Virginia Shooting Sports Association

Firearms Sales Increase in June.

2009-07-15T14:06:00.008-04:00

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) reported today:

Data released by the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reported 968,145 checks in June 2009. This figure is an 18.1 percent increase from the 819,891 reported in June 2008.

The June increase follows a 15.4 percent rise in May. Both of these numbers while lower than the average of a little over 29% for the months of November '08 through April '09, indicates that the demand for firearms while settling down is still high.

Virginian Pilot Report on Guns and Ammo Sales

2009-07-14T09:00:00.004-04:00

The Virginian Pilot's Joanne Kimberlin wrote this story on the increase in guns and ammo sales. Even though numbers seem to indicate that gun sales may have hit their peek, you can still find stories like the Pilot's in newspapers around the country that offer a local flavor to what has been a big story nationally since the election. And, with all those new firearms in the hands of the public, this leads to an increased need for ammo to use in them.

Robert Marcus of Bobs Gun Shop in Norfolk told Kimberlin he has seen some record days in the shop's 64 years in business and firearms has been a big part of that, but what he has seen in the desire for ammo this time around seems to be an "insatiable" thirst.

Robert House, owner of Classic Firearms in Virginia Beach said he has never seen anything like the current level of ammunition sales.

Kimberlin reports that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have not contributed to the ammo shortages as many believe, because the military has a dedicated supply chain for ammo.

No, she says politics are to blame - the politics of a President who before election made it very clear he is no friend of gun owners. Since taking office, he has gone to great pains to avoid talking about new gun restrictions. Virginia's political guru, Larry Sabato told Kimberlin that from his perch watching Congress, he sees not desire to take up gun control legislation.

Sabato is probably right. But that does not mean gun owners should not remain vigilant.

Hunter Safety Courses

2009-07-12T17:52:00.002-04:00

It's not too soon to be thinking about hunter safety courses for new hunters that will be going in the field this fall. You can find a comprehensive list on the VSSA web site but for those who live in the Richmond Metro area, the Bass Pro Shops store in Hanover County has classes coming up. You can get more information here.

NRA-ILA Northern Virginia Grassroots Reception

2009-07-09T09:54:00.006-04:00

Last week I posted about the July 16th NRA-ILA reception in Virginia Beach. NRA-ILA is also hosting a free volunteer kick-off meeting on Saturday, August 1st, at 10:00 a.m., at NRA Headquarters in Fairfax. At this meeting, they will lay out the plans for NRA-ILA grassroots election strategies in the area and show how Northern Virginia gun owners can help. Attendees will also get to meet and begin working with NRA-ILA Staff, who will personally be coordinating area volunteer activities right through Election Day, Nov. 3!

This meeting is absolutely free and continental breakfast will be provided. It will run only about 60-90 minutes. Please make plans to attend and encourage your fellow NRA and VSSA members as well as all Second Amendment supporters to attend.

Here are the details:
When: Saturday, August 1, 10:00 a.m.
Where: NRA Headquarters
North Tower
11250 Waples Mill Rd.
Fairfax, VA 22030
800-392-VOTE (8683)

Wall Street Journal Covers Issue of Campus Carry

2009-07-08T10:20:00.005-04:00

Campus carry suffered set backs in an number of states where it was introduced this year. Texas had looked like it was going to be the best opportunity this year but the bill died at the end of the legislative session. The Wall Street Journal ran an article (this link will only be good for seven days) on the subject this morning. Some points of interest:

Gun-rights advocates have won victories in several states in recent months allowing gun owners to carry concealed weapons in public parks, taverns and their work places.

So it came as a surprise to Tennessee state Rep. Stacey Campfield that he couldn't persuade his colleagues to pass a law allowing students at public colleges to carry concealed firearms on campus. The bill died this spring in the Republican-controlled legislature -- one of 34 straight defeats nationwide for people who believe a gun wouldn't be out of place in a college student's knapsack.

Colin Goddard, a 21-year-old junior at the time (of the Virginia Tech shooting), was shot four times in a classroom where his teacher and 11 fellow students were killed. Not long afterward, Mr. Goddard began speaking out against guns on campus, and he is now an intern at the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence in Washington.

