VSSA

At their first debate since Senator Mark Herring won Tuesday's Democratic Primary,  Herring wasted no time in throwing out the ususal talking points of extremist to attack State Senator Mark Obenshain.  The Richmond Times Dispatch reports:
“On a lot of issues, the two of us could not be further apart,” Herring said, attacking his opponent’s past proposal to require women to report miscarriages to police. “Mark Obenshain stands for the prism of radical extremism.”


Herring said in recent weeks, "a lot could be heard about the fiery rhetoric” by E.W. Jackson, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, “But in the state Senate, Obenshain has put this ideology to work.” Obenshain, taken aback by the attack resisted responding in kind:
“I want to make sure we have safe communities, that Virginia continues to be a job creation engine and one of the best places in the country for businesses to strive,” Obenshain said.


“I will fight to make sure that we fight gang violence in communities and schools, and fight human trafficking, which is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world,” he said. Gun control was also discussed in the debate:
Herring called out Obenshain for his opposition to tougher gun control legislation. “We need to do what we can to reduce gun violence in Virginia. We got to get serious about it, the time for action is now,” Herring said, pushing for tougher background checks and the closing of the gun show loophole.


Obenshain countered that imposing further restrictions on law abiding citizens in Virginia is not the solution. “I wouldn’t be able to give my hunting rifle to my son without a background check,” he said. There is a clear choice for gun owners in all three of this year's state wide races.

The Hill reports that the NRA is running ads in Arkansas in response to those by Bloomberg which attack Senator Mark Pryor for helping block legislation aimed at criminalizing private firearm sales.

NRA has taken similar steps to aid Senator Kelly Ayote in New Hampshire.  Pryor however should not take this as an indication that NRA will give him a pass in the 2014 election according to The Hill.

Some thoughts on yesterday's Democrat and Republican Primary.  Two longtime GOP Delegates, Beverly Sherwood, and Joe May, lost.  Some may call them upsets but when you dig a little deeper in to the numbers, there were several problems each of them faced and neither seemed to completely respond.

Let's start with Sherwood, who lost by 78 votes.  This is the first election in which she has run after redistricting.  She acquired new parts in Warren County and she lost those by a total of 94 votes.  Clearly, she should have done more to introduce herself to these new voters.  Bev was a good friend to Virginia's gun owners, chairing the Militia, Police, and Public Safety Committee for a number of years.  Her opponent, Mark Berg has indicated he opposes infringements on our 2nd Amendment Rights.  This should be a wash in terms of our support in  the General Assembly.

Joe May too had new territory in his district as a result of redistricting and he too lost those precincts (in Frederick County) badly.  Delegate May was considered more or a moderate than Delegate Sherwood.  The insurgent nature of their opposition was helped by the fact they both voted for the tax increases in the new transportation bill this last session.  Some will likely say it resulted in their defeat, but three other incumbents who were challenged and won, also voted for the transportation bill, so it it played a roll in May and Sherwood's defeat, it was likely just one of several factors.  May was so so on our issue earning a "C" rating from the NRA in the 2011.  IT is interesting to note that of the two incumbents that lost, Joe may received the second largest number of votes of the incumbents (2200), but lost by the largest margin (15 points).

Both Delegate Todd Gilbert and Bobby Orrock won, Gilbert with 92% of the vote and received the largest number of votes of any of the incumbents (3655).  He also voted against the transportation plan.   Orrock defeated Dustin Price by 13% and received 1366 votes.  Speaker of the House Bill Howell was also challenged but like Gilbert, handily defeated his opponent with 92% of the vote.  Both Orrock and Howell voted for the transportation bill.

The take away from these incumbents is to never be complacent.  Elected officials aways have to be doing outreach for new supporters and new blood in their organizations.  Gilbert clearly did that based on the high number of votes he received.  Orrock may want to make sure he is doing that outreach.  While he won handily, he got half the votes of about a two thirds fewer votes than Gilbert.

