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Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Free NRA-ILA Virginia Beach Volunteer Kick-off Meeting

From NRA-ILA Grassroots Division:

This November, Virginia's elections will be ground zero for the enemies of freedom to try and turn the tide against our gun rights in the Commonwealth, serving as a launching pad for their national gun ban crusade. Our opponents will be pulling out all the stops as a run-up to the 2010 elections. All eyes will be on us!

To ensure we are prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities we will face this election season, NRA-ILA is hosting a free volunteer kick-off meeting on Thursday, July 16, at 6:30 p.m.

At this meeting, we will lay out our plans for our grassroots election strategies in your area and show you how you can help. You will also get to meet and begin working with your NRA-ILA Campaign Field Representative -- an NRA-ILA staff person who will be living in your area, coordinating our volunteer activities right through Election Day, Nov. 3!

This meeting is absolutely free and beverages and light snacks will be provided. It will run only about 60-90 minutes. Please make plans to attend and encourage your fellow NRA members and Second Amendment supporters to attend as well.

Here are the details:
Thursday, July 166:30 p.m.
Double Tree Hotel Virginia Beach
Sequoia Room
1900 Pavilion DriveVirginia Beach
VA 23451
757-422-8900
FREE PARKING!!!
To register for this free event, please click here, or call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683)

Tidewater Public Radio Station Features Program on Gun Laws

Hampton Roads public radio station WHRV ran a program on June 22nd where the topic was "Gun Laws." The show featured a discussion on gun laws in Virginia, the "gun trafficking" issue, and guns in the community. A BATFE agent was one of the guests on the show as well as Joseph Samaha, the father of Rema Samaha, a victim of the Virginia Tech shootings. Of course Samaha made a pitch for closing the non-existent "gun show loophole." Not sure where they got the number that 40% of all gun sales in Virginia are through private sales. Since there is no background check or registration of firearms in Virginia, I can't imagine how they came up with that number unless it was fed to them by the anti-rights crowd. The show host did also attribute some of the "trafficking" in firearms to those that are stolen.

A Lt. with the Kennesaw Police Department was also a guest on the show. Kennesaw is the locality in Georgia that in 1982 passed an ordinance that required every head of households to maintain at least one firearm in the home along with ammo. The Lt. said one reason for the ordinance was a response to Morton Grove, IL, banning handguns. Another reason was the fact that the population in the metro Atlanta are led the community to be concerned about the impact on crime. He also noted that when you compare the crime rate now to that prior to passage of the ordinance passed, the rate of crime is lower.

Over all it is worth the hour it takes to listen to the program.

Hat tip to VA-Alert.

Terrorist Watch List and Firearm Purchases

Last week, U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) reintroduced legislation targeting gun owners whose name may be on what is known as the "Terror Watch List." This is also known as the "No Fly List." Some very well known people have wound up on the list who have no ties to terrorism. People like U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (terrorizing our wallets doesn't count) and Congressman John Lewis. Some military personnel have also somehow ended up on the list. All of these are known as "false positives" which occurs when a passenger who is not on the No Fly List has a name that matches or is similar to a name on the list.

No one except those who put names on the list know how a name ends up on it, nor can anyone explain how to get a name off the list. One does not have to be a terror suspect to be on the list. Once can simply live next door to a suspect. You don't even have to have been accused of doing anything to be on the list. And, Senator Frank Lautenberg thinks the estimated 1,000,000 people on the list should summarily have their 2nd Amendment Rights taken away from them without the due process guarantees in the Constitution.

But Lautenberg is not the only person who believes anyone on the terror watch list should be denied their 2nd Amendment rights. Someone very close to President Obama believes this, and as a congressman, he spoke at a Brady Campaign dinner where he said people on the watch list are "not part of the American family." That someone is none other than Rahm Emanuel.

As is usually the case, Cam Edwards of NRA News was talking about this before anyone else in the MSM and after Lautenberg introduced his bill, he did a segment on the subject, including re-running portions of Emanuel's speech to the Brady Campaign.