Another former Virginia Tech student, John Woods, whose girlfriend was killed in the shootings, helped lead the fight this spring against the bill in Texas, where he is now a graduate student at the University of Texas.

I agree with the Journal reporter that Texas will likely be the best chance to pass a campus carry bill since Utah's bill which passed in 2004. For the effort to be successful in other states, proponents will have to overcome the emotional arguments that campuses should be places where people can be free from guns. For some reason, that sentiment seems to escape those who have used a gun to commit a crime on a college campus.

NY Times Editorial Gets It Wrong Again

2009-07-08T09:12:00.006-04:00

The New York Times has an editorial this morning opposing U.S. Senator Bryon Dorgan's (D-ND) bill that would allow for the public hunting of Elk in Theodore Roosevelt National Park located in western North Dakota.

The herd has grown from the 47 that was released into the southern part of the Park in 1985 to approximately 900 - a level above which the park's ecosystem can handle. According to the editorial, Dorgan has inserted a rider into the Interior Department appropriations bill that would allow for a public hunt to cull the herd.

The Times opposes this because:

The idea violates both common sense and the very idea of a national park.
...it would authorize an activity — public hunting — that is proscribed by the founding legislation for the national parks and their current management policies.

The Times' answer to the problem:

Rocky Mountain National Park provides a better model. There, hired sharpshooters have culled cow elk in parts of the park that are closed to the public. This is a safer, more efficient and less expensive way of reducing numbers than shooting bulls, which is what most hunters do.

That statement just shows how little the Times knows about hunting as a wildlife management tool. There are hunters every year who draw cow elk tags and gladly fill them. A public hunt could be managed in the same manner that other hunts are managed on public land in western states. In fact, the management of the hunt could be turned over to the state DNR, they could hold a lottery for tags, and issue more cow elk tags than bulls. Hunters are resource managers. While many would like a trophy, most enjoy the hunt and would be happy with what animal, cow or bull, that is taken in the hunt.

The Times undercuts their case by pointing out that limited hunting is allowed in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park under an exception in the law establishing the park in 1950 and even points out that Dorgan's rider is based on that model. So it would appear that the times is more concerned that this would start a snowball effect, opening hunting up in more National Parks. Hunting already occurs on other federal lands without incident. This hunt to cull the elk herd in TR National Park can be carried out without infringing on other public uses of the park.

Hunters are our best wildlife managers. They can safely and effectively manage the elk herd in TR National Park. The Times just doesn't know what it is talking about on this one.

Pro-gun Candidates Lead Lt. Gov, AG Races

2009-07-07T15:47:00.004-04:00

Public Policy Polling reports their recent poll indicates Lt. Governor Bill Bolling leads in his race for re-election and State Senator Ken Cuccinelli leads in the race for Attorney General. Both leads exceed the margin of error.

Virginia Attorney General Mims Joins in Support of Incorporation Brief

2009-07-07T11:05:00.005-04:00

Attorney General Bill Mims has joined 32 other states attorneys general in an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to grant certiorari in the case of NRA v. Chicago and hold that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The Seventh Circuit recently ruled that precedent bound it from holding in favor of incorporation of the Second Amendment in the NRA law suit against Chicago and Oak Park, IL, challenging their handgun ban. However, a recent Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Nordyke v. King, found that those cases don't prevent the Second Amendment from applying to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.

Stay tuned for news on how VSSA will be involved in this very important case.

Kudos to Attorney General Mims for joining in this amicus brief and supporting law abiding gun owners.

Guns Sales Ease Back to Normal Levels?

2009-07-07T10:03:00.003-04:00

Michael Bane posted this yesterday;

More and more I'm hearing that not only is the run on ARs over, the pipeline is starting to backup with unsold black rifles. This from our DRTV Forums. To be sure, AR variants are now available over the counter in many gun stores and some on-line outlets.

