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Friday, February 28, 2014

New Study Challenges Obama and Media Claim Regarding Firearm Research

A new study by the Crime Prevention Research Center has released the results of a study that challenges the myth perpetrated by the gun ban lobby, its lackeys in the administration, and the mainstream media, that the NRA is responsible for squashing academic research related to firearms.
There is no evidence that gun control research fell when restrictions were put on federally funded research. Indeed, whether one looks at the number of total articles or total pages, firearms research has been as high or higher than when the restrictions were enacted. In 2013, well before federal funding could have any impact on publications, there was an explosion in firearms research in medical journals.
The mainstream media falls all over itself to repeat the talking points of the gun ban lobby. Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns has been among the loudest making the claim that there is a lack of research on firearms. CPRC concludes in it's study:
Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns appears to be so anti-gun that they have been willing to manipulate their data to get their desired results. Unfortunately, data manipulation is appearing to be a consistent pattern Mayors Against Illegal Guns reports, and the misrepresentations can be seen in their studies from shootings in gun-free zones to the number of school shootings since Newtown.
Hat tip to Dr. John Lott.

Brady Leader Apparently Hasn't Seen Latest Polls on Gun Control

Yesterday, Sarah Brady and Dan Gross, President of the Brady Campaign, were slobbered all over by MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell.  Brady and Gross were on Mitchell's MSNBC program to talk about 20 years of background checks (it has been 20 years since the passage of the Brady Bill which temporarily created in most of the country a three-day waiting period for firearm purchases until the NICS background check could be put into place).  The three took the opportunity to get their facts wrong.  They repeated the discredited statement that "40 percent of all gun purchases in the US" occur without a background check.  Then Dan Gross said he is encouraged that more people in the country support gun control.  Apparently he missed this Gallup poll that showed, when combined, slightly more people either want gun laws to stay as they are or to be less strict, than those who want more gun control.  That poll is similar to this CNN poll from December that showed 50% oppose new gun control.

Now Gross would likely respond that the 49% figure supporting gun control is higher than it was in 2011, but the numbers continue to slide as the time after the Newtown shooting increases.

But, facts never have meant very much to the gun ban lobby.

Hat tip to AWR Hawkins and Breitbart News.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Hero's Like You Can Help Hero's Like These

Sixteen years ago, VSSA started what has become the longest running clay target charity event in the country,  VSSA's Crush'n Clays.  Since that first event, VSSA has raised over $281,000 to help support the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the largest pediatric research facility in America established solely for the study of childhood cancer and other catastrophic diseases including pediatric AIDS and sickle cell anemia.  This year's event is scheduled for June 14th and will again be heldat the Arlington Fairfax IWLA.  You can register to shoot in this event, become a sponsor of the event, or if you can't attend this year, make a donation by clicking here.

Why is this such a special event, please read the note below from the event's founder, Steve Canale.

A special message from VSSA's Crush'n Clays founder, and former VSSA President, Steve Canale:
 
Hero's Like You Can Help Hero's Like These
Pediatric medical centers, like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital work miracles. If you've ever lived it, you'd know. Though not a St. Jude's patient, several years ago, I introduced you to Finn. Finn has a serious congenital heart defect, severe aortic stenosis. Because of the wonderful doctors at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC., he is now a thriving 2 year old. But now, Finn needs a mitral 
heart valve replacement. His heart is so enlarged that they'll may need to replace it with an adult size, artificial heart valve.

Finn doesn't know he is sick, at home, he smiles, loves attention, wants to be tickled, and chases the dogs around the house. “Believe” is the motto of Children's National Medical Center.

Finn is also part of the of the Arlington-Fairfax IWLA family. His father, Ian Gillespie and his grandfather, Dan Gillespie are IWLA members who compete in the Winter Shotgun League and are regulars at Crush'n Clays.

Finn is also my grandson. Every Crush'n Clays event is, now, more meaningful.
###

We hope you can join us for this fun and special event.  Below is a little more about the event and what has been accomplished in the first 15 years of the event.