Some believe that at some point, President Obama, having dissed so many portions of his base, will have to throw a bone to some to keep them happy. Given the number of legislators who have gone on record that they will not support a renewal of the "assault weapons" ban, it is probably safe to say the assault weapons ban will not be that bone (though that does not mean we don't remain vigilant). However, the gun control movement works on emotion over logic. With buzz words like "terror watch list" and "no terrorist should be allowed to buy guns" this issue may be tailor made for Obama to twist arms as he did with the "Cap and Trade" bill last week. I am not saying it will happen, just that it could be the one gun control issue he thinks would be the best use of his political muscle. And to do this, he would likely want to do it as far out from the mid term elections as possible.

After taking on the economy, "climate change" and health care all before the fall, what's left?

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Gun Tax Rumors and Other Emails

Email rumors and Urban Legends are noting new, especially for pro-rights activists. At the beginning of the year emails circulated about Congressman Bobby Rush's HR45, a massive gun control bill that if enacted would put major restrictions on our right to keep and bear arms. While there was a bill introduced, it had no co-sponsors and will likely languish in committee as it has since the first time Congressman Rush introduced the bill. But that did not stop the emails from going around and numerous questions from being asked by concerned gun owners, leading NRANews.com host Cam Edwards to create a sign that said "No News on HR 45" to respond each night to the numerous "talkbacks" he would receive on the subject.

In the last few weeks, a new e-mail warning has made the rounds on the Internet, this one about “SB-2099,” a bill that would supposedly require you to report all your guns on your income tax return every April 15. I received this from some well meaning folks yesterday so I thought I would post on the subject and offer some suggestions on fact checking emails like this.

Like many rumors that circulate by email, there is a small grain of truth that is then blown completely out of proportion or in this case, a recycled email that wasn’t even correct when it was new. However, it seems plausible to the recipient given the current occupant of the White House. This new rumor has been circulating so much that NRA-ILA included a debunking of the myth in a recent Grassroots Alert.

According to that alert, the truth about S. 2099 is that it was introduced in 2000 by anti-gun Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and it would have included handguns under the National Firearms Act’s tax and registration scheme. This however has nothing to do with anyone’s individual federal income tax return.

Fortunately, S. 2099 died in committee without any action by the Senate. If a bill is not passed and signed into law by the end of the last year of the session introduced (in this case 2000 was the last year of the 106th Congress), it dies and must be reintroduced in the next congressional session.

Email rumors like these act as a distraction and cause us to lose focus on the real threats we face. I have a friend who from time to time will run emails by me before forwarding to make sure they don't contribute to the stack of unnecessary emails in other people's inbox. I gladly assist with their fact checking.

There is a good source that gun owners can use to verify whether an email is factual or just a rumor and that is the Library of Congress' legislative information system known as Thomas. You can search for legislation and read for yourself to see if a bill exists, and if it does, if it does what the email claims. One way to tell if a bill is a real threat is how many co-sponsors the bill has. If it has none, chances are there are bigger threats that we have to worry about than that particular bill.

Of course the best source as to what threats are in our path is NRA-ILA. Every week they send a Grassroots Alert that provides a wealth of information legislatively both federal and at the state level. If you don't already subscribe to the Grassroots Alert, you can click here and receive them every Friday.

Obama Budget Supports Hunter and Angler Education

I found this piece of good news thanks to Bart Semcer at Diana's Rest.

The President's FY2010 budget is seeking an additional $28 million for the Department of the Interior to support hunter and angler education programs. The budget summary states:

Hunting and fishing have helped forge conservation values for years. This has led to a strong environmental ethic today. A number of changes, however, threaten our Nation’s hunting and fishing legacy. With Americans’ move to urban areas, loss of small family farms, and more indoor recreational pursuits, many of the Nation’s youth have lost touch with traditional outdoor recreational activities. There is a widening gap in knowledge about natural resources including the role of hunting and fishing in resource management and the importance of these activities in sustaining natural populations and keeping them in check. This knowledge gap poses a serious threat to the future of natural resource conservation.
This good news is on top of the recent nomination of Sam Hamilton as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director. Hamilton's nomination is supported by the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

These two actions on the part of the President Obama do not make up for his previous appointments of anti-rights folks like Hillary Clinton and Gil Kerlikowske (to name just two), who have a long history of wanting to ban firearms that are commonly used by sportsmen, nor his appointment of Cass Sunstein as the nation's regulatory czar, a "tireless advocate of extensive animal rights who advocates for the legal representation of animals, and the banning of hunting." Sunstein wrote in 2002:

We might ban hunting altogether, at least if its sole purpose is human recreation. (Should animals be hunted and killed simply because people enjoy hunting and killing them? The issue might be different if hunting and killing could be justified as having important functions, such as control of populations or protection of human beings against animal violence.)

