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Friday, October 29, 2010

David Ignatius: More Democrats Should Have Mirrored Perriello

Mike Allen writes in the Politico this morning that David Ignatius will have a story in Sunday's Washington Post that will offer this thesis: Given that Tom Perriello is running close to Robert Hurt while not running away from his support of Obama's agenda, might the results of this Tuesday's elections be different if more had followed Perriello's strategy?

This assumes that polls showing the race tightening the past couple of weeks to be accurate.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Gun Control Surfaces in Virginia's 11th Congressional District Race

Ben Pershing is reporting over on the Washington Post Virginia Politics blog that gun control has surfaced as an issue in the 11th Congressional District race between Republican Keith Fimian and Democrat incumbent Congressman Gerald Connolly .  Omar Samaha, the brother of Virginia Tech victim Reema Samaha, appears in a new ad from a Bloomberg funded group calling itself Americans United for Safe Streets targeting Republican Keith Fimian.  Fimian is endorsed by the NRA-PVF in this year's election. 

Samaha has become the darling of the gun ban lobby since the Virginia Tech shootings.  He has appeared before the Virginia General Assembly every year since the shootings to push for a bill to put gun shows out of business in Virginia.  The ad is basically the same message with a different target that has been used to apply pressure to the General Assembly as well as then candidate Bob McDonnell to support legislation to close the so-called "gun show loophole."

Americans United for Safe Streets filed with the Federal Election Commission for the first time Wednesday, reporting that it had received a single donation of $153,000 from Bloomberg and was spending all of it on the anti-Fimian campaign. The group, organized under section 527 of the tax code, normally files its reports with the IRS. Those reports show the group has received just $1,500 in itemized donations this cycle from people other than Bloomberg, who has donated a total of $1.5 million.
In the ad, Samaha wants viewers to ask Fimian why he won't commit to close the "gun show loophole."  According to the blog post, Connelly is also trying to use an interview that Fimian did with a local TV station where Fimian stated if one of the students in the classrooms target by Cho had been armed, the out come may have been different.

If you live in the 11th District, please contact the Fimian campaign and offer to assist the campaign in these closing days.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

VSSA Supports Wounded Warrior Hunt

On Saturday, October 16, 2010, a special event was held at the NORVA Hunt Club of Star Tannery, VA. The Virginia Hunter Education Association (VAHEA) held a Wounded Warrior Hunt.  The Stonewall Jackson Chapter 9 of the Disabled American Veterans, Winchester assisted with the hunt.   Parker Bows of Mint Springs, VA, provided crossbows as well as donated a bow to be given to a lucky veteran.  The Hunt Club provided the meals and the hunt was sponsored by VAHEA with additonal financial support from VSSA and NORVA.  In addition, Shenandoah Stone, Jesse Ebron, Lee Turner and John Dunne donated a cross bow to be given to a veteran.

Ten hunters participated including several first time hunters. The afternoon before the hunt the veterans attended a safety class on using and hunting with crossbows then went in the field on Saturday for the hunt.  Unfortunately, due to high winds, deer movement was restricted and no one harvested a deer.  But as we all know, a kill is not what makes a successful hunt.  The veterans all appreciated the opportunity to be in the field and hopefully the first timers will be back again.

Photo Courtesy of VAHEA
The crossbows were won by Toni Hill and Peter Marino but Marino graciously returned it and asked that another name be drawn. Phillip Grillo was the lucky recipient.

Thanks to former VSSA Board Member Dave Thomas for alerting VSSA to the opportunity to support this worthy event.  Hat tip to VAHEA.

Dirty Tricks in the 5th District?

I heard about this yesterday on Richmond's talk radio station, WRVA, when afternoon host Doc Thompson mentioned in passing during one of his well known rants on 5th District endangered incumbent Tom Perriello.  But to read about it in The Hill newspaper adds a little more punch to the story. 

