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Thursday, September 30, 2010

NRA Begins Online Registration for NRA Sanctioned Matches

Shooting Sports USA Magazine reported through Twitter this morning that match directors who register their shooting competitions as NRA sanctioned matches will be able to begin doing so online later this week.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Four Incumbent Democrats Get Bad Polling News

Jim Geraghty reports over on NRO's Campaign Spot that four Virginia Democrats received some bad news from a recent poll conducted by ccAdvertising.  Three of the Democrats are trailing and one is leading but locked in a close race.  It should be noted the polls include a large number of undecideds.

In the 2nd Congressional District, Republican Scott Rigell has a commanding lead over Democrat Glenn Nye in the race for Congress of over 14 percent. When asked whom voters will choose on Election Day, 48.6 percent are supporting Rigell, while 34.5 percent are supporting Nye and 16.9 percent are undecided.

In the 5th District, Republican Robert Hurt would defeat incumbent Democrat Tom Perriello by approximately 16 percent. A 51.1 percent majority of respondents support Hurt while 34.7 percent support Democrat Tom Perriello and 14.1 percent are undecided.

In Virginia’s 9th District, 42.6 percent of survey respondents support the incumbent Democrat Rick Boucher while 39.7 percent support challenger Morgan Griffith and 17.6 percent of voters are undecided.

In Virginia’s 11th District, Republican Keith Fimian has a five and one half percent lead over Democrat Gerry Connolly. When asked whom voters support, 42.2 percent favor Fimian, 36.7 percent support Connolly and 21.1 percent are undecided.
The three point spread in the 9th might explain why Boucher has done something in this race that he has rarely done before - mention his opponent by name.  The Roanoke Times reports that Boucher is running an attack ad against Morgan Griffith.  Boucher was recently pounded in an ad by Griffith tying him to President Obama (Obama lost the 9th in 2008) as well as by ads run by a independent group linking Boucher to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  A Boucher spokeswomen denies that polling has anything to do with Boucher's shift in campaign tactics.

So far, Boucher is the only incumbent Democrat to have officially received an endorsement from the NRA.  The Perriello campaign  "proudly announced" on its web site on September 23rd "that it expects to receive the endorsement of the NRA" but nothing has been announced by the NRA yet.   The NRA-PVF web site notes that endorsements are "coming soon."  There has been no word from the Nye campaign regarding an NRA endorsement.  For their part, both Griffith and Hurt have "A" ratings from their last General Assembly campaigns.  Griffith has been instrumental in moving pro-rights legislation through the House of Delegates.  Hurt can claim his own support for the rights of gun owners with this letter from the NRA.  Rigell has no voting record.

It can be safely said that Connolly will not be expecting an NRA endorsement.

Phase II of MAIG Strategy

Earlier this week, Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) released their report that claims states with more firearm freedom supply a higher number of guns to out-of-state criminals.  Phase two of the strategy is to have their member mayors push for changes in gun laws in their states, especially laws to address the so-called "gun show loophole". The clip below is the Columbus, Ohio Mayor pushing for an end to pre-emption in his state.



Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones, a member of the group, began his push to close the so-called "gun show loophole" with an OP/ED published today.

VSSA Annual Meeting Wrap-up

Another VSSA Annual Meeting has come and gone.  Once again it was a family affair that included some range time for the next generation of shooters.

In the above photo, Harley Antal (Board Member Ernie Padgette's grandson) is shooting the M1Carmine.  Phil Lowry is spotting for him.  Phil assisted on the rifle range all afternoon and provided sever of the firearms used, including the M1 Carbine and a very popular police sniper rifle that he designed and had custom built to his specifications.


In this photo, Rocky Orfila is trying out Phil Lowry's .49 pistol.  Phil is spotting for her.

