CNBC Report on NRA Annual Meeting
Senator John McCain Speaks
Senator McCain was the third speaker to address the violence along the Mexican Border. He referred to the fact that Phoenix is the kidnapping capital of the world. He said we need to do all we can to assist the Mexican President to battle the violence they face but don't use that violence as an excuse to infringe on the rights of law abiding American gun owners. The Senator also debunked the myth that 90% of guns used in Mexican crime are from this country.
As he was last year, McCain was well received.
GOP Chairman Michael Steele
Update: Steele just referenced the Obama effect on the firearms industry.
Update: Steele is now back to the economy and economic policy. I guess you would expect that the chairman of the opposition party would lay out a case for what the other side is doing wrong.
Update: Steele is now back to the Second Amendment. He just referenced the current administration view of the Second Amendment and drew boos when he referenced Senator Diane Feinstein and Nancy Pelosi. He seems to be into the gun portion of his remarks.
Update: Best line so far - talking about Obama wanting someone on the Supreme Court that can empathize with Americans, "What if we are bitter clinging to our guns and religion."
All in all not bad remarks by Steele.
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer Takes the Stage
Obama Gun Salesman of the Year
Exhibit Hall Filled Quickly
Lines were also long at the "Membership Upgrade" booths.
The FBI had a booth in the exhibit hall providing information on the National Instant Check System.
Tom Knapp was at the Benelli booth saying hello to a friend of an attendee.
And this was just after only a couple hours in the exhibit hall. Still lots to see.
Live Blogging American Values Forum
Wayne LaPierre is kicking off the forum and speaking now.
So Much To Do
Mr. Heller spoke to a large crowd of activists prior to the beginning of the workshop and urged everyone to do all they can to protect our freedom. He ticked off a list of initiatives that are being introduced in various states that seek to undermine our rights.
A good start to the morning.
Live from NRA Phoenix
The upward trend in firearms sales continued in April, marking the sixth consecutive month of significant increases.
Data released by the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reported 1,225,980 checks in April 2009. This figure is a 30.3 percent increase from the 940,961 reported in April 2008.
Expectations are high here and if you were not able to make it to Phoenix check back here and at the VSSA Twitter account throughout the day for updates and photos.
Hat tip to NSSF.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Phoenix Anticipation
As an estimated 50,000 people (I think it will be considerably more) converge on the City of Phoenix, there is both good news and an air of uncertainty awaiting the arrivals. As Jim Shepherd reported in yesterday's Shooting Wire, there has been some positive things come out of Washington in the past week. After an initial signal that the Obama Administration was poised to move to reinstate the Clinton Gun Ban, courtesy of the AG Eric Holder, all talk of the administration on the subject has been silenced.
Also last week, the FY2010 Obama Budget retained the Tiahrt Amendments with only minor changes to insure law enforcement gets information it needs from the data. The important point is that the language prohibiting use of the date for frivolous law suits remain. The collective screeching of the anti-rights crowd berating Obama for "breaking his promise" is proof that any talk that their was a caving to the administration by the pro-rights community is an attempt to drive a wedge through the gun community.
On Monday, the pro-rights community won another legal victory in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Court. This is the second consecutive ruling from the court that is making me wonder if it is trying to reform its reputation as the most overturned circuit in the country. The case in questions was Ileto v. Glock, RSR and the ruling says that the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Firearms Act "requires the dismissal" of the long-running. This was another of those cases seeking damages from a manufacturer for crimes committed by a felon with a firearm.
Finally, last week the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act In was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). This bill is similar to one that was passed by the House in the 109th Congress in 2006 and brings some much needed reform to the agency.
While all of this is good news, the anti-rights crowd aided by the "drive-by" media is still pushing gun control in the face of a strong public head wind. Poll after poll in recent weeks has shown weakening public support for stricter regulation of firearms but that has not stopped the likes of Representative Carolyn McCarthy and others who have vowed to reintroduce a bill banning so-called "assault weapons."
And that is where the uncertainty I mentioned comes in. Gun owners cannot for a minute begin to become complacent by the inaction of the Obama Administration to push an agenda that most everyone knows it favors. I am in full agreement with National Review Online's Jim Geraghty when he said last week on Cam and Company there is no way that Obama goes into the 2010 elections without at least throwing some kind of bone to the anti-rights crowd. And since he does not want it to be fresh in the memory of the (gun) voters, it is likely to happen sometime after this fall rather than in the fall of 2010.
So, there is a lot to celebrate as we arrive in Phoenix, but there is much of which we should also beware.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
VSSA Endorses Senator Ken Cuccinelli
VSSA urges all VSSA members and gun owners who have filed to be a delegate to the Republican Convention the last weekend of May to attend the convention and vote for Senator Ken Cuccinelli for AG.
Tiahrt Stays in Obama FY 2010 Budget
According to an interview with NRANews earlier this year with Congressman Todd Tiahrt, the amendments are now a permanent part of the budget effective with the FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act - meaning that rather than having to insert them every year, they would have to be specifically removed. It appears President Obama does not want to fight that battle since his FY2010 did not remove the provisions from the budget.
The anti-rights crowd is not happy with the President's "broken promise."
There is other good news leading up to this weekend's NRA Annual Meetings and I will detail some of it tomorrow as I begin my trip to Phoenix. Followers of this blog will have inside access to the first couple of days of the event as I will be blogging on location with special access as part of the 2nd Amendment Blog Bash taking place during the Annual Meeting. Mine will be a short trip as I have to balance the Annual Meeting with parental duties. This is also dance recital weekend for my daughters so I have to leave Phoenix early to get back for that event too.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
DGIF Receives NSSF Grant
Twenty-six proposals from 21 states were submitted to the Hunting Heritage Partnership judging committee of NSSF.
NRA University
Well, NRA-ILA's Grassroots Division has a program called NRA University to do just that. NRA-ILA is targeting college students with this innovative program that brings NRA staff to college campuses and conducts a one-day training session where participants learn the facts about the gun control debate and what they can do to promote the Second Amendment on and off campus.
Once such session was held on April 23rd at NRA HQ. A student from the The Catholic University of America in the D.C. area wrote this article in his student newspaper about how the session he attended opened his eyes to what the 2nd Amendment means. Here's what he said about the session:
Since this event I am proud to see both a renewed interest in the issue of 2nd Amendment civil rights on campus and a more visible show of support for gun rights here at CUA. You can hardly walk through the Pryz without bumping into someone wearing a NRA U t-shirt or grab lunch without hearing people talking (in some cases arguing) about the trip last weekend.
Sounds like the NRA-ILA Grassroots staff hit on a great idea when they created NRA-U.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Bill Janis Needs Our Help
Every election year you hear candidates say 'This is the most important election ever...' Well, this year is no exception and it could very well be true. The anti-rights crowd is making a major push to make gun control an issue in a statewide election for the first time in over 15 years. That's why we need to help our friends now. We can't wait until September to begin our work to support our friends. It could take just a swing of just a hand full of seats to put the anti-rights crowd in control of the House of Delegates and our firewall against gun control will be lost.
If you live in the 56th House of Delegates District (parts of Henrico County and all of Louisa and Goochland counties) or if you live in the Richmond area and just want to help a pro-rights candidate, please contact Delegate Janis to see how you can help.