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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Did Harry Reid Throw D.C. Voting Rights Under the Bus for Naught

That's the question that the Washington City Paper asks in this article about the NRA's decision not to endorse Reid.

Those who were watching the battle over legislation that would have given the District full and equal voting rights in the U.S. House know Reid’s role in allowing a poison-pill amendment” on the voting rights legislation, a D.C. gun-rights provision that many D.C. officials, including Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, could not in the end stomach.

The NRA noted Reid's votes for U.S. Supreme Court nominees Sonja Sotomayor and Elana Kagan as the reason for not endorsing one of the most endangered incumbents in congress. Over the last six years, Reid has pretty much voted for pro-gun legislation and against anti-gun measures. NRA has shown however that it meant what it said when it opposed both Sotomayor and Kagan.

It should be noted that NRA did not endorse Reid's opponent, Sharon Angle, either. It will be interesting to see what Reid's final NRA-PVF rating is when they become public sometime in October. Virginians will then have some indication just what support for the two anti-gun nominees might also cost Virginia Senator's Jim Webb and Mark Warner, both of whom voted for Obama's nominees to the high court and who have carefully worked to cultivate a pro-gun voting record on things like national carry reciprocity and gun rights for D.C. Webb may be facing former Senator George Allen in a rematch of the 2006 race in 2012.

Blue Ridge Parkway Ends Requirement for Hunter Access Permit

The Blue Ridge Parkway has announced that accessing game lands adjacent to the Parkway will no longer require a permit.

“However, you must contact the park prior to transporting game,” says Steve Stinnett, Chief Ranger for the Blue Ridge Parkway.

With the change in federal law that became effective in national parks February 10, 2010, concealed carry of handguns with a valid permit and open carry of legal firearms are allowed in national parks in Virginia consistent with state law.

“Hunting on parkway lands, the use and discharge of firearms, carrying firearms in federal facilities, and the possession of other weapons and traps are still prohibited,” said Stinnett.

The end of the permit removes the need to find a ranger or travel to a parkway office to obtain a permit. However, this change also means that permission which was previously given for transporting game across park lands and roads is gone.

“Under the new procedure, anyone taking game is directed to transport it in a way that does not cross park lands or use the Parkway,” said Stinnett. “If the parkway is the only reasonable access for removal of game, hunters must request permission by contacting a park ranger or theCommunications Center (828-298-2491, 24 hrs/day) prior to the transport. It is the hunter’s responsibility to show that the game was not taken on park lands, and transport is limited to the closest state road access to the Parkway.”


For further information on the hunter access policy change, contact your local ranger station, visithttp://www.nps.gov/blri/parkmgmt/lawsandpolicies.htm, or contact Chief Ranger Steve Stinnett at (828) 271-4779, extension 239.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Mainstream Media Picking Up EPA Ammo Story

The story about the petition requesting the EPA to ban traditional ammunition is no longer just a story circulating among the firearms community. Investors Business Daily and The Weekly Standard have both picked up the story.

The IBD editorial is right on target with its analysis.

If the EPA approves the petition, the result will be a ban on all ammunition containing lead-core components. Bullets made of material other than lead are considered armor-piercing by law and are banned. So this amounts to gun control by stealth. Where permitted, it increases the cost of gun ownership and use.
Now is the time to act. Log on to the EPA web site and submit your comment opposing the petition today.

Hat-tip to NRA-ILA Federal Affairs who forwarded the article links to VSSA earlier today.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

The Hill: Despite promises, Obama, Dem Congress Have Been Gun-friendly

I'm not sure the Hill's title in this story is entirely correct. There are a large number of pro-gun Democrats in Congress so I don't know that they made any promises to enact more gun control in 2008. On the other hand, Barack Obama most certainly lead the anti-rights crowd to believe he would be a friend to their cause. The problem? Obama can read the tea leaves and he knows trying to spend political capital on gun control is a loser. The pro-gun forces have also been smart in attaching progun legislation to bills that a)passed by large margins and b)were attached to bills that Obama wanted to sign.

This statement by a representative of Gun Owners of America probably has more to do with the reality than Obama being "gun-friendly."

“The old school liberals in charge of Congress were put in power on the backs of newly elected conservative Democrats,” Velleco said. “Democratic leaders have a balancing act.”

