Wytheville Woman Sues town, County Over Husband's Shooting

The Roanoke Times story can be found here. Basically, it appears from the article that the women and her husband had been promised that the killer, Douglas Albert Jaccard, would not be released on bond after having been arrested on indecent liberties charges. The suit claims that the intake magistrate noted Jaccard was:

angry and paranoid and likely to attempt to obstruct justice or threaten, injure or intimidate a witness, juror or victim.

It appears the magistrate presumed correctly. Joseph Bane, and Jerry Covey were shot by Jaccard, a neighbor on Dyer Road in the Barren Springs community in Wythe County in 2008, two days before he was scheduled for a hearing on the indecent liberties charges. After he shot Bane and Covey, Jaccard burned down the Banes' house. During the manhunt, he shot at deputies.

Jaccard was originally held without bond based on the magistrate's note but later, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Frank Slavin, who is named in the lawsuit, agreed to a $10,000 bond in August of 2008. Banes' widow claims they were not notified and that the Commomwealth's Attorney's office did not take proper precautions or impose sufficient conditions when granting the bond.

This is a sad story that is repeated far to often in large cities around the country. A repeat offender is given bond, or worse, given light sentences only to create more mayhem. It is not a story you hear as often in small towns in rural America like Wytheville or Wythe County.

Jaccard was sentenced to in March to five life terms and 48 years in prison -- one life term each for first-degree murder, burglary, arson and two counts of attempted capital murder; 20 years for malicious wounding; three years for each of four counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony; five years for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon; five years for possessing explosive materials as a convicted felon; and three years each for two counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor for propositioning a teenage boy.

McDonald vs Chicago - The Day After

A review of the commentary by some of the most ardent supporters of liberty and the Constitution yesterday revealed this - a deep concern that only five of the nine justices - the slimmest of majorities - sided with liberty. They believe while gun owners had much to celebrate, there was also much with which to be concerned. Take this from Rush Limbaugh:

"Supreme Court justices vote on the Constitution, they determine whether something is constitutional or not. They voted on the Second Amendment today, and it squeaked by 5-4, after having been ratified centuries ago. I can think of no more powerful way to put this."

Sean Hannity said much the same thing in opening his program. Mark Levin referenced the decision in the opening hour of his program, and noted, as did Rush, that Justice Thomas' opinion held more closely to the original intent of the founders than the opinion authored by Justice Alito. Levin's comments were similar to George Mason University Professor Nelson Lund, who wrote on Scotusblog:

The most interesting aspect of the decision is Justice Thomas’ concurrence, which rejects the plurality’s reliance on the judicial fiction of substantive due process. Thomas relies instead on the original meaning of the Privileges or Immunities Clause. His opinion is scholarly and judicious, and it cements his standing as the only Justice who is more than a half-hearted originalist. Thomas confines himself to the issue presented, which involves only the right to keep and bear arms, and explains why stare decisis should not foreclose an originalist approach in this case. With appropriate judicial restraint, he declines to decide in advance exactly what implications his analysis may carry with respect to substantive due process precedents involving other provisions of
the Bill of Rights.

Thomas' concurring opinion in McDonald coincided with an LA Times Op/Ed on Thomas that appeared in Sunday's edition. The article discussed how Thomas relies on history to shape his opinions (as Lund alluded to) rather than inventing ways to find consensus as his conservative colleagues seem to do.

Lund was not taken with the approach in the Alito opinion, in part because of it's reaffirmation of various gun regulations in the Heller decision.

Heller endorsed bans on the carrying of concealed weapons, but said nothing about a right to carry weapons openly. Because the Second Amendment expressly protects the right to “bear” arms, as well as the right to “keep” arms, the text of the Constitution seems inconsistent with allowing the government to forbid both open and concealed carry of weapons. Such a ban would also be inconsistent with Heller’s emphasis on self-defense as the core of the Second Amendment right: most people are in much more danger of encountering dangerous criminals outside their homes than within them. But the issue remains open in the courts.

