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Friday, March 29, 2013

Do Background Checks Work?

Clayton Cramer analyzes the issue over at PJ Media.  His conclusion after reviewing the available evidence:
Before we go down the road to requiring all private sales of firearms to go through a background check — either imposed nationally or at the state level — I would like to see some persuasive evidence that such laws actually reduce murder rates.

Political Eyes Will Be on Virginia in 2013

According to the Washington Post, all political eyes will be firmly focused on  the race for Governor in Virginia between Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and Terry "Party Animal" McAuliffe in 2013 to get an indication of what 2014 may hold for the nation.
Both candidates have serious vulnerabilities.


At a moment when the national Republican Party is trying to smooth its edges and broaden its appeal, its Virginia nominee will be an unapologetic tea party favorite who leans hard right on social and fiscal issues.

Cuccinelli is “almost a test case of the argument that Republicans win when they don’t trim their beliefs,” said Bob Holsworth, a retired political science professor and a partner in the Richmond public-service consulting firm DecideSmart.

And in an off year, when turnout tends to be low and organization matters, the Democratic contender is someone who has never held office, is largely unknown to Virginia voters and who flopped when he ran four years ago.
We'll see if that nine-year tradition of spanking the party in the White House continues and if it portends any messages for 2014 as it did with four years ago.


Grassley Taking Precautions

The media would have us believe the fight for new gun control is almost over.  Day after day we see stories that there are not 60 votes for a semi-auto ban or a standard capacity magazine ban or maybe even for so-called "universal" background checks.  Remember when we thought Democrats did not have the votes to pass Obamacare?

Politico reports Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is drafting an alternative bill in the event Reid is able to round up 60 votes to pass his:
“Senator Grassley, along with other concerned members, is putting together an alternative bill that addresses gun violence in a manner that doesn’t violate the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens in contrast to what appears to be in the bill proposed by the majority leader,” said Beth Levine, Grassley’s spokesman.
With Bloomberg continously applying pressure in a number of states, we can't take anything for granted.  Our grassroots can beat Bloomberg's money, but only if we keep up the pressure until the very end.

Hat tip to Shall Not Be Questioned.

Obama Tells Congress Not To Go "Squishy" On Gun Control

Because, you know, we have to "do it for the children."  Roll Call has the story here.
“We have cried enough. We have known enough heartbreak. ... Now is the time to turn that heartbreak into something real,” Obama said.
You need to tell your senators not to go "squishy" on your rights.

It won't hurt to call Kaine just to let him know where you stand.  If we don't tell him, he won't know

Thursday, March 28, 2013

What Kind of Sick Person Even Thinks About Asking People to Do This?

Bloomberg and Mayors Against Illegal Guns, that's who.

New ads feature families of Newtown Victims

Senate to Vote on Gun Control Week of April 8 - Call Senator Warner Now

From NRA-ILA:
The U.S. Senate is currently scheduled to vote on several anti-gun bills during the week of April 8.  One, the so-called "universal background check" bill being pushed by Senator Chuck Schumer, would criminalize the private transfer of firearms between law-abiding citizens.  This legislation would make it illegal for a family member to transfer a firearm to another family member without the federal government’s approval.  According to a recent Department of Justice memo, the effectiveness of a universal background check system "depends on gun registration" -- which is illegal under federal law.  In addition, no background check system will ever be truly "universal", as criminals do not submit to background checks.

Please contact Senator Warner and encourage him to oppose this anti-freedom legislation. Ask him to support real solutions that will reduce violent crime and keep our children safe -- fixing our broken mental health system; securing our schools; and prosecuting violent criminals.

Again, please email, tweet, write, and call Senator Warner today, and ask him to OPPOSE Sen. Schumer's so-called “universal background check” legislation, along with every other anti-gun proposal -- including Sen. Feinstein's proposed ban on commonly owned firearms and magazines. The future of our Second Amendment rights are at stake.