The 5th District is one of many around the country where a third candidate is on the ballot.  Some have gained more traction than others.  The 5th District third candidate claims "Tea Party" affiliation though just how much that is true appears to be an unanswered question.  Enter Tom Perriello's campaign, who, according to Thompson and an op/ed in The Hill, has dropped direct mail urging conservatives and Tea Party supporters to vote for the third party candidate as "the real conservative" in the race.

This may be the first time in history that a candidate has engaged in an independent expenditure activity on behalf of one of his opponents, in order to split the vote against him and win in spite of losing a majority of the vote.

Perriello’s “independent” has claimed affiliation with a variety of local Tea Party groups. Yet even though he is acknowledged by local Tea Party leaders as being on their mailing lists, they don’t claim him as part of their team, let alone call him a leader. In spite of this disavowal, Perriello and this “independent” persist in their campaign to bring down the candidacy of Republican nominee Rob Hurt.
Phase two of this strategy is a Perriello ad using what appear to be clips of debate comments from several of Hurt's Republican Primary opponents.  The end of the ad makes a reference to Hurt's decision not to participate in debates that include the third party candidate inferring the Hurt does not want to answer the touch questions about his record that might come from "more conservative" third party candidate.  Both of Hurt's former opponents have blasted Perriello for the ad and have long ago endorsed Hurt.

Recent polls indicate the race may have tightened so such a stunt if successful might help Perriello keep his seat.

Obama to Attend Rally for Perriello Friday

It was reported that President Obama will attend a rally for embattled incumbent Tom Perriello this Friday.  The rally will take place in Perriello's hometown of Charlottesville, which is one of the few liberal bastions in what is otherwise a pretty conservative rural district.  Charlottesville is also home to the University of Virginia and Obama's intent is to try and rally the "youth vote" that gave him a winning margin in 2008.

The campaign of State Senator Robert Hurt believes the visit will not help Perriello who most polls indicate is trailing Hurt in the race.

"We gladly welcome President Obama to the 5th district as he campaigns on behalf of his favorite Congressman, Tom Perriello," Henneberg said. "His visit will further solidify the idea in the minds of voters that Congressman Perriello has been nothing more than a lap dog for the job killing Obama-Pelosi agenda, representing their interests, not the interests of Central and Southside Virginians.
Perriello is endorsed by the NRA-PVF.  Hurt earned an "A" rating from the NRA-PVF based on his record in the Virginia General Assembly and his responses to the candidate questionnaire.  Hurt is regularly endorsed by NRA in his General Assembly races.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Perriello Barnstorms 5th District in 24 Hours

Is is a stunt to get media attention in an uphill race for re-election?  Fifth District incumbent Democratic Congressman Tom Perriello says no.  He may be correct as it probably doesn't take much for the 5th District race to garner attention.  Perriello is near the top of the list of endangered incumbents - one of the few so-called "Blue Dogs" who not only stuck with Obama and voted for Obamacare and "Cap and Trade" but is running on those votes.  CQ Politics noted that the race in this traditionally Republican district which Perriello won in a squeaker at the same time McCain was picking up 59% of the vote in 2008 is being watched by media nationally and even from around the world.

Perriello has become one of the most high profile Democratic freshman in large part because he stuck by his party on controversial votes such as health care reform, despite hailing from a conservative south central Virginia district that he won by the narrowest of margins (fewer than 800 votes) in 2008. Now the Congressman’s re-election bid against state Sen. Robert Hurt (R) is not only garnering national attention but international interest. He was joined at around 4:15 a.m. Monday by a camera crew from Japanese Public Television at the dairy farm that he was touring.
Stunt or not, it is a chance for Perriello to be seen by some people who might not normally show up for a traditional campaign event which is what campaigns should be about.

Among those who seemed to appreciate Perriello’s efforts Monday morning was Floyd resident Jerry Reed, who was having a grilled cheese and pickle sandwich at Dudley’s Truck Stop Restaurant, when the Congressman sat down at his table to talk about the issue jobs.

