Bloomberg's Everytown to Spend $2.5 Million in Virginia Elections

If you weren't already convinced that gun owners are in the fight of our lives, this New York Times article should convince you.

The Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, the political arm of Mr. Bloomberg’s gun control organization, said this week that it would invest at least $2.5 million in Virginia before Election Day — more than it spent in either of the last two legislative elections there. The group polled 14 legislative districts this week to determine how it will allocate its funds.  

“Virginia is a bellwether state and we are going to be there,” said John Feinblatt, Everytown’s president. “There is no doubt this is a test. This is the next theater for what’s going to happen everywhere in 2020.”

That isn't the worst of it though.  The story starts off by talking about a Democrat candidate, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan running against pro-gun GOP Delegate Tim Hugo.  He told the Times that what he hears from people as he goes door to door is they want somebody to "do something" about the mass shootings.  The propensity for people to want "something done" no matter whether it would have prevented the killings, says a lot about our society today. And it is this type of action that is being pushed by the media and the gun ban lobby.  It has gotten so bad that the up to now stalwart Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell suggested yesterday that the Senate could look at a so-called "assault weapons" ban, background checks, and a red flag law.  As Gun Talk Radio host Tom Gresham said in a Twitter post, that would turn the Senate and the White House over to the gun ban lobby as gun owners turn their backs on Republicans and President Trump.

This would be suicide for the Republican party. Trump would lose. Dems would gain control of both houses. Gun owners would turn their backs on those who voted for a ban on the most popular rifles in America. If this included confiscation, there would be widespread noncompliance https://t.co/gqFIGGBmtf

— Tom Gresham (@Guntalk) August 9, 2019

There is not a single one of the gun ban lobby's agenda that would have stopped last weekend's shootings.  Rifles of all kinds make up a very small percentage (less than 3%) of firearm related deaths.  So-called assault weapons make up even less.  More people are stabbed to death every year than are murdered with rifles.


We are in a real fight this year.  We need to get active in House and Senate General Assembly campaigns now. 

Bloomberg Dumping Additional $700,000 into Virginia Election for Northam, Herring

The Washington Post has the story here:

Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, the political arm of one of the nation’s largest gun control groups, is pouring an additional $700,000 into Virginia elections.

The organization announced Monday it would donate $400,000 to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam and $300,000 to Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring’s re-election bid in the final two weeks before election day.

That comes on top of an earlier $1 million dollar commitment from the organization bankrolled by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. 

The article went on to remind us that Northam wants to ban so-called "assault weapons" and standard capacity (referred to by the gun ban lobby as "high-capacity") magazines. Northam also wants so-called "universal" background checks and to reinstate one-gun-a-month.

Also noted in the article is that Everytown is targeting minorities in the hope of increasing turnout for the gun ban candidates:

“African-American turnout will be crucial on Nov. 7 -- and we want to make sure black voters know what the stakes are in this race,” said Brynne Craig, an Everytown strategist. “Ed Gillespie walks in lock step with the NRA and his policies will make black communities less safe in the Commonwealth.”

It's actually safety concerns that prompt minorities, especially minority women, to buy firearms for self-defense, like this Chicago Tribune article notes:

It's why Chicago resident Chip Eberhart, a minority, trains others to use firearms for self-defense.

There is two weeks before election day.  Money doesn't win elections, votes win elections.  It is up to use to contact every gun owner we know and encourage them to vote on November 7th.

RTD: Bloomberg's Everytown to Spend $1 Million in Virginia Elections

The Richmond Times Dispatch reports this morning that former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety has committed to spend $1 Million in Virginia Elections this fall.

The fund is donating $450,000 directly to gubernatorial contender Ralph Northam, and spending $250,000 on mailers on his behalf. It's also giving $300,000 to Attorney General Mark Herring for his re-election bid, as he faces attack advertising from the National Rifle Association.

"We are making this initial investment because Ralph Northam and Mark Herring have been forceful champions for gun violence prevention in Virginia, while their opponents subscribe to a dangerous 'guns everywhere' agenda," Brynne Craig, a senior strategist for Everytown, said in a statement.

Everytown, a New York-based advocacy group largely bankrolled by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has been a big spender in recent Virginia contests.

The article also reports that volunteers in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area with another Bloomberg funded gun ban group, Moms Demand Action, plan to canvass and to make phone calls for Northam and other Democrats.