As for the Democrats, they had two state wide offices up for primary voters yesterday.  They decided to go with known candidates - State Senator Ralph Northam for Lt. Governor and State Senator Mark Herring for AG.  Northam beat back an Indian-American, Aneesh Chopra, who ran on a strong platform of gun control.  While Northam is no friend to gun owners (he has a "D" rating from the NRA), he was fending off charges of being a shill for the NRA.  When a candidate tells you that his "D" rated opponent is a shill for the NRA, you get the idea just how anti-rights the guy making the charge is.

In the AG's race, State Senator Mark Herring (also an NRA "D" rated candidate) soundly defeated former Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Fairfax.  In choosing the known quantities,  state Democrats opted not to go with the "diverse" ticket many thought they would choose, and chose three white males for statewide office.  Not that that should make a difference but since Democrats are always pointing out how the GOP has no diversity on their national and Virginia statewide tickets, the irony is not lost on this writer.

Virginia gun owners have a clear choice this election.  Do we go with the candidates that have a solid record of supporting our rights (Ken Cuccinelli and Mark Obenshain) and their ticket mate who expresses strong support for our rights (E.W. Jackson) or do we opt for three candidates that for the first time in a number of years do not shy away from telling us just how they want to restrict our rights (McAuliffe, Northam, and Herring).

Now let's get to work and help the guys who stand with us.

Today is Primary Day in Virginia.  Gun owners in the 15th House District should vote for Delegate Todd Gilbert.  In the 54th House District gun owners should vote for Delegate Bobby Orrock.

Democrats running for state wide office are also holding a primary today.  If you live in a district that has both a Republican and a Democrat primary, you can only vote in one.

On a related note, over at Bearing Drift, John Fredericks offers some interesting points on the Lt. Governor's race and the primary between Obama's former technology czar, Aneesh Chopra, and Democrat State Senator Ralph Northam.  Chopra has been running hot and heavy on gun control.  This from today's Virginian Pilot:
In political mail and online, Chopra has highlighted instances when Northam voted for measures he said weaken local gun buyback programs and water down concealed-handgun permit standards, among others. And this from today's Richmond Times Dispatch:
With few visible ideological differences between the candidates, Chopra recently cranked up the heat by going negative, depicting Northam as a shill for the National Rifle Association.

Last year, Northam had voted with the Republican-friendly gun-rights group on legislation to shield from prosecution property owners who shoot and kill nonthreatening intruders.

But last week, Northam underscored his support for legislation that would close the gun show loophole, keep the one-gun per-month limit, and keep guns out of bars. “I received a ‘D’ rating from the NRA by standing up to the gun lobby,” he said. Regarding Frederick's post over at Bearing Drift, the below tidbit from the RTD article mentions something that Frederick mentions - if Northam is elected Lt. Governor in November, he could be responsible for keeping the Senate in GOP hands because his seat would then be open and it is a swing district that Governor Bob McDonnell won by 57 percent in 2009.
Northam — and his Senate-colleague Herring — also may be stonewalled by several Democrats fearing that their Senate seats might fall into Republican hands if they are nominated and win the election. It is possible that this concern will bring several votes for Chopra and Fairfax. No matter who wins, gun owners will have a clear choice in all three state wide races this year, and it won't be the Democrat candidates.

The Richmond Times Dispatch reports today that the Republican Party of Virginia has withdrawn its request for information for the Commonwealth's estimated 270,000 concealed handgun permit (CHP) holders.  According to the RTD, the GOP sited the estimated cost of $120,000 for the information, based on the initial estimated costs they had received from some of the circuit court clerk offices.  This who had responded to the GOP request estimated that pulling the information requested would cost $1000. 
In his letter today, Reedy said many of the clerks provided cost estimates for retrieving and delivering the requested data, and “unfortunately, the average costs for producing these documents based on the information we’ve received so far would be more than $1,000 per office.”

“At an estimated cost of more than $120,000 for mailing addresses along, this method of communication is simply no longer cost effective,” he wrote. “Instead, we will work with other pro-Second Amendment groups to find ways to reach voters with critical information.” It was likely as much a face-saving decision as a financial one however.  A number of people have expressed opposition to the request and believe it to be hypocritical given it was a GOP Senator, Mark Obenshain, who was responsible for making sure the information would become private and no longer accessible in individual clerks offices beginning July 1.

NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News

The Virginia GOP repeated that it was only trying to build information for out reach to voters. They will now have to rely on pro-rights groups to reach out to their members the get the information out. It is suggested that the candidates have a presense at every gun show between now and election day to insure gun owners know that all three of the Democrat candidates have made comments supportive of increased gun control.

Nothing really new here.  For years before the Roanoke Times caused this to be an issue, candidates in Virginia (usually Republicans) would submit a FOIA request to the State Police to get the list of Virginia Concealed Carry Permit (CHP) holders to use for targeted mailings.  It is likely some of the various gun rights groups in Virginia (there are three including VSSA) would do the same thing (I know of at least one group that sent a mailing to me in the name in which my permit is issued, not the name in which I am commonly known). 

Then in 2007, the Roanoke Times, being too cute by half trying to make a point about open government, published the complete list on their web site, thus violating the privacy of over 100,000 Virginians, including some with protective orders or law enforcement, and putting their lives at risk.  After a firestorm of criticism, the paper took down the list.  The Attorney General at the time (Bob McDonnell) issued an opinioin stating that the information could not be released by the state police.  The information however was still available to enterprising individuals upon request at individual circuit court offices, which issue the permits. The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star would publish names of those issued permits but no other information.  Activists have long disapproved of this practice.

This year, after a long battle, the General Assembly passed legislation preventing the information from being released, effective July 1.  Ryan Nobles with NBC 12 reports today that the Republican Party of Virginia has requested by letter, the information for the state's approximate 250,000 CHP holders for use during this year's election. The GOP sent letters to all of the Commonwealth's circuit court offices. Nobles quotes the party spokesman:
"Virginia Republicans have a proud history of defending the Second Amendment, and we are working actively to ensure that voters who are concerned about Second Amendment issues stay informed about Democratic efforts to limit our right to keep and bear arms," said RPV spokesman Garren Shipley. Nobles reports that not everyone is pleased with this and one permit holder her found out has asked a judge to deny the request.  That interview will be featured at 11:00 PM tonight.

In this USA Today article from earlier this week, Camden, New Jersey Police Chief Scott Thomson stated the obvious:
If people want to talk about guns, Thomson pointed out that desperate people on the streets can easily work around the many gun laws in place. The article was a profile of the crime ridden city of Camden, in a state that the Brady Campaign says has the 2nd strictest gun control laws in the country, New Jersey.

NRANews.com host Cam Edwards spoke with J.D. Tuccille of about the article and a related Reason.com blog post.


Hat tip to NRANews.

John Lott has more at: Evidence that the Zero Tolerance approach on guns in schools is actually done to change students' views

Politico has the story here.
“The complexity and frequency of gun-related violence combined with its impact on the health and safety of the nation’s residents make it a topic of considerable public health importance,” said Alan Leshner, chairman of the study committee and chief executive of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

He said the proposed research could lead to policies that will reduce gun violence, similar to other public health successes in “lowering tobacco use, accidental poisoning and motor vehicle fatalities.” Much of the "zero tolerance" nonsense we have seen in the last couple of weeks is nothing more than trying to change the attitude or "brainwash" the public on the issue of firearms, much like Eric Holder suggested in the 90s.  This attempt to politicize research is more of the same.

Beginning July 1, 2013, the VSSA Training Team will offer free NRA certified pistol training to any teacher in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  This training meets all the requirements for a Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) in Virginia.  You can come to the team in Fairfax, or they can set something up with a local range where you are.  All you need is access to a range and a classroom.  Everything else will be provided.  Contact our training team lead, Tom Ciarula at Tom-C@Cox.net to make arrangements.

VSSA is seeking candidates to run for the Board of Directors.  Candidates must be either a VSSA Life Memer or have been a member for five consecutive years.  The nominating committee is seeking candidates who have an interest in various shooting disciplines, but who especially have an interest in continuing a strong state association.  If you are interesed in running for this year's Board elections, pleas contact Joe Primerano at: Joe.Primerano@myvssa.org as soon as possible.  The nominating Committee will be making their recommendations to the membership soon.

