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

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

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

Americans United for Safe Streets filed with the Federal Election Commission for the first time Wednesday, reporting that it had received a single donation of $153,000 from Bloomberg and was spending all of it on the anti-Fimian campaign. The group, organized under section 527 of the tax code, normally files its reports with the IRS. Those reports show the group has received just $1,500 in itemized donations this cycle from people other than Bloomberg, who has donated a total of $1.5 million.

In the ad, Samaha wants viewers to ask Fimian why he won't commit to close the "gun show loophole."  According to the blog post, Connelly is also trying to use an interview that Fimian did with a local TV station where Fimian stated if one of the students in the classrooms target by Cho had been armed, the out come may have been different.

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