Similarly, Heller endorsed bans on carrying weapons in “sensitive places,” but articulated no test for identifying such locations, beyond a mention of government buildings and schools. McDonald reaffirms this dictum but offers no further guidance, so the lower courts will for now apparently have to develop a “sensitivity jurisprudence” on their own. Is a university campus more “sensitive” than a shopping mall across the street? Is a government-owned cabin in a national forest more “sensitive” than a privately owned hotel on a busy urban street? These and countless similar questions will be open to litigation.

The danger with the approach taken by the four Justices in the Alito opinion is that it is this very approach that gives Paul Helmke his talking points asserting that the Court approves of the type of gun control they push.

Which brings me to what yesterday's ruling means for gun owners and why state associations like VSSA are important in protecting the right to keep and bear arms. At the same time the McDonald opinion was being announced yesterday, the confirmation hearings for Elana Kagan were beginning.

We know very little about Kagan except what are in the various papers from her previous positions in the Clinton Administration. Based on this little bit of information, it is probably safe to say that Kagan likely supports gun control laws as a policy matter. She would likely be with the Court’s left on the question. I have no doubt that Obama nominated her because she shares his world view. This means that future cases on this subject will likely also be decided by the narrow 5-4 margin we saw in Heller and McDonald.

We cannot let yesterday's ruling lull us into the false belief that our work is done any more than we could with the Heller decision. We have already seen what Washington D.C. has done in response to Heller - setting up a regulatory system where the costs of registration in some cases exceed the cost of a firearm - thus discouraging gun ownership. I have no doubt that Chicago will try this approach.

State firearm associations like VSSA are to gun owners what the NRA is at the federal level. While NRA has state and local legislative staff, they cover multiple states and cannot to be all places at all times. That is where the state associations and their members come in. State associations are in a better position to react when a locality proposes a gun control ordinance. We notify our members to contact city council or board of supervisor members, then turn out at meetings to voice their position on the proposal.

If you are not a member of your state association, join today. The battle is not over. We have only just begun. Yesterday was a good day for gun owners, but it was just one more skirmish won in a larger battle to protect liberty and freedom.

New VSSA Online Store Open for Business

Just in time for the new Supreme Court ruling protecting law abiding Americans from most state regulation of the right to keep and bear arms, the all new VSSA online store is open for business with lots of VSSA logo items for sale. A portion of each sale supports Virginia's oldest gun rights organization.















VSSA Polo White from Zazzle.com

Gun Rights Win!!!

Justice Alito announced the decision in McDonald v. Chicago. On a 5-4 decision, the Court reversed the 7th Circuit decision in the case and remanded the case back to the 7th Circuit. The opinion concludes that the 14th Amendment does incorporate the Second Amendment right recognized in Heller to keep and bear arms in self defense.

Scotusblog reports that the majority seems divided.

...presumably on the precise standard. The majority Justices do not support all parts of the Alito opinion, but all five agree that the 2d Amendment applies to state and local government. Alito, in the part of the opinion joined by three Justices, concludes that the 2d Amendment is incorporated through the Due Process Clause. Thomas thinks the Amendment is incorporated, but not under Due Process. He appears to base incorporation on Privileges or Immunities.

The text of the Opinion is here.

Looks Like Monday is the Day

The Supreme Court issued seven opinions today but did not issue an opinion in the McDonald case. Monday looks like the day we will learn whether the Chicago handgun ban is overturned.

McDonald vs. Chicago

Will the Supreme Court issue its opinion in McDonald vs. Chicago today or will we have to wait until Monday? I will be watching SCOTUS Blog this morning and will post immediately if the Court issues an opinion.

NRA and Disclose Act Continued

The Wall Street Journal has a piece on the Disclose Act and the NRA's exemption from the bill.



There is some talk now that the "carve out" for the NRA may have doomed the bill and even if it does pass in the House the fate is uncertain in the Senate. It was pulled from the House Calendar over the weekend and added back late yesterday for this week. Newsmax reports that the Democrats believe they are close to having the votes to pass the bill.

On Monday, the NRA reaffirmed they do not support the bill - that they just protected their members should (as has happened already this year) a bill thought to be dead ends up passing.

Boucher-Griffith Race Featured in CQ Politics

This morning's CQ Politics features an article on a couple of competitive races that demonstrate the challenging environment in which the Democrats find themselves this year. One of the races featured is the 9th Congressional District race between Morgan Griffith and incumbent Rick Boucher.