Contact Senator Warner at:
475 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-2023
Click here to email
Twitter: @MarkWarner

Please continue to contact Senator Warner and politely urge him to oppose Schumer's bill that criminalizes private transfers.  A quick look at his facebook page shows that many have already used that to contact the Senator.  Good Work

Rothenberg Makes Good Points In Roll Call

Stuart Rothenberg writes on his Rothenberg Blog for Roll Call that the "Fat Lady" has sung on gun control.  While gun owners should not be ready to declare victory until all of the bills and proposals are defeated legislatively, he does make some good points.  First, he challenges the assertion made by left leaning groups like Center for American Progress that Newtown changed the debate and that polls are missing emerging trends in gun control.
But a CBS News poll released this week suggests the gun control issue is losing steam.

The March 20-24 survey found 47 percent of respondents favoring stricter gun control laws, while 39 percent said gun control laws should be kept as they are and 11 percent favored fewer restrictions — a 10-point drop in support for greater regulation since a February survey.
Rothenburg doesn't mention it but CNN also has a poll showing a more dramatic drop of support for new controls.

Next, Rothenburg addresses the reality that gun control advocates like Bloomberg will face if they try to take out pro-rights advocates up for re-election in 2014, even if they challenge pro-rights (or in some cases somewhat pro-rights Democrats).
In fact, given the geographical distribution of support for more gun control (disproportionately in the Northeast and in urban areas around the country) and the way congressional districts are drawn, higher turnout among liberals and minority voters isn’t likely to improve Democratic prospects.

And the Senate map for 2014 — with seats up in Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia — is more likely to be a problem for Democrats who support substantial new gun control measures.
So,  while we should not declare that the battle is over as Rothenberg does, our phone calls and letters are having an impact.  Don't let up.  With two vulnerable Democrats, Arkansas Senator David Pryor and North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp basically telling Bloomberg to mind his own business, others likely will follow and in 2014, if we do our job, the election map will be on our side too.



Wednesday, March 27, 2013

WSJ's James Taranto on National Journal's Ron Fournier's Obsession with Gun Control

If you subscribe to VSSA's eBullet weekly news briefs, you've seen some of Ron Fournier's commentary for National Journal included.  We try to share a wide spectrum of articles that our members may not see in the normal course of the day.  NRANews' Cam Edwards interviewed the Wall Street Journal's James Taranto earlier this week about Ron Fournier's obsession with gun control.

Democrat Bucking Bloomberg on Gun Control

Virginia Gun Rights posted about this yesterday and we shared it on our Facebook page.  Sebastian at Shall Not Be Questioned has the breakdown of where Bloomberg is spending the money and what our response needs to be:
Some of those states are kind of laughable, but I think he’s playing the long game. Our response need to be to educate as many people as possible that the billionaire Mayor of New York (or former Mayor, as he will soon become) is behind this, and meddling in their state.
Bloomberg seems to think that his money can replace energized grassroots activists.  I'm betting legislators getting tens of thousands of calls supporting our rights will do more than $12 million spread around 10 states.

New Poll Shows Cuccinelli, McAuliffe in Dead Heat - Cuccinelli Has Edge on Experience

The latest Quinnipiac University poll of the 2013 Virginia Governor's race shows Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe in a statistical dead heat.  But the poll also found that while a large number of voters don't know enough about either candidate, of those that do, more believe Cuccinelli has more of the necessary experience to be Governor.  From the Richmond Times Dispatch:
Cuccinelli is viewed to have the right experience for the job by a margin of 44-22 percent, while McAuliffe registered 28-23 percent.
The poll also identified weaknesses for both candidates - a little less than a third viewed Attorney General Cuccinelli as "too conservative" while about a third viewed him as having a political philosophy that is just about right.  McAuliffe was viewed by about 21% to be too liberal and about right by 29%.

Clearly, if Cuccinelli can raise the money to introduce himself to those who say they don't know enough about him before McAuliffe defines him, then the AG can keep the race from being about him, and instead make it about what he will do to keep the state going in the direction that Governor Bob McDonnell has steered the last four years.  McAuliffe may have a more difficult task in showing the voters that he is more than just a political hack looking to add to his resume.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Obama Hoping Pivoting Back to Gun Control Will Help Slumping Poll Numbers

From The Hill:
“What the public wants to see right now is him achieving things, leading,” said Tad Devine, a former strategist to John Kerry and Al Gore. “For him, there's real opportunity on all these fronts, and… realistically in the next six months, he can have progress he can bring back to the American people.”

