Virginia Teams Excel At SASP Collegiate Nationals

Talladega, AL – Collegiate teams from the Commonwealth recently competed in the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) Collegiate Nationals at the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s Talladega, Alabama facility. The Liberty University Action Shooting Team defended their national title in rimfire rifle, and the Virginia Tech Corps Marksmanship Unit (CMU) returned for their second trip to the national championship. SASP awards both squad and individual awards, with Virginia teams taking the lion’s share of both across multiple categories. Commonwealth teams, competing in squads of four, captured the national championship in seven of eight SASP disciplines, five second place finishes and three third place finishes.

Virginia_SASP.jpg – The full Virginia contingent at SASP Collegiate Nationals in Talladega, Alabama.

Specifically, Virginia teams placed as follows at the 4-person squad level:
Rimfire Pistol Iron Division (22LR)
1 st Place – VT Corps Marksmanship Unit
o Cadet Adam Jardines
o Cadet Mitchell McClure
o Cadet Cooper Rapp
o Cadet Edward Zhou

2 nd Place – VT Corps Marksmanship Unit
o Cadet Samuel Boin
o Cadet Stanley Brown
o Cadet Jacob Bush
o Cadet William Nance

3 rd Place – Liberty University
o Kathryn Allen
o Wilburn Caden
o Gabriel Goodman
o Connelly Weems

Rimfire Pistol Optic Division (22LR)
1 st Place – Liberty University
o Anderson Bennett
o Wilburn Caden
o Gabriel Goodman
o Sam Verdoorn

2 nd Place – VT Corps Marksmanship Unit
o Cadet Samuel Boin
o Cadet Stanley Brown
o Cadet Jacob Bush
o Cadet William Nance

Centerfire Pistol Iron Division (9mm)
1 st Place – Liberty University
o Jacob Beebe
o Anderson Bennett
o James Clinton
o Sam Verdoorn

Centerfire Pistol Optic Division (9mm)
1 st Place – VT Corps Marksmanship Unit
o Cadet Adam Jardines
o Cadet Mitchell McClure
o Cadet Cooper Rapp
o Cadet Edward Zhou

Rimfire Rifle Iron Division (22LR)
1 st Place – Liberty University
o Cami Barshinger
o Anderson Bennett
o Zachary Larsen
o Sam Verdoorn

2 nd Place – Liberty University
o Kathryn Allen
o Jacob Beebe
o James Clinton
o Christian Morgan

3 rd Place – VT Corps Marksmanship Unit
o Cadet Hunter Lambert
o Cadet Cooper Rapp
o Cadet Cole Shackelford
o Cadet Jacob Withers

Rimfire Rifle Optics Division (22LR)
1 st Place – Liberty University
o Cami Barshinger
o Anderson Bennett
o Zachary Larsen
o Sam Verdoorn

2 nd Place – Liberty University
o Kathryn Allen
o Jacob Beebe
o Wilburn Caden
o Christian Morgan

3 rd Place – VT Corps Marksmanship Unit
o Cadet Hunter Lambert
o Cadet Cooper Rapp
o Cadet Cole Shackelford
o Cadet Jacob Withers

Pistol Caliber Carbine Division (9mm)
1 st Place – Liberty University
o Cami Barshinger
o James Clinton
o Christian Morgan
o Sam Verdoorn

2 nd Place – Liberty University
o Kathryn Allen
o Jacob Beebe
o Zachary Larsen
o Connelly Weems

LU_SASP_trophies.jpg – Liberty University athletes and coaching staff with the Mowry Rifle Cup and the Hodne Cup.