Sunstein allows that hunting "might" be different if it could be justified as having "important functions" but read on in the paper later where he writes about "Eliminating Current Practices, Including Meat-Eating" and you quickly learn that hunting for food would likely not be allowed in Sunstein's perfect universe.

So, while we should applaud the President's reverence for hunting and fishing in his budget, he many appointments of people who oppose those things that sportsmen hold dear tells us more about his true goals than a few bones thrown to us every now and then.

As Leadership Institute founder and president, Morton Blackwell, says "People equal policy" and the people that President Obama has installed into places of power tells us a lot about his policy directions.

Hat tip to Bart Semcer.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

VSSA Reloading Clinics

VSSA Reloading Clinics
The courses are designed to enable shooters with little or no prior experience in reloading to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitude to produce safe, consistent, and accurate reloaded ammunition.

The courses include lessons on:
•Reloading and Reloading Safety
•Components
•Reloading Manuals and Reloading Data
•Reloading Equipment
•The Reloading Process
•Basic Reloading Practical Exercise (Students will set up, operate reloading equipment, and reload ammunition.)
•Course Review and Examination

Dates:
Metallic Cartridge Reloading
September 12 – Winchester
September 19 - Spotsylvania
October 3 - Roanoke
November 7 - Richmond

Shotgun Shell Reloading
October 17 - Winchester
November 21 - Spotsylvania
December 5 - Richmond
December 12 - Roanoke

Courses will be conducted in the Lodge at each Gander Mountain store in the location listed above.

Tuition
$100 per course-VSSA Members
*$125 per course – non Members
*Includes a 1 year membership in VSSA

For more information contact: Dave Myers VSSA Vice President Lead Instructor dave.myers@myvssa.org

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Campaign 2009

Links to the candidates for Governor (both Republican and Democrat) have been added to the Campaign 2009 links on the right of the blog. You will note there are no links to either of the Democratic candidates for Lt. Governor or Attorney General. There are two good reasons for this. First, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and State Senator Cuccinelli, the Republican candidates for Lt. Gov. and Attorney General respectively, both have NRA "A" ratings and were endorsed for their nominations by VSSA.

In the case of the Democrat running for Lt. Governor, Jody Wagner, she has not held elective office and therefore has no record on issues important to gun owners. She did however fail to respond to the NRA-ILA candidate questionnaire when she ran for congress. That (at least to me) indicates she is at best indifferent to gun owners and at the worse, hostile to gun owners.

In the case of the Democrat running for Attorney General, in 2007, Delegate Steve Shannon had a "C" rating from the NRA. The second reason the links to their websites are not included is that neither candidate mentions the 2nd Amendment on their web sites (for that matter neither does Creigh Deeds). Deeds however does have a voting record on issues important to gun owners (though he stabbed us a couple of times last session).

At such time as VSSA makes endorsements, only the candidate receiving an endorsement will be listed on the VSSA blog.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Media Picks Up on States Rights Movement

Two separate articles, one on the CBS News web site and one in the LA Times, talks about the movement sweeping through some states (mostly western) seeking to limit federal powers in certain areas, even as President Obama continues to take more an more of the U.S. economy under the federal government.

Earlier this year, Montana passed, and the Governor signed, legislation that exempts from federal regulations any gun, gun accessory or ammunition made in the state and intended for use there. Other states are following in an attempt to revive the 10th Amendment to the Constitution.

CBS interviews some well respected constitutional scholars that don't hold out a lot of hope on the laws surviving a court challenge.

George Mason University professor Nelson Lund:

I think they probably should succeed and I think they probably won't.
Independence Institute Research Director Dave Kopel:

...says supporters would be "foolish" to expect to win.
Georgetown law school professor Randy Barnett:

believes the federalism laws won't "stand up to scrutiny" and has been suggesting says Texas and Utah could amend their pending bills to survive judicial review.
Be that as it may, Eric Herzik, a University of Nevada political scientist told the LA Times,

You're going to get more of it as people look at the growth of the federal government and the big bailout of financial interests.

The Times wrote that legislatures in five states -- Alaska, Idaho, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota -- have passed resolutions asserting their sovereignty and asking the federal government to "cease and desist" from meddling in their business. Similar measures are pending in about two dozen other states, seven of them in the West.