“He’s a nice fellow,” said Reed, who said he is generally disgusted by all elections and doesn’t think much of Democrats or Republicans. “It helps a lot to meet a man. A man who comes in at 1 in the morning means business.“
Will this be enough for Perriello to overcome what most every poll is showing a solid lead for State Senator Robert Hurt?  We will know in a week.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Gun Rights and the 2010 House Elections

About a month ago I posted about Dave Kopel's piece on what the 2010 Election may mean for gun rights in the U.S. Senate.  Last week Kopel wrote about the 2010 House Elections and what they will mean for Gun Rights.  Kopel's assessment; the House will likely be somewhat more pro-rights than it already is.

When the new Congress convenes in January, the House of Representatives will almost certainly have an even larger pro-Second Amendment majority than it does today. How much larger? If “N” is the net Republican gain, expect that the net pro-gun gain will be slightly smaller than ½N.
His list is drawn from a recent article by Jim Geraghty for National Review Online. In that article, Geraghty looked at 117 Democratic House districts where at some point in the campaign cycle, pundits considered the seat to be in play. Kopel removed from the list a few races that Geraghty said there was basically no chance that the Republican challenger would win and added a couple Republican seats that are up for grabs.

NRA-ILA Endorsed Randy Forbes Needs Poll Workers

Poll workers are critical to a campaign as the "last line of defense" to help educate undecided voters who may not know a candidate's record.  If you live in the 4th Congressional District and would like to work the polls on Election Day for pro-rights NRA endorsed Congressman Randy Forbes, contact Reade Jacob at
Rjacob@randyforbes.com (Chesterfield HQ) or Patrick Crute at pcrute@randyforbes.com (Chesapeake HQ).

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Congressman Eric Cantor needs your help!

On Election Day (Tuesday, November 2), NRA Endorsed candidate, 7th District Congressman Eric Cantor,  needs people to help work the polls.

The campaign is asking supporters to let the campaign know if you can work a two hour shift at your voting location. The polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. This is an important function in helping Congressman Cantor's reelection. You'll be greeting voters as they come to vote and handing out a flyer from the campaign. Once they know that you're willing to help, they will help place you at your location and confirm when you can work.

If you live in the 7th Congressional District, please let the Cantor Campaign know if you can help Eric by working the polls on Election Day. Please contact Amanda Chase at amanda@cantorforcongress.com.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Poll Indicates NRA Endorsement Not Helping Perriello

Roanoke College today released the results of their latest poll in Virginia's 5th Congressional District that shows State Senator Robert Hurt maintaining a lead in the race against incumbent Tom Perriello though the current 6 point lead is smaller than in previous polls. Tea Party candidate Jeffery Clark is a distant third, polling 1%.   The poll interviewed 567 likely voters in the between October 5 and October 14. The Poll has a margin of error of +/- 4.1 percent.

I found this interesting tidbit in the poll related to the NRA's endorsement of Tom Perriello::

The Poll also asked about the impact of the NRA's endorsement of Perriello, a potentially important factor for an electorate in which 61% of respondents reside in a household that contains a firearm. A majority of respondents said it made no difference to them (80%), while the rest were almost evenly split between saying it made them more likely to vote for Perriello (11%) or less likely to vote for him (9%).
This result seems to validate what NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox told Jim Geraghty at the first of the month when talking about this year's election endorsements and how NRA members may view them:
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.


We encourage our members to put it in the forefront of their decision-making, and that’s proven to be a very effective, a very fair, and credible way for NRA to be positioned to help the rights of our members.
It appears that voters are looking hard at those other issues with the poll indicating that the economy is the dominant issue in the campaign with jobs running second and health care third. According to those surveyed, Hurt leads 51%-34% among those who sited the economy as their top issue as well as those who cited jobs (48%-41%). Those who support Obamacare, for which Perriello, voted support the incumbent 51%-34%.

The director of Roanoke College's Institute for Policy and Opinion, Dr. Harry Wilson, who conducted the poll, said the results indicate it will be difficult for Perriello to win a second term.

"Perriello has to hope for a very large turnout among the core Democratic voters as well as the so-called 'Obama voters.' That said, the race is certainly not yet over."
Most models indicate that Republicans are much more motivated to turnout this election than Democrats.  However, it's not over until the last vote is counted so anything can happen.

