Monday, September 30, 2013
Jefferson Ruritans Sponsor 27th Annual Turkey Shoots
CMP to Open New Custom Shop for USGI Firearms in Anniston
2013 VSSA Annual Meeting Wrap-up
- Dan M. of Lorton, VA, won the Socom 16 donated by Chuck Marshall's estate benefiting the VSSA War Chest legislative fund
- Gregory E. of Gainesville, VA, won the S&W .40 M&P Shield First Prize in the Annual Meeting Raffle
- Wilfred W. of Stafford, won the Special Edition Henry Golden Boy 2nd Prize
- Thomas C. of Blacksburg, won the $100 gift Bass Pro Shops Gift Card 3rd Prize
Friday, September 27, 2013
This is Becoming All Too Common
Hyatt Gun Shop of Charlotte, N.C., told Secrets that the subsidiary, Authorize.net/CyberSource, simply sent an email to owner Larry Hyatt to announce that it was suddenly breaking off the business relationship. The reason: “The sale of firearms or any similar product.”
The company email said that gun sales violated a section of the service agreement the two signed over four years ago and after Hyatt went into detail about its sales and products -- and name.
"We’ve never seen anything like this,” said Justin Anderson, Hyatt’s marketing director. He said it took a week and thousands of dollars to line up a “gun friendly” credit card processor for online sales.It's getting to the point where the firearms industry will have to open up its own banking services.
Hat tip to The Gun Wire.
More on McAuliffe and Gun Control
Gun Owners Need to Act Now to Defeat Terry McAuliffe
Support common sense gun control measures
As Governor, Terry will support mainstream and majority supported gun control measures like universal background checks, limiting the size of magazines, and a return to the 1-gun-per-month rule. These measures respect Virginians’ right to bear arms while reducing gun violence.Then at the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce debate, McAuliffe went further:
But if gun owners don't act now, we will be hearing blather like this for the next four years in Virginia. You can help now by contacting the NRA-ILA Field Rep nearest you and volunteer to help with phone banks right in the comfort of your own home. The list of Field Reps is below:
Pittsylvania
James Lee
434-993-8672
JamesLeeNRA@gmail.com
Chesterfield, Powhatan
James Morton
512-659-5213
JCMorton.NRA@gmail.com
Newport News
Trey Ramsey
717-448-3426
tramseyNRA@gmail.com
Augusta, Rockingham
Terry Durkin
434-989-5089
tdurkinnra@gmail.com
Buchanan, Wise
Lexy Rusnak
540-315-4823
lexynra@gmail.com
Northern Virginia
Jacob Champion
703-672-0251
jchampionNRA@gmail.com
Bedford, Amherst
Raney Quirk
540-406-2342
rquirknra@gmail.com
Please contact the rep nearest you today and they will let you know how you can help.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
This Should Concern All Gun Owners
McAuliffe's Big Debate Gaffe
When asked what Virginia should do in the wake of the horrific shooting at the Navy Yard, Terry McAuliffe went all in on gun control advocating for an assault weapons ban, magazine limitation, one handgun a month restriction, and universal background checks. Six weeks away from the election in which the best turnout estimates are 40%, McAuliffe gave Cuccinelli an Alabama offensive line blocking hole on the only hot button issue that blows up the polling crosstabs – guns.
Yes, he won forever the admiration of Piers Morgan, but he very well could have lost the election.
While the narrative laid out by the media is that all NRA, gun rights activists are mouth breathing, tobacco chewing rednecks, the reality in the political world is that many women in this Commonwealth rely on guns for self-defense.
The most ardent gun rights people in my Shenandoah Valley House of Delegates district were women. They would grab my arm during parades looking right at the back of my retina and say with grinding teeth “Don’t take my gun.”
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
As Expected, Administration Signs UN Arms Treaty
As Bitter said elections have consequences. Now we have to make sure the Senate never ratifies it. We know where Tim Kaine stands on this based on his vote earlier this year on the Inhofe amendment to the budget. Mark Warner voted against the amendment too and he is up for re-election next year. Will gun owners hold him accountable for his vote? Will Warner try and have it both ways and vote against ratification if Harry Reid brings it up for a vote?
Governor McDonnell Stands with Freedom When Questioned on Navy Yard Shooting
"I've yet to see any conclusive data that suggests that a waiting period would work. We have an instant background check in Virginia. We are one of the first states to have that some 20 years or so ago," the pro-gun Republican governor said on Tuesday morning's program.The Tribune article noted that even though the Navy Yard killer had numerous mental health issues, he passed a background check. What the Tribune did not mention was he had never been adjudicated as mentally disturbed.
Thanks Governor McDonnell for standing with law abiding gun owners.
