Battle of Bull Run Shoot

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority’s Bull Run Shooting Center will hold a registered shoot on Sunday, October 5th. Details follow.

BATTLE OF BULL RUN
(A NATIONAL SPORTING CLAY ASSOCIATION REGISTERED SHOOT)
SUNDAY OCTOBER 5, 2008
$85 Main Entry fee, $45 Re-entry
$10 Lewis, $10 High Gun in Class
100-birds straight

European Start beginning at 10:00am
Last entry taken at 2:30pm

$20 Per Full Entry Returned to Winners
Masters through E 1st, 2nd, 3rd, - 50%, 30%, 20%
Plaques – Master through E – 1st, 2nd, 3rdPlace

Lunch and target fees included in entry fee

When: October 5th - 10:00 AM
Where: Bull Run Shooting Center, 7700 Bull Run Drive, Centreville , Virginia 20121

Not a tournament shooter yet?? Please come out and shoot for a non-tournament price!!

Attention Shooters:
Get on fhe Bull Run e-mail list and receive advanced notice on tournament dates!
(703) 830-2344 or e-mail: Bull_RunSC@NVRPA.org

Sponsored by the Bull Run Public Shooting Center, 7700 Bull Run Drive, Centreville , Virginia 20121

Before You Hunt - Vote

To help encourage hunters and shooters to vote absentee if they will be traveling on business or in the field on Election Day, NSSF has developed a poster for shooting ranges and retailers that encourages absentee voting. With a simple headline, "Before you hunt -- Vote," the poster is a great reminder that directs the audience to www.nssf.org/VoterEd for access to information about absentee voting in every state. You can help: Download, print and hang the poster prominently at your business to remind your staff and customers.

Delegate Dave Nutter to Host Second Amendment Bar-B-Q

Delegate Dave Nutter and special guest Wayne LaPierre for a barbecue dinner saluting our Second Amendment rights. Don't miss this great opportunity to celebrate the Second Amendment and support one of its most stalwart defenders, Delegate Dave Nutter!

For tickets or to learn about sponsorship opportunities, please contact the Nutter campaign.

When: Thursday, October 2 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Where: The Plantation at Sunnybrook 7342 Plantation Road Roanoke, Virginia

If interested, please RSVP by calling (540) 267-5431. This event is being held by the Friends of Dave Nutter Campaign.

Obama and the NRA Ads

Senator Barack Obama last week sent "cease and desist" letters to television stations running the NRA ads aimed at debunking Obama's stated support for the Second Amendment. Obama for his part told a group in Jefferson County Ohio last week that hunters and sportsmen had did not have to fear him taking their sporting guns. Today, a group of Missouri Democratic prosecutors and sheriffs have formed a "Truth Squad" to "target anyone who lies or runs a misleading TV ad during the presidential campaign."

Today's Richmond Times Dispatch has a great editorial that explains exactly what the NRA Ads Obama seeks to squash seek to point out. The RTD editors write:

The Democrat seems to have undergone a campaign conversion -- he now claims to have "no intention of taking away folks' guns." But he frequently describes restrictions on gun ownership as "common sense," and his statements supporting gun rights often come with a "but." His record suggests a deep and strongly felt antipathy to gun rights. Rare is the anti-gun measure he has voted against.

He also takes pains to avoid saying he would oppose on principle even the most extreme gun-control proposals. Instead, he says they aren't politically viable. A complete ban on handguns? That is "not politically practicable." Take away the family deer rifle? "Even if I wanted to take it away, I couldn't get it done. I don't have the votes in Congress." Licensing all firearms ownership? "I just don't think we can get that done." He has supported licensing all handgun owners, though, and in 2004 Obama backed national legislation forbidding anyone but law-enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms, even with a license.

One has to wonder if Obama's internal polls in swing states show the the NRA ads are having the intended effect.

Hat tip to the Campaign Spot.