In addition to the Bloomberg groups, Americans for Responsible Solutions, a gun control group led by former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, has endorsed the Democratic ticket in Virginia, but has yet to announce any donations.

Look for this to just be a down payment on more spending.  If Bloomberg was willing to spend $2 million in State Senate and House elections in 2015, you can bet he is going to spend more than the announced $1 million in state wide elections.

Update: I talked about this with NRATV host Cam Edwards later in the day.

Gun Ban Groups Blame Virginia Open Carry Gun Laws For Violence In Charlottesville Despite Lack Of Gun Violence

Gun ban organizations such as Michael Bloomberg-backed Everytown For Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action and The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence are pointing to Virginia’s open carry laws as a core issue at the events that unfolded in Charlottesville, Virginia this weekend, according to a report by The Daily Caller.

“With public attention on what is happening in Charlottesville, it’s important to understand the troubling reality of open-carry and what happens when guns fall into hate-filled hands.” Everytown said in a statement.

Tim Schmidt, President and found of the United States Concealed Carry Association told the Daily Caller however:

“Opponents of the Second Amendment never miss an opportunity to exploit a tragedy for their own political purposes and it’s frankly shameful,” said Tim Schmidt, President & Founder of the United States Concealed Carry Association. “The events in Charlottesville this weekend were deeply troubling but stripping law-abiding Americans of their Constitutional freedoms is not the answer. We hope that the groups blaming concealed carry and open carry laws on this tragedy have the decency to retract their statements and apologize for passing the blame on to those who believe in our God-given rights to protect ourselves from those who wish do us harm.”

Gun writer Tom Gresham also addressed the violence in Charlottesville during his Gun Talk radio program yesterday (at the 2:56 mark of the clip below).


Gresham noted that those openly carrying at the protests were not like the vast majority of gun owners who are law abiding nor, in this case, were they responsible gun owners and we need to call them out as such.

It is no surprise that gun ban groups would take the opportunity to blame Virginia's freedom friendly firearm laws for the lawless acts of those who came to Charlottesville to start trouble, though.  It's what they do.

With Unintentional Deaths by Firearm Historically Low, NY Times Attempts to Imply Otherwise

Today's New York Times has this article with a headline meant to make it sound like "accidental" gun deaths of children are on the rise.  It should be noted that what they go on to describe are actually negligent deaths, not accidental, because the firearm owners in the story do not take the proper steps to secure the firearm. Complete with talking points from Everytown for Gun Safety, the article is intended to make their case this is proof we need more gun control:

They are the most maddening gun deaths in America. Last year, at least 30 people were killed in accidental shootings in which the shooter was 5 or younger, according to Everytown For Gun Safety, a gun control advocacy group that tracks these shootings, largely through news reports.

With shootings by preschoolers happening at a pace of about two per week, some of the victims were the youngsters’ parents or siblings, but in many cases the children ended up taking their own lives.

The Times is hoping that the "two per week" is what grabs the attention of the reader without them stopping to do the math.   If you do, that averages out to be a little over 100 in a year - too many for sure, but clearly no epidemic.  Let's look at the trends as reported in the 2015 NSSF Firearms Related Injury Statistics NSSF for perspective.

Typical of the Times, they use Everytown's death numbers for the article which are much higher than what the CDC numbers as reported by NSSF.  But we all know how suspect Everytown's numbers are when they report statistics.  This is all done to promote mandatory storage laws but you can't legislate stupidity.  Each of the cases in the article were preventable if the owner of the firearm had taken the appropriate steps.  Steps like those promoted by NSSF's Project ChildSafe that talk about storing firearms in a safe manner that fit your individual needs go a long way in preventing the type of tragedies like the ones in the Times article.  Yet rather than mention what works, they push more restrictions.

McAuliffe on Receiving End of New Bloomberg Newspaper Ad

The Washington Post reports this afternoon that the battle between Governor Terry McAuliffe and Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety escalated today to include a full-page newspaper ad in the Richmond Times Dispatch.

The ad quotes several of the governor’s statements about the gun deal, declaring each one “false” and providing a detailed analysis to back up that conclusion. Words that Everytown takes exception to are marked in red ink, as a teacher might when grading a test.

McAuliffe dismissed the criticism during an appearance in Northern Virginia, saying “everybody supports [the gun deal] except one gun-safety group out of New York City.”