While it is true that there have been no bills passed infringing on the rights of gun owners, Obama has a nasty habit of doing things by executive fiat or through agency regulations. That more than anything else at the time is what gun owners need to continue to be vigilant in preventing.

WSLS 10 Sportsmen's Banquet to Benefit Hunters for the Hungry

WSLS TV 10 in Roanoke is sponsoring the 4th Annual Sportsmen's Banquet to benefit Hunters for the Hungry September 25. The event will be held at the Roanoke Moose Lodge in Salem at 5:30 pm and includes dinner, dessert, and beverages, a variety of raffles as well as live and silent auctions of donated merchandise. There will be advance ticket sales only, no ticket sales at the door! This event has been a sellout the last several years. For tickets or additional information click here.

Farmville Outdoor Festival

This event was posted on the VSSA web site earlier but it bears repeating on this site. The 5th Annual Outdoor Festival to be held Saturday August 28 in Farmville, VA. It is sponsored by the Riverside Community Church.

The festival will take place at the Five County Fairgrounds off of Business 460 on the West side of Farmville. Festivities go from 10 am till 7 pm and include a kid's fishing pond, BB gun range, hunting simulator, five stand sporting clays shooting, turkey shoot, turkey calling contest and a 3-D archery contest. There will be many taxidermy displays, outdoor vendors, and a big buck contest. All events are free except for the vendors. This year the organizers are asking for a $5 donation for each person over 10. For more information click here. If you have questions, call (434) 607-7776, or (434) 547-6770.

Open House At Lynchburg Izaak Walton Park

The Izaak Walton League of Lynchburg is inviting area families for a FREE day of fun in the outdoors. Enjoy swimming, fishing, picnicking, canoeing, and kayaking from 9 am to 6 pm, Saturday, August 28. Visit the archery range and check out the campground, clubhouse and pavilion. Try your hand at trap and skeet shooting. The rifle range will be open and there will be a "Cowboy" demonstration and fun shooting opportunities on the pistol range. For more information visit: www.iwll.org.

Hat tip to DFIG Outdoor Report.

Comment Period Open for Proposed Elk Hunting Moratorium Regulatory Amendment

The Board of Game and Inland Fisheries requested a moratorium be placed on hunting of elk in Virginia at the August 17, 2010 meeting in Richmond. The proposal is to (i) designate that the term elk refers specifically to Rocky Mountain elk and (ii) prohibit the hunting of Rocky Mountain elk in Virginia. The Department will be embarking on a pilot program to restore elk in southwest Virginia and until a viable herd is established the hunting of elk will be prohibited. Currently, hunters are allowed to kill elk that wonder across the Kentucky border during deer season.

This is a big step forward for those who have wanted to see an elk herd reestablished in the Commonwealth. It is a sensitive subject in the western part of Virginia as some land owners are concerned about the damage that could be caused by the large animals. For those who would love the opportunity to one day be able to hunt the majestic animals without incurring the cost of traveling to the west and paying large fees associated with outfitters and travel, this is an opportunity that could pay dividends.

DGIF, pursuant to §§ 29.1-103, 29.1-501, and 29.1-502 of the Code of Virginia, proposed the amendment 4VAC15-90-85 (PDF). A public comment period on the regulatory proposal opened August 20 and closes September 20, 2010. The Board will hold a public hearing on the proposal at its meeting 9:00 AM October 5, at 4000 West Broad Street, Richmond, and will consider the proposal for possible adoption as a final regulation amendment at that time. Written comments on the proposed regulation amendment should be submitted online, or may be emailed to regcomments@dgif.virginia.gov or postal mailed to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Attn. Policy Analyst and Regulatory Coordinator, 4016 West Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23230, and received no later than September 20, 2010. Below are links to background information that will be helpful to those wishing to comment on the proposal.

Elk Management and Restoration Plan »

Elk Plan Public Input Summary (PDF)

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

EPA Considering Ban on Traditional Ammo

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) issued an alert today that the EPA has opened a public comment period on a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) – a leading anti-hunting organization – to ban all traditional ammunition under the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976, a law in which Congress expressly exempted ammunition. It should be noted that the individual appointed to head EPA by President Obama is none other than Lisa Jackson, the person responsible for ending the bear hunting season in New Jersey when she served in the Corzine administration. Your action is needed now to insure that the anti-hunting crowd does not control the public comment period.

