Gun Ban Advocates Protest Roanoke Gun Show

This past weekend, gun ban advocates protested outside a Roanoke gun show, calling for "universal background checks" and other "better laws," in the wake of the killing of two journalists last week.  WDBJ talked to the show promoter and at the end of the report noted that gun owners they spoke with believe lawmakers need to start with mental health laws.  Its not clear however how even that would have prevented the tragedy that occurred last week as there is no evidence that the shooter had been treated or referred for mental health issues.

Less than .5% of 2014 Gun Show Background Checks in Virginia Were Denied

The Richmond Times Dispatch has the story here. And, you'll see a new "loophole" designated in the story - the "private-sale loophole."

“Unless the private-sale loophole is entirely closed, requiring background checks at gun shows alone may do little to curb people who are legally prohibited from buying or possessing a firearm from buying one from a private seller,” said Baker, who in September published an article titled “Reducing Gun Crime in Virginia: Trends and the Need for Clear Thinking in Public Policy” in The Virginia News Letter, a Weldon Cooper Center publication on public policy issues.

“I don’t think making background checks limited only to sales that take place in public venues like gun shows and stores is going to stop the type of sales that lead to criminals buying guns,” said Baker, who supports the Second Amendment right to own a firearm but favors reasonable restrictions in obtaining guns, including universal background checks. “To have real teeth and dissuade people from selling guns to criminals, all firearm sales should require a background check.”

“Doing that would place the burden not only on criminals to not pursue firearms but also on people looking to sell guns, too,” Baker added. “This has the potential to limit the available markets in which those legally prohibited from buying firearms are able to do so. Governor McAuliffe’s current proposal only partially gets at one of those markets."

You may recognize the source of that quote - it's criminologist Thomas R. Baker, an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs who has analyzed crime and firearm sales data in Virginia from 2006 to 2012 and found even though firearms sales increased 101% during that period, crime declined 28%.

The take away from the article is the total number of background checks at gun shows in 2014 were 33,484 and only 169 (.5%) were denied.  Of those that were denied, 59 were charged, an even smaller .18% of the total background checks run.  That means that 110 people that were originally denied were likely false positives.  We don't know because that was either not pursued by Baker in his study or not useful information to advance the narrative that we need so-called "universal" background checks to keep criminals from getting firearms.  It seems to me that what we are left with is rather than gun shows being the "Arms Bazaars" that we are constantly told they are, it confirms what the National Institute for Justice told us back in 1998, that very few criminals try and buy firearms at gun shows.

Virginia Gun Collectors Association Show November 8-9

The Virginia Gun Collectors Association will hold their next show at the Prince William County Fairgrounds November 8-9, 2014.  Saturday hours: 9am - 5pm Sunday hours: 9am - 4pm.  Admission is $7.00 per day or $10.00 for a weekend pass.  

The Virginia Gun Collectors Association is focused on firearms and firearm related equipment at their shows. They maintain a no junk policy and a positive collectors atmosphere. What you will find at the show are knowledgeable vendors with quality firearms, as well as ammunition and shooting supplies. The VGCA provides a firearms evaluation table where experienced collectors will provide you with an estimate on your firearm's value and help you learn about your current collection pieces.

Sales tables cost $65.00 each and Display tables are FREE. No sales may be conducted from Display tables. If you have any special needs, questions about available tables or show rules, please contact Rick Nahas, Show Administrator, at 571-215-8761 or via email at jet53sw@aol.com. 

There is ample free parking, and food service for breakfast and lunch is available. There are local motels in Manassas for those who are visiting from out of town.  You do not need to be a member of VGCA to reserve a table at the show. If you are interested in reserving one or more tables, please return a completed table application along with a check for the proper amount made out to V.G.C.A. You may request tables to be held for you over the phone but reservations cannot be confirmed until VGCA receives your signed application and check.

 

 

Cat Fight Between Gun Ban Lobby Groups

It was bound to happen.  Mayor's Against Illegal Guns has become the bully on the block over the last several years because it has had the money, and at times the savvy, to at least make themselves look successful.  At least one gun ban group that has been around longer, and been less successful when it comes to having funding to do what they wanted to do, is starting to get a little jealous.  We now have dueling notices to supporters between MAIG and Brady on the noise from the gun ban lobby related to Facebook/Instagram firearm posts.  Bitter has the story over on Shall Not Be Questioned:

Moms Demand Illegal Mayors, or whatever the two merged groups are called these days, are declaring total victory in the Facebook/Instagram policy statement that any reported post featuring an offer to sell any regulated product privately will generate a reminder to sellers that they shouldn’t violate the law. But the Brady Campaign swiftly sent out a letter to their supporters highlighting that the anti-gun groups didn’t get anything they demanded at all, and this is not in any way a victory. The thing is, the Brady Campaign is right on this, at least coming from a gun banner’s perspective.

