Merging ATF with DEA is a Really Bad Idea

In the budget outline that President Trump submitted to congress last week, one of the "government efficiency" proposals presented was to merge ATF with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).  During his Gun Talk Radio program on Sunday, Tom Gresham said during the third hour of the program that is a "horrific idea".  

A horrific idea horrible idea. The DEA is famous for violation of civil rights, of individual constitutional rights. They're all about asset forfeiture breaking in taking your stuff baby shooting you in the process. We need SIMP to get rid of the ATF gone.

You don't need to fold it into anything else, and certainly not the DEA. So I'm hoping that the White House gets enough feedback just says this is a terrible idea, and we, as gun owners who helped you get elected, do not want this. We don't want to be dealing with the DEA on firearms related issues.

On yesterday's Bearingarms.com's Cam and Company, senior vice president and general counsel Larry Keane for the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) told Cam Edwards that NSSF is strongly opposed to merging the two agencies. 

NRA-ILA Weighs in On SCOTUS Denial of Cert in Maryland AWB Case

On yesterday's Bearingarms.com Cam and Company, NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford joined Cam for a wide ranging conversation that hits on the Supreme Court's denial of cert in the Snope case challenging the Maryland "assault weapons" ban, as well as the latest on suppressor deregulation in the budget reconciliation bill.  The decision to not take up the Snope case has very important implications for Virginia gun owners because the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, of which both Maryland and Virginia are a part, said that the ban was constitutional.  That opens the door for such a ban to become law in Virignia if Abigail Spanberger is elected Governor and the Democrats keep their majority in the House of Delegates this year.

Gun Ban Lobby Thinks LaPierre's Departure Means End of NRA

On Friday, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre announced his resignation effective the end of January.  The Gun Ban Lobby could not contain their glee:

Wayne LaPierre’s resignation reflects the NRA’s moral & political bankruptcy. As a shadow of its former self, it can no longer block gun violence prevention with an unshakable grip on Congress. https://t.co/rKX86DrpsU

— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) January 5, 2024

But as Cam Edwards noted on Saturday, the anti-rights crowd doesn't understand the pro-rights movement:

The pro-Second Amendment movement has always been bigger than one organization, and it’s certainly larger than any one individual. Wayne LaPierre may have (and may still hold) the power within the NRA, but the power of the NRA comes from the millions of individual members. Even if the NRA were to disappear tomorrow there would still be millions of Second Amendment activists in the United States who would remain just as committed to the fight as they are today. Depending on the direction the NRA board takes going forward there’s every reason to believe that the organization can increase its membership and see donors return. But even if LaPierre’s resignation is just a case of “meet the new boss, same as the old boss” and the group continues to struggle, the broader Second Amendment community is robust and growing larger by the day.

Cam goes on to note that with a recent poll showing households with a firearm at an all-time high, as well as supermajority support for the Supreme Court's Bruen decision, it is more likely that those numbers spell the end of the gun ban agenda than LaPierre's exit signaling the end of the pro-rights movement.

Cam Edwards: The ATF’s “frame and receiver” rule is on life support and living on borrowed time

Cam Edwards had a piece at Bearingarms.com yesterday on the Fifth Circuit's three judge panel ruling on DOJ's request to vacate the district court’s previous injunction related to ATF’s rule treating unfinished frames and receivers as firearms.   

In a decision released on Monday, a three-judge panel on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the government’s request to vacate the district court’s injunction in its entirety, but did “agree with the Government that the district court’s injunction sweeps too broadly.” As a result, the Fifth Circuit panel concluded that non-parties to the lawsuits filed by Tactical Machining, the Firearms Policy Coalition, Second Amendment Foundation, JSD Supply, Polymer 80, and several individual plaintiffs are once again subject to the ATF rule, while those named parties are still protected by the district court injunction.

