Senator Warner's Non-Response Response to S.941 Co-Sponsor Request.

In yesterday's E-Bullet, VSSA asked gun owners to contact Senators Warner and Webb to co-sponsor S.941, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2009.  This is the response I received to my email:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2009 (S. 941).


On April 30, 2009, Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced S. 941, which would amend the federal criminal code to revise the civil penalties for violations of firearms law and the procedures for assessing these penalties. S. 941 has since been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which I am not a member. Please be assured that should S. 941 come before the full Senate for a vote, I will certainly keep your views in mind.

Regarding Second Amendment rights generally, I realize that there are very strong opinions on both sides of the debate. I support public policies that ensure the responsible and appropriate use of guns, as well as efforts to reduce gun-related crimes through increased enforcement and background checks. I recently supported full funding of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), the only national database that flags individuals who are precluded under current law from purchasing or possessing firearms. I do not, however, support laws or regulations that infringe on the Second Amendment Constitutional right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.

Again, thanks for writing. As we move forward in the 111th Congress, please continue to be in touch with your opinions and concerns.

You will note that nowhere in the response does the Senator's office (low-level staffer responds to these requests) address the subject of the email to the Senator - signing on as a co-sponsor to the legislation.

You would think that if they are going to use boiler-plate response to constituent contact that they would at least use boiler-plate language that at least makes a reference to the subject of the email or letter.

And they wonder why Americans are ready to throw all the bums out.

IACP Proposes More Gun Control

Just in time for their little party in New Orleans the second week in October, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) yesterday rolled out a number of proposals they say will prevent "violent crime." Funded by the gun hating Joyce Foundation, IACP's proposals could have been predicted even before they were rolled out. Specific gun control recommendations include:

• Requiring judges and law enforcement to remove guns from situations of domestic violence, as well as from people whose adjudicated mental illness, drug use, or previous criminal record suggests the possibility of violence
• Requiring that all gun sales take place through Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders with mandatory background checks (including all private sales - not just those private sales made at gun shows.
• Enacting an effective ban on military-style assault weapons, armor-piercing handgun ammunition, .50 caliber sniper rifles and other weapons that enable criminals to outgun law enforcement
• Repealing the Tiahrt Amendment, which hinders investigation of illegal gun trafficking
• Destroying guns that come into police possession once their law enforcement use has ended
• Mandating safe storage of firearms by private citizens and providing safe facilities where gun owners can store their weapons
• Mandating reporting of lost and stolen firearms

It should be no surprise that IACP wants more gun control. I doubt you will read in the media reports that the Joyce Foundation is anti-gun when they report who paid for the study.

Here is the report for you reading pleasure.

More on NRA's "Celebration of American Values"

A couple of articles are in today's news - The Washington Post and Bloomberg News Service - both focusing heavily on Giuliani and how he will play with the attendees. As you would expect from the drive-by media, both articles make it look like it is an event to showcase the Republican candidates for president. Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) will also speak to the group by video as I mentioned yesterday and Congressman John Dingell and former Congressman Harold Ford, Jr (neither of which are running for president) will also address the crowd. Governor Richardson is the only Democratic candidate for President who has talked about supporting the Second Amendment and he has an unblemished record as Governor as well as a pro-gun voting record when he was in Congress. If Richardson had a snowball's chance of winning the Democratic nomination and he faced Giuliani I find it hard to believe that Richardson would not receive the nod on an endorsement (however I don't speak for the NRA and don't get to make those decisions - just MHO).

You can read the articles here and here.

Hillary - Shooter

Yes, that is what we are supposed to believe, that Hillary Clinton in her younger days first shot a gun at her family vacation property at Lake Winola. According to the article, this is where she "first shot a gun...learned to ride horses, to fish and swim." These vacations at the lake located in the Pocono Mountains helped form her family and working-class values.

Remember the slogan complete with a French Poodle that NRA-PVF used against John Kerry in 2004 - "That dog don't hunt." The same can be said for the Senator from New York.

Hat tip to Gun Law News.

Bloomberg At It Again

Having been proven wrong by ATF on the availability of gun trace data, Mayor Bloomberg has come out in favor of another gun control scheme that should not see the light of day. On Monday, Bloomberg joined with New Jersey Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy of Jersey City, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, Mayor Douglas H. Palmer of Trenton, and a mother of a shooting victim, to announce that he plans to push congress to pass Lautenberg's bill to prohibit anyone on the terrorist watch list from purchasing a firearm.

Now we all know how accurate this watch list is. Remember that Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, was blocked from boarding flights because his name triggered a similar name on the government’s no-fly list. And, there are no due process protections when a name ends up on the watch list. But facts have never gotten in the way of Bloomberg in his thirst for publicity. Hopefully, with the departure of Alberto Gonzales, the Justice Department will withdraw its support for the bill. You can read more about Bloomberg's latest pet project here.