So desperate to claim victory is MAIG and their satelite orgainzations, that they take a notice that those posting items for sale (in this case firearms) on Facebook/Instagram should not violate the law, as a smack down to gun owners.  As Bitter points out, in this case, Brady is right.

Less Than 1% of Gun Show Firearms Transactions Attempted By Prohibited Persons

The Roanoke Times reports what pro-rights activists have been saying all along, few criminals attempt to purchase firearms at gun shows.

The number of people charged this year represents only 0.15 percent of the 24,870 firearms transactions at 36 gun shows through June 30.

The gun ban lobby tried to spin this in their favor.  Andrew Goddard. President of the Virginia Center for Public Safety was quoted in the article:

Goddard said “we can only guess” the number of prohibited gun buyers who are aware of their status and buy from unlicensed sellers at gun shows.

Spin as they might, the fact is, gun shows are not bazaars for criminals, as the gun ban lobby would like us to think.

Marsh Gun Show Bill Dies, For Now

SB1001, Senator Henry Marsh's annual bill to require background checks on private sales at gun shows went down to defeat today but not before there was some last minute attempts to save it from certain defeat.  Last Friday, a scheme was hatched to prohibit private sales at gun shows.  The only way a private seller could transfer a firearm at a gun show was if it was consigned to an FFL.  For all intent and purposes, it banned private sales.  That version was passed and rereferred to Senate Finance but about an hour later, Senator Bill Stanley who had abandoned his pro-rights position and voted for the substitute, had second thoughts.  He asked that the committee convene on the Senate floor and the bill was recommitted to Senate Courts of Justice.

VSSA's lobbyist reported that Stanley was still trying to work out a compromise today, this time to have a private seller kiosk at gun shows where background checks could be conducted. This AP story confirms that report and gives more detail that our lobbyist could pass along in a quick email.

Stanley said the compromise that he and others will be working on in the coming year would require gun show promoters to create a kiosk where buyers could voluntarily submit to a background check to purchase from individuals who want to sell only to customers who are legally entitled to own a gun. Details, including how the kiosk would be staffed, have yet to be determined.

Not sure that voluntary background checks are going to satisfy the antis.  It is clear that people like Richmond Senator Don McEachin want a ban on all private sales.

Senator William Stanley Abandoned Gun Owners on Gun Show Vote

As detailed in VSSA's legislative update emailed out earlier today the busy morning in Senate Courts of Justice defeated most all of the anti-rights legislation except one - the so-called "gun show loophole" bill.  Two bills were combined into one and then anti-rights Senator Donald McEachin offered an amendment in the nature of a substitute to require private sellers to consign their firearms to an FFL in order to sell them at a gun.  This is burdensome not only to the private seller, but also to FFLs, who are (rightly) more concerned with their own livelihood than trying to sell someone else firearm.

This would not have happened if Delegate William Stanley from southwest Virginia had not abandoned gun owners.  It was expected that committee chairman Thomas Norment would vote for the bill because he has done so in the past.  But if Stanley had not voted for the bill, it would have died 7-7. Even after casting the vote, the Times Dispatch reported that he was already back peddling.

Even Stanley, a conservative Republican from Southwest Virginia, backpedalled somewhat after the vote, saying the bill needs work and he needs to see it in its final version before deciding whether to continue to support it.

“The concept I support,” he said, noting that the legislation would not restrict the private sales of guns outside of gun shows. He called it “a work in progress.”

The bill now goes to Senate Finance to determine if it has a fiscal impact.  If it clears the finance committee, it will head to the floor where the vote will be close.  Please contact Senator Stanley and politely but firmly let him know how disappointed you are with his vote and to urge him to vote no on SB1001 if he is has the opportunity to vote on the bill again.

Three Judge Panel of 9th Circuit Rules against Nordykes in California Gun Show Case

Gun show promoters Russell and Sallie Nordyke brought a lawsuit after Alameda County officials passed an ordinance in 1999 prohibiting firearms and ammunition from public property, including the county fairgrounds where the couple had run their show for years.  But the LA Times is reporting that the three judge panel ruled yesterday that local governments have a legitimate purpose in keeping guns out of public places.  The case has been ongoing for the last twelve years.

The case isn't over," said the Nordykes' attorney, Donald Kilmer. "I'm still talking with my clients, but it's just a question of whether we go up to an en banc rehearing or to the Supreme Court or back to the district court."