Western states have always had an independent streak. It would be nice if they would lead the way to educating the rest of the country on our founding principles and wake up that 60% percent that gives Obama high poll ratings even as they become more and more concerned about some of his policies.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Gun Owner Defends Self in Norfolk Hotel.

On Thursday, a gun owner and concealed handgun permit holder staying in a Norfolk Econo Lodge had to defend himself when three criminals stormed into the room.

Wavy TV 10 reported Friday that the police said two of the suspects were shot by the victim. One of the suspects, 22-year-old Dante Cooley of Virginia Beach, died at the scene. The other suspect, 20-year-old Trevor Pauley of Norfolk, was transported to a local hospital where he died Friday afternoon.

The third suspect fled the scene and as of Friday remained on the run.

Firearms stolen inYorktown

WAVY TV 10 reported last Thursday that two males wearing masks and gloves broke into Wnfree's Firarms Store in Yorktown. Upon breaking in the glass on the front door, they proceeded to mash the glass display cases and steal firearms.

Friday, June 12, 2009

11th Annual Crushn' Clays for Kids

VSSA Board member and Crushn' Clays for Kids founder Steve Canale had the opportunity to speak with NRA News Daily News Host Ginny Simone today about the success of this special event. This year is another sell out.


Lessons from Virginia Primary

Josh Goodman has a good article on today's CQ Politics web page. He basically talks about how Deeds ran a very disciplined campaign and how when Deeds did start showing some momentum, McAuliffe and Moran were caught napping. This quote is especially insightful because it showed how deparate the other campaigns were when trying to mount a last minute attack.

As Deeds surged, McAuliffe and Moran were caught napping; they hadn’t presented the case against Deeds at any point during the campaign.

In the final days, they tried to hit Deeds for his record against gun control, but the attacks rang hollow because no one had been talking about gun control as a top issue. Deeds won in a rout.
It is a good read.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

More Consolidation in Firearms Industry

This from today's Shooting Wire:

Remington Arms Company, Inc. through its fully owned subsidiary DA Acquisitions LLC has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire certain assets of Dakota Arms, LLC including the Dakota, Miller Arms, Dan Walter and Nesika Bay Precision brands. The transaction closed on June 5, 2009.

This adds to a number of acquisitions that have taken place over the last couple of years by Remington's parent company, Freedom Group. In addition to Remington, Freedom group owns some of the most recognized brands including Bushmaster, DPMS/Panther Arms, Marlin, Harrington & Richardson, New England Firearms, L.C. Smith, Parker, EOTAC, and INTC.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Primary Returns

With 3.8% of the precincts (94 of 2,504) reporting

Deeds 54.09% (4,948 votes)
McAuliffe's 23.06% (2,110)
Moran 22.83% (2,089)

Hanover County House District 55 Republican Primary - 2 of 28 precincts (7.142%) reporting
John A. Cox 58.71% - (128 )
R. E. "Rusty" McGuire 34.40% - (75)
Jerry F. Burch, Jr. 6.88% - (15)

Update: Looking at some rural counties, (Appomattox, Buchanan, Buckingham, Carrol,) Deeds is doing well.

Deeds is going to walk away with Chesterfield County - 67 of 69 precincts in and Deeds has 51.91% of the vote. Turn out in my home county was a little over 4%.

7:36 PM: McAuliffe was counting on heavy turnout among black voters. The city of Petersburg has Moran up 45 -35 over McAuliffe with 2 of 8 precincts reporting.

Radford City went big for Deeds. All three precincts have reported and Deeds won the city with 73.65% of the vote. 5% turnout.

7:40 PM: Deeds is racking up big margins in rural areas that have counted all the votes. Staunton gives Deeds 77.62%, Salem 64.66%

7:52 PM: With 50% of precincts reporting Deeds has 50% of the vote. May be a good night for Deeds and a bad night for using gun control as a last minute attack.

8:57 PM: Power outage due to storm resolved. Deeds is winning all but the 3rd District. Declared winner during the power outage. Shows money can't buy everything. McAuliffe certainly did not get what he paid for.

Will Gun Control Turn Tide for McAuliffe, Moran?

We will see tonight if the last minute attack on Deeds for his prior votes against gun control can win a nomination.