Legislative Update

As we approach the final week of the Virginia General Assembly, it is likely we will end with no new gun control laws and few advancements in our rights.

A quick look at the VSSA Legislative Tracking Form tells the story.  A number of pro-rights bills were either carried over to next year (a soft way of killing a bill) or were killed out right in the State Senate after the anti-rights crowd took control of Senate Courts of Justice mid way through the session.  For instance, HB 878, a bill that would have improved the process for purchasing firearms and accessories covered by the National Firearms Act (NFA) passed the House, but was killed by the new anti-rights majority on the Senate Courts of Justice Committee.  Lifetime concealed handgun permits made it out of the Senate on a bi-partisan vote but has been stalled in the House because of concerns with the State Police handling the application process.

On the bright side, all of the anti-rights bills have been defeated.  Thankfully, most of the bad bills went through Senate Courts of Justice before the power shift.  There are two minor bills (companion bills) HB 810 and SB 65, dealing with so-called "Celebratory Gun Fire" that are still hanging around.  It's not that VSSA supports the practice, but the fact that there are already laws dealing with negligent discharge and the fact that unless you see the individual violate the law, exactly how will it be enforced?  HB 810 had been significantly neutered to a bill dealing with the original issue, was amended to address malicious wounding.  It passed the House but was amended back the the version of Senator Marsh's bill (SB 65) when it got to Senate Courts of Justice.  The House of Delegates rejected the amendments and it is now headed to conference.  The House has amended SB 65 to the way HB 810 left the House of Delegates and is currently in the Appropriations Committee.  It is likely to meet the same fate as HB 810 if it gets back to the Senate, and both bills may be killed for lack of action by a conference committee.

Also on the positive side, working with the NRA, NSSF, and other pro hunting groups, we were able to pass a bill allowing Sunday hunting on private property.  This is a win for property rights while balancing the interests of those who wish to use public land on Sundays for the purpose of hiking, horseback riding, or biking.  A spokesman for the Governor indicated he would sign the bill.  That has not stopped opponents from trying to gut the bill however.  A move is underway to encourage local Board of Supervisors to pass resolutions encouraging McAuliffe to amend the bill with a provision making it a local option allowing Sunday hunting on private land.  Supporters of Sunday Hunting should contact Governor McAuliffe and urge him to sign HB 1237.

With one week left, the general assessment of the 2014 Session is that we are ending about as we expected - with the status quo.  For all his bluster late in the campaign, McAuliffe has not lifted a finger to help pass the large number of gun control bills introduced.  The gun ban lobby's attempt to push bills like SB 510, part of a new strategy that would take away a person's civil rights for certain misdemeanor conviction, failed.  Rest assured they will be back next year, and this time they have a willing majority in Senate Courts of Justice with which to work..

Monday, February 24, 2014

"Celebratory Gunfire" Drama to End the General Assembly

The two bills that were introduced to address the issue of so-called "Celebratory Gunfire" have made their way to the final week of the General Assembly and are set to cause a little drama.  Both House Bill 810 and SB 65.made it out of their respective houses of the General Assembly. HB 810 was changed to a malicious wounding bill, while SB 65 also amended, but remained bill creating a crime called "celebratory gunfire".  So, when HB 810 came up last week in Senate Courts, the Democratic majority, led by Richmond State Senator Don McEachin made a motion to change the bill back to the form of the "celebratory gunfire" bill as SB65 left the Senate.  The House rejected the changes so HB810 is likely headed to conference.  Today, SB65 was amended in House Courts of Justice Criminal Law Subcommittee to the version that HB810 passed the House.  The Senate is likely to follow the House action and reject the amendment, setting up a conference on that bill as well.  So, we may yet see the death of both bills, something that could not be achieved in committee for two bills as introduced, that would have been unenforceable (as evidenced by the fact they still have not identified the culprit of the incident that tragically killed a 9 year-old boy last July 4th - the child that the sponsor of SB 65 has named his bill after).