McAuliffe's response about support among gun ban groups doesn't square with what other groups told the Post.

“I’m so angry at the governor for his comments,” said Jennifer Herrera, the volunteer leader of the state’s Moms affiliate. “We are Virginians and we are the people doing the work. So to hear him repeat this line that it’s this outside group — we have met you. You’ve stood with our survivors. You’ve been at our events.”

It could be a long second half of the General Assembly as it approaches the halfway mark on February 16th.  The group seems intent on making McAuliffe's life miserable.

Update: The Richmond Times Dispatch has a much stronger article that was posted on its web site Tuesday evening that points out the Everytown exagerations of McAuliffe's statements used in the ad.

Washington Post: McAuliffe Spokesman Lashes Out at Bloomberg Group

It appears Governor Terry McAuliffe is getting tired of getting beaten up by Bloomberg's gun ban group Everytown for Gun Safety.  This from the Washington Post:

Brian Coy spoke dismissively of Everytown for Gun Safety, which is associated with former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, as a “group from New York” that does not have the interests of Virginians at heart.

“One group from New York and its affiliates are upset, but that does not represent Virginia views on this,” Coy said. “We had no interaction with Everytown, the national folks, until after this deal became public. We wouldn’t have even known who to call.”

The Post reminded Coy that Bloomberg came through when McAuliffe wanted money to buy the Virginia Senate during last year's election but, according to the Post, Coy did not back down from his comments:

“He talked to Howard Wolfson. Wolfson’s a political adviser to Bloomberg,” Coy said.” I don’t think he’s a policy advocate from this group. We’ve never heard from anybody at the staff level until now, after the deal has been finalized.”

The Post noted that Coy's comments were made to the Post two days after Everytown unleashed a social media campaign against McAuliffe for agreeing to a deal with GOP leadership to overturn Attorney General Mark Herring's unilateral action to break concealed carry recognition agreements with 25 states.

For Everytown's part, they turned to Andy Parker, a gun ban advocate whose daughter was killed on live TV by a disgruntled former colleague in August, to counter Coy:

“Governor McAuliffe can’t have it both ways,” Parker said. “He stood side-by-side with me and other Virginia survivors from the Everytown Survivor Network and worked closely with Everytown on the Whatever It Takes rally at the U.S. Capitol in September. I am his constituent and friend — I would have happily taken his call and pointed him to the right policy experts before he struck this dangerous deal with the gun lobby.”

Everytown also released emails to show just how much McAuliffe's office and the group had been in contact over 18 months.

McAuliffe's office also claimed they let Lori Haas, a Virginia gun ban advocate whose daughter was injured during the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007 was made aware of the deal, a claim that Haas disputes.  She told the Post that she was only made aware of it less than 48 hours before the Post broke the story.

This just shows that McAuliffe is not above throwing all of his friends under the bus if he thinks it benefits him.  If he is willing to do this to his friends, we should remember he can still do worse to us if it suits his agenda.

Hat tip to the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association.

Washington Post: Bloomberg's New Target - Terry McAuliffe

The Washington Post reports this morning that Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety has turned its fire on Governor Terry McAuliffe via social Media:

On Wednesday, Everytown launched a social media campaign against McAuliffe, who last week stunned gun-safety advocates by announcing that he had struck a gun deal with Republican legislators and the National Rifle Association. It shows side-by-side photos of McAuliffe and the National Rifle Association’s Wayne LaPierre.

“What do VA Gov. Terry McAuliffe and NRA head Wayne LaPierre have in common?” one version reads. “Both Gov McAuliffe and NRA Head Wayne LaPierre support allowing dangerous people to carry hidden loaded weapons in Virginia.”

While clearly a lower-budget affair than last fall’s TV blitz, Everytown’s social media campaign against McAuliffe was a stunner, given how closely he worked with gun-safety groups since his 2013 campaign for governor. He narrowly won the race while bragging about his “F” rating from the NRA.

McAuliffe's office says he stands by the deal that was announced on Friday and during his radio blitz on Monday, McAuliffe said that his job is to keep Virginia safe and gun ban groups who are against the deal are more interested in pushing a national agenda.

This Post article also infers not only did McAuliffe throw Attorney General Mark Herring under the bus, he did the same to the gun ban lobby:

The deal that the McAuliffe administration hammered out with GOP legislative leaders and the NRA caught gun-safety groups off guard. In December, Attorney General Mark R. Herring (D) had severed reciprocity rights of gun owners in 25 states with concealed-weapons standards looser than Virginia’s — a move that had infuriated gun-rights activists even though state law has long dictated that reciprocity be limited to states with standards on par with Virginia’s.