On gun control, Obama will travel the country to bolster the case for strengthening background checks on gun purchases. Obama is expected to play an active role in the looming Senate fight over what Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has described as the “sweet spot” of legislation.
If they are looking for him to "have progress" on gun control, he is facing long odds where it currently looks like the only placethere is any opportunity is expanding background checks.  Feinstein's gun ban is all but dead as is a ban on standard capacity magazines.  So-called "universal background checks" are on life support as Schumer has been unable to get a high profile pro-rights Republican senator to join him to bring on the necessary votes.  When the White House talks about gun control in response to press inquiries, you get responses like this:
"There actually is a lot of strong support for the proposals that the president has put forward, whether it's universal background checks, whether it is, you know, outlawing gun trafficking or straw purchasers," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. "There's even some support out there in the public for the assault weapons ban."
Notice that the reference to the so-called "assault weapons ban" was almost an afterthought.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Will McCain Stab Gun Owners in the Back on Private Sales?

The Hill reports that McCain may be the key to getting more Republicans on board to criminalize private sales of firearms:
McCain could provide crucial Republican support because he has a "B-plus" rating from the National Rifle Association, one of the most powerful interest groups in Washington. His endorsement could bring along Heller, who has an "A" rating from the NRA.
When you dig a little deeper you find that Heller, who is supposed to be swayed to the antis' side if McCain jumps on board, has the same problem with the proposal that Coburn had - requiring private sellers to keep lists of sales - which means that the government would have to have a list of gun owners.

So, as we saw in the weeks leading up to the Senate Judiciary Committee being forced to fall back on a background check bill that Senator Charles Schumer introduced in the 112th Congress, one that would criminalize virtually all private firearm sales, even temporary transfers, the storyline is to make it look like an agreement is almost in place when in reality they are likely no closer now than they were then.

That being said, don't be surprised if McCain signs on.  He does have a history of stabbing us in the back.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

NRA Regains Footing After Rough Start

The Hill Blog Briefing Room has this post today titled NRA Gains Upper Hand on Obama making the case that after a tough start following the Newtown school shooting, NRA has overtaken Obama on the issue of gun control.
The powerful gun lobbying group had stumbled in the immediate wake of December's Newtown, Conn., grade-school massacre, launching a blistering attack on opponents that alienated even some NRA supporters and upped the odds of Obama moving tougher gun laws through Congress.

But three months later, the NRA has regained its footing, rallying gun owners and lawmakers against new gun controls in a fierce lobbying effort that appears to be paying dividends on Capitol Hill.
Now that we are debating specific policy, NRA is on turf that it is more comfortable defending.  It didn't hurt that NRA also came in possession of this document showing none of Obama's proposals would prevent future mass shootings or reduce crime.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Pro-rights Funding Riders Pass with Budget

Tucked safely into legislation that even the most ardent gun banners considered must pass were several riders that controls how the federal government is allowed to regulate firearms.  This from NPR:
One rider prevents the Department of Justice from requiring gun dealers to conduct an inventory to see if guns are lost or stolen. Another requires the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to make it clear that any data from criminal traces on guns can't be used to draw broad conclusions about firearms-related crime. A couple deal with curios and relics —collectible guns.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers notes none of these are new. But by tucking the policy riders into funding legislation, the antis have to decide if fighting them is worth shutting down the government.  

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, said there was not much they could do this time but promised to fight harder next time.

He shouldn't expect the outcome to be much different.

Reid to Add Criminalization of Private Sales to Senate Gun Control Bill

The Hill reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will include criminalization of private firearm sales to the gun control bill that will be considered in the Senate in April.

