Are We Really Surprised Time Kaine is Not Honest About Gun Control

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine has turned out to be Governor Northam's go-to guy to push gun control.  He has hosted two of the gun control round tables (one in Richmond and one in Stafford) that the Governor scheduled for the end of last week and Monday and Tuesday of this week.  This is the same Tim Kaine whot called on Northam to resign after the "blackface" scandal earlier this year.  Now Kaine has become part of the effort to rehabilitate Northam's reputation by pushing gun control after the May 31st Virginia Beach shooting.  And, like President Obama, Kaine is saying things that just aren't true.  For instance, last week he said that so-called "universal" background checks are supported by gun owners and NRA members and they keep guns out of the hands of criminals.  NRATV's did the job that the news anchor should have done after Kaine made those statements.

From Pro-gun State Senator to Anti-Gun - Profile of Senator John Edwards

Virginia Mercury has this article on State Senator John Edwards, who for most of his career in the General Assembly supported 2nd Amendment Rights and was endorsed as recently as 2015 by the NRA, but who last session voted for every gun ban proposal that came before the Senate Courts of Justice Committee.

He says he can’t anymore. Over his past four years in office he quietly shifted from either not voting on or opposing most gun control legislation that came his way to backing the entire slate of proposals put forward by Gov. Ralph Northam this year, including the one-hand-gun-a-month law he helped overturn.

“The NRA’s attitude was always the same,” Edwards, a 75-year-old lawyer and former Marine, said. “You can’t do anything. Nothing can be done. But something has to be done.”

His break was gradual, he said – driven less by a single event and more by a growing sense that the tide of violence was rising and the NRA was only becoming more strident in its resistance to any reform.

It mirrors a broader shift among Democrats in a state where opposition to new gun control measures was once assumed key to winning rural areas.

Edwards wasn't the only formerly pro-gun Democrat the Mercury spoke with.  Former Delegate Albert Pollard, who also was endorsed by the NRA while in office, said much the same as Edwards:

Former Del. Albert Pollard, a Northern Neck Democrat who, like Edwards, was once endorsed by the NRA, agrees. And, like Edwards, he says the organization hasn’t done itself any favors in recent years.

“It’s hard for today’s younger activists to believe, but at one point in time, the NRA was not a partisan organization,” he said. “They’ve clearly drifted into the fringe.”

It's interesting that Pollard says NRA has drifted to the "fringe" because the NRA's position on everything from opposing bans on semi-automatic rifles, to opposing bans on ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, to opposing background checks on private sales, was the same when Edwards and Pollard first ran for office as it is today.  The NRA is endorsing mostly Republicans not because they are an arm of the Republican Party but because most Democrats (and basically all in Virginia) take a position on those issues that is opposite the position of the NRA.

21st Annual VSSA's Crush'n Clays Another Success

Last Saturday, 90 shooters gathered under mostly sunny skies to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at the 21st Annual VSSA's Crush'n Clays.  In the first 20 years, this event, which is the nation's longest running clay target charity event, raised over $375,000 for this worthy cause.

During lunch, a special presentation was made to the family of the late Dominick Casciano, in recognition of his longtime support and sponsorship of the event.

The final results for the day of shooting are below.

Bernie Koderski 2019 Crush n Clays Champion
Mike Gilbert Class A Champion
Bob Walla Class B Champion
John Anderson Class C Champion
Bill Patterson Class D Champion

Team Awards (honors only)
1st Place
Piedmont Sportsmen Club - 132
Lu Charette
Mark Charette
J.R. Wingfield
Andrea Smith

2nd Place (Tie) -124
Trigger Time Youth
Christian Applegate
Kevin Higgins
Austin Hill
Zach Zedmak
Nick Walla

2nd Place (Tie) -124
Casciano TM 1
Dominick Casciano III
Dale Clark
Leo Roppo
Richard Musser
Ernie Lyles

3rd Place - 122
D&F Construction
Mike Burlein
Mike Gilbert
Will Hobson
John Dywler

Congratulations to all the individual and team winners and thanks to all of the participants for supporting this event for 21 years. Hope to see you all next year.

Why Gun Control is Not the Answer to What Happened in Virginia Beach.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has reached into the playbook of the gun ban lobby and is using the tragedy in Virginia Beach on May 31st to try and resurrect his political career and call for more gun control.  Never mind the fact that nothing he is proposing would have stopped the shooter from committing his crime.  Last Friday, Amy Swearer of the Heritage Foundation wrote this article and laid out the case for why gun control is the wrong answer to this shooting.