The New Republic reported yesterday that the two Democratic candidates for Lt. Governor in Virginia, State Senator Ralph Northam and former Kaine Secretary of Technology and Obama administration official Aneesh Chopra, are trying to out gun control each other.
Both Northam and Chopra say they support universal background checks, along with bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. But such is the perceived demand for gun control among Virginia Democrats that they are now battling on territory even beyond that trinity of measures. Chopra has gone on the offensive, arguing that Northam has been too accommodating of the gun lobby in the past, noting that he had a B rating from the NRA as recently as 2008 and that he sided with the organization in voting for legislation that would require municipalities that hold gun buyback initiatives to sell the guns back to the public, instead of melting them down, and for legislation barring municipalities from fingerprinting concealed-carry applicants. A recent mailing from the Chopra campaign attacked Northam for voting in 2012 to shield from prosecution homeowners who kill nonthreatening intruders: “Laws like these have been used to justify the death of teenager Trayvon Martin, who was shot and killed while walking home,” the mailer declares. The mailer blurs the distinction between the castle doctrine that lies at the heart of the legislation Northam backed, and "stand your ground" laws like the one at issue in the Florida killing of Martin, but the Chopra campaign argues that the principle at stake is the same: giving too much leeway to gun owners to use deadly force when it is not absolutely necessary, without fear of legal repercussion. The New Republic views this as the changing politics of gun control - the fact that Democratic candidates are talking gun control in the state that is home to the NRA, as if this is the first time a Democrat in Virginia has run on gun control.  In 2001, then Delegate Don McEachin ran on the issue of gun control.  In 2010, Representative Gerry Connolly, running for re-election, rolled out gun control at the end of his campaign.  And, as noted by the New Republic, in 2009, then former Delegate Brian Moran (D-Alexandria) went after State Senator Creigh Deeds for being too pro-gun when they were running for the Democratic nomination for Governor.
Chopra and the New Republic are trying to make Northam sound firearm friendly simply because of one vote that he cast.  The fact is neither of these will be good for supporters of the Second Amendment so we need to get behind E.W. Jackson and make sure he has the funding necessary to define himself before his opponents get the chance to define him.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Connecticut Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal said he would push to include amendments designed to curb immigrants’ access to firearms in the amnesty legislation working its way through the U.S. Senate.

Do you live in or near the 15th House of Delegates District and have a couple of hours to spare to help with a volunteer efforts for Todd Gilbert?  NRA-ILA needs help with two lit drops and they want to have a presence at a couple of events this weekend. They also are trying to get people in the district to submit letters to the editor in support of Delegate Gilbert.  If you can lend a hand, please send an email to Susannah Warner at SWarner@nrahq.org. 

The 15th District includes all of Page and Shenandoah Counties and portions of Warren and Rockingham Counties.  If you live in the district, or near the area and can help, please contact Susannah if you can volunteer some time to help Delegate Gilbert.

Delegates Todd Gilbert (R-15th) and Bobby Orrock (R-54th) are engaged in primary nomination elections that will be held on June 11, 2013.  Both deserve re-election and have been endorsed by VSSA.

Delegate Todd Gilbert has been responsible for some of the major firearm law reforms of the past three years.  Having sponsored the repeal of the so-called "restaurant ban," he is responsible for removing the prohibition on carrying concealed firearms in restaurants like Applebee's and Olive Garden.  When Virginia passed the "shall-issue" concealed handgun permit (CHP) reform in 1995, it also prohibited permit holders from carrying in restaurants that serve alcohol in addition to food.  Those carrying openly could carry in those very same restaurants.  This made absolutely no sense.  Many gun owners prefer not to make themselves target number one by carrying openly.  So, their option was to either carry openly even though it was not their preferred method, or leave their self-defense firearm in their vehicle while eating.  Thanks to Delegate Gilbert and his colleagues who voted to repeal this ban, gun owners who carry a self-defense firearm concealed no longer have to be disarmed to eat in their favorite restaurant. Delegate Orrock joined Gilbert in voting for this important legislation.