Pro-Rights Congressman Virgil Goode Needs Our Help

Congressman Virgil Goode (5th District) is engaged in a tough re-election campaign and needs our help. Congressman Goode has been a longtime friend of Virginia gun owners. As a State Senator, he sponsored legislation that became Virginia's "shall issue" Concealed Handgun statute. If you live in the 5th Congressional District and can volunteer some time, contact Congressman Goode's campaign at:

Goode for Congress
235 South Main Street
Rocky Mount, VA 24151
Phone:(540) 483-9030

Bob Moates Settles with Bloomberg - Gets NYC to Pay for New Security Equipment

The city of New York announced today that it had reached a settlement in its suit against Bob Moates Sports Shop located in Chesterfield County. Richard Gardiner, Moates' Attorney and former VSSA Board Member, said, "Basically, we're pleased with the outcome. We're getting an upgraded surveillance system at the city's expense."

Unlike other dealers that sued by the city that settled, Bob's will not have an "overseer" that looks over his shoulder every time he sells a firearm. Bob's was the last hold out of the 27 gun shops sued by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Congratulations to Richard Gardiner for his excellent representation of Bob Moates and for getting the City of New York to pay for security upgrades for the gun shop.

NRA Ads Hit Obama

The NRA is now running ads in battleground states on cable television stations CMT, CNN, DISC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN News, ESX, FXNC, GOLFm HIST, MIL, NFL, Outdoor Channel, Speed, Spike, TBS, TNT, TWC, and Versus that target hunters and veterans. Both ads point out that Obama is no friend of sportsmen and outdoorsmen. The first ad, titled Hunter, features a Virginian Karl Rusch.



The second ad titled Veteran features Rusch's son, former Marine Staff Sgt. Kurt Rusch, who served in Iraq. The younger Rusch takes Obama to task for a position he took as an Illinois State Senator in 2004 to a bill that offered legal protections to those who use firearms in self-defense.

Virginia and South Carolina Agree to CHP Reciprocity

For Virginia gun owners who like to vacation in South Carolina, the Virginia State Police have acknowledged that Virginia now has full reciprocity with South Carolina. South Carolina has not updated their web site yet so you may want to wait until that has occurred before carrying but the state has acknowledged receipt of the signed agreement from Virginia.

Hat tip to VA-Alert.

Update - 9/25/08 Virginia is now listed on South Carolina's reciprocity web site. Reciprocity is only with Virginia Permit Holders that are Virginia Residents.

Is Obama a Perfect Match

Cute interactive Q & A for gun owners to see if Obama agrees with you - courtesy of the NRA Political Victory Fund.



Hat tip to Sebastian

Does Obama Really Respect The Second Amendment?

Or is he just waiting until he has the votes in congress before doing what he would really like to do with respect to guns? Listen closely to his answer to a question he took at a Duryea, PA, glass factory. After using the same tired code words of "gun safety" to describe ending private sales at gun shows, shutting down gun dealers as he proposed in 2000 and taking a swipe at the NRA, he lets slip what is the only thing that would keep a President Obama from doing what his record clearly shows he would like to do if he could.

Obama Rolls Out "Sportsmen for Obama"

That's right - in Minnesota earlier this week Obama's campaign rolled out a sportsmen network, with a pledge to protect hunters' gun rights, expand and restore habitat for hunting and fishing, and enhance programs that teach youth about outdoors activities.

Obama's campaign is working to repel the NRA push to inform gun owners that Obama is an enemy of the Second Amendment that includes reminding gun owners of the candidate's inartful statement during the primaries about the tendency of small-town Americans to "cling to guns or religion."

Included in Obama's effort are radio ads that Obama is running in several key states, including Virginia, that feature Ray Schoenke, President of the astro-turf gun group American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA). As mentioned in a post yesterday, Schoenke tells listeners that "Barack Obama and John McCain will both make sure we can keep our guns."

Apparently not all gun owners and hunters know Obama's record when it comes to firearms and ammunition. According to an article on Townhall.com, during the roll out of the Obama sportsmen group, a Minnesota hunter said "Tell me where Senator Obama says `I want stricter controls on who can hunt and when' or 'I want to ban shotguns and rifles,'" said Jarve, a member of Obama's Minnesota sportsmen chapter. "Where has he said that? He hasn't."

Well, lets see, Obama voted to:

• allow reckless lawsuits designed to bankrupt the firearms industry to continue;
• voted for an Illinois State Senate bill to ban and confiscate “assault weapons,” but the bill was so poorly crafted, it would have also banned most semi-auto and single and double barrel shotguns commonly used by sportsmen;
• voted to ban almost all rifle ammunition commonly used for hunting and sport shooting;
• endorsed a 500% increase in the federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition;
• supported a proposal to ban gun stores within 5 miles of a school or park, which would eliminate almost every gun store in America;

All of the above would affect the ability of hunters to participate in their sport either directly or indirectly. So, while he may not have come right out and said so, Obama has either proposed or voted for measures that would restrict the availability of firearms and/or ammunition for hunting and sport shooting.