“I hope negotiations will continue over the upcoming break to reach a bipartisan compromise on background checks, and I am hopeful that they will succeed. If a compromise is reached, I am open to including it in the base bill,” he said.
Senate aides noted that the current Schumer "place holder" background check legislation will not receive 60 votes, which is why Reid is hoping to get a 'bipartisan" bill that can garner the necessary votes to break cloture (the process that requires 60 votes to advance legislation to a vote).  Without 60 votes, basically nothing can advance in the upper chamber.

“I want to be clear: In order to be effective, any bill that passes the Senate must include background checks,” he said.
Reid made it clear that anything that cannot get 60 votes will not be included in the "base" bill but that does not mean other proposals will not be allowed from the floor.
“The bill I advance tonight will serve as the basis for opening debate,” he said. “Once debate begins, I will ensure that a ban on assault weapons, limits to high-capacity magazines, and mental health provisions receive votes, along with other amendments. In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for all of these provisions to receive votes, and I will ensure that they do.”
So, the battle lines are being drawn.  Background checks is where Reid and the gun banners plan to spend their political capital.  You know what to do - call your Senators now.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Governor McDonnell Signs Concealed Carry Permit Holder Privacy Bill

Earlier today, Governor McDonnell signed Senator Mark Obenshain's Concealed Carry Confidentiality bill (SB 1335) into law. Now that SB 1335 has been signed, law-abiding Virginians will no longer risk having their private information disclosed simply because they choose to exercise a constitutional right.

It is well known what happened when a New York newspaper published an interactive map of concealed carry permit-holders on their website: criminals used it to their advantage and law-abiding gun owners were harassed. But what’s even more disturbing is that these lists sometimes disclose the new addresses of victims of domestic violence and others who have a very good reason not to want their contact information in public view.

The problem wasn’t limited to New York. Prior to the enactment of Senate Bill 1335, a list of the names and addresses of concealed handgun permit holders has been, and will be until July 1, available for the asking from any clerks’ office. 

In 2007, the Roanoke Times published a database containing the names and addresses of all concealed carry permit holders in Virginia, later pulled when they realized that they had inadvertently disclosed the new addresses of victims of domestic violence who owned firearms for their own protection. The Fredericksburg Free Lance Star continues to publish the name of individuals issued a CHP in the paper's circulation area.

With the enactment of this legislation, Virginia will join the majority of states in providing for the confidentiality of concealed handgun permit holders. The list will still be available to clerks’ offices, members of law enforcement, and other government officials entitled to access, but the list will no longer be subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

This isn’t a gun bill; it’s a public safety bill. The patron worked with the Virginia Court Clerks’ Association, and with clerks across the Commonwealth, on this important bill.

That New York newspaper treated law-abiding gun owners like criminals and, what’s worse, it put people in danger. That shouldn’t be allowed to happen here in Virginia – and with the enactment of SB1335, it can’t anymore.


When Tim Kaine was Governor, he signed a bill sealing these records with the State Police, but that legislation did not address clerks’ offices, which also have copies of these records. Senate Bill 1335 closes that loophole, and VSSA thanks Governor McDonnell for signing this bill into law. His action is good news for all Virginians, but especially Virginia concealed handgun permit holders, some of which are victims of domestic violence who should not have to worry if their abusers have access to their address and other personal information.

Attend Congressman Rigell's Townhall and Tell Him to Oppose Gun Control

Virginians for Responsible Gun Laws sent an email today urging supporters of gun control to attend a town hall that 2nd District Congressman Scott Rigell is holding this Saturday. 
On Saturday, March 23, Congressman Rigell will be hosting a town hall meeting at 10:00AM in Gaines Theater on the Christopher Newport University campus, 1 Avenue of the Arts, Newport News, Virginia. Please come out and express your support for his efforts to crack down on the traffickers who threaten the safety of our families and communities by putting guns into criminal hands.