At the individual level, Commonwealth athletes likewise distinguished themselves with the ladies of Liberty University being particularly dominant:

Ladies Rimfire Pistol Iron Division – High Overall
1 st Place – Kathryn Allen, Liberty University
2 nd Place – Connelly Weems, Liberty University

Men’s Rimfire Pistol Iron Division – High Overall
1 st Place – Cadet Adam Jardines, VT Corps Marksmanship Unit
2 nd Place – Cadet Edward Zhou, VT Corps Marksmanship Unit
3 rd Place – Cadet William Nance, VT Corps Marksmanship Unit

Men’s Rimfire Pistol Optic Division – High Overall
2 nd Place – Sam Verdoorn, Liberty University
3 rd Place – Anderson Bennett, Liberty University

Men’s Centerfire Pistol Iron Division – High Overall
3 rd Place – Sam Verdoorn, Liberty University

Men’s Centerfire Pistol Optic Division – High Overall
2 nd Place – Cadet Edward Zhou, VT Corps Marksmanship Unit
3 rd Place – Cadet Adam Jardines, VT Corps Marksmanship Unit

Ladies Rimfire Rifle Iron Division – High Overall
1 st Place – Kathryn Allen, Liberty University
2 nd Place – Cami Barshinger, Liberty University
3 rd Place – Connelly Weems, Liberty University

Men’s Rimfire Rifle Iron Division – High Overall
1 st Place – Sam Verdoorn, Liberty University

Ladies Rimfire Rifle Optics Division – High Overall
1 st Place – Cami Barshinger, Liberty University
2 nd Place – Kathryn Allen, Liberty University
3 rd Place – Connelly Weems, Liberty University

Men’s Rimfire Rifle Optics Division – High Overall
1 st Place – Sam Verdoorn, Liberty University
3 rd Place – Zachary Larsen, Liberty University

Ladies Pistol Caliber Carbine – High Overall
1 st Place – Kathryn Allen, Liberty University
2 nd Place – Cami Barshinger, Liberty University
3 rd Place – Connelly Weems, Liberty University

Men’s Pistol Caliber Carbine – High Overall
1 st Place – Sam Verdoorn, Liberty University
3 rd Place – Wilburn Caden, Liberty University

VTCMU.jpg – Cadets from the Virginia Tech Corps Marksmanship unit and their coach MGySgt Lance Jones.

Liberty University retained the Tammy L. Mowry Rifle Cup and brought home to the Commonwealth the Daniel C. Hodne Pistol Cup. Capturing the Hodne Cup is particularly noteworthy as it broke the five-year winning streak of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets. The Hokie Cadets again bested Texas A&M Cadets in the rimfire rifle division but this time they opened the lead by over 20 seconds.

SASP State Advisor Dr. Eliot Jardines stated, “Our collegiate teams have achieved tremendous success in a very short period of time. This was only Liberty University’s third time at Collegiate Nationals and their dominance is unquestioned. The Virginia Tech Corps Marksmanship Unit managed to capture two national championships with only a year and a half in the program. I was particularly impressed with how the ladies of Liberty University swept most of the high overall awards.”

Both teams have established MidwayUSA Foundation endowment accounts and would greatly appreciate any donations to help them establish a firm financial foundation. Donations are tax- deductible – to donate please visit:

Liberty University Action Shooting Team - https://www.midwayusafoundation.org/team-profile/?id=R17945

Virginia Tech Corps Marksmanship Unit – https://www.midwayusafoundation.org/team-profile/?id=R18084

Thanks to Eliot Jardines, Ed.D. - VA & WV State Advisor, Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) for the above article and photos.

Biden's Gun Control Agenda

Earlier this week, the Heritage Foundation posted a podcast featuring Heritage legal fellow Amy Swearer where she breaks down the Biden administration’s plans on gun control. She explains why instead of addressing the real underlying problems when it comes to violence involving the use of firearms, President Biden is pushing politically divisive measures that could seriously damage our right to keep and bear arms without making the nation safer.  It's worth the 20 minutes it takes to listen.

Free Beacon: Democrats' Gun Bill Would Force AG’s Office To Team Up With Gun-Control Ally

You can read the full story here.  The news of what the Democrats gun control bills would do just keeps getting worse.  We already knew that HR1446 was bad, basically delaying the sale of a firearm indefinitely if the FBI does not return an all-clear within 10 days.  The seller would have to petition the government to release the firearm to the buyer if the background check result had not been returned within that time.  Now we learn from Stephen Gutowski at the Washington Free Beacon that the bill could "steer taxpayer dollars to a leading gun-control ally to consult on a federal study of the background check system."

Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn's (D., S.C.) H.R. 1446 would require the attorney general to work with the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms to report how the bill affects victims of domestic violence and empower the group to suggest other reforms. The center is a partner of the gun-control advocacy group Giffords Law Center, according to its website. The Giffords PAC spent more than $11 million backing Democratic candidates in the 2020 election. 

The connection between the report and a prominent gun-control organization could hinder the appeal of the legislation. If Republicans or moderate Democrats are turned off by the provision, it will make the job of passing it through a closely divided House even more difficult. A similar bill passed in 2019 but saw seven Democrats join Republicans in opposition; H.R. 1446 would likely not survive such defections in 2021 following GOP gains in the House.

Debate will take place in the House today with a vote likely tomorrow. Contact your representative now and urge him/her to oppose this bill.

The Federalist: Top Nine Reasons Democrats Latest Gun Control Bill is a Terrible Idea (Again)

Last week, the Federalist laid out why H.R. 8, known as the “Bipartisan Background Checks Act” is the same bad idea that it was in 2019:

Two years ago, House Democrats pushed a bill requiring so-called “universal background checks” at the federal level, which would have effectively outlawed private sales throughout the country. That bill was H.R. 8, or the “Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019.” Now, after taking control of all three branches, the Democrats are trying again and have just introduced, you guessed it: H.R. 8, the “Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021.” Who says Democrats can’t come up with new ideas?

This new bill, just like the old bill, would require that a federal background check be conducted prior to all transfers of firearm possession. To many Americans, this may seem like a reasonable idea. After all, law-abiding gun owners abhor the criminal misuse of firearms.

However, on closer examination, none of the claims from gun control proponents backing this bill holds water. We’re going to explore the top nine reasons this latest piece of gun control legislation is a bad idea.

Those reasons include:

1.Demands For New Gun Control Are An Admission That Gun Control Doesn’t Work
2.Gun Dealers Already Conduct Background Checks
3. There Is No ‘Gun-Show Loophole’
4. There Is No ‘Online Gun Sales Loophole’
5. Universal Background Checks Won’t Stop Criminals From Getting Guns
6. Background Checks Won’t Stop Mass Shootings
7. In-State Commerce Is a State Issue
8. Universal Background Checks Are Too Burdensome
9. Universal Background Checks Create a De Facto Federal Gun Registry

The article goes on to conclude that current gun control doesn’t stop criminals and that the latest gun control proposals are no different. We all know that gun control does nothing nothing to end violence involving the use of a firearm. What it would do is exponentially increase the burdens on law-abiding citizens who only wish to defend themselves and their families from violent criminals who don’t care whether something is against the law.

Read the entire article.  It's a great piece that you can use when you contact your representative and senators.

Bearingarms.com: Background Check Bills Heading for Possible Wednesday Vote

Reuters reports that we could be headed a vote on gun control legislation in the House by mid-week.  According to the report Nancy Pelosi will bring two bills dealing with background checks to the House floor for a vote on Wednesday.  Bearingarms.com's Cam Edwards spoke with the Second Amendment Foundation's Alan Gottlieb yesterday and Gottlieb said SAF has been hearing from a lot of SAF members who are strongly opposed to the anti-gun bills being pushed through the House by Nancy Pelosi.

“The one that would allow the FBI to not approve a sale for no reason, per se, and just hold it forever; obviously that’s a direct infringement on people’s rights to purchase a firearm,” Gottlieb explains. “And the waiting period that they’re trying to put through has a lot of devils in the details.”

That bill is HB 1446, and would allow the FBI ten days, instead of the current three, to conduct a background check on gun purchases. Even worse, if the agency doesn’t respond within ten days, the seller of the firearm still can’t release the gun to the purchaser. Instead, they would have to formally petition the government (in writing) for permission to complete the transaction. As Gottlieb says, a right delayed is a right denied, and this would absolutely have a chilling effect on the ability of law-abiding Americans to purchase a firearm.

