Primary Day in Virginia

Today is Primary Day in Virginia.  Gun owners in the 15th House District should vote for Delegate Todd Gilbert.  In the 54th House District gun owners should vote for Delegate Bobby Orrock.

Democrats running for state wide office are also holding a primary today.  If you live in a district that has both a Republican and a Democrat primary, you can only vote in one.

On a related note, over at Bearing Drift, John Fredericks offers some interesting points on the Lt. Governor's race and the primary between Obama's former technology czar, Aneesh Chopra, and Democrat State Senator Ralph Northam.  Chopra has been running hot and heavy on gun control.  This from today's Virginian Pilot:

In political mail and online, Chopra has highlighted instances when Northam voted for measures he said weaken local gun buyback programs and water down concealed-handgun permit standards, among others.

And this from today's Richmond Times Dispatch:

With few visible ideological differences between the candidates, Chopra recently cranked up the heat by going negative, depicting Northam as a shill for the National Rifle Association.

Last year, Northam had voted with the Republican-friendly gun-rights group on legislation to shield from prosecution property owners who shoot and kill nonthreatening intruders.

But last week, Northam underscored his support for legislation that would close the gun show loophole, keep the one-gun per-month limit, and keep guns out of bars. “I received a ‘D’ rating from the NRA by standing up to the gun lobby,” he said.

Regarding Frederick's post over at Bearing Drift, the below tidbit from the RTD article mentions something that Frederick mentions - if Northam is elected Lt. Governor in November, he could be responsible for keeping the Senate in GOP hands because his seat would then be open and it is a swing district that Governor Bob McDonnell won by 57 percent in 2009.

Northam — and his Senate-colleague Herring — also may be stonewalled by several Democrats fearing that their Senate seats might fall into Republican hands if they are nominated and win the election. It is possible that this concern will bring several votes for Chopra and Fairfax.

No matter who wins, gun owners will have a clear choice in all three state wide races this year, and it won't be the Democrat candidates.

Democrat Lt. Governor Candidates Try to Out Gun Control Each Other

The New Republic reported yesterday that the two Democratic candidates for Lt. Governor in Virginia, State Senator Ralph Northam and former Kaine Secretary of Technology and Obama administration official Aneesh Chopra, are trying to out gun control each other.

Both Northam and Chopra say they support universal background checks, along with bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. But such is the perceived demand for gun control among Virginia Democrats that they are now battling on territory even beyond that trinity of measures. Chopra has gone on the offensive, arguing that Northam has been too accommodating of the gun lobby in the past, noting that he had a B rating from the NRA as recently as 2008 and that he sided with the organization in voting for legislation that would require municipalities that hold gun buyback initiatives to sell the guns back to the public, instead of melting them down, and for legislation barring municipalities from fingerprinting concealed-carry applicants. A recent mailing from the Chopra campaign attacked Northam for voting in 2012 to shield from prosecution homeowners who kill nonthreatening intruders: “Laws like these have been used to justify the death of teenager Trayvon Martin, who was shot and killed while walking home,” the mailer declares. The mailer blurs the distinction between the castle doctrine that lies at the heart of the legislation Northam backed, and "stand your ground" laws like the one at issue in the Florida killing of Martin, but the Chopra campaign argues that the principle at stake is the same: giving too much leeway to gun owners to use deadly force when it is not absolutely necessary, without fear of legal repercussion.

The New Republic views this as the changing politics of gun control - the fact that Democratic candidates are talking gun control in the state that is home to the NRA, as if this is the first time a Democrat in Virginia has run on gun control.  In 2001, then Delegate Don McEachin ran on the issue of gun control.  In 2010, Representative Gerry Connolly, running for re-election, rolled out gun control at the end of his campaign.  And, as noted by the New Republic, in 2009, then former Delegate Brian Moran (D-Alexandria) went after State Senator Creigh Deeds for being too pro-gun when they were running for the Democratic nomination for Governor.

Chopra and the New Republic are trying to make Northam sound firearm friendly simply because of one vote that he cast.  The fact is neither of these will be good for supporters of the Second Amendment so we need to get behind E.W. Jackson and make sure he has the funding necessary to define himself before his opponents get the chance to define him.

Meet the Democrat Candidates for Statewide Office in 2013

Virginia Republicans nominated their candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General at this past weekend's state convention.  Two of the three (Ken Cuccinelli for Governor and Mark Obenshain for Attorney General) have solid voting records supporting the rights of Virginia gun owners.  The third, Rev. E.W. Jackson, who is running for Lt. Governor, received an "AQ" rating from the NRA prior to the convention and there is no reason to believe he will not stand by his commitment to Liberty.  So let's take a look at the Democrats who will be nominated by primary on June 11, 2013.

Terry McAuliffe, candidate for Governor, is unopposed and the June primary is a mere formality.  He is on record as wanting to reinstate the recently repealed handgun rationing law, banning modern sporting rifles, but tried the typical anti-rights trick of trying to show his pro-rights bona fides by purchasing a very expensive shotgun at Dick's Sporting Goods earlier this year.

The Lt. Governor Candidates are Aneesh Chopra - Former U.S. Chief Technology Officer under President Obama.  Chopra is very out front with what he wants to do to the rights of Virginia's gun owners if he is elected:

• Universal background checks. Closing the gun show loophole and keeping weapons out of the hands of dangerous people.
• Banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines. This will help keep military-style weapons off our streets.

The other candidate for Lt. Governor is State Senator Ralph Northam.  Northam earned a "D" rating from the NRA the last time he ran for re-election.  During his time in the Senate he has opposed repealing handgun rationing, and repealing the restaurant ban.

For Attorney General, we have Sen. Mark R. Herring, and Justin Fairfax a former Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Fairfax was kind enough to provide a You Tube video of him talking about is gun ban agenda.

Here's a newsflash Mr. Fairfax, none of the things you mentioned in that video would have stopped the shootings you listed.

Then there is Senator Mark Herring.  He received a "D" rating from the NRA in 2011.  Besides voting against repealing handgun rationing and repeal of the restaurant ban, he also voted against keeping personal information of Concealed Handgun Permit holders private.

So, it is very clear which candidates for statewide office this year support your right to keep and bear arms, and it is not the Democrat candidates.