McAuliffe and Gun Control
Apparently deterred neither by the recent and successful liberalization of state gun laws in Virginia nor by the clear message that Colorado voters sent to lawmakers earlier in the month, Virginian gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe has added a gun-control plank to his campaign website.You see, as this site shared yesterday, Terry McAuliffe has decided to come out of the shadows and post on his web site the kind of gun control he supports. As Cooke notes:
With the exception of the one-gun-per-month rule, a 1993 measure that was repealed last year, McAuliffe is effectively suggesting that the state of Virginia pass exactly the same package that led to two state senators in Colorado being recalled: the extention of background checks to private sales and limits on the size of magazines. If McAuliffe is elected, it will be interesting to see how successful he will be in convincing skittish state legislators to put their careers on the line for such a fringe issue. My suspicion is not very.Cooke also makes a good point that McAuliffe should tell us if he supports the 1993 version of handgun rationing, or the law as it stood in 2012 when it was repealed. By 2012, most people had already been exempted from the law including ncluding anyone with a concealed-handgun permit, all law enforcement, all private security companies, and anybody who “lost” a firearm within 30 days and needed to replace it. As Cooke concludes:
To go back to the latter would simply be silly; to go back to the former, on the other hand, would be radical.
Doctors Address Mental Health and Violence
Hat tip to The Gun Wire.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Terry McAuliffe Wants Colorado Style Gun Control
Brietbart has the story here.
McAuliffe's website was updated yesterday to mention gun control for the first time. McAuliffe has come out for so-called "universal" background checks, limiting the size of magazines, and a return to handgun rationing.
The so-called "universal" background checks and limits on the size of ammunition magazines were passed in Colorado earlier this year.
McAuliffe must be feeling confident going into the final month of the campaign to now overtly mention gun control, even though recent polls show him with a lead either within or just outside the margin of error. With tonight's Fairfax Chamber of Commerce debate, one stumble could give additional momentum to Ken Cuccinelli who has gained in the recent polls.
Hopefully this strategy change by McAuliffe will energize gun owners for Cuccinelli.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
The Perils of Focusing on Mental Health and Firearms
Better and more accessible care for the truly mentally ill is a worthwhile goal, and one which should be pursued. (And Kelly Ayotte already has a plan to do so without infringing anyone’s Second Amendment rights.) But we need to stand firm against any proposed federal legislation which purports to make everyone safer by keeping guns out of the hands of (or confiscating them from!!!) the mentally ill. That last sentence is sure to set the hair of many liberals afire, but there’s a reason for this sense of caution. You see, we already know where that path leads because we’ve seen the terminus of it in the state of New York, and it’s a nightmare.Shaw is referring to what happened after the "NY Safe Act" became law when a man was confronted by police at the front door of his home and having his guns confiscated under threat of arrest.
The reason for the showdown was that authorities had mistaken him for somebody else who had committed the sin of seeking medical help and receiving medication for depression at one point in the past.Shaw concludes that the nation already has a system in place for defining those who are too "deranged" to own firearms, that involves having people adjudicated as such in a court of law with the opportunity to defend themselves and challenge the finding if they wish. We need to gaurd against any law that purports to protect all of us by further expanding who is mentally ill. If the gun ban lobby had their way, they would classify anyone who wants to own a firearm as "mentally ill."
Hat tip to VSSA's Executive Director who forwarded the Hotair.com article.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
York County Board of Supervisors Approves Lafayette Gun Club Request
While around 13 people spoke against plans to expand facilities at the Lafayette Gun Club at a York County Planning Commission meeting in July, support for the club during a Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday was overwhelming.
The supervisors unanimously voted to approve the club's plans to build a new 6,000-square-foot club house, 3,800-square-foot picnic pavilion and expand a gravel driveway around one of the outdoor ranges at its 26-acre campus on Dare Road. There are no plans to expand any of the club's firing ranges.Congratulations to the Lafayette.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Completely Agree With Sebastian on This
Yes, it is just Sebastian's initial thoughts on the Starbucks announcement with a promised lengthier post later but his second point that this was self inficted came to my mind as well when I first heard the news. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy.
Durbin Says Manchin/Schumer/Toomey Might Have Stopped Navy Yard Shooter From Getting Firearm
Durbin, who is Reid’s top deputy, suggested on Tuesday morning that a measure to expand background checks — which the Senate defeated in April — might have prevented the shooting.From my recollection, Manchin/Schumer/Toomey was to make sure all (or almost all) firearm transfer's went through a background check. The Navy Yard shooter did submit to a background check and passed. So, how exactly might Manchin/Toomey/Schumer prevented him from getting his firearm?
The shooter had several run-ins with the police in the last 10 years, none of which were prosecuted, or at least charged at a level that would make him a prohibited buyer. Given these facts, even if Manchin/Toomey/Schumer had passed, it would have had no impact on the shooter's ability to purchase his firearm. Second, it appears that the shooter had mental health issues - again, to my recollection, something not addressed by Manchin/Toomey/Schumer. Charles Krauthammer discussed the mental health issue last night on Fox News.