The McAuliffe deal, which still needs General Assembly approval, reversed Herring’s action — and then some, directing him to strike reciprocity deals with every state that offers them. In that sense, the deal expands gun rights.

VSSA noted on its Twitter feed last Friday that McAuliffe's comments during the official announcement of the deal sounded like he was adding it to his resume for Vice President for his buddy Hillary Clinton:

Sounds like @GovernorVA adding another check mark for resume for Dem VP slot

— VSSA (@VSSA) January 29, 2016

The Post notes he also touted the deal with asked how he thought Clinton's gun control would play in New Hamshire:

Matthews asked McAuliffe, a close friend of Clinton’s and chairman of her failed 2008 bid, how the former secretary of state’s strong gun-control rhetoric might play in a rural state like New Hampshire. McAuliffe answered by touting the “historic agreement” he had just struck on guns.

“If you can do it Virginia, which is the home of the NRA, working together, we can do this anywhere,” he said. “People want, folks, they want their legislators to come together, to work with their governors to make them safe.”

Wonder how Bloomberg likes those bus tire tracks across his back.

Everytown to Air Misleading Ad on Terrorists and Guns During GOP Debate

Guns.com has the story here.  Here is he ad:

As you just saw, this ad repeats the completely false claim that suspected terrorists can walk into a gun store and buy a gun.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  According to Amy Hunter, NRA-ILA Media liaison noted on NRANews' Cam and Company last week, if a background check shows that the applicant's name appears on such a list, there is a delay and an investigation by the FBI. If there is a legal reason to stop the purchase, it is stopped. If the FBI cannot show there is a reason to stop the purchase, it goes forward. 

As Amy noted, we should all be concerned about secret lists that some mid-level bureaucrat can add people to and there is no ability to know who or how a name is added.

But that doesn't stop the gun ban lobby from putting out this tripe.

Dave Kopel: Everytown's "Expanded" Background Checks a Bait and Switch

Last week, Dave Kopel wrote two columns on the Washington Post's Volokh Conspiracy that lays bare the real intentions behind the call for "expanded" or "universal" background checks that Michael Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety pushes.  VAGunRights.com wrote about the first piece that discussed the impact the proposal has on firearm safety training, something you would think Everytown would support.  The second piece dealt with how "universal" background checks is a de facto handgun ban for people under the age of 21.  Federal law prohibits those people from purchasing a handgun from a dealer.  But those individuals are not banned from possessing a handgun under federal law.  They can use a family's gun at the range or receive them as a gift from a family member.  But under so-called universal background checks, they would not be able to even do that as those checks have to go through a dealer and dealers cannot transfer a handgun to someone under the age of 21.  Kopel calls "universal background checks as proposed by Everytown (and implemented in Washington State) a classic bait-and-switch, presenting one thing, but doing another.  He appeared on NRANews' Cam and Company to discuss both articles.

The Trace, Others, Spin Narrative of Role Guns Played in 10th District Loss

Bloomberg's anti-gun mouthpiece The Trace, has picked up the narrative first offered in the Washington Post yesterday by Delegate Scott Sorovell, claiming that talk of gun control did not drive turn out up in Powhatan, costing Dan Gecker the race.  Both pieces look at how retiring State Senator John Watkins performed in his last election (2011), and then note that Sturtevant underperformed Watkins by 4% in Powhatan and underperformed Watkins in Chesterfield as well. From The Trace:

In a four-way race, Gecker lost with 47 percent to Glen Sturtevant’s 49.7 percent. In 2011, the Democratic Candidate, David Bernard, lost to then-incumbent GOP Sen. John Watkins by 13 points. (The 2011 election provides the best comparison, because there was also no governor’s race then to naturally increase turnout.)

Gecker’s share of the Powhatan vote was 22.1 percent — virtually the same as the 22.3 percent Bernard received in 2011. What’s more, despite its increased turnout, Powhatan delivered a smaller slice of the district’s overall votes than it did four years ago. In 2011, the county accounted for 22 percent of the ballots cast in the district. In 2015, that fell to 18 percent.