The EPA has published the petition and relevant supplemental information as Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2010-0681. If you would like to read the original petition and see the contents of this docket folder, please click here. In order to go directly to the ‘submit a comment’ page for this docket number, please click here.

VSSA urges you to contact EPA and voice your opposition to the petition. NSSF has provided some talking points that you can use in your contact with EPA:

* There is no scientific evidence that the use of traditional ammunition is having an adverse impact on wildlife populations.

* Wildlife management is the proper jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the 50 state wildlife agencies.

* A 2008 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on blood lead levels of North Dakota hunters confirmed that consuming game harvested with traditional ammunition does not pose a human health risk.

* A ban on traditional ammunition would have a negative impact on wildlife conservation. The federal excise tax that manufacturers pay on the sale of the ammunition (11 percent) is a primary source of wildlife conservation funding. The bald eagle’s recovery, considered to be a great conservation success story, was made possible and funded by hunters using traditional ammunition – the very ammunition organizations like the CBD are now demonizing.

* Recent statistics from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service show that from 1981 to 2006 the number of breeding pairs of bald eagles in the United States increased 724 percent. And much like the bald eagle, raptor populations throughout the United States are soaring.
In addition to submitting comments to EPA, you should also contact Lisa Jackson directly as well as your congressman and U.S. Senator.

You can contact Lisa Jackson at:

Lisa P. Jackson
Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
(202) 564-4700
Fax: (202) 501-1450
Email: jackson.lisa@epa.gov

3. Contact your congressman and senators and urge them to stop the EPA from banning ammunition. To view a sample letter, click here.

Hat tip to NSSF Blog.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Alexandria Woman Asks Post Food Critic to Add Gun Rating for Restaurants

You read that right. In Sunday's Washington Post, Tom Sietsema, the paper's food critic, shared some of his reader emails. Among them was this little gem:

"Now that the Commonwealth of Virginia permits unconcealed as well as concealed weapons in establishments serving alcohol, I find myself unwilling to patronize any establishment where guns may be present," writes Catherine Mitchell of Alexandria. "I am terrified by people carrying guns and would certainly not be able to enjoy a meal or cocktail in a restaurant where guns may be present." Her pitch: "I very much appreciate the 'noise level' ratings you now include in your reviews; I am requesting that you also include 'gun' warnings."

To Sietsema's credit, he saw no need for such an addition to his restaurant rating system since restaurant's already can post that firearms are not allowed. Although, if Ms. Mitchell is going to rely on this method, she may be eating a lot of meals at home. The Hospitality Association representative regularly told legislators that her members did not want to post signs as that would indicate a prospective patron was not welcome, in response to their telling her that all they simply had to do was post a no guns sign if they did not want them. I haven't frequented every restaurant in Virginia since the restaurant ban was repealed but the ones I have patroned did not have signs against carry posted. Since open carry was already legal, it is doubtful that many, if any will post.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Two Newspapers, Two Totally Different Headlines

What do you get when one reporter writes a story and it runs in the Washington Post then four days later in an abridged version in the Seattle Times? Two totally different editorialized titles. I have never worked for a newspaper so I presume the reporter has no final say in the title of his story.

In the case of the Washington Post story, you see the headline "Gun-toting soccer moms a scary thought in D.C. area, but not out west." In the Seattle Times, the headline of the story was "West's gun advocates fight to uphold region's traditional wildness." The reporter is Freddie Kunkle of the Washington Post and the theme of the story is two fold; part about how western senators John McCain (R-AZ) and John Tester (D-MT) have joined bi-partisan forces to bring D.C. into compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court's Heller decision by removing the regulatory burdens the city has placed on those wishing to own firearms; and partly about the "gun culture" of the west. The difference is how it is set up by the Post and the fact that the Post story is much longer. The Seattle Times basically published a very abridged version.

The Post story also has a link the the Pam Gorman ad featured in the NPR story posted about here earlier this morning.

Coalition to Stop Gun Violence Distorts 8-28 Event Purpose

I subscribe to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence's (CSGV) email list so I can keep up with what the other side is doing. They have been quite prolific of late but this latest email is a complete distortion of Glenn Beck's 8/28 event "Restoring Honor Rally." As with everything they do, CSGV is trying to politicize a non-political event.