After the afternoon of shooting, members enjoyed a fine dinner followed by the annual business meeting where that were updated on the state of the association.  If you missed this year's event, plan to make it next year.  It is an afternoon filled with shooting, fellowship, and support for the Second Amendment.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

What Will Campaign 2010 Mean for Gun Rights in 2011

When looking at what a particular campaign will mean for our rights, I can think of no better commentator than the Independence Institute's Dave Kopel.  He has broken down past elections post mortem in National Review.  Yesterday, he wrote about what this year's U.S. Senate Elections may foreshadow for gun rights in 2011.  Kopel notes that both parties have pro-rights and anti-rights members in the senate.  With a break down of each senate race, we get a good indication of what, if anything will change after the election.  A couple races of note:

Missouri: Sen. Kit Bond (R) is retiring. Republican Representative Roy Rlunt (A in 2008) vies with Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan. In 1999, Carnahan ran the campaign opposing Proposition B, which would have enacted a law to allow for the licensed carry of concealed handguns by persons who passed a background check and a safety class. Carnahan’s campaign asserted that licensed carry was “too dangerous for Missouri families.” The Missouri legislature enacted licensed carry in 2003, and experience since then has proven that Carnahan was quite wrong.

Blunt’s lead is not large, and so Missouri represents this year’s best chance that anti-gun forces to gain a Senate seat.

North Dakota: Retiring Democrat Byron Dorgan (D+ in 2004 Senate re-election) had an especially bad record in light of the state that he represented. Republican Governor John Hoeven (A+ in 2008 gubernatorial reelection) has a wide lead over Democrat Tracy Potter. Count this is a certain pickup for gun owners.

National net: The middle-of-the-road estimate would be a total of +5.5, and a plausible best-case scenario of +10. The middle estimate would provide enough votes to defeat filibusters, and the +10 could be enough to defeat vetoes.
Kopel has identified why this election is very important for gun rights.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Mayors Use Junk Science in Gun Trafficking Report.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's group Mayors Against Illegal Guns says Virginia ranks third highest in trafficking firearms used in crimes in other states.  The report released today is based on 2009 crime gun trace data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), data that even the ATF says is not intended to be used for the purpose MAIG uses it:

Firearms selected for tracing are not chosen for the purposes of determining which types, makes or models of firearms are used for illicit purposes.  The firearms selected do not constitute a random sample and should not be considered representative of the larger universe of all firearms used by criminal, or any subset of that universe (emphasis added).  Firearm are normally traced to the first retail seller, and sources reported for the firearms traced do not necessarily represent the sources or methods by which the firearms in general are acquired for use in crimes.
If Virginia truly is the number 3 source for firearms used in crimes in other states, then why did we pass handgun rationing (one gun-a-month) in 1993? I thought one gun-a-month was supposed to stop gun trafficking from Virginia?

NRA Endorsements in Virginia

Besides being the VSSA Legislative Chairman, I am also an NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator (NRA-ILA-EVC).  This means my name ends up on the cover of NRA magazines this time of year, encouraging gun owners to contact me to get involved in the campaigns of endorsed candidates.  Apparently, the lastest issue of the magazines have ended up in the mailboxes around Virginia (I subscribe to the digital versions) because I began getting phone calls about NRA-PVF endorsing Tom Perriello in the 5th Congressional District.  It should be noted that I am not the EVC for the 5th District.  No, the folks that called me did not live in the 5th either but they wanted to express their disgust with the endorsement and EVC's are the only point of contact with a real person for the average NRA members because EVC's are volunteers and do not work for NRA.

After exchanging some pleasantries, I shared with the folks pretty much the same message that Chris Cox did with National Review's Jim Geraghty in today's online article:

We are a non-partisan organization, and we don’t base any grade or any endorsement on a party affiliation. That’s how we have continued to succeed, by solely considering how a candidate stands on the Second Amendment and the right to keep and bear arms. We send out candidate questionnaires to every candidate, and we look at public statements and the things they say in debates. We focus solely on the right to keep and bear arms, because that’s our issue. Now, there are a lot of other issues that voters have to address, particularly in a year like this; they’re looking at fiscal issues, they’re looking at the health-care issue. 
Most voters aren't single issue voters and when they see a guy like Tom Perriello get the endorsement, a guy who has supported the agenda of President Obama 99% of the time, an agenda that is not very popular in the 5th District (nor outside the 5th other than in Northern Virginia), these folks tend to forget that NRA is a single issue organization.  While Perriello may have thumbed his nose at his constituents when it comes to health care, the misnamed "Stimulus" bill, and others, he has voted the right way the few times the issue of firearms and the Second Amendment has come before him.  It is up to the voters of the 5th District to decide if that is enough to re-elect him.  Given Perriello's opponent is a Virginia State Senator with an equally (most would say more) impressive record on the right to keep and bear arms, it is likely voters in the 5th District will feel they don't have to worry about their Second Amendment rights and will base their decision on other issues.

Update: See more on NRA's Virginia Endorsement's here.  Hat-tip to Norman Leahy.

New E-Bullet is Online

The latest edition of VSSA's E-Bullet, the Official Electronic Newsletter if VSSA is now available.  Not a subscriber?  Click here to get it in your inbox weekly.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Good Profile of Perriello vs Hurt 5th District Race

The Roanoke Times has a good profile of the hotly contested 5th District Congressional Race.

Challenger Robert Hurt, a Republican state senator from Chatham, is running a campaign like a front-runner: skipping debates in recent weeks and leading in the polls as his campaign continues to paint U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Albemarle County, as an ally of President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Perriello is pushing his independence, including an ad running in recent days that he broke with his party on numerous issues, including his support of a balanced budget, family farms and his A rating from the National Rifle Association.
It should be noted that Hurt also has consistently earned an "A" rating from the NRA as a member of the Virginia General Assembly and has always supported the rights of gun owners and sportsmen.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Happy Constitution Day

September 17th is Constitution Day and commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution by thirty-nine brave men on September 17, 1787.  We should all take a moment and think about the freedoms we enjoy and how we can lose them if we don't educate the next generation about the principles on which this great nation was founded.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Senator Warner's Non-Response Response to S.941 Co-Sponsor Request.

In yesterday's E-Bullet, VSSA asked gun owners to contact Senators Warner and Webb to co-sponsor S.941, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2009.  This is the response I received to my email:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2009 (S. 941).


On April 30, 2009, Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced S. 941, which would amend the federal criminal code to revise the civil penalties for violations of firearms law and the procedures for assessing these penalties. S. 941 has since been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which I am not a member. Please be assured that should S. 941 come before the full Senate for a vote, I will certainly keep your views in mind.

Regarding Second Amendment rights generally, I realize that there are very strong opinions on both sides of the debate. I support public policies that ensure the responsible and appropriate use of guns, as well as efforts to reduce gun-related crimes through increased enforcement and background checks. I recently supported full funding of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), the only national database that flags individuals who are precluded under current law from purchasing or possessing firearms. I do not, however, support laws or regulations that infringe on the Second Amendment Constitutional right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.

Again, thanks for writing. As we move forward in the 111th Congress, please continue to be in touch with your opinions and concerns.
You will note that nowhere in the response does the Senator's office (low-level staffer responds to these requests) address the subject of the email to the Senator - signing on as a co-sponsor to the legislation.

You would think that if they are going to use boiler-plate response to constituent contact that they would at least use boiler-plate language that at least makes a reference to the subject of the email or letter.

And they wonder why Americans are ready to throw all the bums out.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Firearms and the Workplace

It seems there is no limit to the gun ban lobby's use of the courts to fight the right to self defense. A Denver Legal Blog details the gun ban crowd's latest legal strategy.