We need 2nd Amendment supporters to attend this meeting and urge Congressman Rigell to stand up for our rights.  If you live in the area, please plan to attend this meeting to show the the overwhelming majority of his district support the rights of law abiding Virginians.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Gun Ban Groups Turn Attention to Firearm Related Budget Riders

Predicted to have little success in passing high profile gun ban legislation, the gun banners are turning their focus to spending bills with “riders” limiting how the Justice Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are able to infringe on our rights through regulation.  This from the Washington Post:
Some of the provisions in question have been adopted in the president’s budget year after year, after having originated as legislative riders to spending bills on Capitol Hill.
But gun-control advocates are focusing on the practice as part of their broader strategy of confronting the NRA. President Obama’s 2014 budget proposal is scheduled to be released early next month, and the new focus on budgeting minutiae in the already emotional debate over the nation’s gun laws could create a flash point between Obama and his allies on the left.
By raising the riders issue, liberals also hope to put the NRA on the defensive, forcing the group and its lobbyists to publicly defend the practice of attaching riders on appropriations bills, while also fighting off fresh legislation to limit gun violence introduced in the wake of the mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
The strategy is outlined in a new report from the Center for American Progress that claims that pro-rights groups have "debilitated" enforcement of federal gun laws through the use of restrictive funding riders.

The group really does not like the rider that prohibits DOJ from conducting inventories of FFLs.  That would become permanent under the current continuing resolution that is being considered to fund the government for the rest of the year.  The gun ban lobby is hoping that with the Newtown shooting, they will be able to convince the Obama Administration to delete the riders from the 2014 budget.  Obama's team is remaining mum on what they plan to do.  The administration is late introducing their budget for the forth year in a row.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Live Stream of Wayne LaPierre Speech at CPAC

The Way Forward for Gun Control in the Senate

Roll Call has this article today that says the focus now turns to Harry Reid as he must consider how to bring the four bills reported out of Senate Judiciary to the full Senate.
Still unclear is whether all of the gun legislation reported by the Judiciary Committee will be considered on the Senate floor and whether it would come up as a package or in individual parts.

Reid has to figure out how to bow to the President's desire, repeated yesterday, that the victims of recent shootings "deserve a vote" while protecting his vulnerable members up for re-election in 2014.

Many beleive the so-called "assault weapons" ban is dead on arrival.  But the bill includes a ban on standard capacity magazines, referred to as "high capacity" magazines.  Some think if that part was split off into a separate piece of legislation, that it might garner the necessary 60 votes to clear a filibuster and pass. 
During Thursday’s markup, Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., floated the idea of splitting Feinstein’s bill into two in order to boost the prospects for getting close to the 60-vote threshold needed to thwart a filibuster in the Senate.


The duo voiced support for holding a separate floor vote on the ban on large-capacity ammunition magazines contained in Feinstein’s bill. They suggested that the measure could garner sufficient support if untethered from the larger proposal to reinstate and expand the federal assault weapons ban that lapsed in 2004.
And that is just one danger still ahead for gun owners.  The more we hear that the so-called "assault-weapons" ban cannot pass, the greater the concern is that complacency will set in.  This fight is not over until it is over.  And folks, it has only begun. Now that we have the bill numbers on which to focus, we must redouble our efforts to defeat them all.  Please reference the specific bill numbers in your letters, emails, and phone calls to congress.

The bills in question are: "Assault weapons" bill (S 150), "Gun trafficking" (S 54)" and Schumer's bill criminalizing private sales (S 374).

Thursday, March 14, 2013

NRA and the Firearm Industry

Trying to drive a wedge between the NRA and the firearms industry seems to be the latest thing in the media.  Last week it was articles about how NSSF, which represents the industry, was taking a different position on background checks on private sales than the NRA.  The story goes like this; retailers from Walmart to "mom and pop" gun dealers have to do background checks so they don't mind seeing their private unlicensed competitiors having to do the same.  That of course assumes that there are so many private transactions going on that there is real competition for FFLs.

Bloomberg Businessweek now has this piece title "Why Gun Makers Fear the NRA." The story goes like this; gun manufacturers don't want to cross the NRA because they exact punishment on the wayward groups much like happened to Smith and Wesson in the '90s.  The problem with that is NRA never encouraged the boycott of S&W.  In fact S&W had booth space at the 2000 NRA Annual Meeting in Charlotte.  That however allowed members to express their displeasure with the company for going along with Clinton's gun ban schemes.

Paul Barrett, Businessweek Assistant Managing Editor, talked to Bloomberg TV about the article.