In the city of Richmond, turnout rose significantly from 2011 levels — but Gecker’s 67.5 percent of the vote was again virtually the same as the 67.1 notched by the Democratic candidate four years ago.

Gecker did much better in the third geographic portion of the district, suburban Chesterfield County. There he took 41.7 percent of the vote, compared to the 30 percent recorded by Bernard in 2011.

Sorovell pretty much said the same in yesterday's Post Op/Ed.  What neither The Trace or Sorovell mention is Watkins was a 26 year incumbent in 2011 running against a relatively unknown candidate.  Watkins has deep ties in the area thanks to his family's Watkins Nurseries business.  Also not mentioned is the fact that Gecker lost his home precinct as well as his Board of Supervisors District part of the 10th.  Gecker has represented the predominately Republican district as a Democrat on the board for eight years, which likely accounts for the difference in Democrat votes cast in the Chesterifeld part of the district in 2015 vs. 2011. 

Sorovell stuck closer to the gun ban lobby's talking points in concluding his article than did The Trace.  Sorovell said Northern Virginia no longer agrees with the NRA's position and the rest of the state is not far behind.  At least The Trace admitted the focus on gun control did not appear to increase Democrat turn out in the City of Richmond, which is what has the gun ban lobby scratching its head.  The only thing the gun ban lobby has to hang its hat is they spent $1.5 million to hold a district that gave Barack Obama 62% of the vote in 2012 and was already occupied by an NRA-PVF  "D" rated Democrat.

Gecker, Sturtevant Make Final Push Ahead of Tuesday Election

With the campaign season winding down, candidates spent the weekend reaching out to voters.  Governor Terry McAuliffe and U.S. Senator Mark Warner traveled the state in one last attempt to pick up the one state senate seat McAuliffe needs to take control of the State Senate.  One of their stops was in the hotly contested 10th District for a rally at the headquarters of gun ban supporter Dan Gecker.  Meanwhile, the Republican, Glen Sturtevant, was knocking on doors meeting with individual voters over the weekend.  From the Richmond Times Dispatch:

With less than 48 hours before the polls open in one of Virginia’s most expensive and tightly contested Senate races ever, Democrat Daniel A. Gecker joined hands with Gov. Terry McAuliffe and U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner at a rally in Chesterfield County, while Republican Glen H. Sturtevant knocked on doors in Richmond’s Museum District. 

McAuliffe capped a barnstorming tour of the state on behalf of Democratic Senate candidates Sunday in a joint appearance with Warner to boost voter turnout for Gecker, 59, a two-term member of the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors, and potentially give Democrats control of a nearly evenly split state Senate. 

“We need one seat, and Dan Gecker is that seat,” the governor shouted to a cheering crowd of volunteers and state Democratic party leaders at Gecker’s field office off Buford Road in Chesterfield.

When Gecker spoke, he took the opportunity to say what issues he would push if elected, and he made sure to mention gun control.

Also during this final weekend, anyone listening to radio probably heard ads for or against Gecker and Sturtevant (I heard an ad paid for by NRA-PVF during the Rush Limbaugh program on Friday).  In addition to the NRA-PVF radio warning of Bloomberg trying to buy the Virginia State Senate, Citizens for Responsible Solutions, the Gabby Giffords gun ban group had also bought $40,000 in radio  time promoting Gecker.

Money has flooded the 10th District in the last couple of weeks.  According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the largest outside expenditure in a State Senate race had been $250,000 on behalf of then-Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, R-Fairfax, in 2007. This year, four candidates have exceeded that amount, with Gecker and Democrat Jeremy McPike, who is battling Republican Hal Parrish for the seat open in the 29th Senate District being the largest beneficiaries.

But the stakes are much higher for gun owners this year than in 2007.  The large expenditures for a single issue is being used as a test case.  From the Times-Dispatch article referenced above:

“It’s kind of a test case on how the gun issue plays out in a competitive district,” said Robert D. Holsworth, a longtime political commentator on state and Richmond-area politics.

Holsworth continued later in the article:

Holsworth isn’t sure how the issue will affect Tuesday’s election in the 10th District. “Is this really going to help Dan Gecker, particularly with moderate suburbanites?” he asked. “On the other hand, does this spending backfire on him?”

But he added, “We’ve not seen this debated this way in the Richmond area” since then-Gov. L. Douglas Wilder teamed with then-U.S. Attorney Richard Cullen to get legislation passed in 1993 that restricted purchases of handguns to one a month. The assembly subsequently repealed the law in 2012 under then-Gov. Bob McDonnell.