Monday, October 18, 2010

This is Such a Non-issue

The Richmond Times Dispatch ran an article on Saturday about NRA-PVF endorsed 7th District Representative Eric Cantor's decision not to debate his two opponents.  This has been the rallying cry for supporters of Democrat Rick Waugh and independent Floyd Bayne - "Why won't Cantor debate?"  Cantor is not the first incumbent that won't debate his opponents and he won't be the last. 

Virginia's 7th Congressional District is not competitive and has not been for almost 20 years.  Micheal Barone wrote in the Almanac of American Politics in the 90's that it was "the most Republican District" in the nation.  Cantor has never been tested since winning the 2000 Republican primary for the opportunity to run for the seat.  He raises gobs of money from the district which stretches from West End of Richmond and its suburbs in Henrico and Chesterfield Counties, through James Madison’s home Montpelier, and northward to Page and Rappahannock Counties.

To date, Waugh has raised $87,422 and has $2,168 on hand as of September 30.  Floyd Bayne has raised $9,319 and has $1,474 on hand as of September 30.  Cantor on the other hand has raised over $5,3million and still has nearly $1.5 million on hand. Cantor doesn't believe (rightly so) that it is his responsibility to give his opponents free media time and a forum to present their message when they can't do it themselves.

Five-term incumbent Rep. Eric Cantor, R-7th, says that people know where he stands on the issues and that he won't debate his opponents and give them a "platform for a food fight."

"My positions are well-known as far as the issues in Washington and the issues affecting the people of this state and this country right now."

For those not familiar with the history, the 7th Distict was dramatically altered in 1991.  At that time, the 7th District was represented by Congressman George Allen and the 3rd District (Richmond Area) was represented by Congressman Thomas J. "Tom" Bliley, Jr.  The Democratic majority in the House of Delegates wanted to do away with at least one of the Republicans in the delegation and Delegate Bob Ball was overheard saying, "by the time we are done, Bliley is going to need a seeing eye dog to get around his district."  The General Assembly ended up drawing Bliley and Allen into the same district.  Allen having the lesser seniorority bowed out and let Bliley run in the District.  The Assembly Democrats outsmarted themselves however because Allen ended up being elected Governor in 1993.

The 7th District has never been competitive since that time.  In fact, Bliley did not debate his lessor funded opponents, using much the same reasoning as Cantor - that his positions were well known by his contistituients. Bliley regularly won with over 70% of the vote and his last election, 1998, he won with 78%.  Cantor first won the seat in 2000 with 67% of the vote.  He pumped those numbers up to 75.5% in 2004 and won with 63% of the vote (his lowest margin of victory in five elections) in a bad year for Republicans in 2008.

Cantor represents his district well.  He has been a friend to gun owners for his entire time in elective office.  Waugh would offer the district full support for President Obama's policies.  He failed to respond to the NRA-PVF Candidate Questionnaire which means, despite statements on his web site, his support for our rights is suspect.  Bayne is an interesting candidate.  He is the darling of the Tea Party and WRVA radio talk show host Doc Thompson.  Cantor is endorsed by the NRA-PVF.  Cantor deserves the support of gun owners in the 7th District.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Kopel Weighs In on NRA Endorsement of Pro-gun Democrats

A number of conservative activists continue to beat up the NRA for some of their endorsements this year.  This blog and a number of others have explained the reasons behind the NRA's decisions.  The NRA has even gone the extra step and thoroughly explained the process.  Still, some rank and file gun owners and a number of the conservative new-media, are not deterred from their slinging of arrows at the NRA.
Last Friday, Dave Kopel weighed in on the issue at the Volokh Conspiracy and did an excellent job of making the case for the NRA's decision making process.

Earlier this week, I wrote that NRA would be foolish to obey the wishes of Republican activists who want the NRA to endorse only Republicans, and especially to not endorse endangered House Democrats. Here are some data on NRA endorsements, and some of the actions that dozens of House Democrats have taken to merit their endorsements:


NRA Senate endorsements in 2010: 23 Republicans, 2 Democrats.