SCOTUS Not Interested in Three Gun Rights Cases

It appears the Supreme Court of the United States has no appetite for reopening the issue of the Second Amendment as it relates to carrying firearms outside the home. Lyle Denniston was the first to report it over on Scotus Blog this morning.

A Bitter notes on Shall Not Be Questioned, we should not be relying on the courts anyway. We need to make sure that we elect the right people on election day.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Washington Post: 10th District Candidate Comstock Under Fire from Both Sides on Gun Rights

The Washington Post has a piece on the 10th Congressional District Republican nomination race to replace retiring Representative Frank Wolf.  The Post reports that Delegate Barbara Comstock is under fire from both the gun ban lobby and from another candidate on the right for her position on firearm freedom.
Last week, Del. Barbara J. Comstock voted for a bill that would make it easier for teachers to bring guns onto school grounds. Democrats pounced, accusing the Fairfax County Republican of being “reckless” and out of step with Northern Virginia. The next day, Del. Robert G. Marshall (Prince William) joined the race for the Republican nomination to succeed retiring Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R) in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, and he immediately accused Comstock of doing “nothing” to lead on gun rights and other issues important to conservatives.

The attacks from the gun ban lobby are to be expected, but exactly what is Delegate Marshall talking about? Complicating matters is the fact, according to the Washington Post, people in the district that are associated with the Tea Party have pegged her as being the "Establishment" candidate.  So, let's look at Comstock's record on Second Amendment issues.

Delegate Comstock was elected in the tidal wave of 2009 that swept Bob McDonnell into the Governor's Office.  Since that time, she has had the opportunity to vote on some important pieces of legislation affecting Virginia's gun owners. A quick search of the Legislative Information System shows since 2010, Delegate Comstock has been on the right side of important votes including repeal of the ban on carrying concealed in family restaurants like Applebee's and Olive Garden that serve alcohol as well as food, repeal of handgun rationing, bills that allow the transporting of firearms in vehicles for those who chose not to get a concealed handgun permit, and a host of other pro-rights bills, and a host of others.  During last year's election, the gun ban lobby targeted Comstock late hoping to pull off an upset.

It could be that Delegate Marshall is measuring her commitment based on the number of pro-rights bills she has introduced.  A better measure on where she stands on our firearm freedom is whether we can count on her when the going gets tough, as it did during last year's campaign.  By that measure, she passed because she did not back down on her previous votes protecting the rights of Virginia's gun owners.

VSSA can't speak to other issues on which Delegate Comstock has voted since 2010, but on the issue that is the mission of this association, Delegate Comstock is counted among our true friends, and attacks on her record on Second Amendment issues are baseless. 

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

McAuliffe Says He will Sign Sunday Hunting Bill

Yesterday, the Virginia Senate passed the House bill allowing hunting on private property on Sunday.  The News and Advance reports that a spokesman for Governor Terry McAuliffe said the Governor will sign the bill.  This is good news and a change of position as reported by the Free Lance Star earlier this year:
The last two governors said they supported Sunday hunting on private land, but candidate McAuliffe stated in our interview with him last October that he favored the status quo. Sources, though, say a veto would be unlikely.
The news of the bill's passage cheered the pro-Sunday hunting folks who have been working on this for years, but really stepped up their lobbying this year.  This victory was achieved when they were able to get the bill assigned to the House Agriculture Committee instead of the killing field of the subcommittee that had deep-sixed the bill the last several years.  The News and Advance caught of with one hunter that will be impacted by the bill and he sounded happy about the vote:
The vote cheered hunters in the Roanoke Valley, including Daniel Hartman, 16, an avid baseball player who was looking at guncleaning supplies at Roanoke’s Sportsman’s Warehouse on Tuesday evening with his father. 
“Once I started playing travel ball, I noticed I wasn’t getting much hunting time,” said Daniel, who lives in Roanoke County and does much of his hunting on family land.
There is possibly another benefit this new law will have not only for hunters, but all Virginians, courtesy of Mark Holmberg at CBS6 back in November..