According to one of the justices, the Alameda ordinance didn't prohibit gun shows "but merely declined to host them on government premises."

NRA-ILA Looking for Volunteers to Help with Nation's Gun Show

NRA-ILA is looking for volunteers to help with the NRA-ILA booth at The Nation’s Gun Show in Chantilly, VA April 16-17 (Saturday & Sunday). Volunteer shifts are usually morning or afternoon, but any amount of time you can give would be most appreciated.

Volunteers will get into the show for FREE and be able to see hundreds of tables!!!

If you are interested in assisting, click this link and enter you name and contact information as well as the times you are available and it will be forwarded to NRA-ILA.

New Mayors Poll of Virginians on Guns Flawed

The Richmond Times Dispatch is reporting today that Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) released a poll of Virginians that says a large majority support stiffer gun regulations.

•84 percent of Virginians support requiring gun dealers to notify police when someone fails a background check.
•88 percent of Virginians support a law to require background checks for all guns sold at gun shows.
•85 percent of Virginians support tracking the bulk purchase of semi-automatic assault rifles.

First, most everyone knows you can get the outcome you want from any poll simply by the way the question is asked.  Add to that the fact that the poll was conducted by Democratic polling firm Hart Research, and one can quickly determine that the questions are most likely more favorable to an anti-rights perspective.  In addition, the regions of the state where the respondants live are not identified in the polling data provided by MAIG.  So, if the respondants were slanted toward urban areas or Northern Virginia, one would expect responses more favorable to gun control.

The MAIG Poll asked  questions for everyone, then had specific questions of people surveyed in certain states, including Virginia.

While the MAIG press release noted that there was some support for stricter gun laws in Virginia regarding the sale of firearms, when you look at the results of the poll, there was actually a larger percentage of Virginia respondants (46%) that said they should stay the same than thought they should be stricter (42%).

On the Federal legislative front, New York U.S. Senator Charles "Chucky" Schumer used the occasion of the poll results release to introduce the "Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011."  The legislation would require federal agencies disseminate records on people who are prohibited from purchasing firearms, such as felons, drug abusers and the mentally ill. It also would require background check on private sale of firearms.

In the lead of to the 2012 election, the gun ban lobby is doing everything they can to get President Obama to take a more prominent role in pushing their agenda.  The fact that Chucky Schumer is now introducing legislation in the U.S. Senate, it appears that the leadership of the Democratic Party is ready to once again step into the issue and push the agenda too.

I will be discussing the poll on today's NRANews' Daily News at 5:00 PM.

Correction: The documents provided by MAIG regarding the Poll shows support for stricter regulation of firearm sales to be 55%-35% in Virginia but does not indicate if that is among all respondants or just among the non-gun owning households.  The numbers referenced in the above paragraph refer to the rate of support among gun owning households, which they provided as a separate category to show that "Even in gun households, there is some support for stricter gun laws."

Anti-gunners Holding Forum on Gun Shows

On Wednesday, July 14, at 2:00 PM, Congressman Robert “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), Congressman Mike Castle (R-DE), Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) and Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL) will be hosting a forum on H.R. 2324, the "Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2009." The gun ban lobby, led by the Virginia Center for Public Safety and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, is promoting this forum as open to the public. That means we need to have a good show of pro-gun folks in attendance to counter the antis that are certain to attend.

The usual suspects will be in attendance and scheduled to speak:

• Mayor Larry Gilbert, Lewiston, Maine
• Kenneth E. Barnes, Sr., MS, Founder/CEO ROOT (Reaching Out to Others Together), Inc.
• Colonel Gerald Massengill, (Former Superintendent VA State Police, Chair of the Virginia Tech Review Panel, Sutherland, VA.
• Michael J. Carroll, President, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Alexandria, VA
• Daniel Webster, ScD, MPH, Professor and Co-Director, Center for Gun Policy and Research at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore MD
• Tom Mauser, father of Daniel Mauser who was killed at the Columbine School shooting, Littleton, CO
• Gerry Nunziato, Youngstown, OH
• Colin Goddard, survivor of the Virginia Tech shootings, Richmond, VA

VSSA has a large number of members in the northern Virginia area so if you can be in Washington on Wednesday, your attendance would be appreciated.

What: Anti-gun Forum Attacking Gun Shows
Where: 2141 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC
When: June 14, 2010, 2:00PM

NRA-ILA Needs Volunteers for This Weekend's Nation's Gun Show

NRA-ILA is looking for some volunteers to help man their legislative table at the Nation's Gun Show on Saturday April 24th. If any of you are able to help out, please let contact the NRA-ILA Grassroots division at 1-800-392-8683. You will receive free admission to the Gun Show and NRA is looking for volunteers to help from 9AM-1pm and from 1pm-5pm.