For some reason, Congress does not want to address the mental health issue although that was supposed to have been one of the issues addressed after Newtown. The administration and their allies in the Senate decided to focus only on gun control and when they lost that battle in April, moved on to other unrelated issues.
Jim Geraghty this morning pretty much summed-up why the renewed talk of gun control after Monday's murders rings particularly hollow:
I begin rather skeptical of most gun-control proposals. The ones that are pitched in the aftermath of mass shootings are particularly cynical, as they often attempt to regulate circumstances unrelated to the shooting.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
National Journal Writer Says Navy Yard Shooting Proves Fallacy of NRA's "More Guns" Solution
The Navy Yard shooting exposes a fallacy in that argument. A military facility, the Navy Yard had plenty of good guys with weapons who were nonetheless were unable to stop Aaron Alexis, the alleged shooter, from killing a dozen innocent persons. In the coming weeks, we'll learn more about Navy Yard security and how Alexis was able to thwart it. (We'll also learn more about how he obtained his arms, but let's leave that aside for now.)A little education Mr. Cooper; Military installations are technically “gun free” zones meaning that military and civilian personnel are prohibited from possessing weapons without special authorization. This policy includes those living on military bases who are not allowed to keep personal weapons in their domiciles. Regulation 90-114 regulates firearms on military bases and was implemented by President Clinton in 1993.
Cooper then tries to qualify his totally incorrect statement:
True, the Navy Yard is not a heavily armed facility. It's not like, say, walking into a military base in the U.S. let alone onto a war zone. But neither was it the kind of gun-free school zone that the NRA has described as an inviting target for crazed shooters. It was at least as heavily armed as we can expect any elementary school could ever be under the National School Shield program. And yet, carnage.Which is the point we have been making about why teachers and administrators should have the right to be armed. If the security guard at the school, or in the case of the Navy Yard, facility is taken down, you need additional people to be armed as back-up. Speaking to the issue of military installations, we trust enlisted personnel to be armed on the battlefield, but not on base? We saw at Fort Hood just how prohibiting military personnel from being armed worked out. The bad guy (the Fort Hood shooter) disobeyed the regulation and went on a shooting rampage while his victims abided by the restriction and paid the price. Gun Free Zones (which the Navy Yard was in essence) only prevent law abiding people from carrying firearms.
Again, Gun Ban Advocates Use Mass Murder to Push Gun Control
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., an advocate for gun control since the assassinations of San Francisco's mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978, went there.
"Congress must stop shirking its responsibility and resume a thoughtful debate on gun violence in this country. We must do more to stop this endless loss of life," she said Monday.Reports are that the shooter entered the Navy Yard with a shotgun purchased in Lorton, VA, and later took an AR-15 and handgun from one or more of his victims. It has also been reported that he was a federal contractor, and that he had previous run-ins with the police.
So, if he was a federal contractor, apparently he was not prosecuted on the previous charges, or at least not with a charge that barred him from legally purchasing a firearm or holding a federal job because contractors go through the same background checks that federal workers are required to undergo. It would appear, based on what we know at this time, this is not an issue of gun laws being to lenient, but of a criminal justice system that once again let someone slip through the cracks that should have been stopped long ago (as far back as 2004), whether for violations of the law, or for other issues that have come to light after the shooting.
Hat tip to From the Barrel of a Gun.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Even Gun Control Advocate Recognizes Bloomberg Money is Not the Answer
“I think that in the long term, the nation is going to reject this unbridled kind of gun culture,” Mr. Diaz said. “But I think it’s going to take a long time. Colorado is a true test for those actually in the trenches, but it might also be a wake-up call — nothing is easy, and pouring money in from Bloomberg is not a magic solution.”
Prospects for Federal Gun Control Grow Even Dimmer
Asked if the Colorado recalls made him less likely to switch, Flake said last week, ‘‘I was not prone to do so. I'm comfortable where I am.’’Flake has been the target of ads paid for by Mayors Against
Thursday, September 12, 2013
CNN's Brooke Baldwin Calls Out Colorado Senator Angela Giron on Voter Suppression Charge
Reports of the Death of CMP Premature
Recent news articles and references to the demise of the Civilian Marksmanship Program are erroneous. Business and programs continue as usual.We thought our members would like to know.
We appreciate the continued support of all our customers.
Petersburg Postpones "Gun Buy-back"
NBC12 emailed Petersburg Police and the City Attorney to find out if organizers obtained that required ordinance. We received a statement addressed to Petersburg Police Chief John Dixon reading, "We must postpone Mothers Against Violent Crimes' 1st annual gun buyback due to circumstances beyond our control."
NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News
That ordinance is necessary thanks to a state law that VSSA helped pass in 2012. That law, HB22, states that no locality can participate in any program in which individuals are given a thing of value in exchange for surrendering a firearm to the locality unless the governing body of the locality has enacted an ordinance authorizing the participation of the locality.
Note that NBC12 said the event has been postponed, which gives the impression this may be brought before the city council. But given the additional restrictions on the events, specifically that the law requires ordinances include a provision that firearms received through the exchange must be offered for sale by public auction or sealed bids to a person licensed as a dealer before otherwise disposing of the firearm. That may be more than the city wants to deal with and this may be the end of the "annual" event before it ever got started.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Dem Chairman Says Voter Suppression Reason for Loss
Grassroots Trumps Bloomberg's Money on Colorado
And Victor Head, a the plumber in Pueblo who borrowed money from his grandmother to start the recall against Senator Giron had a message for Morse:'Not bad for an unemployed plumber' man says in passing after news of PW library numbers. #PuebloRecall
— Nick Bonham (@NickBonham1) September 11, 2013
Virginia can take something away from last night's victory in Colorado. The victory in Colorado was started by the grassroots. NRA did not start it and only got involved when it picked up steam. The signatures for the recall petitions were collected by the grassroots, with over a 90% validity rate to boot. They were out spent by those supporting the incumbants, but they won, and won big in a district that Barack Obama carried handily last year. This year in Virginia, Ken Cuccinelli is being out raised by Terry McAuliffe by a margin of 2-1. But Colorado proved that if you have committed grassroots, they can trump big money. For some reason, Cuccinelli his having problems firing up his base. There is still time to change that. Hat tip to John Lott. Update: Here is the breakdown of the pro-and anti-recall spending via the Denver Post yesterday by way of Jim Geraghty. Pro Recall •NRA: $360,000'And I have a message for John Morse ... Who's unemployed now?' -- Victor Head, Pueblo Freedom & Rights. #PuebloRecall #COpolitics
— Nick Bonham (@NickBonham1) September 11, 2013
(Note: updated total for the NRA $361,703 on the two recalls) •I Am Created Equal: $56,800 •Colorado Citizens Protecting Our Constitution: $29,800 •Victor Head, Pueblo resident: $5,800 •Dianna Harris, Colorado Springs resident: $4,500 AGAINST RECALL Total raised: $3 million Itemized donations in Colorado: $1.5 million Itemized donations outside of Colorado: $1.5 million Some top donors •Taxpayers for Responsible Democracy: $620,000 •Michael Bloomberg: $350,000 •DLCC Unincorporated Individual Acct: $300,000 •Eli Broad: $250,000 •Mainstream Colorado: $211,800 So, if my math is correct, the pro-recall grassroots was out spent 6-1 and still won a decisive victory.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Cuccinelli Picks Up Endorsement of Democrat Strategist
“I’m not on the payroll,” Saunders said. “No, I’m not Boyd Marcus. I’m a Democrat.”Saunders does not like McAuliffe's "corporatist" background.
“What these corporatists have done to us in rural America and in urban America," Saunders said in a telephone interview. “I can’t support a corporatist. I just can’t. This guy is not my kind of Democrat.”It could also be Saunders does not like McAuliffe's stated support for gun control, something that he worked very hard to get Warner to avoid.
Will this get Cuccinelli a lot of votes? Probably as many as the Marcus endorsement is going to get McAuliffe. But it does provide them with something to throw back when people start talking about Republicans endorsing McAuliffe.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Bloomberg Outspent NRA and Firearms Industry Combined in 2012
I especially like the fact that NRA broke down the spending for the association and the firearms industry by number of individuals represented (since without those 4 million members NRA would not have had that money to spend).
On a related note, it will be interesting to see what the final total is on the money Bloomberg spends on the Colorado recall vs the NRA and what kind of return Bloomberg gets for his investment.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
More Women Shop for Firearms, Participate in Target Shooting
Women have become a mainstay in previously male-dominated classes offered at Colonial Shooting Academy since it opened in March 2012.
All-women classes — with female instructors — were started at the Henrico County indoor shooting range in response to growing demand that has also been seen nationwide, with more and more women purchasing guns and learning how to use them.What's great about the RTD article, is the mention of a women who had a fear of firearms after being held up at gun point several year's ago. Recently, her new employer took her and three other new employees to Colonial Shooting Academy for a team-building activity. It was a great experience that helped her to overcome a major fear.. The woman said while she does not currently plan to purchase a firearm or get a concealed handgun permit, she wants her son to learn about firearm safety and learn the difference between video games and the real thing.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Less Than 1% of Gun Show Firearms Transactions Attempted By Prohibited Persons
The number of people charged this year represents only 0.15 percent of the 24,870 firearms transactions at 36 gun shows through June 30.
Goddard said “we can only guess” the number of prohibited gun buyers who are aware of their status and buy from unlicensed sellers at gun shows.