That’s not great news for the DOJ, but it’s the sole bright spot for anti-gunners in an opinion that casts major doubt about the viability of the “frame and receiver” rule once the Fifth Circuit has a chance to weigh on whether the policy is an abuse of executive branch authority. The panel held that “Injunctions that afford relief to non-parties are potentially problematic,” but even there the Fifth Circuit says its decision is subject to further review based on the government’s actions going forward.

Cam went through the decision and concludes that while DOJ did get a little good news from the decision, it is also a warning that it is likely to be the only good news related to the rule that DOJ should expect.

If there was any doubt as to where the Fifth Circuit panel stands, it was removed by the judges’ conclusion.

At the end of the day, we think four things are paramount. First, inferior federal courts must exhibit unflinching obedience to the Supreme Court’s orders. Second, the Court has directed us to be skeptical (if not altogether unwilling) to order universal relief that extends to non-parties. Third, insofar as possible, we should have orderly judicial review in which the status quo is maintained, and the legal rules sorted, without asking courts to make monumental decisions in short-fuse emergency dockets. Fourth and finally, courts should be able to review ATF’s 98-page rule, and the decades of precedent it attempts to change, without the Government putting people in jail or shutting down businesses.

Check out Cam's entire article linked above.

How Concerned Should Gun Owners Be About Biden's Office of Gun Violence Prevention?

 On yesterday's Bearing Arms Cam and Company, Cam Edwards asked that question:

Well, for starters the gun control lobby won’t just have a seat at the table in the Biden administration. Going forward they’ll have their own office in the White House.. at least as long as a Democrat occupies the executive mansion. Ranjit describes the move as “a dark development, an ember that should be taken with the seriousness of a five-alarm fire, because that’s what it’s going to lead to,” and I don’t disagree, though it also has the potential to turn into a dumpster fire for the anti-gun groups and the Democratic establishment intent on weaponizing the federal government against a fundamental civil right.

I don’t expect the move will have much of an impact on the actual policies coming out of the executive branch, given that the gun control lobby already has Biden’s ear and full-throated support. Biden’s announcement is part payback for the support of gun control groups like Everytown, Giffords, and Brady, which will play a large role in staffing the new office after giving him their ringing endorsement for re-election a couple of months ago. But it’s also a transfer of wealth of sorts, funneling taxpayer money to “gun violence prevention efforts” around the country, many of which are aimed more at eradicating gun ownership than crimes in which a gun is used.

Cam went on to say there are a small number of cities and states that have already established similar offices and that none of them have done anything to actually reduce violent crime. He used the example of  Colorado's Office of Gun Violence Prevention and how it was the subject of a not so positive audit earlier this year which noted that after almost two years, little money had been distributed to the organizations that were supposed to benefit from the creation of the office.

You can hear the entire discusion below.

Annual Raffle Winners

Yesterday, VSSA held the 2022 Annual Meeting at Piedmont Sportsman Club in Gordonsville.  Members gathered for an afternoon of shooting followed by dinner, and remarks by Bearingarms.com's Editor, Cam Edwards, and closed out with the Annual Meeting of Members.  Cam talked about the Bruen case that was decided in June, and how New York and California are trying to circumvent the decision.  Members had great questions after Cam's remarks.  The drawing for the Annual Member Raffle was also held.  The winners were as follows:

1st Prize: Smith & Wesson CSX 9mm micro compact pistol. Winner: Lewis W. Charlottesville, VA

2nd Prize - $250 Cabela's Gift Card - Winner: Alan H., Covington, VA
3rd Prize - $100 Cash - Winner - Carolyn M., Huntington, MD

Thanks to all of our members who supported VSSA by purchasing raffle tickets, and to members who participated in this year's annual meeting.  A great time was had by all.  See you next year!

Bearingarms.com: Background Check Bills Heading for Possible Wednesday Vote

Reuters reports that we could be headed a vote on gun control legislation in the House by mid-week.  According to the report Nancy Pelosi will bring two bills dealing with background checks to the House floor for a vote on Wednesday.  Bearingarms.com's Cam Edwards spoke with the Second Amendment Foundation's Alan Gottlieb yesterday and Gottlieb said SAF has been hearing from a lot of SAF members who are strongly opposed to the anti-gun bills being pushed through the House by Nancy Pelosi.