Northam’s proposals show a deep misunderstanding of the causes and mechanisms underlying gun-related violence in general, and mass public shootings in particular.

Worse, they inherently place the blame for these criminal actions on the shoulders of hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Virginia gun owners who will never use their firearms in an unlawful manner.

She goes on to point out that according to data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), data which by the way CDC declined to publicize, indicates that the number of annual defensive gun uses is likely around 1 million.  She concludes her article by pointing out law-abiding citizens are not made safer by enacting restrictions that make it more difficult to defend themselves, especially when those restrictions don’t really address the "real mechanisms of criminal gun use."   All we do is "tie one hand behind their backs" while "congratulating ourselves for having 'just done something' about gun violence."

Amy was on NRATV's Relentless with Dana Loesch to talk more about her article.

Senator Janet Howell: We would have citizens wandering the halls carrying Uzis and other assault weapons

That was State Senator Janet Howell's description of the annual Second Amendment Lobby Day at the General Assembly in E. J. Dionne's Washington Post article on Governor Northam's push for gun control in a special session.  Senator Howell wasn't the only one quoted though.  There is this from former State Senator and now Congresswomen Jennifer Wexton:

If you want to know how things have rolled in Virginia on the firearms issue, consider that Gun Lobby Day is an unofficial but highly memorable event held every year at the state Capitol on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“That was so wrong for so many reasons,” Jennifer Wexton, a former state senator who is now a member of Congress, observed about the timing of the pro-firearms offensive. Wexton, first drawn to politics in part by her desire for tougher gun laws, said that the state Senate’s Republican leadership would “put up all the gun bills on that day and kill them, one after another.”

You see, even though Governor Northam claims the GOP majority holds "early morning meetings" where they kill everything, the fact is, the State Senate holds hearings on the bills with the most people are at the General Assembly to be heard - on Martin Luther King Day when a number of groups hold lobbying days, not just the pro-rights community, but the anti-rights folks hold a rally at the Bell Tower and are there for the Senate Courts of Justice Committee meeting.  On the House side, the subcommittee that hears gun related bills meet at 4:00 PM on Thursday afternoons in a usually packed meeting room and both pro-rights and anti-rights supporters are there to speak for or against legislation.

So, no Ms. Wexton, it isn't wrong for so many reasons.  And, no, there weren't people runing around the halls of the General Assembly Building with "Uzis and other assault weapons".

Delegate Todd Gilbert on Governor Northam's Call for Gun Control Special Session

Delegate Todd Gilbert was on the Virginia Talk Radio Network this morning talking about Governor Northam's new calls for gun control and a special session.

VSSA Talks Governor Northam's Gun Control on Cam and Company

Legislative Director David Adams was on NRATV's Cam and Company last night talking about the Governor's call of a gun control special legislative session,

Don't Get Distracted

Folks, I've seen a lot of chatter from people upset about the President's comment related to suppressors after a reporter's shouted question as he was boarding the plane for Europe and later in an interview with Peirs Morgan. I put his response in the same category as the comment that the press said was a slap at the Duchess of Sussex, Megan Markle, that was nothing of the sort - it's a distraction.  As a friend recently commented on social media, we need the President to keep packing the courts as this is already paying dividends.  The Hearing Protection Act isn't happening with a Democrat led House and less than 60 votes for it in the Senate.  We need to keep our eye on the ball.  The Court is literally the only way gun rights will move forward for the foreseeable future. 

And while we are at it.  Would someone please have Donald Jr. educate his dad on suppressors! 

WRIC Live Feed of Governor Northam's News Conference to Call Special Session

News Conference will begin at 10:00 AM

Governor Northam Calls for Special Session to Take Up Gun Control in Response to Virginia Beach Shooting

The Roanoke Times reports that Gov. Ralph Northam will recall lawmakers to the state Capitol in coming weeks to take up a package of gun-control legislation he said is urgently needed to prevent killings like Friday's mass shooting in Virginia Beach.  In this morning's announcement he said he will call legislators back later this summer.  He will hold a 10:AM news conference that will be available on this blog.

He said in an interview that he wants the Republican-controlled General Assembly to hear from the public about the need for "common-sense" law related to guns and accessories.

Republicans have previously rejected Northam's gun control bills out of hand, but a top GOP lawmaker signaled Monday that he's open to a legislative debate.