It's Official - Mark Warner to Run for U.S. Senate

Former Governor Mark Warner ended all of the speculation and made it official today in a video sent by email to supporters and reporters. According to Tyler Whitney of the Richmond Times Dispatch, Warner enters the race as the favorite as a poll shows him currently trouncing the two Republican candidates who have shown an interest in the race - 11th District Congressman Tom Davis (NRA "D" rating in 2006) and Former Governor Jim Gilmore (NRA "A" rated in 1997 and current NRA Board Member).

What will all of this mean for gun owners in Virginia? Mark Warner entered the Governor's race in 2001 carrying the baggage of statements he made as Chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia in 1993 where he supported a five-day waiting period for the purchase of a firearm (the only platform that then Attorney General Mary Sue Terry ran on in her campaign for Governor). In 1996, in his U.S. Senate campaign against John Warner, he said he supported the Clinton Gun Ban (a.k.a. the Assault Weapons Ban). As a candidate for Governor, he said he would sign a bill banning guns in recreation centers, veto repeal of hand-gun rationing (a.k.a. one handgun-a-month) but other than that would not support additional gun control laws. The NRA basically sat out that election because Mark Earley had voted for one gun-a-month in 1993 as a State Senator and Mark Warner quietly lobbied NRA to remain neutral. In the end, because Mark Warner stumbled over a response to a question in a debate (posed by yours truly) as to whether he thought the NRA had a positive impact in Virginia, NRA-ILA's James J. Baker sent out an eleventh hour letter saying Virginia gun owners should vote for Mark Earley. It proved to be too little too late and Mark Warner won by five points.

As Governor, Warner did not veto any of the pro-gun legislation that made it through the General Assembly. This includes full preemption as well as a partial roll-back of one gun-a-month - Delegate Bill Janis' bill providing that concealed handgun permit holders could by as many handguns in a month as they wanted, that were part of the 17 pro-gun bills that passed in 2004.

In truth, Warner had few hard decisions when it came to gun bills. No gun control bills passed in his four years in office and nothing like a full repeal of one gun-a-month ever passed so we don't know what he would have done. If he is elected to the Senate, it is likely it will be a wash for gun owners as far as his votes because John Warner has voted with us as much as he has voted against us. Mark Warner is no Harry Reid or Bill Richardson on guns. Both Reid and Richardson voted against the assault weapons ban. Warner at best will vote slightly better than John Warner but may vote for some gun control.

2008 is shaping up to be an interesting year.

Roanoke Times on Gun Toting Mascots

The Roanoke Times actually made some common sense points this morning in an editorial urging a local school to return the flintlock pistols to the school's pirate mascot. Buena Vista's Parry McCluer High School has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to guns on campus. That policy became ludicrous when school officials disarmed their mascot in a new logo.

The principal, Haywood Hand, thought the image of the flintlock wielding pirate was in conflict with the school's gun ban. So he ordered the logo redrawn without guns. The Times chastises the school administrators to focus on real things that could make a campus dangerous, not a cartoon pirate.

Virginia's Changing Demographics and Gun Rights

I have written in the past (here and in VSSA's publication - The Bullet) that more liberal minded urbanites and suburbanites moving into rural areas are driving the fight that we have been engaged related to gun ranges. Much of this is liberal anti-gunners escaping the Beltway after retirement but a friend who is a political consultant said this also explains why Henrico County, a western suburban county in the Richmond area, has voted for Democrats two out of the last three statewide elections (with George Allen squeaking out a win in the county over Jim Webb last year). In Henrico, the arrival of the Philip Morris national headquarters brought with it many New York liberals.

Jim Beacon over at Beacon's Rebellion analyzes this in more detail after House Speaker Bill Howell's comments about the states "newest residents" and how they may not embrace the "share values we have in Virginia." Most commentators and Democrat detractors have focused on immigrants (both legal and illegal) in discussing this comment - trying to drive a wedge in this important election year. But Beacon, understanding what Howell was getting at, writes about the massive influx of out-of-staters, mostly northerners, into Virginia and how it is altering the commonwealth's political complexion. This will not only impact who controls the State Capitol but has implications for gun rights as well. It is no secret that as you move north from Virginia, that with the exception of Pennsylvania and Vermont, guns are tightly regulated.

Beacon's comments are worth the read. While he does not talk about guns, gun owners should think about the changes he does mention and what they will do to our issue by extension. I agree that the changing demographics are "something that we have to adjust to." I rework the question Beacon poses by substituting "changing economy" and "economic opportunity" with guns and gun rights to get the following: Will northern-born voters bring the same values and re-create the same kind of political climate that constricted the rights of gun owners in their home states? Are the attitudes of the newcomers toward guns and role of government compatible with Virginia maintaining its gun rights friendly atmosphere? Bottom line: Is Virginia's government destined to look more like New York's and New Jersey's and less like North Carolina's and Georgia's? If so, what will that mean for our firearms freedom?

You can read Beacon's post here.

Virginia Tech Student Questions Panel's Gun Recommendations

A Tech student wrote a letter to the editor of the school newspaper questioning the Virginia Tech Review Panel's, and Governor Tim Kaine's support of, the report's gun recommendations. He called the rush to gun control the "easy way out" for politicians. The student continued that disarming college campuses, or anywhere for that matter, only turns people into targets for a murderer like Cho.