One point about the line of questioning.  The media likes to focus on NRA's money but it is not the money, it's the voters that NRA can turnout that makes a difference.

AG Ken Cuccinelli's Speech at CPAC This Morning

Will Today's Senate Judiciary Vote on Feinstein Gun Ban Be the Last?

The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote along party lines to advance Senator Diane Feinstein's bill to ban modern sporting rifles but it is possible that it will be the last vote.  The AP notes:
There are 53 Democrats plus two independents who generally side with them. Republicans seem ready to oppose the ban overwhelmingly, and Feinstein can't count on a half-dozen Democrats from Republican-leaning states who face re-election next year.
That means that it will likely not muster the 60 votes required to get a vote and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may be happy with that so he can protect his most vulnerable members ahead of the 2014 mid-term election.

The main threat has always been criminalizing private firearm sales.  This is where we must focus our energy in the coming month when Senator Chuck Schumer's bill may come to the floor.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Joe Biden, The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Biden opens his mouth simply to change feet. These were comments he made yesterday at the National League of Cities in Washington, D.C. The National League of Cities has called for registration of all handguns and licensing of all firearm owners. Hat Tip to CNS News.

Schumer Hoping to Find Republican To Join On Background Check Bill

Having lost Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn as a "bipartisan" member of his gang of four to enact national gun registration through so-called "universal" background checks,  The Hill reports that New York Senator Chuck Schumer is hoping to find a replacement so he can pull his "place-holder" bill and have a bill considered that has both Democratic and Republican support.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley pointed out just how tables have turned on Chucky.
“We’re told that there’s such a widespread support for universal background checks that a bipartisan bill would be on its way to passage,” Grassley said Tuesday. “Instead, three out of the four senators involved in those discussions do not endorse the bill that is now before us.”
Schumer noted he was still working to find support from Democrats as well as Republicans.  Don't hold your breath Chuck.  It appears the NRA, thanks in no small part to DOJ's National Institute of Justice, has done a good job pointing out that the only way for "universal" background checks to work is to have a national registry of gun owners.
“Mass shootings will continue to occur despite universal background checks, and criminals will continue to steal guns and acquire them illegally to circumvent the requirement,” Grassley said. “When that happens we will be back again debating whether gun registration is needed, and when registration fails, the next move will be confiscation.”
Keep up the pressure.  Schumer said that background checks was considered the "sweet spot" of measures that could pass after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.  Doesn't look so much like that any more.  The longer this goes, the more our efforts to educate our elected leaders will make a difference.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Clayton Cramer on Obama's Gun Control Executive Orders

Great conclusion in Clayton Cramer's PJ Media article on Obama's Executive Orders:
There is one thing more dangerous than an arrogant, highly educated person, and that is an arrogant, ignorant person, because he doesn’t know he’s ignorant. I realize that in a democracy we are doomed to usually elect people just a little bit more informed than the voters; perhaps the voters are getting a lot less informed.

Bolling Says No to Independent Run For Governor

I just received this in my inbox:
“Given the current political dynamics in Virginia, the prospects of an Independent campaign were very appealing to me, and based on the positive feedback I had received from business leaders, community leaders and citizens all across our state, I am confident that I could have run a credible and competitive campaign and made a positive contribution to the public debate.  In many ways I would have enjoyed participating in such a campaign a great deal and I think it could have been good for Virginia.

“However, after a great deal of consideration I have decided that I will not be an Independent candidate for Governor this year.  There were many factors that influenced my decision to forgo such a campaign.
He goes on to talk about the large amount of money that would be required and how he looks forward to finishing his work with Governor McDonnell. But, we will not have a spoiler campaign and can focus on electing a pro-rights Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General to continue leading Virginia.

Feinstein Wants Obama to Channel His Inner Clinton to Pass Gun Ban

Senator Diane Feinstein doesn't think Obama is doing enough to help pass her gun ban bill and has told The Hill that Obama should emulate Bill Clinton, who lobbied legislators to help pass the 1994 Clinton Gun Ban.
“The Clinton administration really was helpful in getting the votes and working the issue. There’s no question about that,” Feinstein said. “I would certainly welcome [Obama] taking a leaf out of Clinton’s book and really engaging. I think that would make a difference.