Brady's No Win Situation in Virginia

Shortly after the NRA endorsed Bob McDonnell for Governor in Virginia, the Brady Campaign via Paul Helmke said this:

Creigh Deeds agrees with the families of the victims of Virginia Tech that the most dangerous people, prohibited by law from purchasing guns from federally licensed gun dealers, shouldn't be able to get around those laws by buying them from non-licensed gun sellers at weapons bazaars. Bob McDonnell, who now refuses to acknowledge that this gaping loophole in Virginia gun laws even exists, appears eager to do whatever the gun lobby wants him to. That's playing politics with public safety, and the voters should judge the candidates accordingly.

Now, let me get this straight, Deeds only parts company with pro-rights voters on the issue of gun shows but has said he would sign a repeal of handgun rationing (one gun-a-month), as well as repeal of the restaurant ban. Even on the gun show issue, Deeds tried to find a way to make both parties happy (never a good thing because you only succeed in ticking off everyone) by offering to exempt those with Concealed Handgun Permits (CHPs) from undergoing background checks to complete a private sale at a show. And Brady felt the need to issue a statement on the NRA's endorsement? It must really blow to be part of the gun control lobby these days.

Hillsville Gun Show a Success Again

It's a part of the Labor Day weekend every year. Hundreds of thousands of people stroll along the streets of Hillsville, enjoying good deals, friendly conversation, and the aroma of the many food vendors present at the show.

The tiny town located in Carroll County in southwest Virginia has played host to the Gun Show and Flea Market for over forty years - since 1967, when some local men set out to host a small gun show that would attract the community. With the sponsorship of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1115, that first show was an immediate success.

The Virginia Tech Collegiate Times reports that in recent years, the VFW and the town have expected more than 500,000 visitors.

"There was a lot to do," said Smoot. "It was very scenic." The VFW Gun Show and Flea Market is a unique experience that highlights the culture of Southwest Virginia in an enjoyable, enticing way. Spending Labor Day among friendly vendors and delicious food is an experience that should not be missed.

As Ted Nugent says. "You can't do this in France."

NY Times Laments "American Way"

In this morning's New York Times, Op-Ed columnist Bob Herbert laments what he calls the "American Way" - multiple deaths caused by the evil firearm. Herbert recounts the shootings in recent weeks - shootings carried out by very troubled people for a variety of reasons from the economy to people making fun of the way the shooter (an immigrant) talked.

I wish just once one of these guys would write to complain about the lenient sentencing in cities with major crime problems as the reason they experience so much crime.

Herbert then goes on to blame the NRA and what he terms "so-called conservative" legislators whose "goal is to get ever more guns into the hands of ever more people." He even calls out Texas for considering a bill to allow concealed guns on college campuses.

This is just one more example in the last week of the media trying to do what the Obama Administration up until now has been avoiding - using high profile crimes to push their agenda to restrict the rights of law abiding gun owners.

From the Katie Couric interview of Attorney General Eric Holder, the Diane Sawyer 20/20 hit piece on gun shows and concealed carry, to the 60 Minutes piece on the increase in gun sales and gun shows, all of this is to try and paint guns and gun shows (though the 6o Minutes piece to a lessor extent) in the worst possible light in order to try and get the public to clamour for more gun control.

Problem is, according to the Gallup Poll, support for gun control is at an all-time low. But we need to remain vigilant. Remember, Senator Diane Feinstein didn't say she was giving up on banning semi-automatic firearms - just that she was going to do it when she thinks the time is right.

Bloomberg Funded Group Attacks Bob McDonnell

Americans United for Safe Streets, a group funded by anti-rights New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a press conference in Northern Virginia this morning to unveil what they said was a new ad to push for background checks on private sales at guns shows. Even press reports billed the press conference as a campaign to close the so-called "gun show loophole." But as you see from the ad below, it is actually an ad targeting Republican candidate for Governor, former Attorney General Bob McDonnell, because he supports the right of private gun owners to sell one or more of their firearms to other private citizens.

It's no surprise that Bloomberg would go after McDonnell. Two years ago McDonnell's office supported legislation that put an end to Bloomberg's gun dealer entrapment scheme.




Using the same tired rhetoric, the ad claims the McDonnell is "protecting criminals instead of protecting us." I guess facts mean about as much to Bloomberg as they do to Tim Kaine. The fact is a Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) report on “Firearms Use by Offenders” found that fewer than 1% of U.S. “crime guns” came from gun shows, with repeat offenders even less likely than first-timers to buy guns from any retail source.