Gilbert also was a co-sponsor of legislation to repeal Virginia's handgun rationing law known as "one gun-a-month.  Orrock also voted to repeal handgun rationing.

If you live in either of these House of Delegates districts, please contact the campaigns to see how you can help in the closing weeks.  Also, be sure to vote on June 11.

The 15th District includes all of Page and Shenandoah Counties and portions of Warren and Rockingham Counties.  Contact Delegate Gilbert's campaign at http://www.delegatetoddgilbert.com/.

The 54th District encompasses parts of Caroline and Spotsylvania Counties.  Contact Delegate Orrock's campaign at http://bobbyorrock.net/.

Virginia's primary election is Tuesday, June 11, and it is crucial that VSSA members in Virginia's 15th House District get engaged and involved to help re-elect Delegate Todd Gilbert!  The 15h District lies in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley and includes all of Page and Shenandoah Counties, and portions of warren and Rockingham Counties.

Del. Gilbert has been a true friend to Virginia Gun Owners and a strong supporter of our Second Amendment rights in Richmond, and it is critical that you volunteer to help his re-election campaign.
 
On Saturday, June 4th, NRA will hold a free Grassroots Workshop so gun owners can learn what you can do to re-elect Todd Gilbert.  It's totally FREE. Light refreshments will be served beginning at 6:00 p.m., and the Workshop will run from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.  The workshop will be held at Moose Lodge 575, 152 Moose Road, Woodstock, VA, 22664. 

Chris Cillizza suggests that senators who voted against expanded background checks may pay a price in 2014 if the new Washington Post/ABC-News Poll is correct:

The risk may be significant, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Thirty five percent of registered voters say they could not support a candidate who voted against expanding background checks at gun shows and on the Internet — even if they agreed with him or her on other issues. By comparison, 14 percent of voters would rule out a candidate who voted for expanded checks. Take a look at the entire poll.  You will note that it is heavily weighted to Democrats, as most Washington Post Polls are, and Democrats are much more disposed to supporting gun control.  Also, Cillizza acknowleges that the big question is whether those who did respond they are less likely to support a candidate that voted against the expanded background checks will actually vote that way in 2014, noting that gun control continues to poll near the bottom of top issues for voters in

Continuing a trend that was noted late last year by a researcher at Virginia Commonwealth University, while the sale of fireams continues to be brisk and are at all time highs, the Richmond Times Dispatch reports both violent and property crimes fell about 3 percent in Virginia in 2012 compared to 2011.
State police say drug and narcotics offenses rose 9.4 percent and increased for the third straight year. Crimes such as burglaries, larcenies and motor vehicle thefts fell 3.3 percent, while murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assaults dropped by 3 percent. Specifically, there was a 13.2 percent decrease in robberies. Motor vehicle thefts and attempted thefts fell 8 percent. So, it would appear that once again, the gun ban lobby is wrong.  The availability of firearms does not lead to a more dangerous society.

It was expected that the professional pundit class and the left would start to paint Rev. E.W. Jackson, the GOP Lt. Governor Nominee, as too socially conservative and trouble for the GOP.  Yesterday, Stuart Rothenberg applied the "Todd Akin" label to Jackson. This from Rothenberg's Roll Call blog:
Until Saturday night, I had never heard of E.W. Jackson, a Harvard Law School graduate and minister who served three years in the Marine Corps and attended Harvard Divinity School.

I’ve never met the man, but I already know that Republicans in the Commonwealth of Virginia have a problem with their new nominee for lieutenant governor.