You can read his letter here.

Police Departments May Soon Be Hit With Ammo Shortage

National Public Radio (NPR) reported yesterday that local police departments are being hit by the same problems shooters have seen for sometime now - rising ammo prices and even shortages in some cases. There are several reasons for this - one being the strain that the military action in Iraq and Afghanistan have put on supplies. The other is the fact that the Chinese and India economies are growing and are putting a strain on raw materials like lead and copper which in turn are driving up prices for those materials.

On a personal note, my favorite shotgun shells have almost doubled in price over the last couple years.

According to NPR, over the past month, newspapers across the country have published stories suggesting that police departments could soon be hit by a nationwide ammunition shortage. Ammunition prices have increased along with copper and other commodities. And that, analysts say, has prompted some gun owners to stockpile ammunition.

You can here the NPR report here.

State Senator Ken Cuccinelli Needs Your Help

Pro-Gun Sen. Ken Cuccinelli Needs Your Help! With the November 6 general election rapidly approaching, now is the time when pro-gun candidates need your help with their volunteer activities. Pro-gun stalwart Senator Ken Cuccinelli (R-37th) has a number of volunteer opportunities with which he needs assistance. If you live in western Fairfax County (37th State Senate District) and are able to help out with one or more volunteer activities like delivering yard signs, walking neighborhoods, or volunteering in the campaign office, it would be of great benefit to our mutual cause! For more information about these activities or other opportunities to help, you can contact Sen. Cuccinelli's campaign manager, Mike Joyce, at(804) 536-6067, or via e-mail at mike@cuccinelli.com.

D.C. Appeals Gun Ban Decision to Supreme Court

As expected, Mayor Fenty announced yesterday that the District of Columbia is appealing the D.C. Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals decision throwing out the city's gun ban. In his announcement, made on the steps of the Police HQ, Fenty said "This city does not need more guns."

The gun ban crowd is not exactly happy with this decision as they have been quoted as saying the DC law is not the most defensible. The city outright bans handguns not registered prior to 1976 and only allows rifles and shotguns if they are unloaded and secured with a trigger locked, and stored in a different location than the ammunition - thus making them useless for self-defense.

Some in the gun rights community are equally apprehensive. There are only four sure votes that we believe can be counted on our side on the Court. The swing vote, Anthony Kennedy, could go either way. It also is not a done deal that the court will hear the case. If not, D.C. will have to scrap their law and come up with something else - likely one that bans carrying guns outside the home. In any case, most legal eagles believe the Court if it hears the case will likely make a narrow ruling with little national impact other than to settle the question of whether the 2nd Amendment protects an individual or collective right. We should know by November if the court will hear the case and if they do, expect a ruling likely the last day of the term in June - right smack in the middle of a presidential election.

You can read about the District's decision and any possible national impact by clicking here. I hope to upload a link in the next couple of days to audio of the Independence Institute's Dave Kopel discussing the issue with NRANews' Cam Edwards as heard on the Tuesday night show.

House Majority Leader Griffith Calls Recomendation Irrelevant

One day after the release of the Virginia Tech Review Panel findings, the Roanoke Times reported that House Majority Leader and member of the House Militia, Police, and Public Safety Committee, Morgan Griffith (R-Salem), called the panel's recommendation eliminating the non-existent "gun show loophole" irrelevant. Griffith said the recommendation is irrelevant to the Tech shootings because Cho purchased his handguns from licensed retailers. "I have a hard time connecting the two," Griffith said.

Governor Kaine responded that "Should somebody who's mentally ill and dangerous be able to get a gun or not? And if the answer is they shouldn't be, then let's have rules to protect the public and disable those people from having weapons."

You can read the article here.

Light Posting Result of Vacation

Sorry for the light posting since mid August. I have been on vacation and am trying to catch up on all the stuff that got piled up while I was gone. A lot has happened since my return, especially the report of Governor Tim "million mom march" Kaine's Virginia Tech Review Panel. As expected by some, the panel came out in favor of more gun control - namely closing the non-existent "gun show loophole." Never mind the fact that Cho went through a background check and purchased his guns at a gun store. More on the Panel and VSSA's take tomorrow.

Happy Labor Day.

Welcome to the New VSSA Blog

Welcome to the new Virginia Shooting Sports Association (VSSA) blog. This will be a place to get the latest in news on what is going on in the Virginia General Assembly as well as any attacks on our firearm freedom in Virginia's 133 localities. Over the past year, Virginia gun owners have been subjected to proposals to restrict their ability to discharge a firearm on private property. These attacks have come from rural localities like Lousia and Albemarle that are becoming more suburban as uncontrolled growth continues across the Commonwealth. VSSA has been on the frontlines, working with the NRA, to keep our members and gun owners in general informed about these attacks.

Be sure to visit the VSSA web site at www.myvssa.org for more complete information and if you are not already a member, join thousands of other Virginia gun owners and add your voice to that of our members. We are only as successful as the strength of our membership.