NRA House endorsements in 2010: 197 Republicans and 61 Democrats.
Kopel noted that of the 251 members of Congress that signed on to the pro-incorporation amicus brief in McDonald vs. Chicago, 81 were Democrats.  In addition, 76 Democrats have signed off as cosponsors of a bill that is a top priority for NRA this year, H.R. 2296, the BATF Reform Act of 2009.  Noting all of the various priorities that NRA has in congress, the number of Democrats signed on to the various bills are at or above the total number that NRA has endorsed in this year's midterm elections.
 
Kopel closes his post with this:

As the numbers above illustrate, Democrats constitute an indispensable part of the pro-Second Amendment majority of the current Congress. Without the NRA’s strong working relationship with so many Democrats, 2009-10 would have seen the enactment of destructive legislation for gun rights, rather than the constructive legislation which has become law.
This year's NRA's endorsements have generated a lot of discussion among gun owners and in the media in general.  Some of it more constructive than others.  Kopel did a great job of reinforcing the message that it is NRA's job to protect the rights of gun owners, regardless of the party to which our friends belong.

Friday, October 8, 2010

E. J. Dionne Jr.: Perriello is This Election's Test Case

Yesterday's Washington Post had this article about the race in Virginia's 5th Congressional District by E. J. Dionne, Jr, where he wondered if:

Tom Perriello is this election's test case of whether casting tough votes is better than ducking them, and whether a progressive who fashions an intelligent populism can survive in deeply conservative territory.
Most polls have shown Perriello trailing badly in his race for a second term in congress but a poll released this week by The Hill newspaper showed the race tightening considerably.  Dionne points out that Perriello voted for the "Stimulus" bill, "Cap and Trade" and for Obamacare and says by this measure he should be the most endangered Democrat, especially since he is running in a district that John McCain won in 2008 and that Perriello won by only 727 votes.

Election watchers may have noticed a trend in most recent articles about the endangered incumbents - that these Democrats that have been considered as possible losers in this year of the Tea Party and "throw the bums out" are now starting to claw their way back.  Dionne's article is no different.  In fact you would think that the Perriello campaign fed Dionne a script for the article.  Take this choice nugget for instance that says Perriello:

...can't be pigeonholed as a down-the-line Obama supporter. He has been critical of the president's economic team for not putting enough money into rebuilding the country's infrastructure and for being too close to Wall Street.
How do you in one breath say Perriello has made all the tough votes by standing with Obama then say he can't be pigeonholed as an Obama supporter, simply because he does not think Obama has gone far enough to the left?

I guess we will know in November which was the winning strategy: standing by your votes like Perriello, or running as far away as possible from Obama and his policies like most of the endangered incumbents have been for the last six months.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

New Poll Shows Tightening Race in 5th District, Lead for GOP In 2nd

A new poll released today by The Hill Newspaper shows that 2nd District Republican Scott Rigell holds a 42-36 lead over incumbent Glenn Nye.  The surprise is the race between State Senator Robert Hurt and incumbent Democrat Tom Perriello has tightened to 1 point, 45-44.  Perriello has trailed badly for most of the race up to now by as many as 16 points.  The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that while the new numbers are good news to the embattled Perriello, he has a serious hill that he must climb:

An added complication for Perriello is that in his district, 80 percent of Republicans say they are “very passionate” about voting, versus 68 percent of Democrats feeling that way.
But The Hill poll also found this:

Despite some ominous signs for Democrats in Perriello’s district, he’s one of the incumbents in this group who shows clear signs of strength. Perriello is one of the only freshman Democrats who leads his Republican challenger among male voters — 46 percent to 45.
The poll has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.