May background checks were up 15.4%. The May increase followed a 30.3 percent increase in April, a 29.2 percent gain in March and rises of 23 percent in February, 28 percent in January, 24 percent in December and 42 percent in November when a record 1,529,635 background checks were performed. We don't have June numbers yet but it is possible they are more in line with May numbers. There was some question as to whether the May number was because sales were cooling or if it was due to the lack of stock in stores resulting in a lower number of sales.

What goes up eventually has to come down and this was bound to happen at some point. The benefit may be that prices will also come back to earth and those who waited to make that next purchase will see a dividend for their patience.

If sales are declining to a more realistic number, it remains to be seen what if any impact this will have on manufacturers and the industry as a whole. The firearms industry was the only one that was weathering the recession (though some sectors of the industry were clearly hurting). Last month we saw one casualty in the family - Knight Rifles - a manufacturer of in-line muzzleloading rifles. The hunting end of the firearms industry was not seeing the massive sales increases that tactical rifles and some handgun models experienced. I can't speak for all hunters but I have two firearms I use for deer season - a muzzleloader and a .30-30.

I haven't purchased a new deer hunting firearm in four years. A lot of other hunters may be like me. Add that to the declining number of hunters and it is not a good recipe for continued growth. Some manufacturers, like Remington and Smith and Wesson, have diversified their lines by purchasing other manufacturers but Knight was known for in-line blackpowder rifles and while some people may upgrade to the next new model, many don't, which is why we need to constantly introduce new people to the shooting sports and especially hunting or we will see a lot more "Knights" in the future.

Hat tip to Michael Bane and Sebastian.

NRANews.com to Discuss Isle of Wight Gun Law

2009-07-02T13:30:00.002-04:00

The Isle of Wight Board of Supervisors will take up the possible repeal of a "useless" gun law at tonight's board meeting. In August of 2008, the Board adopted an ordinance that allows only "authorized personnel" to carry concealed firearms in the county's recreational facilities. The only problem is, the law is unenforceable because ordinances controlling the use, sale, possession or transportation of firearms can only be enacted by the General Assembly. Local hunting laws are the only exception

If the board approved the recommendation to repeal the ordinance, a public hearing could be scheduled for as soon as July 16.

I'll be on Cam and Company at 9:20 tonight to talk about this and other Virginia gun related news. You can hear Cam and Company on NRANews.com as well as Sirius Satellite Radio Patriot 144.

Free NRA-ILA Virginia Beach Volunteer Kick-off Meeting

2009-06-30T13:40:00.001-04:00

From NRA-ILA Grassroots Division:

This November, Virginia's elections will be ground zero for the enemies of freedom to try and turn the tide against our gun rights in the Commonwealth, serving as a launching pad for their national gun ban crusade. Our opponents will be pulling out all the stops as a run-up to the 2010 elections. All eyes will be on us!

To ensure we are prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities we will face this election season, NRA-ILA is hosting a free volunteer kick-off meeting on Thursday, July 16, at 6:30 p.m.

At this meeting, we will lay out our plans for our grassroots election strategies in your area and show you how you can help. You will also get to meet and begin working with your NRA-ILA Campaign Field Representative -- an NRA-ILA staff person who will be living in your area, coordinating our volunteer activities right through Election Day, Nov. 3!

This meeting is absolutely free and beverages and light snacks will be provided. It will run only about 60-90 minutes. Please make plans to attend and encourage your fellow NRA members and Second Amendment supporters to attend as well.

Here are the details:
Thursday, July 166:30 p.m.
Double Tree Hotel Virginia Beach
Sequoia Room
1900 Pavilion DriveVirginia Beach
VA 23451
757-422-8900
FREE PARKING!!!
To register for this free event, please click here, or call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683)

Tidewater Public Radio Station Features Program on Gun Laws

2009-06-30T11:53:00.007-04:00

Hampton Roads public radio station WHRV ran a program on June 22nd where the topic was "Gun Laws." The show featured a discussion on gun laws in Virginia, the "gun trafficking" issue, and guns in the community. A BATFE agent was one of the guests on the show as well as Joseph Samaha, the father of Rema Samaha, a victim of the Virginia Tech shootings. Of course Samaha made a pitch for closing the non-existent "gun show loophole." Not sure where they got the number that 40% of all gun sales in Virginia are through private sales. Since there is no background check or registration of firearms in Virginia, I can't imagine how they came up with that number unless it was fed to them by the anti-rights crowd. The show host did also attribute some of the "trafficking" in firearms to those that are stolen.