Monday, March 11, 2013

Just What is DHS Going to Do with 1.6 Billion Rounds of Ammo?

Stories of government agencies like Social Security, buying 174,000 rounds, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration buying 46,000 rounds have bounced the Internet.  But this Forbes story on the DHS purchase of 1.6 Billion rounds makes the other stories look like a small purchase at your local gun shop.  Forbes puts a little perspective on this number:
...Also reported elsewhere, at the height of the Iraq War the Army was expending less than 6 million rounds a month.  Therefore 1.6 billion rounds would be enough to sustain a hot war for 20+ years.  In America.
This subject came up on Tom Gresham's Gun Talk program yesterday.  Without speculating any conspiracy, Gresham noted that one problem is the federal government requires federal law enforcement to practice with the ammo that they carry.  That means hey are forced to practice with the more expense hollow point ammo they carry rather than less expensive ammo.  How's that for being fiscally responsible?

DHS explains their purchase this way:
Peggy Dixon, spokeswoman for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center:  “The training center and others like it run by the Homeland Security Department use as many as 15 million rounds every year, mostly on shooting ranges and in training exercises.”
At 15 million rounds a year (which sounds like a lot to this writer as it did to the Forbes author), 1.6 billion rounds would last well into the next century.  It begs the question though, given we are being told because of the "sequester" we should expect long lines at TSA airport checkpoints, just why is DHS purchasing such a rediculously large amount of ammo that it's various agents could not be expected to expend for almost 100 years?

Will He or Won't He?

As pundits await the announcement later this week by Lt. Governor Bill Bolling on whether he will run for Governor as and independent, the Richmond Times Dispatch has this article that once again points out that for all his criticism of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli being too extreme to be elected, Bolling has a voting record very similar to Cuccinelli. 
For all his recent moves to the middle on Medicaid and transportation, Bolling’s record is closer to Cuccinelli’s than it is to Democrats’ — a point Bolling and Cuccinelli had highlighted before their intra-party parting.

Bolling stood with Senate Republicans in 2011 when they pushed through legislation that ignited debate over proposed regulations to compel abortion clinics to conform to standards for new hospital construction.

More recently, he cast the tie breaking vote to pass a bill that would require all registered voters to present photo identification at the polls.
On issue after issue, including the Second Amendment, Bolling has voted the same way as Cuccinelli as a state senator more times than not.  Casting tie-breaking votes as Lt. Governor, Bolling has voted conservative right down the line.  And even "establishment" GOP officials are asking Bolling to set his personal ambitions aside for the greater good of the Commonwealth.  This from a letter to Bolling from Henrico State Senator Walter A. Stosch:
“The stakes are too great for us to create additional divisions among Republicans at a time when the real threat to the great progress made during your tenure is the possible election of an untested and unknown Democrat candidate,” said Stosch, referring to McAuliffe, the McLean-based, self-made millionaire businessman and former Democratic National Committee chairman who has never held public office.
So, by the end of this week we will know whether we will have a two-way race for Governor, or a three way race where the third candidate will more likely play spoiler than have a real shot at winning.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Loudoun Approves Shooting Ordinance

A couple weeks ago I posted that Loudoun County was scheduled to act on a shooting ordinance related to allowing the shooting of clay targets in the eastern part of Loudoun County.  The Board met this past Wednesday and approved the ordinance.  A VSSA member in the area also reported that the Board also voted to extend managed deer hunts to county residents in county parks.  Please contact the members of the Board and thank them for supporting these measures.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

A Liberal and Guns

Tom Gresham had self professed "liberal Democrat" and former New Yorker staff writer Dan Baum on his show this past Sunday talking about Baum's new book Gun Guys, A Road Trip.  Sebastian over at Shall Not Be Questioned has posted a link to the Atlantic interview with Baum along with a few thoughts on the interview.  Both the Gresham interview and the Atlantic article are worth the time it takes to listen and read.