CQ Politics previously rated this race as Likely Democratic. They now rate is as Leans Democratic. They explain the change this way:

The movement of Boucher, who has represented his southwestern Virginia district for 28 years, isn't due to any specific poll but more the result of a general drift toward a more competitive race.

State Del. Morgan Griffith (R), who has served in the state Legislature for over 15 years, is a solid recruit who is expected to give Boucher his toughest challenge in years. The current Majority Leader of the Virginia House of Delegates should prove to be a solid fundraiser. He brought in over $100,000 in two weeks in March before his first federal filing deadline. But Griffith's next fundraising report (due to be filed by July 15) will be highly anticipated, since both parties will be watching to see if he's made any substantial headway in closing the huge financial disparity that he faced in early May. At that point, Griffith showed just $110,000 in his campaign account, compared to Boucher's more than $1,9 million warchest.

Knocking off an incumbent is difficult, especially one with a large warchest. But money does not always translate into victory. If Griffith can raise a credible amount of money, and puts together a great ground game to turn out voters in this sprawling rural district, he can give Boucher a run for his money.

Boucher is endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) but Griffith has been a consistent "A" rated legislator in the House of Delegates, including introducing legislation to expand the rights of gun owners. The gun issue may be a wash in this race so it is likely that the election be decided on other issues important in the district. McCain won the district by 19 points in 2008.

NRA Responds to Member Concerns Regarding Disclose Act

NRA has released this statement addressing concerns expressed by members regarding the Disclose Act. It says in part:

We appreciate some NRA members' concerns about our position on H.R. 5175, the "DISCLOSE Act." Unfortunately, critics of our position have misstated or misunderstood the facts. We have never said we would support any version of
this bill. To the contrary, we clearly stated NRA's strong opposition to the DISCLOSE Act (as introduced) in a letter sent to Members of Congress on May 26 (click here to
read the letter).

...We didn't "sell out" to Nancy Pelosi or anyone else. We told Congress we opposed the bill. As a result, congressional leaders made a commitment to exempt us from its draconian restrictions on free speech. If that commitment is honored, we will not be involved in the final House debate. If that committment is not fully honored, we will strongly oppose the bill.

Our position is based on principle and experience. During consideration of the previous campaign finance legislation passed in 2002, congressional leadership repeatedly refused to exempt the NRA from its provisions, promising that our concerns would be fixed somewhere down the line. That didn't happen; instead, the NRA had to live under those restrictions for seven years and spend millions of dollars on compliance costs and on legal fees to challenge the law. We will not go down that road again when we have an opportunity to protect our ability to speak.

I stand by my earlier post that NRA has made a decision that is in the best interest of its members and gun owners in general.

NRA and Disclose Act

I have avoided posting on this topic but there has been so much chatter around the web, some of which has been completely off base, that I feel compelled to address it.

Much of what has been written refers to NRA as "selling out" or having "amnesia." For those not familiar with the issue, the liberals in Congress, egged on by President Obama, are trying to come up with a new law to respond to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision on campaign finance rules that was handed down earlier this year. In that case, the court ruled that provisions of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, which severely restricted the rights of corporations and nonprofit groups to run political advertising, were unconstitutional.

NRA has been very outspoken before and since its passage that McCain/Feingold was an unconstitutional infringement on the First Amendment rights of Americans who participate, or wanted to participate in the political arena. Citizens United further chipped away at McCain/Feingold and challenged the liberals ability to control political speech. Obama and his minions could not have this. Enter HR 5175 - Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Election (Disclose) Act. The Disclose Act seeks to roll back the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United by once again restricting companies' and associations' political advertising.

Now, Republicans and a number of conservative bloggers and groups are complaining that the NRA cut a deal that exempts themselves from the bill and throws everyone else under the bus. Liberal groups aren't real happy either - in a way validating that NRA has made the right decision for it's members.

NRA has explained their decision in a an email to members:

The NRA’s opposition to restrictions on political speech includes its May 26, 2010 letter to Members of Congress expressing strong concerns about H.R. 5175, the DISCLOSE Act. As it stood at the time of that letter, the measure would have undermined or obliterated virtually all of the NRA’s right to free political speech and, therefore, jeopardized the Second Amendment rights of every law-abiding American.