Beyond next week’s outcome, Holsworth wondered, “How is this going to play in the national election? How is it going to play in Virginia in the presidential election?”

I spoke with someone associated with the Chesterfield County GOP over the weekend and he said he is hearing that voters on both sides are being turned off by the flood of ads and mailers and saying they are just going to stay home and not vote.  Turnout will be key.  Every gun owner in the 10th and 20th Districts need to go to the polls tomorrow and vote for Glen Sturtevant (10th) and Hal Parrish (29th).  We don't want Bloomberg buying Virginia's State Senate.

A Knock on the Door From a Pro-gun Volunteer Could Make the Difference in the 10th District

NRA Board Members Tim Knight and Sean Maloney are traveling Virginia, talking one-on-one with voters about next week's elections and working to turn out the pro-rights vote in Virginia's 10th State Senate District. They stopped by the Farmville studio of NRANews and told Cam Edwards that many voters they speak with are aware of Michael Bloomberg's anti-gun spending in the state.  While not discounting the affect that such a large dump of money can have, they told Cam that  nothing replaces the personal engagement of knocking on doors.

If you live near the Richmond area, and can spare some time between now and November 3rd, please contact Tim Lagerman by email at Tim@nrailafrontlines.com or by phone at 570-898-3160.

Richmond Times Dispatch Endorses Sturtevant Citing Bloomberg Money as Deciding Factor

The Richmond Times Dispatch this morning came out with their editorial endorsements for the November 3rd General Election and Glen Sturtevant was one of the beneficiaries:

The retirement of Republican John Watkins opens the seat in the 10th District, which includes Powhatan as well as portions of Chesterfield and Richmond. We endorse Republican Glen Sturtevant who appears likely to embody the thoughtful independence that defined Watkins’ exceptional career. Sturtevant, a member of Richmond’s School Board, belongs to the GOP’s reform wing and stands in the philosophical mainstream. He supports changes to make merit the basis for judicial selection, would restrain governmental overreach and understands the role Virginia can play in national energy policy. His principal opponent, Democrat Dan Gecker, has served ably on Chesterfield’s Board of Supervisors and would prove a diligent senator. A close call was made easier when an outside group led by Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City, decided to drop $700,000 into an effort to boost Gecker, whom it considers an ally in its pursuit of anti-gun laws. Voters in the 10th seem unlikely to embrace the cause or approve of outsiders meddling in their politics. Gecker would have enhanced his reputation if he scorned the dubious help. Marleen Durfee’s independent candidacy adds an outside voice to one of the state’s most competitive races. The results in the 10th could determine partisan control of the Senate. This stands as central Virginia’s most compelling assembly campaign in several cycles. Sturtevant would bring to the Senate the intellectual curiosity and temperamental moderation the GOP needs.

I have wondered if Bloomberg and McAuliffe overreached with the amount of money that was dropped into the 10th and 29th districts.  The Times Dispatch thinks so.  We'll see on November 3rd.

Bloomberg Drops $1.5 Million in Northern Virginia State Senate Race

Not long after I spoke with Cam Edwards on NRA News yesterday about the $700,000 that Michael Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety is dropping into the 10th State Senate District, the Washington Post reported that he is dropping over twice that amount - $1.5 million - in the 29th Senate District targeting GOP candidate Hal Parrish:

Less than two weeks before Election Day, Everytown for Gun Safety announced Thursday that it would spend $1.5 million in TV and online ads for Democrat Jeremy McPike. He is running against Manassas Mayor Harry J. “Hal” Parrish II (R) to succeed retiring Sen. Charles J. Colgan (D-Prince William).

A day earlier, Everytown said it would spend $700,000 on ads for Democrat Dan Gecker, who is battling Republican Glen Sturtevant to represent part of Richmond and the surrounding suburbs in the Senate. That seat is being vacated by retiring Sen. John C. Watkins (R-Powhatan).

The ad campaigns, featuring the father of a Roanoke TV journalist shot to death on the air in August, target the two seats considered most up for grabs in the 40-member Senate. Democrats need to pick up one seat to take control of the chamber and give Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) a chance for legislative success for the final two years of his term. The GOP enjoys an overwhelming majority in the House of Delegates.

