Abigail Spanberger: I Support the Second Amendment, But...

Seventh District Democrat Representative Abigail Spanberger likes to say she supports the Second Amendment and even tries to shore up that claim by saying she carried a gun during her time with the CIA and that she grew up with guns in the house.  She repeated that line last night during the candidates forum with her opponent, Delegate Nick Freitas.

But like most Democrats who claim to support the Second Amendment, she always has that "but".  She has already voted in favor of criminalizing private sales (so-called "universal" background checks), and she supports the usual measures aimed at gun owners, things like laws that take away an individuals firearms without due process ("red flag" laws) and banning modern sporting rifles.  

Spanberger has tried real hard to portray herself as a "moderate" who works "across the aisle" with "Democrats and Republicans".  You can't turn on the Rush Limbaugh radio program on AM1140 WRVA without hearing her commercials multiple times during the program.  The fact that she would even advertise on Limbaugh's program shows that she is trying to convince right leaning voters that she is one of them.

Don't be fooled. Spanberger is no moderate.  She votes with Nancy Pelosi 91% of the time.  If you live in the 7th Congressional District, vote for Delegate Nick Freitas.

Voter Registration Deadline is October 13

Voting is one of the most important privileges we have as American citizens. In 2016, only 61.4% of the voting age population in the United States reported voting. The 2020 election is less than a month away and it is imperativel that gun owners participate in the 2020 election. 

Don't risk your rights! If you are not registered to vote or have moved and need to register at your new place of residence, you only have until Tuesday, October 13 to register.  To register to vote in Virginia, visit the StateBoard of Elections website for more information on voter eligibility and the registration process.  You can register online as well as in person.

 Learn more about registering to vote in Virginia.

Gun Rights Policy Conference is This Weekend Online

The Second Amendment Foundation's Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC) was moved online this year due to restrictions related to the Wuhan Virus.  There are 120 speakers scheduled to attend.  If you register, you will receive access to a library of gun rights related resources.  You can register at http://www.saf.org/grpc.  You’ll be able to watch all of the GRPC events live on YouTube and Facebook.  If your register for the event, you can also take part in several virtual events on both Friday and Saturday evenings via Zoom, allowing virtual attendees to mix and mingle online with many of the speakers. The theme for this year's event is "Elect Freedom" and it could not be more timely.  Every pro-rights activist should try and take advantage of this opportunity to hear from some of the nation's top gun rights voices.

Senate Bill Targets Outdoor Shooting Ranges

On January 6th, State Senator John Bell prefiled SB353, a bill that would prohibit the operation of an outdoor shooting range, defined in the bill, within 500 yards of any property zoned for residential use, with one exception, the range must have used the "Range Design Criteria" developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security.  VSSA has a number of affiliated ranges and it is possible that some of these have used the above criteria when they were constructed, but this bill would also prevent individual land owners from constructing a range on their property for private use unless it complies with the above criteria.  An individual in violation of the law were it to pass would be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 nor more than $100,000 for the initial violation and $5,000 per day for each day of violation thereafter.

Gun owners need to be contacting their legislators as bills continue to be filed.  Emails are fine should be short (no long missives) but phone calls are better.  Be polite, and focused in your message.

The Democrats have renamed the Senate Courts of Justice Committee to Senate Judiciary.  The Committee members are:

Edwards  (Chair), Saslaw, Norment, Lucas, Obenshain, McDougle, Stuart, Stanley, Chafin, Deeds, Petersen, Surovell, McClellan, Boysko, Morrissey

The Democrats on the committee that are most likely to be receptive to gun owner interests are Senator Edwards (the Chair of the committee), as well as Senators Deeds and Petersen.

Why Should You Vote Your Guns in 2016?

That's the question contributor Kevin Creighton answers in this post on the Ricochet blog:

Voting guns means you reject the idea that only the people whom the government trusts should be armed. It means you understand that protecting what matters to you most is your job, not the government’s. It means you understand that no matter how efficient a police state is, bad things are going to happen to good people. Moreover, it means understanding that if a politician does not support that basic right of individual self-defense, they do not support the other individual rights either.