The most potent defense of the Second Amendment requires the most adamant exercise of the First Amendment. The NRA stands absolutely obligated to its members to ensure maximum access to the First Amendment, in order to protect
and preserve the freedom of the Second Amendment.

The NRA must preserve its ability to speak. It cannot risk a strategy that would deny its rights, for the Second Amendment cannot be defended without them.

I have to admit to having had concerns about not standing up and fighting the bill rather than carving out an exemption. But the more I thought about it, and reminded myself what happened with Obamacare, it is highly likely that Pelosi would have twisted enough arms to pass the bill out of the House. While there is still uncertainty as to the fate in the Senate, I would rather not take my chances that Olympia Snow, John McCain, or some other Republican squish would cave and allow the bill to pass. So, NRA did what it felt was in the best interest of its members and the organization's ability to speak for them.

Finally, probably the best explanation of the NRA's decision in this matter has come not from the NRA, but from a fellow blogger, Sebastian:

One reason I’m not all that sympathetic to conservative groups and Republican hacks complaining that NRA won’t do their fighting for them is that they’ve never really lifted a finger for us when we needed them.

Sebastian points out that this is the most Democratic Congress in years, but they seem to have learned their lesson from 1994 and the Clinton Gun Ban. They have bent over backwards to not tick off the NRA and have actually attached some pro-gun legislation to bills that Obama was not about to veto - thus giving us more wins in the last two years than we had in 14 years of a GOP Congress.

York County Proposed Shooting Ordinance Update

VSSA has been working with the County Administrator's office in York County to keep apprised of proposed changes to the county's shooting ordanance. The York County Board of Supervisors held their regularly scheduled meeting last night. As previously posted one of the items on the agenda was a proposal to add several neighborhoods to the list of those where discharge of a firearm would be illegal, repeal the ban on discharge of pneumatic guns, make discharge of a firearm within 300-1000 feet of a school illegal unless verbal notification (not a voice mail) had been given to a school official, and make it clear that discharge would be legal for self-defense.

The Sheriff of York County had made it clear previously that he believed York County should repeal its ordinance and let state law govern as no one had ever been charged under the local ordinance. He restated this belief at last night's meeting. However, as I posted previously, repeal of the current ordinance was not on the agenda and no prior notice of such action had been given to the public. The Board then moved to approve the repeal of the ban on shooting pneumatic guns and made it clear that it is legal to discharge a firearm in defense of property and in self defense. The Board did not add any new neighborhoods to the current list of neighborhoods where discharge is prohibited. The Board also did not approve the ban on on discharge within 300 feet of the perimeter property line of a County school site and a requirement that the school be notified by personal oral communication (not merely by answering machine) of any intention to discharge firearms in the 300 feet to 1,000 feet distant zone around a school site. This is a big win for gun owners and sportsmen in York County.

VSSA will continue to follow actions in York County. It is likely the Board will hear a proposal to repeal the county's current shooting ordinance. If further changes are proposed, they will be posted here and we will notify members of our legislative alert list. If you are not a subscriber, simply click the link to the right and join today.

Correction 6/17/10 - After a more careful review of the document forwarded to me by the County Administrator, the Board did add the new neighborhoods that had been proposed to prohibit discharge of a firearm with the exceptions (law enforcement officers, animal wardens and game wardens in the line of duty, military personnel in the line of duty, the discharge of firearms on firing ranges or target ranges operating in conformance with the county’s zoning regulations, the discharge of a firearm in conjunction with a managed hunt to control the deer population pursuant to Code of Virginia section 29.1-529, and any discharge of a firearm in lawful defense of property or persons or to kill a dangerous or destructive animal).

Wilt Leading in 26th District Special Election

VSSA endorsed Tony Wilt is ahead of his opponent 64.27% to 31.33%% with 19 of 21 precincts (90%) reporting.

Turnout in this race is much higher (23.32% of active voters) than in the 27th District race won by Roxann Robinson.

Early Returns in Special Election

No precincts have reported in the 26th District race but in the 27th (part of Chesterfield County) with 95% of the precincts reporting, VSSA endorsed Roxann Robinson is trouncing Democrat Bill Brown with 71.59% of the vote (2,914 votes) to Brown's 28.4% (1,156 votes). Voter turn out in this race was only 7.654% so it is clear that Robinson did a much better job of getting her base to the polls.