Never mind the fact that the Second Amendment has nothing to do with hunting.

AHSA's Schoenke Shilling for Obama

Well, I figured the astro-turf gun group American Hunters and Shooters Association would be supporting Obama in the general election since they went all out for him in the Pennsylvania Democratic Primary earlier this year. I was in Dallas earlier this week and when I spoke with my wife on the phone Tuesday night, she told me she heard "some football player" talking about guns on an Obama commercial on the local conservative talk radio station (WRVA) in Richmond. The "some football player" is none other than former Redskin player Ray Schoenke. Sure enough, Sebastian over at Snowflakes in Hell had posted on the subject earlier in the day via Ahab.

In the ad, Schoenke says:

"This is Ray Schoenke. I played football with the Washington Redskins. Now I’m president of the American Hunters and Shooters Association. It’s important to me that our next president protects our Second Amendment rights to own guns, and to defend ourselves. Barack Obama and John McCain will both make sure we keep our guns."

I guess Schoenke did not hear Obama say in Pennsylvania that he opposes our right to self defense because he opposes concealed carry. But, this ad is not as much about trying to persuade gun owners that Obama is no threat to gun owners as it is to try and get gun owners to vote for Obama based on other issues (i.e. put us at ease that Obama will not restrict our gun rights so it's okay to think about other issues likes the economy). Schoenke launches an attack on McCain reading straight from Obama's talking points.

The fact is Obama has no interest in protecting our gun rights anymore than Schoenke gives a rats rear end about the rights of hunters and shooters. His group is a front for the Democrats. It was organized and funded by people (including Schoenke) who have a long history of supporting anti-rights groups like the Brady Campaign. Schoenke recently wrote over on the Huffington Post that his is a "typical American family on guns." For those not familiar with it, the Huffington Post is where the loony left meets to spread disinformation on guns and other topics of interest to liberals.

Anyway, Schoenke writes:

"My wife doesn't hunt. She doesn't even like guns. But, she does appreciate my love for hunting and guns - and we share a deep commitment to preserving our
environment. And, I accept that she was a financial supporter of the Brady Campaign. And, I also support her and respect her opinions. On guns, we're like James Carville and Mary Matalin - happily married, on different sides, but still respectful of each others' views. "

What Schoenke does not tell you is that if you go to Opensecrets.org and do a search on Ray Schoenke, you will find that he has given to the Brady Campaign too. In fact, not only has he given to the Brady Campaign but to almost every big name anti-gun candidate and congress critter - including Barbara Boxer, John Kerry, Bob Torricelli, Teddy Kennedy, and Bill Clinton. Do a search on all of the people associated with AHSA and you will find they are a who's who when it comes to gun control.

So, tell your pro-gun friends, if they hear Schoenke on their radio station talking about a "fake to hide the ball," that it's Schoenke and Obama doing the fake - faking support for your gun rights to hide Obama's real record on guns.

Listen to Ray Schoenke Shilling for Obama here.

Hat tip to Sebastian, Ahab, and Cam Edwards.

Culpeper Town Council Defeats Police Chief's Anti- Gun Ordinance

Culpeper Chief of Police Scott Barlow tried to get the Culpeper Town Council to ban all discharge of firearms inside the town's Corporate Limits but was unsuccessful. The council voted Tuesday, September 9th, 6-2 not to change a local gun ordinance that allows people to obtain special permits to discharge guns within the Town Limits. With the vote, residents will still be able to discharge guns for such things as killing garden pests like groundhogs.

The Town Council Public Safety Committee will continue to look at the permit process to ensure that town citizens discharging firearms know how to do so properly and have enough land on which to safely shoot their gun but for now, the law stands.

Pro-gun advocates urged the Council to let state laws regarding wrongful discharge of firearms to address the issue. According to the Culpeper Star Exponent, Vice Mayor Billy Yowell said he said he understood the chief’s safety concerns in more congested areas, but that there had been no problems through the years with the ordinance as written.