A Lt. with the Kennesaw Police Department was also a guest on the show. Kennesaw is the locality in Georgia that in 1982 passed an ordinance that required every head of households to maintain at least one firearm in the home along with ammo. The Lt. said one reason for the ordinance was a response to Morton Grove, IL, banning handguns. Another reason was the fact that the population in the metro Atlanta are led the community to be concerned about the impact on crime. He also noted that when you compare the crime rate now to that prior to passage of the ordinance passed, the rate of crime is lower.

Over all it is worth the hour it takes to listen to the program.

Hat tip to VA-Alert.

Terrorist Watch List and Firearm Purchases

2009-06-30T07:53:00.010-04:00

Last week, U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) reintroduced legislation targeting gun owners whose name may be on what is known as the "Terror Watch List." This is also known as the "No Fly List." Some very well known people have wound up on the list who have no ties to terrorism. People like U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (terrorizing our wallets doesn't count) and Congressman John Lewis. Some military personnel have also somehow ended up on the list. All of these are known as "false positives" which occurs when a passenger who is not on the No Fly List has a name that matches or is similar to a name on the list.

No one except those who put names on the list know how a name ends up on it, nor can anyone explain how to get a name off the list. One does not have to be a terror suspect to be on the list. Once can simply live next door to a suspect. You don't even have to have been accused of doing anything to be on the list. And, Senator Frank Lautenberg thinks the estimated 1,000,000 people on the list should summarily have their 2nd Amendment Rights taken away from them without the due process guarantees in the Constitution.

But Lautenberg is not the only person who believes anyone on the terror watch list should be denied their 2nd Amendment rights. Someone very close to President Obama believes this, and as a congressman, he spoke at a Brady Campaign dinner where he said people on the watch list are "not part of the American family." That someone is none other than Rahm Emanuel.

As is usually the case, Cam Edwards of NRA News was talking about this before anyone else in the MSM and after Lautenberg introduced his bill, he did a segment on the subject, including re-running portions of Emanuel's speech to the Brady Campaign.

Some believe that at some point, President Obama, having dissed so many portions of his base, will have to throw a bone to some to keep them happy. Given the number of legislators who have gone on record that they will not support a renewal of the "assault weapons" ban, it is probably safe to say the assault weapons ban will not be that bone (though that does not mean we don't remain vigilant). However, the gun control movement works on emotion over logic. With buzz words like "terror watch list" and "no terrorist should be allowed to buy guns" this issue may be tailor made for Obama to twist arms as he did with the "Cap and Trade" bill last week. I am not saying it will happen, just that it could be the one gun control issue he thinks would be the best use of his political muscle. And to do this, he would likely want to do it as far out from the mid term elections as possible.

After taking on the economy, "climate change" and health care all before the fall, what's left?

Gun Tax Rumors and Other Emails

2009-06-25T10:57:00.003-04:00

Email rumors and Urban Legends are noting new, especially for pro-rights activists. At the beginning of the year emails circulated about Congressman Bobby Rush's HR45, a massive gun control bill that if enacted would put major restrictions on our right to keep and bear arms. While there was a bill introduced, it had no co-sponsors and will likely languish in committee as it has since the first time Congressman Rush introduced the bill. But that did not stop the emails from going around and numerous questions from being asked by concerned gun owners, leading NRANews.com host Cam Edwards to create a sign that said "No News on HR 45" to respond each night to the numerous "talkbacks" he would receive on the subject.

In the last few weeks, a new e-mail warning has made the rounds on the Internet, this one about “SB-2099,” a bill that would supposedly require you to report all your guns on your income tax return every April 15. I received this from some well meaning folks yesterday so I thought I would post on the subject and offer some suggestions on fact checking emails like this.

