Warner and Webb Targeted by Anti-gun Crowd

Families of the Virginia Tech shooing victims are targeting U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Jim Webb to sign on to closing the non-existent "Gun Show Loophole" and they are getting a boost from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG). If Bloomberg were honest, he would call his group what it is - Mayors Against Guns. Bloomberg is running this ad to try and gin up support on Capitol Hill for his pet project.



Honesty is not Bloomberg's strong suit as we all know. He even uses a clip from a 2000 ad Senator John McCain made supporting Colorado's initiative attacking gun shows to infer that McCain supports MAIG's efforts. The ad also claims that McCain supported shutting down gun shows in 2008 when he ran for President and sights a speech made in Louisville, KY on May 16, 2008. That just happens to be when the NRA was holding it's Annual Meeting in that city. John McCain spoke as part of the Celebration of American Values Forum. Now, I had my three year-old with me during that speech but I don't recall him saying during that speech that he would sign the gun show bill if he were elected President.

The fact is though we all know there is no loophole. Bloomberg and his band of followers are desperate. They can't believe that President Obama has made no moves to uses the huge majorities he has in both houses of Congress to pass gun control.

While it it true Obama has sizable Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, he does not have anti-rights majorities. But we should not take anything for granted. Call and write Senators Warner and Webb and politely urge them to stand firm and oppose Bloomberg's attacks on gun shows.

WaPo Article on Candidate's Position on Guns Pushes Gun Show Loophole

Today's Washington Post ran an article on the Virginia Gubernatorial Race suggesting that the two candidates were dueling over who is the more pro-gun. What the article turned out to be was one more piece pushing for an end to the so-called "gun show loophole."

Walking the jam-packed aisles of Virginia's biggest gun show, Richard Begay carried a .30-06 Sauer hunting rifle and a hand-lettered cardboard sign on his back asking $1,199.

Unlike the federally licensed firearms dealers at tables nearby, Begay, 72, an occasional seller, can peddle the slick-looking rifle legally without a background check to any interested adult he meets at the show in Chantilly. To him, it's his right. To others, it's a potential disaster.

The article did detail how both Democrat Creigh Deeds and Republican Bob McDonnell have pro-gun records, while Bob McDonnell no longer sees the need for the 1993 handgun rationing bill for which he voted (and Deeds opposed) Deeds wants to end private sales at gun shows after being lobbied by the families of the Virginia Tech shooting victims, while McDonnell rightly says gun shows had nothing to do with the Virginia Tech shootings.

Clearly 3/4 of the article was dedicated to the gun show issue and very little with the "who's more pro-gun" angle touted by the article title. You'd have to pay attention to the secondary article title to get a hint at the real message of the article.

Dulles Expo Hosting "Nation's Outdoor Show" January 4-6

Not sure why this show was scheduled on the last weekend of the Virginia Deer Season but for those who are interested, it promises to be a big show. You can get more information on the show's web site.

The Protest

As posted earlier last week, thirty two protesters participated in the Brady Campaign "lie-in" at noon across the street from the Richmond Gun Show Saturday. I consider these Brady stunts to be tasteless, especially when they use the families of victims to promote a political agenda. Worse, they provide talking points that have no basis in fact for their participants to regurgitate.

The facts are clear - 98% of all firearm transactions at gun shows go through licensed dealers. The term "unlicensed" dealer is both misleading and false. There is no such classification. If you are selling firearms as a primary function, and you are doing it without a license, you are violating federal law and the penalty is 10 years in federal prison. Someone who sells firearms from their personal collection for any reason is not a dealer - unlicensed or otherwise.

You can read the Richmond Times Dispatch's coverage of the protest by clicking here.

Gun Show to Draw Protests

If you are planning to attend the Dixie Classic Gun and Knife Trader's Show and Sale (C and E Gun Shows) in Richmond at the Showplace October 20th (Saturday) you may have to walk around or over a few bodies to get in the door. The Million Mom March/Brady Campaign is planning to conduct its signature "lie-in" at noon near the building.

These protesters will be women wearing black and they plan to lie down for two minutes to represent the amount of time it took the Virginia Tech shooter to get his guns. Never mind that it actually took him thirty days if you count the time required to wait between purchases of the two hand guns.

Why they feel the need to protest a gun show to bring attention to the act of a deranged individual is still a mystery to me. Cho did not buy his guns at a gun show. But, that is a fact that is also lost on Governor Tim Kaine's Virginia Tech Review Panel as they recommended requiring background checks on private sales (closing the so-called "gun show loophole").

This is always a very popular gun show and I hope all gun owners will pack the show on Saturday before or at noon to show your support for the right to keep and bear arms. The Showplace is located at 3000 Mechanicsville Turnpike. The show is open from 9 to 5 on Saturday and 9 to 4 on Sunday.