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Crime Declines Again While Gun Ownership at All-time Highs

The  FBI’s Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report released today reveal declines in both the violent crime and the property crime reported in the first six months of 2013 when compared with figures for the first six months of 2012. The report is based on information from 12,723 law enforcement agencies that submitted three to six months of comparable data to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program for the first six months of 2012 and 2013.  At the same time, self-reported gun ownership is at the highest levels since 1993.

According to the FBI report:
  • All of the offenses in the violent crime category—murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, aggravated assault, and robbery—showed decreases when data from the first six months of 2013 were compared with data from the first six months of 2012. The number of murders declined 6.9 percent, the number of forcible rapes declined 10.6 percent, aggravated assaults decreased 6.6 percent, and robbery offenses decreased 1.8 percent.
  • Violent crime decreased in all city groupings in the first six months of 2013 when compared to figures for the same period in 2012. The largest decrease, 9.2 percent, was noted in cities with fewer than 10,000 in population.
  • Violent crime decreased 10.5 percent in nonmetropolitan counties and 3.6 percent in metropolitan counties.
  • Violent crime decreased in each of the nation’s four regions. The largest decrease, 7.4 percent, was noted in the Midwest, followed by 5.9 percent in the South, 4.3 percent in the Northeast, and 3.7 percent in the West.
  • Kind of puts the lie to the gun ban lobby's claim that more guns equal more crime.

    Monday, February 17, 2014

    VSSA Life Member Steve Halbrook on Peruta V. San Diego

    Second Amendment Attorney and Author Steve Halbrook (also a VSSA Life Member) spoke with Cam Edwards on NRANews last Friday about the Peruta case. Halbrook discusses the possibility that the case will head to the Supreme Court and notes that the ruling is a great victory for the Second Amendment.

    Friday, February 14, 2014

    Why Yesterday's Decision in Peruta V. San Diego is Important

    National Review's Jim Geraghty has a piece this morning that goes to the heart of yesterday's decision with some help from the Cato Institute's Walter Olson.  After sharing some of Olson's analysis, Geraghty notes:
    We’ve had a generation or two of lawmakers – at first in both parties, then increasingly concentrated in the Democratic Party – who believed that the Second Amendment was optional. Increasingly, courts are informing them otherwise.
    And it is interesting to note that the two judges on the side of gun owners are Clinton appointees.  If judges on the infamous 9th Circuit get this, how long before other circuits who have ruled against gun owners on the same issue of carrying outside the home will come around to this way of thinking? Heller figured prominently in the decision released yesterday.  California Second Amendment attorney Chuck Michel also talked about the importance of the case with Cam Edwards on NRANews' Cam and Company yesterday.

    Thursday, February 13, 2014

    Sunday Hunting at the General Assembly

    Just before Crossover, the State Senate passed the Senate companion to the Sunday Hunting legislation that had already passed the House of Delegates. Yesterday, I spoke with Cam Edwards on NRANews' Cam and Company on The Sportsman Channel.

    Big Win in 9th Circuit for Carrying Firearms in Public

    By no means the end of the story but a Ninth Circuit panel, just struck down the broad California restriction on carrying firearms in public by a 2-1 vote.  The Volokh Conspiracy has the story here.  Will the case be appealed en banc?  Will it wind up in the Supreme Court?  Stay tuned.

    Virginia State Senate Committee Kills Two Pro-gun Bills

    I tweeted the results of yesterday's Senate Courts of Justice Committee but this Augusta Free Press article gives a little more detail.  To recap, there were three House bills before the committee; HB878, HB705, and HB962.   HB962 clarified that for purposes of the exception to the prohibition against carrying a concealed weapon in a secured container or compartment in a personal, private motor vehicle or vessel, the term "compartment" includes a console, glove compartment, or any other area within or on the vehicle or vessel that possesses the ability to be closed. The bill also provides that the term "secured" does not require that a container or compartment be locked, but merely closed.  That bill was reported to the full Senate.  