Social activists and civil rights leaders, concerned that the "Restoring Honor" Rally will co-opt the historical significance of the March on Washington to advance a political message that is directly at odds with the vision of King, have planned their own event on the same day.

How can an event that its organizers have said is non political "advance a political message?"

From Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor web site:

Join the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and many more for this non-political event that pays tribute to America’s service personnel and other upstanding citizens who embody our nation’s founding principles of integrity, truth and honor.


CSGV is upset that Beck has chosen the location and the date that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. chose for his "I Have a Dream" speech, and that the NRA is also promoting the event. It says a lot about CSGV that they feel the need to promote a counter rally to an event that has as its intent to honor those who are currently serving, as well as those who have given their lives so that we can continue to live free. As always, CSGV is more interested in promoting a political agenda.

You Have to Love This Ad

NPR ran this story earlier today about how more candidates are showing themselves actually using firearms in their ads, not just talking about supporting gun rights. Embedded in the story on their web site was this ad for an Arizona candidate for Congress.



It should not be surprising that NPR added their snarky commentary into the article:

Well, it is a scary world. And voters are looking for can-do leaders who can solve complex problems easily. But there is the question of whether a parade of politicians pictured with guns makes us feel safer, or even more frightened.
I do think the article misses the mark in trying to compare what is happening in races this year on both the Republican and Democratic side as it relates to firearms by attempting to compare it to 1994. That year, a Democratically controlled Congress and White House had just enacted the Clinton Gun Ban. Voters were not treated so much to a bi-partisan display of support for the Second Amendment as you see this year. What is also different I believe is the actual use of firearms by candidates. We all also remember the photo-ops of John Kerry in 2004 where he tried to appear like the average gun owner on a clay target range and in the goose blind (though you never saw him actually doing the hunting - just entering and leaving the field).

It is up to gun owners to discern whether all of this is just for show or whether it shows a genuine understanding of the issue. There are a lot of candidates that support gun control but try to parse the issue by saying they don't want to take any hunter's shotgun. It is however a positive sign when you have candidates of both parities going after the votes of gun owners.

Attend a Governor McDonnell Townhall on Government Reform

Last week, NRA-ILA sent an email alert encouraging gun owners to attend one of the town halls that Governor Bob McDonnell is holding around the Commonwealth on the subject of Government Reform. One suggesting for reforming Virginia government and saving taxpayers money would be to scrap the current Virginia Instant Check System for gun purchases and use the National Instant Check System (NICS). In April, I posted about the problem of background checks taking longer and the impact is has had on gun shows. The Richmond Times Dispatch reported at that time the reason according to the State Police:

Officials say it is tied to increased demand for firearms at the same time that budget and funding constraints have reduced the number of staffers available to handle the transactions.

Spokeswoman Corinne Geller said that since May 2009, the agency has lost 11 people from its 28-person staff at the Virginia Firearms Transaction Center, including two federally funded full-time workers who used to attend gun shows and conduct the computerized checks on-site.
NRA believes that the best way to alleviate the problem is not allocate more money to the State Police, but to scrap the state system and have Virginia use the NICS. Such a suggestion is likely the type of government reforms ideas that Governor McDonnell may find appealing.

There are a number of town halls coming up in the next week and gun owners are encouraged to attend and suggest to Governor McDonnell that one efficient reform idea is for Virginia to stop doing its own checks and instead have them go through NICS. If you live near one of the town hall locations, please attend, then let VSSA know the Governor's response by posting a comment on this blog post.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 24
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
412 Lee Hall at University of Mary Washington
1301 College Avenue in FREDERICKSBURG

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
CIT Auditorium
2214 Rock Hill Road, Suite 300 in HERNDON


THURSDAY, AUGUST 26
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Montpelier Room of East Campus Dining Hall
James Madison University in HARRISONBURG

MONDAY, AUGUST 30
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Great Hall of Institute for Advanced Learning and Research
150 Slayton Avenue in DANVILLE

TUESDAY, AUGUST 31
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
J. Henry Kegley Meeting Room in Bristol Public Library
701 Goode Street in BRISTOL

VSSA had the opportunity to discuss this with NRANews.com last week.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Posting Will Be Light

As vacation week begins, posting will be light for the next seven days.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Menino Can't Enforce the Gun Laws He Has

This isn't Virginia related but it is worth noting because former WRVA (Richmond) radio talk show host Michael Graham has a good Op/Ed in the Boston Herald that demonstrates the hollowness of the "blame guns" crowd.