Gun owners need to remain vigilant. This is the second time in three years that an anti-gun ordinance has come up in the Culpeper area (the first time was the a proposal by a member of the Board of Supervisors in 2005). If you live in a locality that is proposing an anti-gun ordinance, be sure to contact VSSA so we can lobby the elected officials and urge members in the area to contact their representatives.

Roanoke Times Peddling Tired "Gun Show Loophole" Again

This morning's Roanoke Times is running an editorial titled "Find a way to narrow the gun show loophole." It's a response to a hearing held by the Virginia Crime Commission this past Tuesday. You may recall that before the Senate Courts of Justice Committee spiked Governor Tim Kaine's "gun show loophole" bill for good in January, it referred it to the Virginia Crime Commission for study.

During the hearing, pro-gun legislators made it clear while there is no "loophole" and thus they have no interest in passing a law that closes something that does not exist, the law is unclear on who is a dealer and who is a private seller. Senator Ken Stolle of Virginia Beach suggested that a way to clear this "confusion" would be to set a threshold for the number of guns sold, to determine who escapes federal requirements.

The Times applauded members of the Commission for "not getting bogged down" in the arguments made by both sides of the issue and for considering other options. Then the Times offered their own - something along the lines of everyone entering a gun show would have to show an ID, undergo a background check, then get a credential that allows them to approach any vendor. I don't know about you, but I go to gun shows to look around. I haven't bought a gun at a gun show in years - I have dealers that I have relationships with in my area and those are the folks that I turn to when I want to purchase a firearm.

I will give the Times credit for originality, to an extent. This proposal sounds more like the one several years ago that would have required gun show promoters to register with the government and keep records of everyone who attends a show.

I've said it once and I will say it again - there is no gun show loophole. Studies conducted by the Clinton Justice Department showed that criminals rarely acquire their guns at gun shows. This is just one more attempt to put gun shows out of business. People like me who go to shows simply to browse and not purchase would be deterred by the requirement of having to wait for a background check before entering -thus reducing the profit margin of the promoter and some shows would likely go out of business. But, that is likely what folks like the Roanoke Times wants anyway.

McCain-Palin Pull Large Crowd in Northern Virginia

NRO's Jim Geraghty has a quick post about the event here. Reports put the crowd at 10,000 - 20,000. This may be based on tickets given away to the event but it continues a trend began on August 29th when McCain announced the choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate.

Rally with Pro-Gun Sarah Palin Moved

You have probably heard that pro-gun Alaska Governor and Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin and Presidential Candidate John McCain are coming to Virginia tomorrow for a campaign rally. While McCain is not perfect on our issue, he is head and shoulders above Senator Barrack Obama and the fact that he chose such a pro-gun running mate makes him stronger.

Due to an overwhelming response from Virginia voters, the rally has been moved outdoors to Van Dyke Park, next to Fairfax High School in Fairfax City, Virginia. If you are interested in tickets to this event to have a chance to see this dynamic candidate, you can still obtain tickets online or by visiting one of the Virginia Victory offices today until 9:00 p.m. EDT. Tickets will also be available at Van Dyke Park starting at 7:00am EDT Wednesday morning.

Van Dyke Park is located at: 3730 Old Lee Highway Fairfax, Virginia. Parking is available at Fair City Mall/Turnpike Shopping Center - Intersection of Main Street and Pickett.Shuttles will begin running at 7:45 AM to event site.Doors will open at 8:00 am.

Please see below for ticket locations. Tickets are still available. If you have any questions please email virginia@johnmccain.com or call (703) 297-8900. Tickets can be reserved and printed online.

Click here to RSVP and print your ticket online. If you have a VSSA hat or NRA item, be sure to wear it to show gun owners support for Governor Palin's addition to the McCain ticket.