Mayors Try to Drive Wedge Between Manufactures, Dealers and NRA

I have been one that believes that 2013 is a different year than 1993, when Bill Clinton and the gun banners worked to drive a wedge between different segments of gun owners to pass the Clinton Gun Ban.  Back then, the idea was to pit shotgun owners against owners of semi-automatic rifles by saying "we're not coming for your hunting guns."  Now, with a large segment of gun owners (some 4 million by some estimates) owning modern sporting rifles for anything from hunting to self-defense, that tactic is likely not going to work.  But this Washington Post article points out one area where a wedge may still be able to be driven, so-called "universal background checks" (UBCs).
“That’s more the NRA’s issue,” Steve Sanetti, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), said in an interview. “From the commercial side, we’re already there, and we’ve been there, and we were the ones that have been the strongest proponents of an effective, complete background check.”
The Post notes that a group of mayors have used this opportunity to write gun manufacturers Monday, warning that their governments may begin using black mail to win support for increased regulation, including an extension of background checks. The mayors, whose cities spend gobs of money on firearms and ammunition each year for their police departments have decided to tell manufacturers that they will only spend their money with companies that support the mayors' agenda.

The NRA for their part is pushing back.  In a statement released Monday:
“Unfortunately,” ...the National Instant Criminal Background Check System “is currently incomplete and has inaccurate data. Rather than focusing on improving the quality of information contained in NICS, gun control proponents are advocating a significant expansion of a system that has gaping inadequacies.”
It appears that pro rights organizations may also not be of one mind on the issue of UBCs.
In Washington state last month, the head of a gun rights group offered to support mandatory background-check legislation for most firearm sales in exchange for a state commitment not to maintain gun records. It’s not clear whether the proposal will succeed but it has drawn support across the divide of the gun debate.

“This is a good compromise with real give-and-take,” said Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation and chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
But just how much can we trust such promises?

Coburn Accused of Stalling Senate Talks on Background Checks

The Hill reported yesterday that talks on imposing so-called "universal background checks" (UBCs) have hit a snag in the Senate and some in the gun ban lobby are saying one of the gang of four, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn, is not negotiating in good faith.
Schumer argues — and gun control groups agree — that records must be kept to ensure background checks are conducted before private transactions. Otherwise, any expansion of background checks would be unenforceable, they assert.
But Coburn worries that such a paperwork requirement could lead to a national gun registry, which gun rights groups staunchly oppose, according to Senate sources familiar with the talks.
This should convince even the most skeptical that the ultimate goal of those pushing for background checks on the private sale of firearms.  But it gets better:
“It’s the fundamental building block of any serious gun violence prevention system,” said Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

Horwitz said Coburn’s opposition to requiring records for private background checks calls into question whether the GOP lawmaker really supports expanded checks.

“It’s such a non-issue to me, the whole thing seems like a big stall tactic,” he said. “Saying there shouldn’t be a record, to me, is not negotiating in good faith.”
Despite evidence to the contrary, those pushing the UBCs still throw out the "40% of firearm sales do not undergo background checks" to show the importance of UBCs.  The actual number is actually closer to 10% and if that number were well known by the public, it would likely reduce the support for requiring background checks on sales between friends or fellow gun club members.


Friday, March 1, 2013

Good Report on Facts About AR-15s

From News 8 WTNH in Connecticut:

Special Report: Firearm Facts -- the AR-15

This is What Happens When You Take Joe Biden's Advice

Vice President Joe Biden told Field & Stream magazine in an interview published earlier this week:
"[if] you want to keep someone away from your house, just fire the shotgun through the door."
Not such a good idea for a Virginia Beach man.

And we all know what he said he advised his wife do, fire two blasts from the shotgun into the air.  That is not work out so good for this Delaware man.

Now, there are surely more to each of these stories but the point is, there are real consequences for discharging a firearm in a residential area in Virgnia and most other states.  There are exceptions for self-defense (in Virginia at least) but you are likely to have to prove to investigators that you feared for your life and if you do, then one may wonder why you did not shoot the perp instead of into the air or through the door where you may have no way of knowing who is on the other side before firing.