“The one that would allow the FBI to not approve a sale for no reason, per se, and just hold it forever; obviously that’s a direct infringement on people’s rights to purchase a firearm,” Gottlieb explains. “And the waiting period that they’re trying to put through has a lot of devils in the details.”

That bill is HB 1446, and would allow the FBI ten days, instead of the current three, to conduct a background check on gun purchases. Even worse, if the agency doesn’t respond within ten days, the seller of the firearm still can’t release the gun to the purchaser. Instead, they would have to formally petition the government (in writing) for permission to complete the transaction. As Gottlieb says, a right delayed is a right denied, and this would absolutely have a chilling effect on the ability of law-abiding Americans to purchase a firearm.

So too would the so-called universal background check bill that’s also expected to get a vote on Wednesday. I asked Gottlieb if he saw a contradiction in the position of Democrats who are complaining about overpolicing and overincarceration while preparing to create a new crime out of thin air; and one that could result in a year-long stay in federal prison for those convicted of transferring a firearm without first conducting a background check.

“There’s a definite contradiction,” Gottlieb replied, “but hypocrisy and contradictions mark what our opponents are all about. None of this surprises me at all. You know, less police on the streets, higher crime, and then they take your right to keep and bear arms away from you so you can’t protect yourself. I don’t understand where they’re coming from, but again, it’s hard to understand crazy.”

Even if your representative is anti-rights, they need to hear from you that you opposed HR8 and HR1446.

Bearing Arms Editor Cam Edwards Talks with a Parkland Dad Ryan Petty

The below episode of Bearingarms.com's Cam and Company is a must see.  Host Cam Edwards spoke with Ryan Petty, whose daughter Alaina was murdered at in the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.  Besides discussing comments by Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.  Besides discussing those comments, Cam and Mr. Petty talk about the 2A community.  It's a great conversation.

Messaging Matters

Cam Edwards has a piece over at bearingarms.com that illustrates that messaging matters.  While something may seem like a good illustration to make a point, it really does matter how we try to persuade people to our point of view.

The owner of a Castle Rock, Colorado plumbing company is apologizing after a digital sign for the business displayed a picture of a Nazi concentration camp guard shooting a Jewish inmate over the weekend. The picture, which was captioned with “Hitler gave Jews the gift of gun control, you know, because he cared about their safety,” was meant to serve as a warning about the dangers of anti-gun legislation, but Javier Hoggard, who owns Patriot Pros Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical, quickly realized that the message was being lost when the complaints started coming in.

Just because something looks like it will make a great soundbite doesn't mean it is the best way to make a point.  It matters what we say and if we want to persuade others to our way of thinking when it comes to firearms freedom, we should choose our words carefully.

November Another Record Breaking Month for Gun Sales

Cam Edwards at Bearingarms.com has the story here.

The Great Gun Run of 2020 continued at a record-setting pace in November, according to new analysis from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The firearms industry trade group estimates that over the course of the past month there were 1,949,141 background checks performed on gun sales; a whopping 45.2% increase over November of 2019 and the most guns sales ever in the month of November.

That brings this year's total to 19.1 million, which is almost 4 million more than the last record setting year - 2016.  With one month left in the year, look for the total to top 20 million for this record breaking year.

Some Great 2A News Resources

If you would like some great resources for up-to-date Second Amendment News, here is a list of some of the VSSA Legislative Director's live Daily and Weekly sources:

Weekly Sources

Tom Gresham's Gun Talk Radio Show - Sundays 2PM-5PM Eastern

Mark Walter's Armed American Radio - Sundays 8PM-11-PM Eastern

Gun for Hire Radio - Weekly Podcast

Daily

Bearing Arms Cam and Company  - Usually posted by 3PM Eastern daily

Mark Walters and Rob Pincus Daily Facebook Live Chats

Mark Walters Daily Defense Radio - 4PM-5PM 

Lock and Load Radio - Mon-Fri: 6:00pm-9:00pm Eastern

These are all great sources for the latest 2A news.  There are also many good podcasts available on a number of firearm related topics.  Just go to your favorite podcast aggregator (Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts etc.) and use search terms like firearms, or gun rights to find them.