Like many rumors that circulate by email, there is a small grain of truth that is then blown completely out of proportion or in this case, a recycled email that wasn’t even correct when it was new. However, it seems plausible to the recipient given the current occupant of the White House. This new rumor has been circulating so much that NRA-ILA included a debunking of the myth in a recent Grassroots Alert.

According to that alert, the truth about S. 2099 is that it was introduced in 2000 by anti-gun Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and it would have included handguns under the National Firearms Act’s tax and registration scheme. This however has nothing to do with anyone’s individual federal income tax return.

Fortunately, S. 2099 died in committee without any action by the Senate. If a bill is not passed and signed into law by the end of the last year of the session introduced (in this case 2000 was the last year of the 106th Congress), it dies and must be reintroduced in the next congressional session.

Email rumors like these act as a distraction and cause us to lose focus on the real threats we face. I have a friend who from time to time will run emails by me before forwarding to make sure they don't contribute to the stack of unnecessary emails in other people's inbox. I gladly assist with their fact checking.

There is a good source that gun owners can use to verify whether an email is factual or just a rumor and that is the Library of Congress' legislative information system known as Thomas. You can search for legislation and read for yourself to see if a bill exists, and if it does, if it does what the email claims. One way to tell if a bill is a real threat is how many co-sponsors the bill has. If it has none, chances are there are bigger threats that we have to worry about than that particular bill.

Of course the best source as to what threats are in our path is NRA-ILA. Every week they send a Grassroots Alert that provides a wealth of information legislatively both federal and at the state level. If you don't already subscribe to the Grassroots Alert, you can click here and receive them every Friday.

Obama Budget Supports Hunter and Angler Education

2009-06-25T09:10:00.006-04:00

I found this piece of good news thanks to Bart Semcer at Diana's Rest.

The President's FY2010 budget is seeking an additional $28 million for the Department of the Interior to support hunter and angler education programs. The budget summary states:

Hunting and fishing have helped forge conservation values for years. This has led to a strong environmental ethic today. A number of changes, however, threaten our Nation’s hunting and fishing legacy. With Americans’ move to urban areas, loss of small family farms, and more indoor recreational pursuits, many of the Nation’s youth have lost touch with traditional outdoor recreational activities. There is a widening gap in knowledge about natural resources including the role of hunting and fishing in resource management and the importance of these activities in sustaining natural populations and keeping them in check. This knowledge gap poses a serious threat to the future of natural resource conservation.

This good news is on top of the recent nomination of Sam Hamilton as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director. Hamilton's nomination is supported by the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

These two actions on the part of the President Obama do not make up for his previous appointments of anti-rights folks like Hillary Clinton and Gil Kerlikowske (to name just two), who have a long history of wanting to ban firearms that are commonly used by sportsmen, nor his appointment of Cass Sunstein as the nation's regulatory czar, a "tireless advocate of extensive animal rights who advocates for the legal representation of animals, and the banning of hunting." Sunstein wrote in 2002:

We might ban hunting altogether, at least if its sole purpose is human recreation. (Should animals be hunted and killed simply because people enjoy hunting and killing them? The issue might be different if hunting and killing could be justified as having important functions, such as control of populations or protection of human beings against animal violence.)

Sunstein allows that hunting "might" be different if it could be justified as having "important functions" but read on in the paper later where he writes about "Eliminating Current Practices, Including Meat-Eating" and you quickly learn that hunting for food would likely not be allowed in Sunstein's perfect universe.

So, while we should applaud the President's reverence for hunting and fishing in his budget, he many appointments of people who oppose those things that sportsmen hold dear tells us more about his true goals than a few bones thrown to us every now and then.

As Leadership Institute founder and president, Morton Blackwell, says "People equal policy" and the people that President Obama has installed into places of power tells us a lot about his policy directions.

Hat tip to Bart Semcer.

VSSA Reloading Clinics

2009-06-18T12:35:00.001-04:00

VSSA Reloading Clinics
The courses are designed to enable shooters with little or no prior experience in reloading to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitude to produce safe, consistent, and accurate reloaded ammunition.