    HB878 requires that when certification of a chief law-enforcement officer is required by federal law for transfer of a firearm, as defined in the National Firearms Act, such certification must be provided within 30 days if the applicant is not prohibited by law from receiving the firearm. If the applicant is prohibited by law from receiving the firearm, the chief law-enforcement officer or his designee shall provide written notification to the applicant stating the reason for the prohibition. That bill was defeated on a party line vote, which included the usually pro-gun State Senator John Edwards voting against gun owners. 

    Finally, HB705 would eliminate certain requirements for an out-of-state concealed handgun permit to be recognized in Virginia and provides that such a permit authorizes the holder of the permit to carry a concealed handgun so long as the permit holder carries a valid government-issued photo identification and presents that identification to any law-enforcement officer upon request.  Again, on a party line vote, this bill failed, with Senator Edwards turning his back on gun owners again.

    Vehemently anti-rights and co-chairman of the committee, State Senator Don McEachin (D-Richmond) resorted to hyperbole to describe the actions of the Democrats:
    “Pro-gun advocates keep saying: enforce the laws on the books. Today, we acted to keep some of the protections we already have in Virginia from being chipped away. After all, if we have a high standard for the legal sale of bombs, grenades, or rockets, why make it easier to buy them?” said Senator McEachin of the Committee’s votes today. “Once again, Democrats chose commonsense, pragmatic governing as opposed to adherence to a rigid ideology.”


    2013 Virginia Deer Harvest Increases 13 Percent

    The Richmond Times Dispatch reports that The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) has released the numbers for this past fall's hunting seasons and it contains some good news.
    During the past deer season 242,734 deer were reported killed by deer hunters in Virginia.  This total included 106,230 antlered bucks, 20,082 button bucks, 116,304 does (48%), and 118 “unknown” deer.  The fall 2013 deer kill total was up 13% from the 215,241 deer reported killed last fall.  It is also slightly above the last ten-year average of 232,600 (up 4%).
    Muzzleloader hunters accounted for almost 1/4 of the kills (22%) over 3/4 of all hunters checked their deer by using the department's automated phone check-in service.  DGIF also noted that the state deer management plan has called for an increase in the number of doe kills, especially on private property, and those numbers have increased for eight consecutive years.

    Bedford County had the most deer kills, and also saw an increase from 2012 numbers. Loudoun County came in with the second most deer taken but that locality actually saw a minor decline (15) in 2013.

    Hat tip to NRABlog.

    Wednesday, February 12, 2014

    Virginia's Struggle Over Gun Laws

    The Washington Post has this article that is as much a profile of pro-rights Delegate Todd Gilbert (and to a lesser extent gun ban lobbyist Andrew Goddard) as it is a report on how pro-rights bills have fared much better than anti-rights bills since the Virginia Tech shooting seven years ago.
    After the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary, horror and outrage prompted lawmakers in Connecticut, Maryland, New York and a handful of other states to implement tough new gun restrictions. But since its own tragedy seven years ago at Virginia Tech, the commonwealth has gone in the other direction. Over the six full legislative sessions since Seung Hui Cho’s rampage left 32 dead, it is gun rights, not gun restrictions, that have grown stronger. 
    Gilbert, a former Shenandoah Valley prosecutor and the deputy majority leader in Virginia’s House of Delegates, is a big reason why.
    Delegate Gilbert approaches the issue from the perspective of a former prosecutor who believes you take the guns out of the hands of the bad guys and keep them in the hands of the law abiding.
    “All the members of this place try to oversimplify everything all the time. I know it’s a complicated issue,” Gilbert said. “But I’ve just never seen how disarming law-abiding people made anybody safer.”
    The Post also touched on an issue that seems to be a favorite of those reporting on Virginia gun laws, and at the same time misreported - online safety courses that qualify applicants for concealed handgun permits (CHPs).
    “I think I’ve said this every year since I’ve been here,” Goddard began. “I got a permit. I shouldn’t have a permit. I’ve never held a handgun. I should have had training. I went online and answered some questions that I could have answered if I hadn’t watched the silly little movie in advance. I shouldn’t be allowed to have a permit to carry a handgun in public until I know how to handle it and know about the laws.”
    The Post refers to the online course under the requirement that the applicant has a "demonstrated competence with a handgun" from the CHP statute without also listing all of the different courses that qualify. There is no range time requirement in the Code and some of the examples given as acceptable courses do not include instruction on a handgun.  It has been a long time since I took a hunter safety course (which is one of the acceptable courses listed in the Code) but I did not have any handgun instruction in that course.  What no one in the media seems to understand is that Virginia's requirement is a basic safety course.  Anyone serious about carrying concealed should (and likely does) take a lot of different training that includes subjects like situational awareness, drawing a firearm in various senarios, just to name a couple. But to qualify for the permit, you simply have to take a basic firearm safety course.  But Gilbert makes an excellent point:
    “While this is couched as a reasonable extension of public policy, it really just nibbles away at that basic proposition that we shouldn’t have to go get the government’s permission to go protect ourselves and our families as we see fit,” Gilbert said. “Free citizens, acting as Mr. Goddard does, will choose to carry a firearm or not carry a firearm. Criminals will choose to do it or not do it — without regard for any of these laws.”
    The article ends with a discussion of how we may be entering a period of a stalemate as the Governor's office and the State Senate are now controlled by the Democrats.  If this session is an indication, the Post may be right on that point.