Will GOP Help Pass Some Gun Control?

State Senator Tommy Norment seems to think so.  He believes that so called "universal" background checks and so called "red flag" laws will be two likely candidates.  From Cam Edwards at Bearingarms.com:

He made the statement at the annual Kaufman & Canoles Business Leaders Forum at the Princess Anne Country Club in Virginia Beach. During the luncheon, Norment and Virginia Beach Del. Barry Knight (R-81st District) talked about some legislation Virginia can expect to see.

Norment’s official position as co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee makes him the man at the tip of the spear for all things budget-related. His position as Senate majority leader has changed as Democrats take control of the Senate.

Norment said it’s clear recent gatherings at local government meetings supporting gun rights are making a statement. There’s no legal impact, but the protests are expressions of pro-gun values.

“Universal background checks, I predict, is coming out no matter what the governor has said. It is going to happen because there is majority of Republicans and Democrats who will pass it,” he said.

Cam mentioned that he has heard that some legislators in suburban districts seem to think that the uprising of gun owners is tied to SB 16.  I agree with Cam that these legislators need to reconsider that position because SB 16 is only one of the bad bills.  Make sure you are contacting your legislators and let them know your position on all of the bills that would restrict your rights.

Bearingarms.com: Separating Fact From Fiction with Governor Northam's Gun Control Plans

As is to be expected, with the giddiness of the Democrats to restrict our rights after winning a majority in the state legislature, there has been some disinformation about several of the pre-filed bills and their potential impact on Virginia gun owners.  Yesterday, Cam Edwards did a great job of dispelling some of the myths that have popped up on social media.  Cam covered bills like SB64 and SB 67.  He corrected the myth that Northam said he would call out the National Guard to enforce any gun bills passed - that was actually a suggestion from former slip-and-fall lawyer turned congressman, Don McEachin.  Cam ends with this:

The truth is, the bills that have already been introduced are bad enough that we don’t need to invent any new ones. Here’s a partial list of the legislation Virginia’s anti-gun lawmakers, including Governor Northam, are considering:

• banning the most commonly produced and owned rifles in the United States
• banning magazines that can hold more than ten rounds of ammunition
• requiring background checks on most transfers of firearms
• fining gun owners who fail to report lost or stolen firearms
• prohibits individuals convicted of misdemeanor assault and battery of a family member from owning a gun.
• banning bump stocks and binary triggers
• turning state-owned and leased buildings into gun free zones
• rationing handgun purchases to one per month
• stripping parents of their ability to decide when their child is responsible enough to access a firearm.
• weakening firearms preemption law by allowing localities to ban firearms from permitted events.

Those are just the worst of the bills that have already been pre-filed before the legislative session begins in early January. Bills can be filed until January 17th, and we know that there will be more heading our way, including an Extreme Risk Protection Order or “red flag” firearms seizure bill. Second Amendment supporters need to be armed with the facts in the weeks ahead, because if we focus on the fictions, we’re only going to be hurting our ability to effectively push back on the infringements headed our way.

It doesn't help our cause if we just read parts of the bill and don't read the full bill in context.  Like Cam said, it's bad enough what Northam has said he want's to do, so we really don't need to misrepresent bills to make him look bad.

Localities Continue to Approve 2A Resolutions

Last night, two more localities, Montgomery County and Pulaski, passed Second Amendment resolutions, bringing the total number of localities to 95.  More meetings are scheduled for tonight.

Tuesday December 17:
Mathews County will vote on a 2A resolution during their 1:00 PM meeting. The meeting will be held at 17 Church Street, Mathews, VA.