Update

It's official - with 100% of the precincts reporting, Robinson wins with 72.58% of the vote. Final turnout was 8.362% of active voters.

Special Election Today

Today is the Special Election to fill the vacant 26th and 27th House of Delegates seats. If you live in either of these House districts, please go to the polls and vote for the VSSA endorsed candidates - Tony Wilt (26th - City of Harrisonburg and part of Rockingham County) and Roxann Robinson (27th - Part of Chesterfield County). This will be a very low turnout election so every vote could mean the difference between a win for firearm freedom and a loss. Polls open at 6:00 AM and close at 7:00 PM. Not sure if you live in either of these districts? Click here and complete the form. It will confirm if you live in either the districts.

More on York County Shooting Ordinances

I posted last night that the York County Board of Supervisors will consider amendments to their ordinance dealing with the discharge of a firearm. After further review, the most troubling part of the proposal is the change related to discharge near a school. The draft includes a prohibition of any firearms discharge on property that is within 300 feet of the perimeter property line of a County school site and a requirement that the school be notified by personal oral communication (not merely by answering machine) of any intention to discharge firearms in the 300 feet to 1,000 feet distant zone around a school site. This provision is troubling as it changes the status quo for those who had a home or property in a location and a school was built next door to the home/land owner's property at some point after the owner purchased the property. Of the changes being proposed, this is the part that VSSA opposes the strongest.

Please attend tomorrow night's meeting if you are a York County resident. It should be noted that tomorrow night's meeting is not a discussion of whether to repeal the existing ordinance, it is to approve of disapprove the proposed amendments to the ordinance. Gun owners should focus their comments on the specific parts of the proposals they oppose and not get sidetracked in a discussion of an issue that is not being considered. It is okay to say you oppose the proposed amendments because the Sheriff states he has never charged anyone under the local ordinance but speakers should not get sidetracked in a discussion of repealing the current ordinance because that is not what is being considered tomorrow.

York County Board of Supervisors to Address Shooting Ordinances

You may recall that on May 4th, I posted that the York County Board of Supervisors was having a working session to address shooting ordinances within the county. At that meeting,
the Board reviewed and discussed the status of the various proposed amendments to Sections 16-7 and 16-37 of the County Code and provided direction to staff on the provisions to be included in a revised draft that has been scheduled for public hearing at the June 15th meeting.

The Board is scheduled to take up specific recommendations that came out of that meeting at their meeting on June 15th. There will be a citizen comment period from 6 PM to 7 PM and the ordinance will be addressed by the Board after 7 PM in it's regular place on the agenda.

The ordinance in question can be found here. An explanation of the various changes in the proposal can be found here.

In short, the proposals restrict discharge of firearms and in some cases air rifles, in designated areas with some limited exceptions. The proposal also changes the distance from which a firearm may be discharged near a school.

The exceptions include:

• in connection with a managed hunt to control the deer population;
• in defense of one’s life; and
• to kill a dangerous or destructive animal (note: this provision was revised to drop the word “wild”, thus allowing it to apply to any dangerous or destructive animal, whether wild or domestic).

According to an email alert sent out by VCDL, the York County Sheriff believes that the county should scrap all of it's shooting ordinances and let state law govern.

Gun owners that live in York County should attend the Board Meeting in Tuesday night and let your voice be heard.

The meeting is being held Tuesday night beginning at 6:00 PM. Board meetings are held at York Hall, 301 Main Street, Yorktown, VA.

VSSA Endorses Roxann Robinson in the 27th House of Delegates Race

On June 15, 2010, there will be a special election to fill the vacancy in House of Delegates District 27 which was left vacant when Governor Bob McDonnell appointed Sam Nixon to be the Chief Information Officer for the Virginia Information Technology Agency. VSSA has endorsed Roxann Robinson in this race. Ms. Robinson has committed to VSSA that she supports the concealed carry reforms enacted in the last session of the General Assembly as well as to support other issues of importance to VSSA members and gun owners in general. Of the two candidates running to replace Delegate Nixon, Roxann Robinson stands head and shoulders above the competition. Gun owners and sportsmen in the 27th District are urged to go to the polls on June 15th and vote for Roxann Robinson for Delegate.