Update: Here's what Bloomberg and Americans United for Safe Streets (AUSS) did not tell you about Bob McDonnell:

1. In the weeks that followed the Virginia Tech shootings, McDonnell worked with Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), to block gun sales to people involuntarily committed to inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment.

2. McDonnell supports background checks for all sales at gun shows made by licensed gun dealers.

3. It is a Class 6 felony in Virginia to sell a firearm to a criminal or anyone else who cannot legally own a gun, including those with mental deficiencies, and McDonnell believes we must do more to enforce this strong law which is already on the books.

Gun Show Loophole Bill Set for Monday

The Senate Courts of Justice Committee will take up SB 1257 - the so-called "Gun Show Loophole" bill on Monday, January 26. The Committee meets at 9:00 AM. Contact the following members of the committee immediately and urge them to oppose this bill. Email may be the fastest method but a phone call on Monday morning before 8:30AM would be good too.

State Senator Creigh Deeds (D-25)
(804) 698-7525
district25@sov.state.va.us

State Senator John Edwards (D-21)
(804) 698-7521
mailto:698-7521district21@sov.state.va.us

State Senator Roscoe Reynolds (D-20)
(804) 698-7520
mailto:698-7520district20@sov.state.va.us

State Senator Thomas Norment (R-3)
(804) 698-7503
district03@sov.state.va.us

State Senator Frederick Quayle (R-13)
(804) 698-7513
district13@sov.state.va.us

State Senator Kenneth Stolle (R-8)
(804) 698-7508
vasenate08@kenstolle.com

State Senator Robert Hurt (R-19)
(804) 698-7519
district19@senate.virginia.gov

State Senator Ryan McDougle(R-4)
(804) 698-7504
district04@senate.virginia.gov

State Senator Mark D. Obenshain(R-26)
(804) 698-7526
district26@senate.virginia.gov

Prince William Gun Range, Gun Sales and Gun Shows

I had the opportunity to speak with Cam Edwards on NRA News Wednesday night on several issues of interest to gun owners in Virginia.

Proof That Legislation Never Really Dies

The Virginia General Assembly is known for more resurrections than the Bible and yesterday almost saw another bill come back to life. Those who watch the General Assembly know that any bill can be reconsidered once before it is finally dead. The Richmond Times Dispatch reported this morning that is what almost happened yesterday with Senator Marsh's "gun show loophole" bill. Senator John Edwards, who voted to kill the bill in Senate Courts of Justice last week, tried to have the bill reconsidered so it could be amended to provide that gun show promoters could make background checks available for private sales for a reasonable fee. Edwards viewed this as a compromise saying that both sides have been using this as a political football and he said he was only trying to look at it rationally and find a middle way.

Virginia gun owners need to stay vigilant as this maneuver could occur with any bill that has been voted down.

Senate Courts of Justice Committee Defeats Gun Show Bill

In a vote that is a major loss for anti-gun Governor Tim Kaine (D), the Senate Courts of Justice Committee rejected SB 109 - a bill that would have required more background checks on private sales at Virginia gun shows. While the General Assembly LIS is only reporting the vote on refering the bill to the Crime Commission, the vote prior to the one referring it to the Crime Commissin fell mostly along party lines. Two pro-gun rural Democratic Senators (Edwards and Reynods) partnered with Republicans to reject the bill. Democratic Senator Creigh Deeds, who usually votes pro-gun sided with the gun ban crowd. It has now been sent to the State Crime Commission for more study, which kills the issue for this year.

Please be sure to contact the following members who voted against SB109 and thank them for protecting our Second Amendment rights.

Senator Kenneth W. Stolle (R-8)(804) 698-7508 district08@sov.state.va.us
Senator Frederick M. Quayle (R-13)(804) 698-7513 district13@sov.state.va.us
Senator Thomas K. Norment, Jr. (R-3)(804) 698-7503 district03@sov.state.va.us
Senator John S. Edwards (D-21)(804) 698-7521 district21@sov.state.va.us
Senator W. Roscoe Reynolds (D-20)(804) 698-7520 district20@sov.state.va.us
Senator Ken T. Cuccinelli (R-37)(804) 698-7537 district37@sov.state.va.us
Senator Mark D. Obenshain (R-26)(804) 698-7526 district26@sov.state.va.us
Senator Ryan T. McDougle (R-4)(804) 698-7504 district04@sov.state.va.us
Senator Robert Hurt (R-19)(804) 698-7519 district19@sov.state.va.us

Click Here to hear the WRVA radio report on the vote.