Franklin County - There is no resolution on the agenda. There are five cititizens signed up for the Public Comment portion of the agenda and one of those may ask the board to consider a resolution.

Stafford County - There is a 2A resolution item under New Business on the 7:00 PM portion of the agenda.

York County - The agenda includes consideration of a "Constitutional County" during the 6:00 PM meeting

Clarke County - There is no resolution for consideration on the agenda but there is a public comment period so that is an opportunity to ask the board to consider and pass a resolution.

Prince Edward County - Will hold a special meeting Tuesday, December 17, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. at the Prince Edward County High School Auditorium, 1482 Zion Hill Road, Farmville, Virginia. The Board will receive citizen input and consider a resolution regarding declaring Prince Edward County a Second Amendment Santuary County. The meeting is open to the public; however, only citizens and taxpayers of Prince Edward County will have the opportunity to provide input. This is the only item on the agenda for this special meeting and no other items will be discussed at this time.

Vinton Town Council - Council meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month. An agenda was not available on the web site at the time this was posted but by clicking the link ahead of Tuesday the agenda may be available.

Board meetings continue to draw 500-1000 people.  If all of the folks who have shown up to board meetings show up to Gun Owner Lobby Day at the Sate Capitol on January 20th, we could have a crowd approaching 100,000.  Remember, as Bearingarms.com Editor Cam Edwards has said on multiple occasions, these resolutions are a defensive position and are just a starting point.  We need to show up at the General Assembly when it convenes in January.

You can find links to the above meeting agendas by clicking here.

Two More Localities Pass 2A Sanctuary Resolutions

Last night, Scott County and Augusta County joined the list of counties, towns, and cities that have passed 2A Sanctuary Resolutions.  Also meeting last night were Fluvanna County and the City of Suffolk.  Fluvanna deffered their vote to next Wednesday, December 11.  Suffolk however took no action.

NBC29 in Charlottesville had coverage of the Fluvanna meeting.  They also spoke with retiring Charolottesville Democrat Dave Tascono.  He said he finds the resolutions problematic.  He claims the country is already a Second Amendment Santucary because of the Constitution.  That's interesting since that has not seemed to stop those that want to infringe on our rights.

The Staunton News Leader had  live coverage of the Augusta meeting.  After the vote, the reporter tweeted the comment of one supervisor:

Supervisors are taking turns sharing thoughts. Riverheads Supervisor Mike Shull invoked the Revolutionary War: "The Democrats are the redcoats we need to fight now."

— Claire Mitzel (@c_mitzel) December 5, 2019

The reporter Clair Mitzel also shared this photo of the crowd.

Townhall.com has this piece on how some Sheriffs are speaking out in favor of the resolutions too.  Some Commonwealth Attorneys have expressed support too.

Appomattox Commonwealth’s Attorney Leslie “Les” Fleet is on the same page as Simpson. Fleet said he believes in abiding by the law, as long as it’s a constitutional law. “The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land and as such, I will not enforce [prosecute] any state or local statute that violates the federal or state constitutions. I will wait and see what comes out of Richmond this coming session, but if I believe a law infringes on a 2A right, the sheriff-elect and I are on the same page, that law will not be enforced in Appomattox County,” Fleet said in an email Nov. 30.

Norfolk Democrat Delegate Jay Jones has asked Attorney General Mark Herring for a formal opinion on the Second Amendment Sanctuary Resolutions. You can probably guess what he is going to say.

The gun ban lobby and some gun ban elected officials are taking notice of this movement and are trying to create a new narrative.  One is that it is one state gun group that is pushing this. Nevermind the fact that each of these meetings have upwards of 600 - 1500 people attending.   The Democratic Party of Virginia is even attacking the group's leader with this online article.  A number of the things they cite in their attack are taken out of context.  But as Bearingarms.com's editor Cam Edwards stated on his show yesterday, this movement is bigger than one group or one person.  The other narrative is that Virginians overwhelmingly favor the gun control proposals being put forward.  You can find numerous news articles yesterday talking about a new Roanoke College poll that shows support in Virginia for more gun control.  Expect more of this from the gun ban lobby and their willing accomplices in the media.