McAuliffe and Moran are attacking Deeds' opposition to most restrictions on gun ownership, including his vote more than a decade ago against a bill to limit gun purchases to one per month.

Anti-gun Anti-Deeds Ad

Found this on YouTube. There is no way to identify who put the ad together but it uses a mailer that was sent out against Deeds and the voice in the interview is Brian Moran. The mailer uses the typical anti- language of "guns in bars" to hit Deeds for his support of repealing the restaurant ban.



To be clear - VSSA has not endorsed in this race. I have provided information of value to gun owners who want to vote their rights today. Deeds is not perfect. He has been duped into attacking gun shows by those who use any tragedy to advance the cause of the anti-rights crowd. But we know that Moran is a politician that will say and do what he thinks will help him get elected.

When Moran thought it was just going to be Deeds and himself running for Governor, he changed his voting patterns on 2nd Amendment issues so he could appear to be like Mark Warner and appeal to areas outside of northern Virginia. When McAuliffe jumped in, Moran had to run to the left in hopes of holding his home area in the primary.

While I am unable to determine who sent the mailer about Deed's record on firearm issues that is used in the web ad, one of the issues the mailer hit Deeds on was his vote that prevented localities from regulating firearms by policy or ordinance (pre-emption bill HB 530 in 2004). Interesting enough, then Delegate Brian Moran voted for that bill too.

The ad also hits Deeds for voting against Doug Wilder's handgun rationing law (one gun-a-month) in 1993. Yet in 2004, Moran voted for the first partial roll back of the law - HB 404, sponsored by Delegate Bill Janis (a VSSA member). HB 404 exempts concealed handgun permit holders from Wilder's handgun rationing law.

So, it seems that Moran votes with gun owners when it may benefit him, but when he needs to appeal to the left in hopes of winning an election, he will throw our rights overboard.

Update: Omar Samaha and Colin Goddard representing the families of the Virginia Tech shooting victims are encouraging people to vote ABC (Anybody But Creigh) today.

Hat tip to NotLarrySabato.

Primary Day in Virginia

The polls opened at 6:00 AM this morning and will remain open until 7:00 PM. Turn out was going to be light anyway but the threat of rain may dampen turnout even more. This will be all about which candidate can turn out their supporters. Most of folks I follow who make such predictions believe Creigh Deeds' late surge gives him a leg up in the race to be the Democratic candidate for Governor. We will see.

There are a smattering of nominations for House seats too.

I you are planning to vote (you don't have to be a Democrat - Virginia is an open primary state), here is one more thing to consider when trying to decide which candidate supports your rights, courtesy of the New York Times.

“Unlike my friend Creigh, I support the Second Amendment, but I don’t dance whenever the N.R.A. tells me to,” said Mr. Moran, jabbing at Mr. Creeds, who won the endorsement of the National Rifle Association in his 2005 attorney general race.
For someone who claims to support the Second Amendment, Moran has been the most vocal in calling for more gun control during the race.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Pilot Online Concealed Carry Permit Poll

The Virginian Pilot web site has an online poll asking:

Should there be more restrictions on conditions for concealed weapons permits?

Click here to participate in the poll.

Is Deeds Peaking at Right Moment?

If you believe recent polls, it would seem that Deeds is surging at just the right moment. According to a Public Policy Polling survey conducted June 6-7, Deeds has jumped out in front of the pack at 40 percent to McAuliffe's 26 percent and Moran's 24 percent. Many attribute his rise to the Washington Post endorsement earlier last week..

Now, polls are very unreliable in a primary. Undecideds tend to be large in number and unlike general elections, they don't generally break in the same direction. But, it would seem that Terry McAuliffe is seeing something in his internal polling to at least confirm that Deeds has moved from the back of the pack. The Richmond Times Dispatch reported today that McAuliffe zeroed in on Deeds past support for gun rights over the weekend.

Terry McAuliffe is training his guns on R. Creigh Deeds in the finale to tomorrow's Democratic gubernatorial primary, saying Deeds' pro-firearms stance makes him unelectable against Republican Bob McDonnell.

Deeds said his stances on guns are nothing new.

Primaries in Virginia are usually won by those who have the highest turnout of their base. But based on reports from the State Board of Elections, numbers compiled as of Thursday showed that voter requests for absentee ballots, which is usually an indicator of voter turnout on the primary day, were very low.