A Nashville server has come up with an interesting strategy to try to reign in the proliferation of guns in public places. The server has filed a complaint with the state alleging that the mixture of guns and bars creates an unsafe work environment. The server, who remains anonymous, works at Jackson's Bar and Bistro. The complaint alleges that it is a violation of Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations to allow permit holders to carry guns into places that serve alcohol, such as Jackson's.
For those unfamiliar with the Tennessee law, the state's legislature repealed the "restaurant ban" in 2009 after overriding the Governor's veto, only to see a A Nashville judge rule that the law allowing concealed carry only in establishments that primarily sold food in addition to alcohol was unconstitutionally vague. In response, the General Assembly passed a new law this year allowing permit holders to carry into any establishment that serves alcohol. The new law allows restaurant owners to post a sign prohibiting firearms.

The post goes on to suggest that Colorado University, should follow the the same strategy in fighting concealed carry on campus.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Update on Korean Garands

This story originally broke in mid-August during vacation and I picked up on it thanks to Snowflakes in Hell. Snowflakes has another post on the story today, writing about a weekend editorial in the Washington Times.

It was originally reported that South Korea wanted to sell a supply of M1 Garands and Carbines back to the U.S. and the Obama administration blocked the sale. It was later learned (via CMP) that the United States loaned South Korea the firearms through a lend-lease program so South Korea cannot sell them to the U.S. because we already own them, they simply would give the firearms back to the U.S. at such time they could then be sold to the public through CMP.

The Obama administration is still blocking the return of the firearms however, claiming they fear they will fall into the wrong hands.

"The transfer of such a large number of weapons -- 87,310 M1 Garands and 770,160 M1 Carbines -- could potentially be exploited by individuals seeking firearms for illicit purposes," the spokesman told FoxNews.com.
Enter the Washington Times editorial calling the decision "back door gun control."

The State Department confirmed to The Washington Times that it was considering "alternative options" to deal with the classic rifles. During the Clinton administration, such code words meant melting them down. The government in Seoul was told that this step was being taken for the protection of Americans. "The U.S. insisted that imports of the aging rifles could cause problems such as firearm accidents," a South Korean Ministry of National Defense official told the Korea Times last month.

There has been confusing information about this issue since the story first broke as it was based on a Korea Times report. More information as linked throughout this post has cleared up some of the confusion. As posted over on Snowflakes recently, no good can come from the administration's continued silence on the issue. It is something that gun owners should continue to follow to see if the administration is trying to find creative ways around the legislative process to gain favor with the gun ban crowd.

Hat tip to Snowflakes in Hell.

ODU Student Facebook Group Fights for Campus Carry

WVEC TV 13 is reporting that a group of Old Dominion University (ODU) students want to exercise their right to self-defense on campus after a crime wave near ODU. They have created a Facebook Group to plead their case.

Labor Day weekend, two people were robbed on or near the campus.

Some ODU students started a Facebook page, demanding the right to carry concealed handguns on school property.

One post reads, "We have the right to protect ourselves, especially in the high crime areas near ODU."
The report noted that most students do not meet the age requirement (21) to qualify for a CHP permit. While this might be true at most Virginia colleges and universities, ODU has a large commuter population and is one of those institutions where a student may leave for a semester to work then come back. Given the urban setting of the campus, these students are most vulnerable to being victims of crime and should be allowed to protect themselves.

And They're Off

Labor Day is typically the traditional kick-off to the general election campaign and this year is no exception. Article after article over the weekend focused on the 2010 Congressional election and the prospects that Democrats may be on the way to losing their majority in at least the House of Representatives.

This article from the NY Times drew a lot of attention as many took from it the message that the Democrats were ready to throw their most vulnerable members under the bus in order to move resources to races that can still be won in the hope of holding on to at least a one seat majority. One of those suggested to be on the list to roll under that bus is 5th District Congressman Tom Perriello. Polls have recently shown Perriello trialing State Senator Robert Hurt by as much as 30 points. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) quickly rushed out a release to counter the Times article.

"The Members of Congress referenced in the article are all running strong campaigns focused on their solid records and drawing sharp distinctions between themselves and their opponents on the key issues at stake in this election. The DCCC is heavily invested in these campaigns. In each campaign mentioned, the DCCC has provided and continues to provide support for field operations and other key campaign activities."
Much of what has set up the current environment is the souring economy (the Summer of Recovery that never happened), thus leading to a significant downturn in the President's approval ratings. According to CQ Politics' Stuart Rothenberg, the Democrats hope to try and turn attention away from Obama and the national economy to the more traditional localization of congressional races.

