Election 2025: Californication of Virginia is on the Ballot

The last time the Democrats gained complete control of Virginia government, the Commonwealth took a sharp turn toward policies already in place in California.  Even when they did not have complete control last year and this year, they introduced legislation, especially gun legislation, that gave a glimpse of what they will do if they get full control again by way of the 2025 statewide and General Assembly election.  Look at what is happening now in Los Angeles and you see what years of lax enforcement of criminal laws and sanctuary city legislation will do to a state.  As radio host Erick Erickson said yesterday"

What’s going on in Los Angeles is what happens when progressive governance collides with reality. The city is overrun with violent protests, organized theft, homelessness, and gang activity. Years of lax enforcement, defunding the police, and permissive prosecution have created a powder keg—and now the federal government has to step in.

If gun owners don't take action this year, and make sure that we elect either a pro-rights majority in the House of Delegates, or at defeat Abigail Spanberger's run for governor Virginia will continue the lurch toward Californication that began in 2020.  And if you need a reminder of what gun restrictions will become law, take a look at this list:

• Age restrictions for certain firearm transfers.
• Restrictions on young adults between 18 and 21 from being able to purchase certain semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns.
• Bans on the centuries-old practice of individuals building lawful firearms for personal use without government interference by prohibiting the manufacture of firearms without serial numbers. Transfer and possession of an unserialized or plastic firearm would be prohibited. This legislation would also penalize individuals who lawfully purchased unfinished frames and receivers before the bill’s effective date.
• Mandatory, five-day waiting period before a law-abiding citizen may take possession of a legally purchased firearm.
• Expansion of "gun-free" zones  where law-abiding persons would be prohibited from lawfully carrying. 
• Mandatory firearm storage laws. 
• Allowing frivolous lawsuits against the firearms industry by eroding the protections afforded to them via federal law. 
• Expansion of prohibiting categories for certain misdemeanor crimes.
• Bans on certain semi-automatic firearms including many semi-automatic rifles, pistols and shotguns and arbitrarily limits on magazine capacities. 
• Ending concealed handgun recognition and reciprocity agreements. 
• Prohiting people from storing, placing, or leaving a handgun in their parked vehicle. 

That's a long list but it is a list of bills that passed over the last two years, and vetoed by Governor Youngkin. Gun owners need to get involved not. Contact Andrew Brown with NRA-ILA to see what you can do to get involved in this year's election.

What the 9-0 SCOTUS Decision in S&W v. Mexico Means for Assault Weapons Bans

Last week, gun owners had a mixed week at the U.S. Supreme Court with the court denying cert in Snope vs Brown, the Maryland "assault weapons" ban case as well as Ocean State Tactical vs. Rhode Island, a challenge to the state's standard capacity magazine ban, but issuing a unanimous decision shooting down Mexico's lawsuit against U.S. firearms manufacturers. Mark Smith, a constitutional attorney who hosts the 4 Boxes Diner Podcast on YouTube Tube broke down the decision and the implications it has for a positive ruling in the future related to so called assault weapons bans. Smith notes that this opinion was written by one of the most liberal justices on the Court so it is a big deal that it ws unanimous and there is some nuggets that are good for gun owners looking for a positive ruling on so called "assault weapons".

Merging ATF with DEA is a Really Bad Idea

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shotguns for Self Defense

On Sunday's Gun Talk Radio, host Tom Gresham spoke with Ken Campbell from Gunsite Academy.  Ken detailed what makes shotguns so effective and how to use them.

The New Marlin Model 95 Dark Series

When Remington purchased Marlin in 2007, the quality of the Marlin brand suffered greatly.  When Remington filed for bankruptcy and went out of business in 2020, Ruger purchased the Marlin brand.  Ruger has slowly been rolling out Marlin firearms and the quality has really taken a step up toward what Marlin was producing before it went out of business.  In this video, Greg Kinman, known online as Hickok45, reviewed the new "tactical" Marlin Model 95 Dark Series in .45-70.

Democrat AG Candidate Ad Touts How She Took on the NRA

Henrico Commonwealth Attorney and Democrat Candidate for Attorney General Shannon Taylor has launched her first primary ad touting how she will take on President Trump and Elon Musk, and how she has taken on the NRA as Commonwealth Attorney.  She is running against Jay Jones for the Democratic nomination for attorney general.  We can expect to hear some of her themes from Gubanatorial Candidate Abigail Spanberger in the general election. It is clear from this ad that gun owners will also be in the sites of Taylor if she becomes Attorney General. 

  The ad will be running in Richmond, Roanoke and Charlottesville media markets.