If you are planning to vote in tomorrow's primary, the below information provided in Sunday's edition of the Richmond Times Dispatch should be remembered:

GUNS
DEEDS - Voted to override Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's veto of a bill to let people with concealed-weapons permits carry concealed weapons into bars and restaurants.
McAULIFFE - Backed Kaine's veto of the bill.
MORAN - Backed Kaine's veto of the bill.

Gun Rights and Congress

This morning's online edition of Congressional Quarterly had this story titled Gun Rights Lobby to Weigh in on Sotomayor. The story spent most of its text talking about the current climate in Congress that looks very bleak for increased restrictions. That hasn't changed the plans of those who do seek more restrictions. For instance, Senator Diane Feinstein, who when asked about her "assault weapons ban" renewal:

said she has not ruled out trying to attach the ban to another piece of legislation to get it approved. “I’ll pick my spot,” she said.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Gun Owners Guide to Democratic Primary Pt. 2

Yesterday I provided some information on the three candidates running for the Democratic nomination for Governor. Today I will provide some information about where the candidates for the other contested race, Lt. Governor, stand on Second Amendment related issues. Only one of the three have held elective office and that individual has only held local office and has no voting record on firearm related issues. With that in mind, here is some information from the candidates based on responses at a candidates forum as reported in a recent edition of the Vienna Connection.

Jody Wagner - Ms. Wagner served as Governor Tim Kaine's Secretary of Finance and as Governor Warner's State Treasurer. She ran for the 2nd Congressional District seat in 2000 and was rated a "?" by the NRA because she did not return the candidate questionnaire. According to NRA, failing to return the questionnaire is often an indication of indifference, if not outright hostility, to gun owners' and sportsmen's rights. Below are Ms. Wagner's responses to questions related to firearms and gun laws when asked during a forum sponsored by the Democratic Women of Clifton on April 19.


"We should have background checks on everything. There is no reason why we can’t do an instant background check."

"It is very hard for me to understand why someone would need a concealed gun in a restaurant or bar."

"The gun laws we have on the books are generally adequate."


Jon Bowerbank: Mr Bowerbank is a member of the Russell County Board of Supervisors. Below is what the Vienna Connection reported as his responses during the Clifton candidate forum:

Bowerbank was more vague about whether he would vote to close what some people call the “gun show loop hole.” He said he couldn’t answer the question specifically because he couldn’t see the bill he would be voting on.

Bowerbank backed off the next question about whether they would support a law that would allow gun owners with “concealed carry” permits to wear their weapon concealed in a bar or restaurant where alcohol was served.

“I don’t think we need firearms on campus,” said Bowerbank.

Mike Signer - Mr. Signer is a "Political Strategist" and has not previously held elective office. Here what the Vienna Connection reported as he responses to the firearm related questions:

“[Gun issues] are so divisive. It could cost us the election,” said Signer, who wants the Democratic Party to focus on other topics.

Signer said he was not personally comfortable with the idea of guns on school grounds or college campuses, but that he would be willing to listen to people who come from other parts of the state and have a different view on the issue.

“Progressives have been losing every battle on guns for years.”

In short, gun owners don't have a lot from which to to choose in the group of candidates running for Governor and Lt. Governor. The best that can be said about the Democratic candidates is that Creigh Deeds is a friend to gun owners much more than not. But given he was persuaded to flip on us with an emotional plea based on the Virginia Tech shootings regarding background checks on private sales, I'm not willing to bet my gun rights that the won't do the same when it comes to repealing the "Restaurant Ban" or some other 2nd Amendment related issue.

Chicago Gun Ban Case Moves to SCOTUS

This from yesterday's Wall Street Journal PM Roundup:

NRA Challenges 7th Circuit Opinion: Wow, that was fast. The National Rifle Association didn’t sit around and nurse its wounds for long, after the Seventh Circuit on Tuesday declined to shoot down gun-control regulations in and around Chicago. According to this release, the NRA filed a petition for cert on Wednesday. Said Chris Cox, the NRA’s chief lobbyist: “The Seventh Circuit got it wrong. As the Supreme Court said in last year’s landmark Heller decision, the Second Amendment is an individual right that ‘belongs to all Americans’. Therefore, we are taking our case to the highest court in the land.” Scotusblog

The opinion in this case came very quickly after oral arguments according to Steve Halbrook during an interview on NRANews.com earlier this week. That is good because it gets this case moving that much faster to the Supreme Court.