Primary Analysis

Some take aways from today's voting:

Turnout in the 8th District was abysmal (2.920%). I know this is a very "Blue" district but less than 3% of registered voters is just pitiful.

It appears that Hurt's campaign made the right decision pushing for a primary. In a seven candidate race, he still pulled almost 50% of the vote. Turnout was just under 8% and Hurt won 17,104 votes. No way he would have gotten that many to show up at a nominating convention. The two candidates that filled my email inbox the most (Albemarle Board of Supervisor member Ken Boyd and GOP Activist and teacher Feda Kidd Morton) did not even break double digits. Now Hurt has to pull the party together to make sure the independent does not pick up the support of disenchanted GOP voters who worked for one of the other candidates because they were upset that Hurt support Mark Warner's tax increase in 2004. The 5th District is going to be the race to watch this year in Virginia. Two "A" rated candidates means gun owners know that whoever wins, they have a friend in Congress. It also frees them up to consider other issues and which candidate best represents their views.

In the 11th, Fimian likely benefited from his name ID and the fact that some believe if Connelly can be beaten, Fimian is probably the best candidate to do it. Fimian is probably more conservative than the district as a whole. This will be a tough race to win. Gun owners at least have someone to work for in this district as Fimian was endorsed by the NRA in 2008.

Finally, in the 1st District, Congressman Rob Wittman didn't even break a sweat in dispatching his Tea Party affiliated opponent. Wittman is a true friend to gun owners and he should be an odds on favorite for reelection.

I will breakdown the 2nd District when that race is over. It appears that Rigell may be headed for a victory as he has crept closer to 40% of the vote in a six candidate race with 80% of precincts reporting.

More Election Returns

I will only update those races that are still close. My last post noted that the 1st District and 5th District appeared to be decided (Congressman Rob Wittman in the 1st, State Senator Robert Hurt in the 5th).

In the 2nd District, Scott Rigell has 38.67% of the vote and a 13 point lead on his closest opponent with 68.94% of the precincts reporting. Rigell has held this lead for awhile now but there are still a lot of votes left to count.

In the 8th District, with 94.23% of the precincts reporting, Patrick Murray holds a slim 51.34% to 48.65% lead over Matthew Berry (a little over 300 votes).

In the 11th District, Patrick Herrity has made it interesting but still trails by 13% with 90.47% of the precincts reporting. It is likely that Keith Fimian will hold on in this to win the nomination. Fimian currently leads 56.31% to 43.68%

Updated Primary Returns

Updated returns:

In the 1st District - with 94.47% of the precincts reporting, Congressman Rob Wittman will win. He has 87.95% of the vote.

In the 2nd District - with 51.55% of the precincts reporting, Scott Rigell now leads among the six candidates with 38.32% of the vote.

In the 5th District, 87.70% of the precincts reporting, it appears that State Senator Robert Hurt will win the prize to take on Congressman Tom Perriello. He leads with leads the field of seven candidates with 48.30% of the vote.

In the 8th District, 73.71% of the precincts reporting, Patrick Murry has a slim lead over Matthew Berry leads with 50.07 to 49.92% of the vote.

In the 11th District, 64.28%% of the precincts reporting, Keith Fimian leads Patrick Herrity 60.39% to 39.60of the vote.

Early Election Returns

The polls closed a little over 30 minutes ago and some early returns have started coming in.

In the 1st District - with 47.46% of the precincts reporting, Congressman Rob Wittman holds a commanding lead 88.55% to 10.40% of the vote.

In the 2nd District - with 17.39% of the precincts reporting, Bert K. Mizusawa leads among the six candidates with 36.85% of the vote.

In the 5th District, 33% of the precincts reporting, State Senator Robert Hurt leads the field of seven candidates with 39.99% of the vote.

In the 8th District, 35.25% of the precincts reporting, Matthew Berry leads with 51.70% of the vote.

In the 11th District, 9.52% of the precincts reporting, Keith Fimian leads with 65% of the vote.

Today is GOP Primary Day

Several Congressional Districts are holding a primary today to determine the GOP Nominee for this November's election.