    Tuesday, February 11, 2014

    Important Firearm Bills to be Heard in Senate Courts on Wednesday

    With today being Crossover (when each chamber may only take up bills originating in the other chamber), Senate Courts of Justice will hear three important firearm related bills 1/2 hour after the Senate adjourns.  The bills are:

    H.B. 705 Concealed handgun permits; eliminates certain requirements for an out-of-state permit.
    Patron: Gilbert
    Out-of-state concealed handgun permits. Eliminates certain requirements for an out-of-state concealed handgun permit to be recognized in Virginia and provides that such a permit authorizes the holder of the permit to carry a concealed handgun so long as the permit holder carries a valid government-issued photo identification and presents that identification to any law-enforcement officer upon request.

    H.B. 878 Firearms, certain; certification by chief law-enforcement officer within 30 days of request.
    Patron: LaRock
    Law-enforcement certification of certain firearms. Requires that when certification of a chief law-enforcement officer is required by federal law for transfer of a firearm, as defined in the National Firearms Act, such certification must be provided within 30 days if the applicant is not prohibited by law from receiving the firearm. If the applicant is prohibited by law from receiving the firearm, the chief law-enforcement officer or his designee shall provide written notification to the applicant stating the reason for the prohibition. The definition of "firearm" includes machine guns, rifles and shotguns of a certain length, weapons made from certain rifles or shotguns, silencers, and destructive devices.
    A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 18.2-295.1, relating to law-enforcement certification of certain firearms.

    H.B. 962 Concealed handgun; carrying in a secured container or compartment in vehicle.
    Patron: Cline
    Carrying concealed handgun; secured container or compartment in vehicle. Provides that for purposes of the exception to the prohibition against carrying a concealed weapon in a secured container or compartment in a personal, private motor vehicle or vessel, the term "compartment" includes a console, glove compartment, or any other area within or on the vehicle or vessel that possesses the ability to be closed. The bill also provides that the term "secured" does not require that a container or compartment be locked, but merely closed.

    It is important that you contact members of the committee now and urge them to vote to report the bills. The committee make-up is much different than when some pro-rights Senate bills were reported earlier this session.  Now, the committee is co-chaired by two vehemently anti-rights Senators from the City of Richmond.  Contact information for the committee members can be seen by clicking on the names below.