More Gun Control Talk from Moran

Less than a week away from the Democratic Primary, the candidates for Governor participated in a Politico sponsored Battleground Virginia Forum. According to Politico, Brian Moran used the opportunity to enhance his creds on several issues - including gun control.

Playing to his party’s liberal base in vote-rich Northern Virginia, where the interview aired Wednesday night, Moran ...voiced support for stricter gun laws...

Moran noted that, unlike Deeds, he backed one-gun-per-month legislation...
According to Politico, Deeds has been surging in recent polls (as much as you can poll a primary since it is hard to craft a turn out model in Virginia for such elections). Moran, who once thought he had an almost clear path to the nomination because he could run up large totals in his home Northern Virginia is now in danger of finishing third and has turned to attacking his two opponents where he thinks they will be vulnerable with the more liberal voters that may make up those who turn out for the primary Tuesday.

While Moran went on the attack, Deeds and McAuliffe stuck to their campaign themes of electability (Deeds) and jobs (McAuliffe).

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Gun Owners Guide to Democratic Primary Pt. 1

There will be a primary next Tuesday, June 9th, to determine the Democratic candidates for Governor and Lt. Governor. The Democratic candidate for Attorney General, Delegate Steve Shannon, has no opposition. To assist gun owners who plan to vote in the primary on Tuesday, VSSA offers some background on where the candidates stand on Second Amendment related issues. First up will be the candidates for Governor.

State Senator Creigh Deeds - Until recently, Deeds has been a 100% supporter of the rights of law abiding gun owners. He has consistently supported repeal of the ban on carrying concealed handguns in restaurants like Applebees, Olive Garden, and others that serve alcohol in addition to food. Until 2008, he consistently opposed attempts to force private citizens to conduct background checks on sales of firearms from their private collections. But using the tragedy of the Virginia Tech shootings, he has done a 180 on that issue, commonly referred to as "closing the gun show loophole." I have detailed on many occasions that there is no loophole so I won't repeat myself. But, I will provide some recent press coverage of Senator Deeds on the issue of firearms:

He has backed bills friendly to supporters of gun rights, such as a measure to let holders of concealed-weapons permits carry concealed guns into bars and restaurants. But this year he also authored a compromise version of a bill to restrict sales at gun shows. It passed in committee but failed to clear the Senate. Charlottesville Daily Progress May 24

Some progressive voters may look past Mr. Deeds, assuming he's too far to the right on social issues. They should look again. Yes, he describes himself as a supporter of the Second Amendment. He's willing, however, to put limits on gun ownership when the stakes are highest, brokering a compromise in an effort to close the state's notorious gun show loophole. May 22, 2009 Washington Post endorsement of Creigh Deeds

That record includes support for closing Virginia's so-called gun show loophole. Deeds backs the Second Amendment, but said he began to advocate tougher gun laws after the Virginia Tech shooting.

"The issue was that those parents put their grief, they funneled their grief, into that legislation. And I was determined to try to respond the best that I could," Deeds said. NBC29.com

Former Delegate Brian Moran: Delegate Moran was a consistent vote in favor of gun control until 2003. In 2005, he apparently decided he might be interested in running for statewide office and began to vote more in favor of the rights of law abiding gun owners. By 2007 he had raised he "D" rating to an "A". Based on the comments you will find below, I think it is safe to say if he wins the primary on Tuesday, that "A" rating will be down graded.

Moran also wants to close Virginia's so-called gun show loophole, as do both of his democratic opponents.

"That's all we're asking to do. Have a background check, close that loophole," said Moran. NBC 29.com

Moran Campaign responding to Washington Post endorsement of Deeds: We're entirely confident that Brian Moran's progressive vision will receive overwhelming support in Northern Virginia. He is standing firm …opposing guns in bars… Washington Post Virginia Politics Blog
Terry McAuliffe: The former Democratic National Committee Chairman has never held elective office. He says he is a hunter and a gun owner and offers platitudes about "supporting the Second Amendment." But judge for yourself after reading the comments below.