The courses include lessons on:
•Reloading and Reloading Safety
•Components
•Reloading Manuals and Reloading Data
•Reloading Equipment
•The Reloading Process
•Basic Reloading Practical Exercise (Students will set up, operate reloading equipment, and reload ammunition.)
•Course Review and Examination

Dates:
Metallic Cartridge Reloading
September 12 – Winchester
September 19 - Spotsylvania
October 3 - Roanoke
November 7 - Richmond

Shotgun Shell Reloading
October 17 - Winchester
November 21 - Spotsylvania
December 5 - Richmond
December 12 - Roanoke

Courses will be conducted in the Lodge at each Gander Mountain store in the location listed above.

Tuition
$100 per course-VSSA Members
*$125 per course – non Members
*Includes a 1 year membership in VSSA

For more information contact: Dave Myers VSSA Vice President Lead Instructor dave.myers@myvssa.org

Campaign 2009

2009-06-17T08:51:00.003-04:00

Links to the candidates for Governor (both Republican and Democrat) have been added to the Campaign 2009 links on the right of the blog. You will note there are no links to either of the Democratic candidates for Lt. Governor or Attorney General. There are two good reasons for this. First, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and State Senator Cuccinelli, the Republican candidates for Lt. Gov. and Attorney General respectively, both have NRA "A" ratings and were endorsed for their nominations by VSSA.

In the case of the Democrat running for Lt. Governor, Jody Wagner, she has not held elective office and therefore has no record on issues important to gun owners. She did however fail to respond to the NRA-ILA candidate questionnaire when she ran for congress. That (at least to me) indicates she is at best indifferent to gun owners and at the worse, hostile to gun owners.

In the case of the Democrat running for Attorney General, in 2007, Delegate Steve Shannon had a "C" rating from the NRA. The second reason the links to their websites are not included is that neither candidate mentions the 2nd Amendment on their web sites (for that matter neither does Creigh Deeds). Deeds however does have a voting record on issues important to gun owners (though he stabbed us a couple of times last session).

At such time as VSSA makes endorsements, only the candidate receiving an endorsement will be listed on the VSSA blog.

Media Picks Up on States Rights Movement

2009-06-16T13:28:00.004-04:00

Two separate articles, one on the CBS News web site and one in the LA Times, talks about the movement sweeping through some states (mostly western) seeking to limit federal powers in certain areas, even as President Obama continues to take more an more of the U.S. economy under the federal government.

Earlier this year, Montana passed, and the Governor signed, legislation that exempts from federal regulations any gun, gun accessory or ammunition made in the state and intended for use there. Other states are following in an attempt to revive the 10th Amendment to the Constitution.

CBS interviews some well respected constitutional scholars that don't hold out a lot of hope on the laws surviving a court challenge.

George Mason University professor Nelson Lund:

I think they probably should succeed and I think they probably won't.

Independence Institute Research Director Dave Kopel:

...says supporters would be "foolish" to expect to win.

Georgetown law school professor Randy Barnett:

believes the federalism laws won't "stand up to scrutiny" and has been suggesting says Texas and Utah could amend their pending bills to survive judicial review.

Be that as it may, Eric Herzik, a University of Nevada political scientist told the LA Times,

You're going to get more of it as people look at the growth of the federal government and the big bailout of financial interests.

The Times wrote that legislatures in five states -- Alaska, Idaho, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota -- have passed resolutions asserting their sovereignty and asking the federal government to "cease and desist" from meddling in their business. Similar measures are pending in about two dozen other states, seven of them in the West.

Western states have always had an independent streak. It would be nice if they would lead the way to educating the rest of the country on our founding principles and wake up that 60% percent that gives Obama high poll ratings even as they become more and more concerned about some of his policies.

Gun Owner Defends Self in Norfolk Hotel.

2009-06-15T09:31:00.004-04:00

On Thursday, a gun owner and concealed handgun permit holder staying in a Norfolk Econo Lodge had to defend himself when three criminals stormed into the room.

Wavy TV 10 reported Friday that the police said two of the suspects were shot by the victim. One of the suspects, 22-year-old Dante Cooley of Virginia Beach, died at the scene. The other suspect, 20-year-old Trevor Pauley of Norfolk, was transported to a local hospital where he died Friday afternoon.