Here is the story. Three years ago, 8-year-old Liquarry Jefferson was shot and killed by his 7-year-old cousin in Dorchester, Massachusetts. After the incident, Boston Mayor Tom Menino said the incident was the fault of the NRA, because it opposed tougher gun control laws. Never mind that the two boys and Liquarry’s 2-year-old half-sister were upstairs playing with a pistol - unattended - at 11 p.m.

The city ended up charging Liquarry’s mom, Lakeisha Gadson, of recklessly causing the death of her 8-year-old son, by letting an older son stash a loaded gun in their apartment. A jury acquitted her this week of every charge except of misleading the police after the fact, by lying about the circumstances of the shooting.


Graham writes:

Yes, it’s true that Gadson suffered a tragic loss in the death of her son. It’s also true that his death would never have happened without her negligent - in my opinion, criminally negligent - behavior. Justice demands that she be held accountable.

Menino and his best bud Michael Bloomberg are always calling for more gun control laws but the truth is, Menino can't enforce the laws he has. The gun used in this tragic incident was illegally brought into the home by a teen who already had a charge for illegal possession of a firearm.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Roanoke Area Middle Schooler Starts Airsoft Club

This is really neat story from the Roanoke Times.

For years, Tyler has been longing for somewhere to play with his airsoft guns. So, with the help of his father, Roger, the young Vinton teen is now an entrepreneur.

He started the Star City Airsoft Club last winter so fellow airsoft gun players could have a place to play. The club's first game day was July 21, and 10 boys came and went during the five games played. As of now, Tyler said, the club doesn't have a schedule for games, but he posts updates of when they're playing on the business' Facebook page.

The article also has a minute long video interview with the father and son.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Virginia Shooters Score at The American Legion's Junior Air Rifle National Championship

VSSA affiliated Lafayette Gun Club can be proud of two of their junior shooters who participated in the American Legion Junior Air Rifle National Championships this past weekend.

Hanna Black of Yorktown, VA, claimed the 2010 sporter champion title after firing a 2312.0 out of 2509.

"I had a fun time with the competition, and it was nice making friends with the other competitors to help ease my nerves," Black said. "Winning the sporter category is a great accomplishment for me."

In the Precision category, Danielle Foster, also with Lafayette Gun Club, shot a 2446.9 to claim a third place finish.

Congratulations to Hanna and Danielle on their great shooting.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Are the Antis Trying to Divide and Conquer

ABC News has a story on their web site and a related video from the August 3rd Nightline titled "Guns - The Open Carry Controversy." But the story line is two fold - open carry, and what Dennis Hennigan of the Brady Campaign termed a new challenge not only to gun control efforts but to the NRA. That new challenge being the state groups that have gained a higher profile since the Heller decision in 2008 and how they are supposedly leaving the NRA behind in pushing for increased gun rights. One such group profiled was a Maine Open Carry Association. Nightline also included a clip of a Virginia group, VCDL. Hennigan referred to the state groups as "extremists" who take the "NRA rhetoric" to the next level.



If we were to believe Hennigan, there is this big rift in the gun rights movement with the NRA on one side, and all of the local groups on the other, fighting each other as much as they are fighting the antis. And, that may be exactly what the antis want.

There is no doubt that a number of state groups have their differences with the NRA. But, that is bound to happen because the NRA has a larger mission and it acts in what it believes is in the best interest of advancing that mission. Many of the state groups are narrowly focused (this does not include NRA state associations like VSSA, which have much of the same mission as the NRA - to advance the shooting sports and protect the rights of individual gun owners). For instance, VCDL was originally a more regional organization (Northern Virginia Citizens Defense League) that was formed to push for concealed carry reform. They later changed their name to reflect a statewide interest. While they, like VSSA, lobby on all gun related bills before the General Assembly, there is no question their main focus is the expansion of concealed and open carry.