The amount of money Bloomberg is dropping in is unprecedented.  The money he is putting in for one candidate in the 29th is almost as much as both candidates have raised combined.  It's all part of the anti-gun meme "Take out the NRA in their backyard".  Governor Terry McAuliffe all but admitted he has been coordinating with Bloomberg's group, though he denied speaking to Bloomberg himself:

Asked at a public appearance Thursday outside Richmond if he had spoken with Bloomberg about the ad buys, McAuliffe said no. But he responded coyly when a reporter asked if he’d had any contact with Bloomberg’s “people.”

“Oh, I didn’t say that, but I haven’t talked to Mayor Bloomberg,” McAuliffe said.

By the way, it is not illegal in state races for campaigns to coordinate with outside groups.

Sebastian at Shall Not Be Questioned summed it up pretty well in his post on this news:

Yes, it is possible for one rich asshole to buy power in our Republic if he has enough and is willing to spend enough to do it. Bloomberg seems able and willing. I’m sorry that’s the case, but it is just is. Grassroots is the only way we can counter it. But will it be enough? Will enough people step up?

NRA-ILA has a Campaign Field Representative, Thomas Bingham,  on the ground in the 29th District to coordinate volunteer efforts for gun owners.  You can contact him by email at Thomas@nrailafrontlines.com.

Hat tip to Sebastian.

McAuliffe, Warner, Join Kaine at Capitol Hill Gun Ban Rally

Yesterday, Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense of America held its “Day of Action” on Capitol Hill.   According to Robert Fargo over at The Truth About Guns, the event drew about 100 people.  Cam Edwards of NRA News noted during the program yesterday that McAuliffe said it was easier to by a gun than it is to buy a beer.

Washington's WUSA 9 footage of the rally caught U.S. Senator Mark Warner saying "enough is enough" (echoing his statement after the 2012 Newtown school shootings) and "more gun owners support background checks than the rest of the population" while Governor Terry McAuliffe said "I'm sick and tired of gutless politicians who are afraid of the NRA."

Warner voted for the Manchin/Schumer/Toomey amendment in 2013 that would have criminalized selling a firearm from your private collection unless a background check is performed.  So, it's no surprise he is supporting this renewed push for "expanded background checks" but he has pretty much stayed in the background when supporting this in the past.  Warner has carefully cultivated a "centrist" persona since running for office for the first time in 1996.  In 2001 he worked very hard to keep the NRA from endorsing his opponent in the gubernatorial election and even signed 17 pro-rights bills, including full pre-emption as governor.  He received an "A" rating from the NRA (but not the endorsement) when he ran for U.S. Senate in 2008.  However, when he ran for re-election, his rating dropped due to his vote for the Manchin/Schumer/Toomey amendment and voting for two anti-gun nominees to the Supreme Court.  Warner apparently feels somewhat liberated since he squeeked by Ed Gillespie in 2014, in a year that every endangered Democrat went down to defeat.  Warner was expected to handily win.  I guess he figures surviving that scare makes him invincible and he can go back to his pre-2001 anti-rights positions.

Retailers Bass Pro, Cabelas, Thumb Nose at Bloomberg

The Washington Examiner reports that the nation's largest outdoor retailers, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's are not buckling under to Bloomberg funded Everytown for Gun Safety's demand that they ignore the rules put in place by the Brady Act.  Those rules allow an FFL to transfer a firearm to the buyer if the NICS has not denied the purchase with in 72 hours:

Under current FBI rules, the buyers are allowed to get their weapon after the third day, although the check for disqualifying information through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System will continue for a total of 90 days. It's a small number, however, since 91 percent of the background checks are completed instantly, surpassing the attorney general's own goal.

The Examiner also noted that even if a denial is received after the firearm has been transferred that there is a policy in place to recover the firearm from the purchaser.  Add these to Kroger, another company that has not buckled to Bloomberg's bullying.  All three businesses deserve the patronage of gun owners.

Everytown Announces New Ad Campaign Targeting "Background Check Loophole"

The Hill has the story here.

“It’s time for Congress to take action and close the NRA-backed loophole that allows people like the Charleston shooter to obtain a gun without a complete background check,” John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a statement.

Never mind the fact it was apparently the FBI that dropped the ball.  It would seem that in this digital age that three days would be more than enough time to complete the background check. 

Just more proof that every law supported by the gun ban lobby that includes provisions they did not oppose at the time it was passed ends up being a "loophole" when they want further restrictions on our rights.