Like the other Democratic gubernatorial candidates, McAuliffe, who says he's an avid hunter, supports closing Virginia's so-called gun show loophole."It's not unreasonable to say that anyone who's buying a firearm ought to have a background check," said McAuliffe. NBC29.com
Finally, there is this clip from candidate's debate held recently at the College of William and Mary. The three candidates seem to fall all over themselves to see who is more in favor of gun control.



So, who should gun owners vote for on June 9th? I would normally say choosing Senator Creigh Deeds would at least insure that no matter who wins the general election we will be assured of finally repealing the "restaurant ban" but given what happened in Tennessee last week, nothing is assured.

If you don't know to what I am referring, last week, Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee, who had said when he ran for re-election that he supported repeal of the ban on carrying in restaurants that serve alcohol, not only vetoed the bill when it hit his desk, he held a big ceremony to do so.

Given Senator Deeds has changed his position on background checks on private sales of firearms, I cannot feel confident that if a restaurant bill hit his desk, he would sign it. There is a better chance that he would sign it than either Moran or McAuliffe.

Therefore, VSSA has not endorsed in this primary race. Gun owners should use all available information in making a determination as to which of the Democratic candidates would protect our rights should they win the primary and the general election in November.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

More Guns Equal Less Crime

We all know that firearms sales have been through the roof since last October. That means there were more guns in the hands of law abiding citizens in 2008 than in 2007. The FBI released preliminary violent crime statistics yesterday and guess what - violent crime was down in 2008 from 2007.

FBI: Violent crime dropped in 2008, preliminary data show:
U.S. violent crime in 2008 dropped 2.5 percent from 2007;
Murders declined 4.4 percent but rose in towns of fewer than 10,000 people;
Drop in violent crime would be third consecutive year-to-year decline;
Violent crime in the United States has largely been on the decline over the past two decades. In 2005, however, a surprising increase prompted headlines of an end to the drop in violence. Monday's figures show that the downward trend has resumed. After the 2005 violent crime increase of 2.3 percent, the figures increased only 1.9 percent in 2006 and then dropped 0.7 percent in 2007 before the decline of 2.5 percent in the preliminary 2008 figures.


More bad news for the statists who want to limit our firearm freedom. Crime decreases while firearm ownership increases. Kind of hard to sell gun control as a solution to violent crime when it is decreasing.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Crush'n Clays Nearing Sellout

If you haven't registered for VSSA's 11th Annual Crushn' Clays for Kids™ benefiting St. Jude Children's Hospital, time is running out. At our last Board meeting, event founder and organizer Steve Canale said we are nearing a sellout again this year. The event is June 13th at the Arlington/Fairfax IWLA club.

You can download an entry form here.

Sotomayor, Second Amendment and the Supreme Court

This tidbit in a Fox News story on Sotomayor and Second Amendment issues, should concern every gun owner:


White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday that Obama was "very comfortable with her interpretation of the Constitution being similar to that of his."
We all know that Obama interprets the Constitution to say that localities like Chicago can impose a ban on a whole class of firearms. He also has some other screwy interpretations of the Constitution not related to the 2nd Amendment.

If Sonia Sotomayor views the Constitution the same way that President Obama views it, more than our gun rights are in danger.

Some Gun Control Friends Voted for National Park Amendment

But it was by accident - so says an article on last Friday's Congressional Quarterly web site.

At least 11 House Democrats (not including freshmen) who have typically sided with gun-control advocates on past votes this time around favored allowing state and local gun laws to take precedence over federal law in national parks.

Those 11 were Reps. Adam Smith of Washington, Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey, Ed Perlmutter of Colorado, Joe Courtney of Connecticut, Gregory W. Meeks of New York, Shelley Berkley of Nevada, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, Hank Johnson of Georgia, Melissa Bean of Illinois, Patrick J. Kennedy of Rhode Island and Diana DeGette of Colorado.

Patrick Kennedy told CQ he did not want the underlying bill (the credit card bill) to be held up but in the House the amendment was voted on separately from the larger bill to give those who wanted the bill but who opposed the amendment (as well as those who opposed the credit card bill but favored the Coburn Amendment) could vote their conscience. Had the Coburn Amendment failed, the bill would have headed back to the Senate, but the final vote wasn’t even close — the House vote on May 20 was 279 in favor of the gun provision and 147 against.

According to CQ, Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to End Handgun Violence, said he wondered whether House members “weren’t sure what they were voting on.”

Based on Kennedy's comments, I'd say the chances are good that at least some had no clue what was going on.