In the 1st District, incumbent Rob Wittman is being challenged by Catherine Crabill. Wittman is endorsed by the NRA-PVF. Congressman Wittman is a friend to gun owners and has been since his days in the General Assembly. Gun owners and sportsmen in the 1st Congressional District are urged to go to the polls today and support Rob Wittman.

In the 2nd District, six candidates are vying for the opportunity to challenge one term incumbent Congressman Glen Nye. Nye outperformed Barack Obama by 2% in 2008, winning 52.4 - 47.46. Obama won this heavily military district 50-48. The 2nd District is considered a swing district and rated as a toss-up my most pundits.

Ben Loyola
Ed Maulbeck
Bert Mizusawa
E. Scott Rigell
Jessica Sandlin
Scott Taylor

Governor Bob McDonnell has endorsed his longtime friend and supporter Scott Rigell. Rigell is considered the favorite in this race if for no other reason, because he has put a lot of his own money into the race. Rigell has been dogged in the primary by opponents who have pointed to his $10,000 political contribution in 2002 to an effort to finance local road and transit projects through an increase in the state sales tax but that does not seem to have dampened pundits' predictions that he is likely to have a double digit win in the primary. The NRA has not endorsed in this primary.

The 5th Congressional District is the most watched race. No less than seven candidates are running to challenge incumbent Tom Perriello. Perriello has acquired the name "One Term Tom" from those working many who dislike him. One the couple of votes related to gun rights, he has supported the interests of gun owners. He has also signed on to a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder telling the AG not push a renewal of the Clinton Gun Ban. But for those looking to unseat Perriello, they point to his unblemished record of supporting President Obama's agenda. Like Nye in the 2nd, Perriello outperformed Obama in 2008. Obama actually lost the district 51-48 while Perriello eked out a win over Congressman Virgil Goode 50.09-49.86. The 5th Congressional District is another toss-up rated District. The candidates running to take on Perriello are:

Kenneth Boyd
Ron Ferrin
Senator Robert Hurt
Mike McPadden
James McKelvey
Feda Kidd Morton
Laurence Verga

Boyd is a member of the Albermarle County Board of Supervisors. Feda Morton is a teacher and longtime Republican activist. Senator Hurt is a long time friend to gun owners as both a member of the House of Delegates and the State Senate. He has supported repeal of the ban on carrying concealed in restaurants like Appleebees and Olive Garden, that serve alcohol as well as food. Hurt has supported countless other bills restoring and expanding the rights of gun owners. He received "A" ratings from the NRA in his state legislative races.

Hurt has taken some heat for supporting then Governor Mark Warner's tax increase in 2004. Backers of Perriello hope that some conservative anti-tax voters will shun Hurt and vote instead for a right-leaning independent in the fall.

NRA has not endorsed a candidate in this primary. The "incumbent rule" may come into play in the general election in November. If Hurt wins today, gun owners will have two candidates from which to chose who have voting records on our issue.

The 8th District is a contest to take on longtime anti-gun incumbent Jim Moran. The candidates are:

Matthew Berry
Patrick Murray

Finally, in the 11th District, there is a very competitive race to take on anti-gun incumbent Gerry Connelly. The candidates are:

Keith Fimian
Patrick Herrity

Fimian is looking for a rematch from the 2008 race. He was endorsed by the NRA-PVF in 2008. Gun owners looking for a difference between the two may want to consider, Fimian opposes an unconstitutional full congressional representation for the District of Columbia. Herrity supports a representative in Congress for D.C. This representative would most certainly be anti-gun. The NRA has not endorsed in this primary.

Gun owners in each of these districts are encouraged to vote in today's primary, which is open to all voters. If you are not familiar with the candidates, click the links for each candidate in your district, read where they stand, then get out and vote.

NRA Endorsement Policy

Campaign 2010 is heating up and Sebastian posted this link on his site. I think it is good for all gun owners to understand why NRA makes the decisions it does in the few primaries they get involved in as well as the general election. NRA explains quite thoroughly how it makes endorsements.

VSSA Makes Endorsement in June 15th Special Election

The Virginia Shooting Sports Association has endorsed Tony Wilt for the Special Election to fill the 26th House of Delegates District that was left vacant when Governor Bob McDonnell appointed former Delegate Matt Lohr Commissioner of Agriculture earlier this year.