The Democratic strategy for minimizing losses remains twofold. First, make the midterm elections a choice between the two parties rather than a referendum on Obama, and second, demonize Republican challengers, thereby making them unacceptable to voters.
While the models that suggest Democrats are on the verge of losing big in November are generic unnamed R vs. D match-ups, Rothenberg says that his individual race analysis does not yet show the Republican wave that the generic polls currently indicate. But it is clear that panic is in the air among Democrats. Look for races to turn nasty in districts like Virginia's 2nd, 5th, and 9th districts as incumbent Democrat representatives fight off aggressive challenges.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Robert Hurt Continues to Show Commanding Lead in 5th District

Incumbent congressman Tom Perriello hill has gotten a little steeper in his re-election race according to the latest poll by SurveyUSA for WDBJ TV in Roanoke.

 

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Magistrate recommends dismissing states' gun suit

The Associated Press reported yesterday that Montana and other states that passed laws seeking freedom from federal gun control laws were dealt a setback by a federal magistrate.

The magistrate sided with the U.S. Department of Justice, which says courts have already decided that Congress can set standards on such items as guns through its power to regulate interstate commerce. The recommendation now goes to the federal judge in Missoula hearing the case — and even gun rights advocates recognized it is likely he will side with the magistrate.
Last year Montana, Utah, Alabama, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Wyoming and West Virginia passed laws commonly referred to as "firearm freedoms act" laws that said if guns manufactured in the state were only going to be sold and used in that state, the firearms would not be subject to federal laws.

The magistrate also questioned whether the Montana Shooting Sports Association had standing to file the suit in the first place. Gary Marbut of MSSA stated:

"We expected an adverse ruling in district court, which is fine, because it will give us control of the appeals process. We need to get in front of the Supreme Court," Marbut said. "Truly we need to overturn a half century of Commerce Clause precedent and only the Supreme Court can do that."

Ban On Supplemental Feeding of Deer Now In Effect

The annual ban on feeding of deer began September 1 and runs through January 1, 2011.
Some hunters feed deer between hunting seasons to provide an additional food source and provide much needed minerals that may not be available in the natural food sources in some areas.

Between September 1st and January 1st, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries considers this feeding to be "baiting," and is illegal statewide. This prohibition does not include the planting of agronomic crops or wildlife food plots however which are still legal during the season.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Griffith hits Boucher over Ad by Independent Group

Virginia's 9th Congressional District is one of those districts that feature two candidates with very good voting records on the Second Amendment. So the race is going to decided on other issues and guns . In the 9th, that issue would be Cap and Trade, a bill that Congressman Rick Boucher voted for and Republican House of Delegates Majority Leader Morgan Griffith says would kill jobs in the hard hit 9th District.

Enter the Natural Resources Defense Council's Action Fund and the Blue Green Alliance which ran a full page ad in the Roanoke Times August 30 charging that Griffith's opposition to Cap and Trade would result in jobs being sent to China. But the Roanoke Times is wondering if the independent expenditure might not back fire and hurt the candidate NRDC and BGA supports?

The issue of cap-and-trade has been one of Griffith's biggest talking points, and the ad may help bring it back to the forefront after it appeared to have all but died in Congress.

Griffith for his part, in a tactic that is standard fare for campaigns has called on Boucher to not only disclaim the ad, but the groups that purchased it. By law, candidates cannot coordinate with outside groups.

The groups have said they ran the same ad, which does not mention Boucher by name, in 19 districts where the issue is being used against supporters of Cap and Trade.

It does make one ask the question however, given that Boucher is sitting on a large campaign chest, what does NRDC and BGA know about this race that the rest of us don't that makes them feel they need to use some of their funds to attack Griffith?