    Monday, February 10, 2014

    CNN: For Firearm Industry Women are Next Big Thing

    From CNN's coverage of the 2014 Shot Show:


    2014 Election Do or Die for Firearm Freedom

    That's the way the NRA put it in this piece by Paul Bedard of the Washington Examiner.
    David Keene, former NRA president, said gun voters are motivated. Acknowledging that the president muddied the gun issue in the 2012 election, Keene said, “Now they know, and gun owners are like other people: Once fooled, the second time, it doesn’t work. So they know what the opposition is, they know how close it is in the Senate, they know that the Supreme Court could be at stake in the next few years.”
    What will this mean for the re-election hopes of Mark Warner?  Warner coasted to victory in 2008 after receiving and "A" rating from the NRA (but no endorsement) in part due to his record of signing every pro-gun piece of legislation while he was governor.  He was never tested on anti-gun legislation because none passed the General Assembly.  Having given lip service to supporting bans on modern sporting rifles (so-called "assault weapons") in 2001, he kept quiet on the topic in 2008 and voted against the renewal and expansion of the ban last April (though there is some question as to how he would have voted had the vote been close, given comments he made after Sandy Hook).   He did however vote for the Manchin/Schumer/Toomey amendment to criminalize private sales of firearms and he has voted for both Supreme Court nominees that President Obama has nominated - justices who have gone on to vote on the anti-gun side of Second Amendment cases before the Supreme Court.

    Friday, February 7, 2014

    CMP Sporter Match

    The CMP has passed information to VSSA about an upcoming CMP Sanctioned Match.
    The Crosse Creek Rifle and Pistol Club is holding a Rimfire Sporter Match on March 29, 2014. The location of the range is: Crosse Creek Rifle and Pistol Club in Fayetteville, NC. Firing Begins: 9:30am.
    For more information you may contact the match director: Bill Bowling at vmshooters@nc.rr.com.
    For information on holding your own CMP affiliated match please check out the CMP Competitions Webpage at http://www.thecmp.org/Competitions.htm.

    Wednesday, February 5, 2014

    Lifetime Carry Permits Moving in State Senate

    State Senator Charles Carrico's SB 608 which would create lifetime concealed handgun permits was unanimously reported from Senate Finance yesterday.  Amazingly, this bill is moving much faster in the Senate than it is in the House of Delegates where it has come up twice in subcommittee and still has not moved out.

    SB 608 (like HB 736) would change the application process from the local Clerk of the Circuit Court to the State Police, and would make the fee for the first time applicant $100.  An individual with a current permit would pay $50 at renewal, with the renewal becoming a lifetime permit.

    SB 608 is likely to be on the Senate calendar for a final vote on Friday or Monday.  Because it will be on the Uncontested Calendar, a vote is possible on Friday.

    Tuesday, February 4, 2014

    The Myth of the Independent Minded Mark Warner

    Virginia Senator Mark Warner has tried to nurture the portrait of the "bi-partisan I can work with both sides to get things done" politician since he ran for governor in 2001.  He had no choice during his term as governor because the state legislature was firmly in GOP hands.  As governor,  Warner threatened to shut down state government if he did not get his way on a tax increase to deal with a budget gap.  As the end of the fiscal year approached, he convinced a handful of GOP moderates to go along with Democrats in the House (Senate GOP Leadership was made up almost entirely of (RINOS) to pass what was at the time the largest tax increase in state history.

    Warner continued the "bi-partisan" posture when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2008 against an underfunded former governor, Jim Gilmore.  Gilmore had ticked off the state's GOP establishment the final year of his term by standing firm on his "No Car Tax" initiative, and was further damaged when he barely escaped the nominating convention against Delegate Bob Marshall.

    Now, Warner is running for a second term in the Senate.  It looked like he was going to coast to a second term.  Likely because of the way he markets himself, he regularly polls as the most popular elected official in Virginia.  His announced opposition prior to the beginning of the year were several candidates with no elected experience and likely less ability to raise money.  Then, former RNC state and GOP Chairman, and George W. Bush alum, Ed Gillespie, announced he would run.  Warner again trotted out his bipartisan talking points:
    “I am asking Virginians to rehire me to keep fighting for bipartisan, common sense solutions to create jobs, get our fiscal house in order, and ensure that all Virginians have a fair shot at economic opportunity. I am proud of my record of working across party lines to put Virginia and our nation first. Whether it is protecting our veterans and military families, putting forth a bold plan to fix our debt and deficit, or fighting for jobs in rural Virginia, I am committed to working tirelessly to help all Virginians. I look forward to putting my independent, bipartisan record up against whichever candidate the Republicans nominate at their convention in June.”
    Now, elected officials on both sides of the aisle show off their "bipartisan" credentials by highlighting all of the legislation they have sponsored with high profile members of the other party.  But is that the real measure of bi-partisanship?

