N.J Gun Range Owner Has Message Virginia Gun Owners Should Heed

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has signed six draconian gun control bills into law. Within minutes, the NRA and the Association of New Jersey Rifles and Pistol Clubs, VSSA's sister organization, filed a lawsuit against the ban on ownership of magazines holding more than ten rounds. Yesterday, while appearing on NRATV's Cam and Company, Anthony Colandro, owner of Gun For Hire Range in Woodland Park and host of Gun for Hire Radio, told host Cam Edwards that what happens in New Jersey will spread to the rest of the country.  He's right.  Look at the bills that were introduced in the 2018 session of the General Assembly.  It's isn't hyperbole or fundraising type of rhetoric.  It is a real threat.  And if we don't maintain our pro-rights majority in both houses of the General Assembly in the 2019 elections, it will happen here overnight with Governor Northam in office.  Watch the clip below and heed what Colandro says.  Then get involved.  Join VSSA if you are reading this and are not a member, or renew your membership.  If we sit back and are complacent, the rights we have enjoyed as residents of Virginia will be gone overnight.

New York Times: Minority Gun Owners Face Balancing Act

Over the weekend, the New York Times ran this article that talks about minority gun owners and what the Times refers to as a "balancing act" they face weighing the "isolation" of being a minority gun owner and the "stigma" of gun violence.  Once you get past the headline, it's not a bad article.

It starts off talking about Ken Blanchard, a minister, blogger and podcaster known as "Black Man With a Gun."  They caught up with Blanchard in April at the NRA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. The article than goes into the numbers of minority gun owners and how they are lower than their white counterparts as well as their percentage of the population:

Blacks are less likely than whites to own a gun. In surveys from 1973 to 2012, an average of 27 percent of African-Americans nationwide said they owned a gun, compared with 47 percent of whites, according to data from NORC, a research center at the University of Chicago. Even so, their attendance at the N.R.A. convention was minuscule compared with their rate of gun ownership, let alone their presence in the population at large.

The accompanying video with the article featured interviews with a number of minority shooters at Anthony Colandro's Gun For Hire range.  It also mentioned NRANews Commentator Colion Noir.  While discussing the number of minorities who own firearms, the reporter accurately mentioned "the number of Blacks who admitted" to owning a firearm.  It is likely that a lot of gun owners, black and white, aren't likely to admit to a stranger on the phone if they own firearms, whether that person identifies themselves as a representative of a polling firm or not.  The reporter also repeated the myth that "overall less people own firearms now than in the past."  Tell that to the gun shops, firearms instructors, and manufacturers.

Talking about the "stigma" of being a Black gun owner, and how "gun violence" plays a part of that and how Blacks are more likely to be victims of such acts, the article also dredged up "Stand Your Ground" laws and the Trayvon Martin incident.  What the Times did not mention is that, at least in Florida, which has been the focus of such laws and where the Martin incident occurred, Blacks have actually benefited more from the Stand Your Ground defense.

Overall, it is a good article and worth checking out.

Update: Reverend Ken Blanchard, one of the main subjects of the story, spoke with Cam Edwards of NRANews about the experience and how the reporter became a convert to the Second Amendment.

NJ GOP Establishment Disses Lonegan

This isn't Virginia related except to the extent that what happens in Congress will have an impact on Virginia gun owners, but there does appear to be some similarities to Virginia GOP committees in their mass meeting/convention processes of late.

There is an open seat to to replace retiring NJ Representative Jon Runyan (R) in the 3rd Congressional District.  Last year's U.S. Senate candidate Steve Lonegan is one of the candidates running to replace Runyan.  While Lonegan lost to Cory Booker, he won the 3rd Congressional District, a district that Barack Obama carried in 2012.  So, Lonegan felt he had a good chance to win the seat.  Unfortunately, according to Roll Call, there was a setback Wednesday night.

New Jersey Republicans avoided a nightmare scenario Wednesday night in the highly competitive, open-seat race for the 3rd District.

Ocean County Republicans endorsed former Randolph Mayor Tom MacArthur as their preferred nominee. The endorsement comes five days after the Burlington County GOP also backed MacArthur.

In 2008, the two county parties supported different Republicans for the nod and lost the 3rd District. In hindsight, many Garden State Republicans blame the party’s loss on that feud over the GOP nominee.

But this cycle, MacArthur has defeated two other contenders — Tom’s River Councilman Mo Hill and former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan for the local GOP’s backing. As a result, MacArthur is the odds-on favorite to win the GOP nomination versus the likely Democratic nominee, Burlington County Freeholder Aimee Belgard.

Lonegan was a favorite of the Tea Party in his campaign for the U.S. Senate last year.  Firearm range owner and NRA Board Candidate Anthony Colandro was also a prominent booster of Lonegan's during last year's campaign.  Lonegan recently appeared on Gun for Hire Radio which Colandro also produces to talk about the current campaign.

There were apparently some shenanigans in the county convention process, not unlike has been the case in Virginia GOP mass meetings this year.

Meanwhile, Lonegan supporters were disgusted with the convention process, which they dismissed as unfair. The candidates were barred from addressing the convention and Ocean County Republican Chairman George R. Gilmore seemed to forget Lonegan in his introduction of the contenders.

“I’m still in the race, Mr. Chairman,” Lonegan called out from the audience.

Peter and Beatrice Humphris, 83 and 82, respectively, of Berkeley came armed with homemade placards bringing attention to what they asserted was a rigged fight.

Lonegan remains undeterred.  We shall see if the establishment endorsements mean victory in the primary as Roll Call suggests is usually the case.

Update: Bitter shared this information.  Wonder if this played into the thought processes of GOP leaders in the 3rd District.