Gun owners need to make sure we don't fall into a trap of infighting. The antis know that they have a better chance of winning if they can divide the forces aligned against them. We don't have to always agree, but we must not have open warfare with groups that have common interests - the advancement of our firearms freedoms.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Rick Waugh and Eric Cantor on the Second Amendment

7th District Democratic Congressional Candidate Rick Waugh appears to be trying to have it both ways on the right to keep and bear arms. He says he believes the Second Amendment protects an individual right but states and cities should be able to pass laws that fit their situation. I wonder if this means Waugh does not support Virginia's preemption statute that forbids cities from passing gun control statutes?

On his campaign web site, Waugh had this reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in McDonald vs. Chicago:

My reaction to McDonald v. Chicago: As an outdoorsman from a military family I understand the importance of responsible gun ownership. Like the President, I believe that the Second Amendment confers an individual right to bear arms. It is important that states, cities, and counties retain some ability to pass commonsense laws that make sense for each individual community. Justice Alito spoke to this concern and some of the law-enforcement communities' concerns in his opinion, but I believe some additional concerns remain

First, gun owners should be suspicious of anyone who starts out with "Like the President" to describe their views on the Second Amendment when the President happens to be Barack Obama. It is well documented that Obama is no friend of gun owners or the 2nd Amendment. In fact, he did not even have his solicitor general submit a brief in McDonald vs. Chicago, a case where an African American was suing the City of Chicago for the right to self defense in his home. Second, Waugh almost repeats word for word the talking points from the Brady Campaign about how local governments need the ability to "pass commonsense laws."

The 7th District has been represented for nine years by Representative Eric Cantor. Cantor has a long history of supporting the right to keep and bear arms, going all the way back to his days in the Virginia General Assembly. He signed the congressional amicus brief in both the Heller vs. DC and McDonald vs. Chicago cases. He set up a web site during the Heller case urging visitors to sign the petition to Save the Second Amendment, and he has an "A" rating from the NRA in each of his elections. Cantor is a candidate gun owners can trust.

Waugh on the other hand has never held office so we can only go by what he says. He uses the language of the antis to describe his views on the Second Amendment. Simply having your picture taken with people wearing "Guns Save Lives" stickers and posting them on your web site does not equate with supporting the Second Amendment. Gun owners should not be fooled and should support the only candidate in the 7th District with a proven track record on the right to keep and bear arms - Eric Cantor.

Monday, August 2, 2010

NY Times Slams Appleseed Project - Appleseed Responds

That the New York Times Magazine did a hatchet job on the Appleseed Project does not surprise me. Reading the article, it doesn't take long to see the political bent of the author:

While Dailey has said Appleseed should be apolitical, the talk at this Appleseed boot camp and at several others I attended across the country over the course of a year contained pieces of a conversation that has unfolded behind the motley carnivals of the Tea Party movement: a serious deliberation on the right about the nature of the American founding and the limits of incivility.
Notice reference to the Tea Party movement as a "motley carnival." The angle to the article is that Appleseed is teaching armed resistance. This was all the Violence Policy Center needed to see to link to the article on their Twitter feed.

NYT on "Appleseed Project"--Mere Marksmen or More Militia Members?
One group the article's author (I refrain from calling him a reporter) spoke with stated the group "indoctrinates" participants. But when you view the accompanying video on the Time's web site, it seems to me the only indoctrination is teaching the American History that today's public schools fail to teach.

For their part, the Appleseed project has sent a Letter to the Editor and posted the rebuttal on their web site.

...we opened ourselves up and said our piece in trust that it would be conveyed by the press to its readers.

Sadly, today's article is not about us. It is not about the Appleseed Project. It is about militias and about anecdotal gun owners who are not members of our program. The constant focus on the militia movement, the Tea Party, and Mr. Faire are at the center of this article and as a result this article is not about us, since those things are not, and never have been the Appleseed Project.

...In its rush to cover the desired story, that is, scary militia groups, the NYT simply misses what is really important. Therein lies its disservice to both its readers and our program.
The Appleseed Project held in Chesterfield County here in Virginia several years ago and some of the folks hosting the clinic were also active in a local Friends of NRA Committee. VSSA helped promote the clinic on the VSSA web site. A quick look at the organization's web site demonstrates that Appleseed is particularly proud of their outreach to young shooters.

Just one more mainstream media take down on the shooting community.