So too would the so-called universal background check bill that’s also expected to get a vote on Wednesday. I asked Gottlieb if he saw a contradiction in the position of Democrats who are complaining about overpolicing and overincarceration while preparing to create a new crime out of thin air; and one that could result in a year-long stay in federal prison for those convicted of transferring a firearm without first conducting a background check.

“There’s a definite contradiction,” Gottlieb replied, “but hypocrisy and contradictions mark what our opponents are all about. None of this surprises me at all. You know, less police on the streets, higher crime, and then they take your right to keep and bear arms away from you so you can’t protect yourself. I don’t understand where they’re coming from, but again, it’s hard to understand crazy.”

Even if your representative is anti-rights, they need to hear from you that you opposed HR8 and HR1446.

Two Gun Control Bills Begin Moving in Congress

The House Rules Committee is hearing two gun control bills as this is being posted.  HR 8 and HR 1446, both of which would implement a national gun registry under the guise of a co-called "universal" background check, could advance out of committee today.  These are two of a trio of bills (that include an as of now untitled Senate bill). The Guns Ammo and Tactical Daily has this to say about HR 8:

In essence, H.R. 8 is stating that we should background check every firearm transfer mandatorily (which is an impossibility) because some private transfers are to prohibited individuals. They would like to combine that with removing the Brady Transfer Date so that transfers only occur after a ‘completed’ background check in a system that does not complete all background checks. There is no reasonable enforcement mechanism that will increase the efficacy over current standings, you can already voluntarily seek out a background check transfer at an FFL if you want to for sale of a firearm, or certain states have a lawful listed preemption of the requirement based on a license or certification.

In short, the ability of someone to use NICS to check a private sale already exists on a voluntary basis. Making it legally compulsory will not make that access easier or more convenient, which is why many people don’t use it right now. There is no reasonable way to know, from a law enforcement perspective, if a check took place prior to a crime. Nor is it overly relevant to the investigation of the current crime whether or not a background check took place, whether or not the alleged perpetrator was a prohibited or non-prohibited individual is just and additional charge to the crime that took place now is being investigated now.

The Firearms Policy Coalition has more on this trio of bills:

These bills are all designed to implement a nationwide registry of your firearms, setting the stage for gun confiscation.

The floodgates have opened on gun registry legislation, with three bills introduced in one day designed to force Universal Background Checks on gun transfers. And one of these anti-gun bills - HR 8 - already has support from Republicans. 

Contact your Representative now and urge them to oppose HR8 and HR1446.

Gun Owners in the Sights of Congressional Dems

Since Monday, we have seen a flood of anti-rights bills introduced in Congress:

• S 529 - Universal Background Checks
• HR 1477 - "Modernize" the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988
• HR 1454 - Treats firearm kits as actual guns
• HR 1446 - "Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021"
• HR 8 - "Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021"

And that's in addition to existing anti-gun bills like HR 127.  Monday, Bearingarms.com, reported the news that both the National Rifle Association and National Shooting Sports Foundation were sounding the alarm over the possibility that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would begin moving gun control legislation, perhaps as early as next week.   Since then we have more information.  As of now, Biden’s proposed ban on modern sporting rifles and ammunition magazines has not been introduced in the House, yet.  Bearingarms.com's Cam Edwards devoted his Cam and Company show to the topic on Tuesday.  You can find out more about these bills below.  All gun owners are urged to contact your congressman now and urge them to oppose these bills.

Biden's Gun Control Will Do Nothing to Prevent Mass Shootings

The Heritage Foundation's Daily Signal has this article by Armstrong Williams on Biden's assault on gun owners. In it Williams points out that Biden's wish list only punishes law abiding gun owners while doing nothing to attack the root problems that result in mass shootings.  He says if Biden really wanted to address the issues he mentioned in his remarks commemorating the anniversary of the Parkland school shooting, he would focus on mental health, especially mental health for America's youth.

While the gun ban crowd talks about restrictions on our rights, the firearms community is doing something to address what Williams says should be the focus. With initiatives like Walk the Talk America, which seeks to reduce incidents of suicide involving firearms, and Gun Owners Care, which works to prevent unauthorized access to firearms, gun owners are doing the real work of reducing the misuse of firearms.