The combination of material on Jackson’s own website and the videos of Jackson speaking for himself suggest that Republicans have nominated a no-holds-barred social conservative who seems destined to utter the sort of controversial comments reminiscent of former Missouri Republican Rep. Todd Akin. Rothenberg goes on to say that Jackson is the kind of candidate many Republicans want, to show a no compromise conservative is all that is needed for the party to win at the ballot box.  He goes on to claim that Jackson's website says he has been endorsed by Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. 
As I have noted in recent columns and posts, many Republicans believe their party has been too compromising and needs nominees who are more conservative. Jackson would appear to fill that bill. He is an admirer of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck (both of whom have endorsed him, according to his website), and religious themes are an important part of his agenda. That raised my eyebrows because Limbaugh makes a point of not endorsing candidates.  So I went to Jackson's web site and finally found this:
He is the Founder of Exodus Faith Ministries, a nondenominational Christian church in Chesapeake, Virginia with a satellite in Boston, Massachusetts. On July 4, 2009, he launched S.T.A.N.D. – Staying True to America’s National Destiny (www.standamerica.us), a national organization dedicated to restoring America’s founding values which were informed by the principles found within the Jewish and Christian faiths.

STAND, with Jackson as president, aided the 2012 election effort both in Virginia and nationally. Most recently, he launched “Exodus Now”. The Exodus project is a national effort to encourage Christians and other people of moral values within the black community to leave the current Democratic Party because its current leadership has abandoned the founding principles of this Nation.

Jackson’s Youtube videos in support of that effort were played on Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham and to date have over 1.5 million views online. This is a part of his ongoing project to educate citizens on how the current leadership of the Democratic Party is not representing their values and to break the cycle of electoral dependency on the Democratic Party within the Black community. That is the only reference on the candidate's web site that I can find to Beck and Limbaugh. Playing someone's You Tube videos may be an endorsement of the views in the video(s) but it is hardly an endorsement of one's candidacy.  In fact, no where does the Jackson web site claim such an endorsement.  So, it would appear that Rothenberg not only is trying to taint Jackson with the name of Todd Akin, but is piling on with Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh.

Gun owners need to stand with Jackson now.  The media and the left are going to work hard to define Jackson before he can raise enough money to define himself.  The only way to keep that from happening is to rally to him now.  His is a message of Liberty.

Virginia Republicans nominated their candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General at this past weekend's state convention.  Two of the three (Ken Cuccinelli for Governor and Mark Obenshain for Attorney General) have solid voting records supporting the rights of Virginia gun owners.  The third, Rev. E.W. Jackson, who is running for Lt. Governor, received an "AQ" rating from the NRA prior to the convention and there is no reason to believe he will not stand by his commitment to Liberty.  So let's take a look at the Democrats who will be nominated by primary on June 11, 2013.

Terry McAuliffe, candidate for Governor, is unopposed and the June primary is a mere formality.  He is on record as wanting to reinstate the recently repealed handgun rationing law, banning modern sporting rifles, but tried the typical anti-rights trick of trying to show his pro-rights bona fides by purchasing a very expensive shotgun at Dick's Sporting Goods earlier this year.

The Lt. Governor Candidates are Aneesh Chopra - Former U.S. Chief Technology Officer under President Obama.  Chopra is very out front with what he wants to do to the rights of Virginia's gun owners if he is elected:

• Universal background checks. Closing the gun show loophole and keeping weapons out of the hands of dangerous people.
• Banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines. This will help keep military-style weapons off our streets.

The other candidate for Lt. Governor is State Senator Ralph Northam.  Northam earned a "D" rating from the NRA the last time he ran for re-election.  During his time in the Senate he has opposed repealing handgun rationing, and repealing the restaurant ban.

For Attorney General, we have Sen. Mark R. Herring, and Justin Fairfax a former Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Fairfax was kind enough to provide a You Tube video of him talking about is gun ban agenda.

Here's a newsflash Mr. Fairfax, none of the things you mentioned in that video would have stopped the shootings you listed.

Then there is Senator Mark Herring.  He received a "D" rating from the NRA in 2011.  Besides voting against repealing handgun rationing and repeal of the restaurant ban, he also voted against keeping personal information of Concealed Handgun Permit holders private.

So, it is very clear which candidates for statewide office this year support your right to keep and bear arms, and it is not the Democrat candidates.