The meetings continue tonight. Surry County has a 2A Sanctuary Resolution on their agenda tonight, at 7 pm. It is item #7 under the Consent Items on the agenda. The meeting will be held at:

General District Courtroom
Surry County Government Center
45 School Street
Surry, VA 23883

Republicans Start from Behind in Election by not Challenging Seats Held by Dems

Yesterday, Jim Geraghty from National Review joined Cam Edwards on Bearing Arms’ Cam & Co. to talk about what’s at stake in this year’s elections.  Cam noted that there is a troubling sign from Republicans: the large number of seats currently held by Democrats that aren’t even being contested. He rightly pointed out that you can’t win if you’re not even competing, and before a vote is even cast Democrats and gun control advocates are already halfway to their goal of 51 seats in the House of Delegates. Jim Geraghty pointed out that if gun control groups are successful at flipping Virginia’s legislature, you can be certain they’ll take their game plan to dozens of other states in the 2020 election cycle.  Take a look at the interview below.

House Impeachment Inquiry Puts Brakes on White House Gun Control Talks

Yesterday, Cam Edwards of Bearingarms.com interviewed Alan Gottlieb of the Second Amendment Foundation.  Gottlieb talked discussed his thoughts on where congress may be headed.  At the beginning of the program, Cam mentioned that the White House has put the brakes on discussions related to gun control with the House of Representatives talk of impeachment.  You can hear Cam's report and the interview below.

Are We Really Surprised Time Kaine is Not Honest About Gun Control

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine has turned out to be Governor Northam's go-to guy to push gun control.  He has hosted two of the gun control round tables (one in Richmond and one in Stafford) that the Governor scheduled for the end of last week and Monday and Tuesday of this week.  This is the same Tim Kaine whot called on Northam to resign after the "blackface" scandal earlier this year.  Now Kaine has become part of the effort to rehabilitate Northam's reputation by pushing gun control after the May 31st Virginia Beach shooting.  And, like President Obama, Kaine is saying things that just aren't true.  For instance, last week he said that so-called "universal" background checks are supported by gun owners and NRA members and they keep guns out of the hands of criminals.  NRATV's did the job that the news anchor should have done after Kaine made those statements.

VSSA Talks Governor Northam's Gun Control on Cam and Company

Legislative Director David Adams was on NRATV's Cam and Company last night talking about the Governor's call of a gun control special legislative session.

State Senator Dave Marsden Wants Legal Gun Owners to Held Liable for Actions of Criminals

Virginia Public Radio station WVTF reported last week that State Senator Dave Marsden wants gun owners to be held liable if their gun is used in a crime or suicide.

“All guns start out legal, and then 60% of the guns that end up being used in crimes or in suicides are in the hands of people who don’t own them or didn’t originally own them. We’re careless with our guns.”

First, I would tell Senator Marsden to speak for himself.   While there are some gun owners that are not as responsible with their firearms as they should be given that there are instances of negligent discharge and when a child injures themselves with an improperly stored firearm, to lump all gun owners into that category is just hyperbole.

A legal expert, Rich Kelsy, interviewed by WVTF, had this to say about Marsden's proposal:

“For you to make a gun owner liable for injuries because his gun was lost or stolen and a third party used it in the commission of a crime or for injuries would turn tort law upside down.”

Marsden is no stranger to going after legal gun owners instead of criminals when it comes to reducing the criminal use of firearms. He is a regular sponsor of gun ban legislation in the State Senate.

NRATV's Cam Edwards discussed Marsden's proposal on Dana Loesch program this past Monday.


The National Shooting Sports Foundation's (NSSF) Project Childsafe encourages gun owners to store their firearms securely when they are not in use.  That's a much better way of getting gun owners to keep their firearms away from those who should not have them than to threaten gun owners that they will be held responsible if a criminal get's their gun