Rally Ticket Distribution Sites:
Richmond Regional Victory Headquarters2819 N. Parham Road, Suite 210Richmond, VA 23294(804) 248-6981

Virginia Victory 2008 State Headquarters1235 S. Clark Street, First FloorArlington, VA 22202(703) 955-4255

Chesapeake Regional Victory Headquarters124 Battlefield Blvd, SouthChesapeake, VA 23322(757) 482-1111

Fairfax Regional Victory Headquarters4246 Chain Bridge RoadFairfax, VA 22030(703) 766-4467

Fredericksburg Regional Victory Headquarters150 Riverside Parkway, Suite 213Fredericksburg, VA 22406(540) 479-1888

Harrisonburg Regional Victory Headquarters182 Neff Avenue, Suites 13 and 14Harrisonburg, VA 22801(540) 910-2681

Loudoun Regional Victory Headquarters46950 Community Plaza Unit #201ASterling, VA 20164(703) 340-0702

Prince William GOP Headquarters4431 Prince William ParkwayWoodbridge, VA 22192(703) 680-7388

Roanoke Regional Victory Headquarters3904 Franklin Road SW, Suite ERoanoke, VA 24104(540) 725-7445

Virginia Beach Regional Victory Headquarters512 S. Independence Blvd. Suite 200Virginia Beach, VA 23452(757) 305-9174

Yorktown Wittman for Congress Headquarters632 Hampton Hwy.Yorktown, VA 23693(703) 220-4074

Voter Registration Deadline Approaching Fast

Today is September 4 which means gun owners who want to vote in this year's election but are not yet registered to vote (maybe because you have moved in the past year or for other reasons) have only a little over a month left to register. The deadline for voter registration in Virginia is 29 days prior to the Election, which is October 6.

As I have said previously, this election is critical for gun owners and hunters. There are major differences in the positions held by the candidates in the Presidential race.

For example, Senator John McCain stood up against frivilous lawsuits that attempted to blame gun manufacters and gun dealers for the criminal acts of third parties. Senator Obama, by contrast, voted to let antigun politicians like New York City Mayor Bloomberg file ridiculous lawsuits against the industry. Those lawsuits threatened to bankrupt this firearms industry – and deprive hunters and shooters of our Second Amendment rights.

Consider this and you will see just how important it is that gun owners and hunters get involved now: So far in this presidential election, there has been a two-to-one turnout difference between voters supporting anti-gun candidates, versus voters supporting pro-gun candidates. Hunters and shooters are on the wrong side of two-to-one odds.

Regardless of the Heller decision earlier this summer, the threat to our rights hasn't receded. Here in Virginia anti-gunners in county after county are working to restrict your rights. Elections matter. And it's not just a question of who is sitting in the Oval Office. There are also 35 U.S. Senate races this year, and 435 races for the U.S. House of Representatives. Plus there are thousands of races at the state and local level. The balance of power is up for grabs across the country.

Why let someone else decide who's going to make the rules? Virginia gun owners can click here and register to vote. If you are reading this blog and you don't live in Virginia, click here then click on your state, and fill out the simple form. Print it out, sign it, fold, tape and stamp it. Then drop it in the mail. It will take five minutes. Ask your friends, family and fellow gun owners and hunters to do the same. You can't vote if you aren't registered.

Don't Risk Your Rights. Register to Vote Today.

The 2nd Amendment - In the Candidates' Own Words

Here for youself what the Presidential Candidates have to say on the 2nd Amendment.



Obama takes two different stances on the issue within four months.

Hunters Need to Comment Regarding Hunting with Hounds

VSSA posted about the issue of Hunting with Hounds earlier this year. Just like gun owners rights are being threatened by an exploding population that is encroaching on areas that have traditionally been rural, the hunting community is experiencing the same issue. Along with the increased population has come the associated fragmentation of land into smaller and smaller parcels. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF), complaints submitted to VDGIF have increased with each passing year. Because of this, VDGIF established the Stakeholder Advisory Committee for the Hunting with Hounds in Virginia to make recommendations related to the future regulation of hunting with hounds.

The Committee recommendations are now available for public comment until September 12. The document containing all of the Committee’s recommendations can be viewed by clicking here and hard copies can be requested by calling (540) 231-0961. It is critical that the hunting community actively participate in this process in order to ensure a bright future for our hunting heritage. Radical anti-hunting groups like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) actively advocate for an end to all hunting in America but have specifically targeted hunting with hounds over the last many years. HSUS sympathizers have been engaged in the process and hunters in the Commonwealth must counter them.

Comments can be submitted at public meetings scheduled through September 9, but comments made between now and September 12 will be considered. For a schedule of these meetings, click here. Written comments may be emailed to HoundHuntingSAC@vt.edu or sent to:
Hound-Hunting SAC, c/o Sarah Kozlowski, 111 Cheatham Hall, Department of Fisheries & Wildlife, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060-0321