Everytown Making Things Up on Background Checks

Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety has gone on the attack against Cabela's, the retailer where the racist murderer who shot nine people in a Charleston Church last month bought his gun.  Last Friday, the FBI admitted it was it's error that allowed the sale to be completed.  So, you might ask, why is Everytown going after Cabela's.  Because of what they are now calling and "NRA backed loophole in the law" that allows someone to take possession of their firearm is the retailer has not received a NICS rejection of the transaction within three days.   This from Guns.com:

This has former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety and the affiliated Moms Demand Action pushing a large national firearms retailer to close what they are calling, “The Charleston Loophole.”

Both groups are mounting a social media campaign asking the Nebraska-based Cabela’s to halt allowing guns to transfer with a delay status unresolved after the three day period. With some 60 stores and a large direct marketing arm, Cabela’s had more than $3 billion in revenue in 2014.

“Retailers have the right — and responsibility — to delay a gun sale until a background check is completed,” reads a post from Everytown. “But Cabela’s, one of the largest gun retailers in the country, will sell to anyone after three business days, even without a completed background check.”

Here are the facts about background checks:

When a delay response is received, this indicates that information supplied on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Form 4473 has been matched with information contained in the National Crime Information Center, the Interstate Identification Index, and/or the NICS Index. Complete information is not always available and a further review of these records is necessary. The NICS exhausts all efforts to retrieve current record information by contacting law enforcement agencies, i.e., local, state, federal, courts, etc. The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 allows three business days to obtain this information prior to the transfer of the firearm. The Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) is not prohibited from transferring the firearm after three business days have passed; however, the FFL is not required to transfer the firearm.

But facts never get in the way of Bloomberg's minions when it comes to exploiting a tragedy.  Katie Pavlich wrote about this at Townhall.com and spoke about the article and Everytown's false claims on NRANews.com.

Washington Post Gives Senator Murphy, Everytown Claim on School Shootings Four Pinocchios

The Washington Post Fact Checker has weighed in on that Everytown for Gun Safety claim that there has been a school shooting every week since Sandy Hook and it isn't good news for Bloomberg and his minions.  The Post decided to weigh in after Conn. U.S. Senator Chris Murphy repeated the claim on the floor of the U.S. Senate on June 24th, sparked by the church shooting in Charleston, S.C.

A version of this claim circulated after the June 2014 incident in Oregon in which a high school freshman armed with an assault rifle shot and killed a student and injured a teacher. President Obama and other gun-control advocates had said then that there had been at least 74 school shootings between Sandy Hook and the Oregon shooting.

The source for the claim then, and for Murphy’s recent statement, is a report by Everytown for Gun Safety, which describes itself as “a movement of Americans working together to end gun violence and build safer communities.”

That list included things like a police chase that ended on school property after hours as a "school shooting." The Post is not the first to rule that Everytown was playing fast and loose with the numbers but having one more source not known to be friendly to the right to keep and bear arms point this out doesn't hurt:

There are many ways to define school shooting. But applying the “reasonable person” standard, as is the standard at The Fact Checker, it is difficult to see how many of the incidents included in Everytown’s list — such as suicide in a car parked on a campus or a student accidentally shooting himself when emptying his gun and putting it away in his car before school — would be considered a “school shooting” in the context of Sandy Hook.

Lawmakers have a responsibility to check out the facts in the reports they use, especially ones that come from advocacy groups. If they are aware there are definitions that are disputed, or that are defined in other ways depending on who uses them, it is incumbent on lawmakers to clarify exactly what they are talking about and not mislead the public. In particular, lawmakers should rely more on official government statistics, such as from the FBI, rather than misleading metrics cobbled together by interest groups.

We wavered between Three and Four Pinocchios. But this is a definition of “school shooting” that was widely disputed a year ago, and lawmakers need to present information — especially for such a controversial topic as gun control — in a clear, responsible and accurate way. Murphy’s failure to do so tipped the rating to Four.

The Post would do well to take their own advice regarding checking the facts.  In 2014, they ran their story (which has been updated since it was originally posted) on the Everytown report without doing any fact checking.  I guess a year of hearing the numbers and seeing folks like CNN question the numbers made the Post decide to check the facts.  Any bets on whether anti-rights politicians will stop using this bogus statistic after this latest discrediting of Everytown's numbers?