The Second Amendment and the right to keep and bear arms is a litmus test about how a candidate feels about the role government should play in your life. It’s not about “allowing” you to hunt or shoot competitions, it’s about not relying on government to define how you and your loved ones will be protected from the evil that is in this world. Voting guns is voting for your life and the lives of your loved ones.

Creighton reminds the reader in the lead-up to his conclusion, using links to her own statements, that Hillary Clinton does not believe Americans should not be able to own semiautomatic rifles, that the Australian-model of gun control is something "worth looking at", that the right to keep and bear arms is something that only belongs to the government, and that she believes the "Supreme Court got DC v. Heller wrong."  Additionally, Clinton believes people do not have the right to defend themselves and their family with a firearm.

Stopping Hillary Clinton should be what this election is about for gun owners.  Get involved today.  NRA-ILA has two campaign field representatives in Virginia, one in the Richmond area and one in Roanoke.  Their contact information is below.

Patrick DeStefano, Roanoke, VA 864-680-0399 patrick@nrailafrontlines.com
Joe Vrecheck, Richmond, VA (817) 729-8365 joseph@nrailafrontlines.com

Election Night Tip Sheet

For those who will be watching tonight's returns wanting to know what the results mean for our rights, Dave Kopel of the Independence Institute spoke with NRANews' Cam Edwards recently on the key races to watch.



National Review Online's Jim Geraghty also did a "Quick List of 50 Key Counties" to watch tonight.   Here is what he said about important counties in Virginia:

VIRGINIA –
Prince William County (MAJOR BELLWETHER)
2004: Bush 53–47 2008: Obama 58-42
Obama 93,386 to McCain 67,589
Population: 402,002 Largest community: Dale City

Henrico County
Obama 56-44
Obama 86,262 to McCain 67,340

Loudoun County
Obama 54-46
Obama 74,607 to McCain 63,328

Winchester (independent city, not part of any county, small but useful)
Obama 52-47
Obama 5,268 to McCain 4,725

If Romney does well in the above localities, it could be a good night (at least in Virginia) for Mitt Romney.  Watch this blog tonight for updates on key races NRANews.com will also have wall-to-wall election coverage from 9:00PM until 3:00 AM.

You Can Make A Difference

We are in the final week of the campaign.  Can you volunteer some time to knock on doors or make phone calls?  If so, and you live in the Tidewater area or Southside/Southwest Virginia, please contact the NRA-ILA Campaign Field Reps at:

Robert Melvin (703) 622-4455 rbmelvin.nra@gmail.com Virginia Beach, VA

Luke Cebula 540-685-9995 Luke.NRA@gmail.com Salem, VA

Even if you don't live in one of these areas Robert and Luke can tell you how you can make phone calls from your home to NRA members in these final days.  It's all about turn out and we need to get every gun owner to the polls.

If you live in other areas of Virginia, you can also click here to find the nearest Victory Center where you can volunteer some time.

Don't Forget: The President is Decided by 50 Mini-Elections

With all the talk of Romney's rise nationally to a four to five point lead in Rasmussen and Gallup polls of likely voters, it is good to remember that it's not the popular vote that elects the president but 50 mini-elections in the states.  With a majority of the states likely settled on one side or the other, we have about 12 states that are true toss-ups which will decide whether Obama or Mitt Romney will have been elected President when we wake up November 7th.

In this morning's Morning Jolt, National Review's Jim Geraghty shared this analysis from Ellisblog on what could happen based on the current state of the race.

The bottom line:

So it may be that we end up with a Romney win nationally and an Obama win in the Electoral College.

This is just one man's assessment.  We can do our part in Virginia to make sure that Obama does not win this state again. Click here to find the nearest Victory Center and volunteer some time.  If you prefer, you can also volunteer to call NRA members and help turn them out to vote. Just contact the NRA-ILA Campaign Field Rep on this page and either Robert of Luke will tell you how to get involved.  If you are reading this and you do not live in Virginia, all of the NRA-ILA Field Rep contact information can be found on the link above.