The old saying that "it's not over till it's over certainly is playing out in this year's election.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The How and Why of NRA Endorsements

NRANews host Cam Edwards delved into this a little last night with a call or talkback from a listener.  I thought it important enough to mention here because VSSA has heard from folks upset with some of NRA's endorsements.  NRA wrote last week:

We have an incumbent-friendly policy that dictates our support for pro-gun incumbents seeking reelection over pro-gun challengers, as voting records trump statements in support of the Second Amendment.  We stand with our friends who stand with us in Congress or the state legislature.  We would lose all credibility if we abandoned our friends who have stood by us(emphasis added).  Of course, should a pro-gun challenger win his election, then he will be the beneficiary of this policy when he seeks re-election. 
...Our endorsements are recommendations only.  We understand and respect that voters will decide for themselves how important non-gun-related issues are, and on which issues they will base their final voting decisions.  Our job is to provide the clearest information possible on a candidate's stance on Second Amendment-related issues and to encourage our members and supporters to "Vote Freedom First!" on Election Day.
Cam told the caller/talkbacker it is ultimately up to elected officials and candidates to make sure they represent the views of their constituents.  It is very possible that in this year's election climate, simply being good on guns may not be enough for many pro-second amendment voters.

For those Virginia gun owners upset with the NRA endorsement of incumbents like Tom Perriello, Glenn Nye and Rick Boucher, please keep the above in mind.

Candidates Debate Vote to Adjourn

It should be no surprise that challengers to congressional incumbents are trying to use to their advantage the vote to adjourn congress without passing a budget or extending tax cuts that are set to expire at the end of the year.  Endangered incumbents Perriello (VA05), Connolly (VA11) and  Nye (VA02) voted with the Republicans to stay in session and take up the tax issue.  The fourth vulnerable incumbent, Rick Boucher (VA09) voted to adjourn.

Boucher's opponent, Morgan Griffith, told the Roanoke Times that Boucher's vote is a vote to raise taxes on the families of the 9th District.  Boucher, not surprisingly, disagrees:

"Congress is punting, and not dealing with a federal spending plan," Griffith said in the release. "They did not deal with an extension of Bush-era tax cuts which expire at the end of 2010, thus raising taxes on millions of Americans."

Boucher disputed that, saying the vote to adjourn was purely procedural and had nothing to do with the question of tax cuts.

"What they're trying to do is take every procedural vote we cast ... and talk about it in a totally different context," Boucher said. "I'll have to say excuse me, but this is just plain nonsense."
Boucher's denial is a little hard to swallow given that three of his colleagues from Virginia did not view it as a procedural vote.  Griffith says Boucher is making his point for him - that the House leadership speaks and he (Boucher) listens:

"It came out to be a one-vote margin. Perriello and other Democrats realized it was abdication and walking away from their responsibility. Boucher claims to be up there fighting for people and he's not paying attention."
Boucher, Perriello and Nye, received the endorsement of the NRA-PVF last Friday.  Griffith, and Hurt (VA05) received "A" ratings while Nye's opponent, Scott Rigell (VA02) and Connolly's opponent, Keith Fimian (VA11) received "AQ" ratings (Fimian was also endorsed by NRA-PVF).  Connelly received an "F" rating.

Monday, October 4, 2010

One Week Remaining for Voter Registration

Anyone wishing to vote in this year's election but who has moved or otherwise is not registered to vote has one week to do so. The deadline for registering to vote in the General Election November 2, is October 12, 2010.  For more information on registering to vote, click here.

Friday, October 1, 2010

It's Official - NRA-PVF Endorses Endangered Incumbents Nye and Perriello

The NRA-PVF officially released endorsements for Virginia's congressional candidates today and two endorsements are sure to bring howls among some pro-rights supporters in the Commonwealth.  There is a strong anti-incumbent feeling in Virginia just as there is across the nation and it is especially strong in the 2nd and 5th congressional districts where Congressmen Glenn Nye and Tom Perriello are locked in tough re-election battles.  There has been every indication that Nye and Perriello would receive the NRA endorsement based on their short time in congress.  Today NRA confirmed that with the following reasons:

McDonald Case -- Signed the pro-gun congressional "friend of the court" brief in the McDonald case supporting the position that the Second Amendment is a fundamental right that protects all Americans