    Jim Geraghty shared this little tidbit via the National Republican Senatorial Committee in today's Morning Jolt:
    Last week, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) sent out a press release with a peculiar new message:"At a time when all voters are sick of Washington partisanship, independence and willingness to put the state ahead of national party are among the most important attributes for successful candidate," they wrote.
    Geraghty then shared the percentage of times some of the most vulnerable Red State Democrats have sided with the President's position.  Here is the total for Mark Warner:
    Alleged independent-minded Mark Warner of Virginia? 97 percent. Heck, even Bernie Sanders of Vermont only hit 94 percent!
    So,  when Mark Warner talks about how "bipartisan" he is and babbling about a "bold plan to fix our debt and deficit", maybe voters should ask him why he has sided with his party 97% of the time, including running up the largest amount of national debt of any President in history.  While you are at it, ping on on that vote for Manchin/Schumer/Toomey that would have criminalized private transfers of firearms.

    Monday, February 3, 2014

    Christian Science Monitor Apparently Among 88% That Don't Know Firearm Related Crime is Declining

    The Christian Science Monitor had this article yesterday asking "Is price of an armed America a more dangerous America."  You get the message from the story's title that America is an increasingly dangerous place.  Fact: Over the last twenty years homicides committed with a firearm have declined 49%.  However, the Pew Research Survey that found that little factoid also noted that only 12% of the public knew crime had decreased.

    At the same time the Monitor article notes more women are target practicing and taking concealed carry classes (complete with video of a news story on home invasions targeting women), they also trot out this comment from the gun ban lobby:
    Gun-control advocates consequently see the gun-carry movement as populated at least in part by white men who feel politically unempowered and who may be inclined to indulge in displays of extra muscle and power over their fellow citizens.
    Professor Glenn Reynolds notes in the article that U.S. Supreme Court decisions like Heller "defined new parameters of self-defense and the carrying of firearms, making it more acceptable." And it is the broader acceptance that has likely lead to a 101% increase in firearm sales in Virginia between 2006 and 2012.  For those who think more guns equal more crime, with all those new firearms in the hands of Virginian's,  the Commonwealth's violent crime rate is the 4th lowest in the nation.  Maybe the Monitor should have looked at those numbers before asking if the trade off for a more armed America is a more dangerous America.

    Virginian Pilot Laments Demise of Gun Control Legislation at General Assembly

    In an editorial entitled "Prudent gun laws turned back again," the Virginian Pilot complains about the House of Delegates dispatching the annual list of gun control legislation:
    Universal background checks for gun purchases have broad support just about everywhere except Virginia's General Assembly.

    Meanwhile, local law enforcement officials may soon lose all discretion when it comes to regulating where urban residents can have federally restricted firearms, including machine guns, grenades and short-barrel shotguns and rifles.

    Both are part of a long-standing pattern of hostility, in the House of Delegates especially, to even the most modest efforts to keep weapons out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them.
    It should be noted that while they aimed their disgust at the House of Delegates, gun control legislation has met the same fate in the State Senate.

    And they don't miss the chance to repeat the misleading statistic that 91% of the public supports unversal background checks. Never mind that so-called "universal" background checks would not have stopped any of the recent high profile shootings in the last year.

    Sunday, February 2, 2014

    NRANews Story on the Daniel Defense Ad Rejected by the NFL for the Super Bowl

    I especially like the 72 year-old widow named Elaine that they interviewed.  In the story, she explains why the AR-15 is her choice for home defense and why she prefers it over her pistol. 


    The other side always parades "moms" and victims before legislative committees and the media to make their case.  We need to see more people like Elaine speaking at legislative committees and to the media about our rights and firearm freedom.