Wilt is a longtime hunter and sport shooter. He has also received an AQ rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund (PVF) and is also endorsed by the NRA-PVF.

In accepting the endorsemenment, Wilt said:

“All of my friends know that I’ve been an avid hunter and sport shooter my entire life. Protecting our 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms is something I feel passionately about. The Virginia Shooting Sports Association and the National Rifle Association recognize that passion, and I’m proud to have their support in this campaign.”

The 26th District includes all of the City of Harrisonburg and part of Rockingham County. All gun owners and sportsmen in the 26th District are encouraged to go to the polls on June 15th and vote for Tony Wilt.

Modified Three Gun Match Benefiting Wounded Warrior Project

The Rapidan Rod and Gun Club in Orange, VA, is hosting a Modified Three Gun Match on July 16 and 17, 2010, benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project. This is a very worthy charity that VSSA is proud to promote. You can find more information about the event by clicking here.

Taking the First Steps in a Lifetime of Firearms Safety

Navy Times has a great article about a Marine Master Gunnery Sgt., Kevin Myer, who is stationed in Virginia, and how he and his wife introduced their sons to the shooting sports. The Myer family shoots at the Izaak Walton League range in Stafford, Va., not far from Quantico’s Marine Base.

Retired Marine Col. Byron “Chub” Madden, who has taught hunter education on and
around Quantico since 1987 and figures about 2,150 students have taken his courses over the years, estimates the average age that kids start shooting under adult supervision is about 10.

“A few 7- to 9-year olds can handle it, but age 10 is definitely better,” he says.

It is a very positive article.

Dan Casey Joins Chorus Against Eddie Eagle

On July 1, a number of new laws will take effect in the Commonwealth. One of those new laws, House Bill 1217, was introduced by Del. Lynwood Lewis, (D-Accomack County) which allows local school boards to offer firearm safety education programs in the elementary grades. The State Board of Education must establish a standardized program of firearm safety education for students in the elementary school grades and the bill requires that the program objectives incorporate, among other principles of firearm safety, accident prevention and the rules of the National Rifle Association's Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program.

For some reason, this seems to cause some editorial writers heartburn. Not long after the bill passed with Governor McDonnell's amendments, Michael Shannon with the Prince William News and Messenger wrote:

In this latest outrage, the General Assembly has directed the state's Board of Education to produce a curriculum for teaching gun safety to elementary school children that incorporates the advice of the National Rifle Association.

I guess it should not surprise me that the Roanoke Times' Dan Casey has joined in. Since his favorite target for the last year, online training qualifying for the training required for a concealed handgun permit, has not lead to mass shootings, another target was needed to fill his OP/ED space. Casey infers that it's payback for the NRA election activity on McDonnell's behalf last year.

The new law prescribes a gun-education curriculum for Virginia elementary schools, based upon materials provided by the National Rifle Association's "Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program."

Late in the game, Gov. Bob McDonnell made a seemingly innocuous change that effectively limited curriculum input to the NRA.

That came after the NRA's political action committee spent $622,000 last fall on radio, television and online ads promoting McDonnell for governor.

The change to which Casey refers is the correction of an error made by the Legislative Services staff who drafted a Senate amendment to the bill at the request of Senator Richard Saslaw. Casey makes a passing reference to the fact that the amendment was drafted incorrectly and named an organization (National Crime Prevention Center) that did not exist. It is likely that Saslaw told the LS staff National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) but NCPC made it known that they did not have an up-to-date firearm safety curriculum so Governor McDonnell amended the bill back to the form in which it passed the House. The Senate overwhelmingly concurred.

Casey also did not miss the chance to slip in Josh Sugarmann's (Violence Policy Center) comparison of Eddie Eagle to Joe Camel as if the Eddie Eagle program would encourage children to be interested in guns. Nothing could be further from the truth. Both of my elementary school aged children know the message delivered by the program and have the DVD provided by the NRA. I have yet to find either of them standing in front of my gun safe trying to figure out how to open it to gain access to one of the many firearms stored inside.

Casey tries to come off as not being anti-gun all the while being very snarky when he writes on the topic. One sure gets the feeling reading his articles that he fits in very nicely with the anti-gun editors of the Roanoke Times.