Holder Letter -- Signed the letter to Attorney General Eric Holder with 64 other House Democrats expressing opposition to the reenactment of the failed 1994 Clinton ban on semi-automatic firearms and ammunition magazines

BATFE Reform -- Cosponsored legislation to force much-needed reform of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE)

Right-to-Carry Reciprocity -- Cosponsored the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act that would extend federal protection of state right to carry licenses and permits across the country

Right-to-Carry in Parks -- Voted last year to allow carry license or permit holders to carry and transport firearms for self-defense in national parks and wildlife refuges

Protecting Gun Owners in Bankruptcy Act -- Voted for the Protecting Gun Owners in Bankruptcy Act, which would ensure that a person who filed for bankruptcy would not lose their firearms, thereby maintaining the fundamental right to self-defense

Second Amendment Enforcement Act -- Cosponsored the Second Amendment Enforcement Act that would repeal the D.C. gun ban/registration statute and restore the right of self-defense to law-abiding residents of our nation's capital

Hunting Heritage -- Supports protecting hunting, fishing, trapping and recreational shooting on public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management
Will this be enough to win both Nye and Perriello another term in congress?  While Nye's opponent has never held elective office and his NRA "AQ" rating is based on the responses on his questionnaire, Perriello's opponent has a long history as a member of the General Assembly supporting the Second Amendment.  So Robert Hurt earned the same "A" that Perriello earned.  Gun owners will have to decide which of the candidates will best represent their interests in Washington.  It should be an interesting 30 days.

Morgan Griffith Ad

Morgan Griffith has a new ad responding to Rick Boucher's ad pointing out that Griffith does not live in the 9th District.  With both candidates being good on 2nd Amendment Issues, the race is turning on issues like Cap and Trade and who shares the values of the district more.

Washington Post Shills for MAIG

Not unexpectedly, the Washington Post has chimed in on the report released earlier this week by Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG).  And, also to no one's surprise, they have pulled out the same tired talking points they have used for years on the subject of gun shows and sales by private individuals.

Virginia should close the loophole that allows unlicensed sellers to sell weapons at gun shows to buyers without requiring background checks or purchase permits. This loophole allows unfit purchasers -- gun traffickers, convicted felons and the mentally ill -- to connect easily and undetected with private sellers.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, there is no "loophole."  Federal law allows individuals to sell firearms that are part of their private collection to another individual.  If you don't like the law, fine, but don't refer a totally legal act as a "loophole."

The Post (nor MAIG for that matter) is also not interested in telling the whole story.

-- Of 10 key gun control laws identified in the report, Virginia has enacted just four. Among the nation's 12 largest states, which include Virginia, only Texas, Florida, Ohio and Georgia have gun laws that are more lax. Jurisdictions with tougher statutes -- New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, the District -- rank among the nation's least likely places for out-of-state criminals to buy weapons.
What the Mayors and the Post don't tell you is the number one resource for firearms used by criminals in a state is that state (i.e. for New York, criminals get most of their guns from,  New York).

At least readers of the Richmond Times Dispatch (RTD) get a truer picture of the mayors report. While I disagree with the RTD's claim that had it not been for Virginia's handgun rationing law (one gun-a-month) that the numbers found by the mayors could have been worse, they did have it right in the closing to their editorial this morning:

State and federal authorities could reduce gun violence even more by conducting house-to-house searches for illicit firearms. But that would constitute an unacceptable infringement on the liberty of law-abiding citizens. So, too, would some of the proposals advanced by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, such as requiring a permit to own a handgun. Americans do not need the government's permission to exercise their First Amendment rights, and they should not need the government's permission to exercise their Second Amendment rights, either.

Finally, as posted earlier this week, ATF has said on numerous occasions that the data used by the mayors for their report is not intended to be used for that purpose.  It is merely a snapshot.  But when has the anti-rights crowd been interested in presenting the facts?

I will be on Cam and Company tonight on NRANews.com and Sirius/XM Patriot at 9:40 to discuss both editorials.