Northam's expected announcement comes less than a week after Virginia Beach city employee DeWayne Craddock used two semi-automatic handguns, a silencer and extended ammunition magazines to kill 12 people, all but one them colleagues he had worked with for years, and injure several others. Craddock was then killed in an intense gunbattle with police during which a bullet hit one officer in a bulletproof vest.

Northam's package of bills includes legislation that directly relates to Friday's shooting — including a ban on silencers and high capacity ammunition magazines as well as broadening the ability of local governments to limit guns in city buildings. But Northam said other recent shootings, including the death last month of a 9-year-old girl who was shot at a community cookout in Richmond, are also driving his call for a special session.

Suppressors are currently legal in Virginia, but an individual has to undergo what amounts to a federal anal exam from ATF after paying a $200 tax before a purchase can be completed.  It normally takes at least six months for the process to run it's course.

Some law enforcement told news outlets on Saturday that the suppressor did not necessarily make it easier for the killer to complete his plan and that it was likely his familiarity with the building that allowed him to kill so many.

Contact you legislators now and let them know that you oppose any new restrictions on your rights.

New York State Rifle and Pistol Association vs. New York City

As was mentioned in last Friday's eBullet, VSSA joined an amicus brief in the above reference case challenging New York City's ban on taking a licensed handgun out of the licensee’s home; the only exception to that ban is that the handgun may be taken to a gun range within the City. The U.S. Supreme Court decided earlier this year to hear an appeal to the 2nd Circuit's finding in favor of New York City. You can find a copy of the brief by clicking here.

Virginia Gazette: After Feds Ban Bump Stocks, None Turned In to Local Police

It could be that not many Virginian's owned bump stocks, or it could be anyone who owned one destroyed the accessory, but according to a report in the Virginia Gazette, none have been turned into local police in Williamsburg, James City County and York County.  Additionally, the ATF is not keeping track of the number that is being turned in nationally.

On the national level, the ATF has decided not to track the number of bump stocks turned into its offices for disposal, according to Washington Field Division spokesman Michael Boyer.

“We are not providing any numbers, and as far as I know we're not compiling any numbers,” Boyer said of the returned bump stocks. “We don't have any numbers or any of that information to give.”

Boyer cited the multiple disposal methods — turning the devices into local and national authorities as well as owners destroying the devices themselves — as the reason the ATF has decided not to track the turn-ins.

Democratic Congresswoman Elaine Luria, 2nd Congressional District, condemned that decision and said the administration should track bump stock returns.

“It’s a shame the administration does not appear to be following through in a thorough way with its sensible ban on bump stocks,” Luria said in a statement. “The federal government ought to be able to track the success of its policy.”

It's entirely possible however that some in Virginia have decided "I will not comply" with the new bump stock policy.

Cory Booker Becomes Second Democrat That Wants to Use Executive Action for Gun Restrictions

The 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary is becoming known as the "Disarmament Primary."  Kamala Harris has already said she will give congress 100 days after she takes office to pass restrictions on gun owners or she will do it by "Executive Action".  Cory Booker has joined her and has a list of things he wants to do with Executive Action:

Sen. Cory Booker, the New Jersey senator who’s running for president, is proposing a slate of sweeping executive actions and policy changes to implement gun control measures that have long hit roadblocks in Congress.

Booker’s plan centers around implementing a federal licensing program for gun ownership, requiring gun owners to submit fingerprints and pass a gun safety course to legally possess a firearm

The plan would also mandate universal background checks on all gun sales, closing the “Charleston loophole” which allows people buying guns from private sellers to bypass background checks in 1 of 5 gun sales across the country, and another loophole that allows people convicted of domestic violence or who are under a restraining order to purchase a gun if they are not married to their partner.

“My plan to address gun violence is simple, we will make it harder for people who should not have a gun to get one,” Booker said.

Booker likely could not do most of what he wants to do by "Executive Action" otherwise former President Obama would have done it.  He also should know that nothing he is proposing would stop a criminal from getting a gun.

But that doesn't matter to the Democrats running for President.

UPDATE:  Cam Edwards of NRATV asks a great question about Booker's proposal:

Will he attempt to jail Americans who refuse to get a federal license to own a firearm?

Keep in mind, there are around 90-million legal gun owners. Right now the federal prison population is a little more than 200,000, of which about 30,000 are in for weapons offenses. https://t.co/FJ2PaVLZS9

— Cam Edwards (@CamEdwards) May 6, 2019