The third suspect fled the scene and as of Friday remained on the run.

Firearms stolen inYorktown

2009-06-15T09:24:00.002-04:00

WAVY TV 10 reported last Thursday that two males wearing masks and gloves broke into Wnfree's Firarms Store in Yorktown. Upon breaking in the glass on the front door, they proceeded to mash the glass display cases and steal firearms.

11th Annual Crushn' Clays for Kids

2009-06-12T22:01:00.003-04:00

VSSA Board member and Crushn' Clays for Kids founder Steve Canale had the opportunity to speak with NRA News Daily News Host Ginny Simone today about the success of this special event. This year is another sell out.

Lessons from Virginia Primary

2009-06-12T08:56:00.004-04:00

Josh Goodman has a good article on today's CQ Politics web page. He basically talks about how Deeds ran a very disciplined campaign and how when Deeds did start showing some momentum, McAuliffe and Moran were caught napping. This quote is especially insightful because it showed how deparate the other campaigns were when trying to mount a last minute attack.

As Deeds surged, McAuliffe and Moran were caught napping; they hadn’t presented the case against Deeds at any point during the campaign.

In the final days, they tried to hit Deeds for his record against gun control, but the attacks rang hollow because no one had been talking about gun control as a top issue. Deeds won in a rout.

It is a good read.

More Consolidation in Firearms Industry

2009-06-10T14:31:00.003-04:00

This from today's Shooting Wire:

Remington Arms Company, Inc. through its fully owned subsidiary DA Acquisitions LLC has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire certain assets of Dakota Arms, LLC including the Dakota, Miller Arms, Dan Walter and Nesika Bay Precision brands. The transaction closed on June 5, 2009.

This adds to a number of acquisitions that have taken place over the last couple of years by Remington's parent company, Freedom Group. In addition to Remington, Freedom group owns some of the most recognized brands including Bushmaster, DPMS/Panther Arms, Marlin, Harrington & Richardson, New England Firearms, L.C. Smith, Parker, EOTAC, and INTC.

Primary Returns

2009-06-09T19:15:00.010-04:00

With 3.8% of the precincts (94 of 2,504) reporting

Deeds 54.09% (4,948 votes)
McAuliffe's 23.06% (2,110)
Moran 22.83% (2,089)

Hanover County House District 55 Republican Primary - 2 of 28 precincts (7.142%) reporting
John A. Cox 58.71% - (128 )
R. E. "Rusty" McGuire 34.40% - (75)
Jerry F. Burch, Jr. 6.88% - (15)

Update: Looking at some rural counties, (Appomattox, Buchanan, Buckingham, Carrol,) Deeds is doing well.

Deeds is going to walk away with Chesterfield County - 67 of 69 precincts in and Deeds has 51.91% of the vote. Turn out in my home county was a little over 4%.

7:36 PM: McAuliffe was counting on heavy turnout among black voters. The city of Petersburg has Moran up 45 -35 over McAuliffe with 2 of 8 precincts reporting.

Radford City went big for Deeds. All three precincts have reported and Deeds won the city with 73.65% of the vote. 5% turnout.

7:40 PM: Deeds is racking up big margins in rural areas that have counted all the votes. Staunton gives Deeds 77.62%, Salem 64.66%

7:52 PM: With 50% of precincts reporting Deeds has 50% of the vote. May be a good night for Deeds and a bad night for using gun control as a last minute attack.

8:57 PM: Power outage due to storm resolved. Deeds is winning all but the 3rd District. Declared winner during the power outage. Shows money can't buy everything. McAuliffe certainly did not get what he paid for.

Will Gun Control Turn Tide for McAuliffe, Moran?

2009-06-09T14:59:00.002-04:00

We will see tonight if the last minute attack on Deeds for his prior votes against gun control can win a nomination.

McAuliffe and Moran are attacking Deeds' opposition to most restrictions on gun ownership, including his vote more than a decade ago against a bill to limit gun purchases to one per month.