The Virginia Shooting Sports Association notes that Joe Biden is headed to Richmond to start the campaign-style events in support of gun control. They add to this news:
It would be great to have a turnout of pro-rights folks to show opposition.
Yes, it would be great. It would be awesome. If you’re in or near Richmond and have a little flexibility in your schedule, check in with VSSA to see what, if anything, they are able to help plan.
While it’s great that the community came together to stop a private company from pushing a gun ban at a sportsmen’s show, we need to show the same enthusiasm for opposing the gun controls that the White House is proposing. Let’s make these types of protests happen. Be part of the news cycle in each city they visit.
UPDATE: VSSA now has time details and a broad location, but they are trying to pinpoint a building. Basically, if you’ve got some free time around 11am tomorrow, it would be a great time to head to the VCU campus.
UPDATE II: VSSA has the building information now.
With any luck, the pro-gun rights community may have just given the GOP an issue to run on and win on in 2014 as part of their senate electoral strategy. Hopefully they have some more other than guns.
Well, first the GOP has to have a record of opposing these measures. Aside from the virtually powerless Senate Minority Leader (from Kentucky…), has any major Republican figure come out unambiguously against them?
I laughed when I saw the headline “Boehner: Obama out to ‘annihilate’ GOP; well, yes, but you’re 100% his partner in that effort. Witness your giving us not one iota of verbal support, when it counts the most.
Oh, don’t get me wrong, I fully believe they’re still very capable of screwing it up. But it IS a winning issue they’re being handed on a silver platter that they had nothing to do with. None of us have any idea what is happening behind the scenes, but Mitch McConnell’s words to pro-gunners have been helpful. I don’t completely understand the “senatorial privilege” stuff. I think the anti-gun Dems are being handed enough rope to hang themselves with at this point.
Friday am????
I may be able to do this.
Virginia? Biden is going to VIRGINIA to tell people we need more gun control laws?
Is his next stop going to Wisconsin to tell people we should stop eating cheese?
Obama won Virginia by 4 points. Tim Kaine won the Senate seat. Why should he assume that it’s a bad idea to launch his gun control agenda there? They already showed they are willing to support the candidates who call for it.
Because Kaine beat the worst candidate in the world – George “Maccaca” Allan, Obama ran against Mitt Romney (who ran one of the worst campaigns in the world) stressing everything else BUT gun control (and actually highlighting how he had no gun control plans), and Kaine won the governorship initially against Jerry Kilgore who’s idiot campaign manager Karl Rove would’t allow him to appear on TV or in Television ads in Northern Virginia because of his accent.
But, don’t forget about Presidential Election Politics. Joe Biden wants to be President (he wont be, if Hillary Runs). Mark Warner wants to be President. Mark Warner is smart. Joe Biden, who launched a gun control strategy based on splitting hunters from the NRA, just had an early presidential nomination campaign oh shit moment in Pennsylvania with the Eastern Sports Show ordeal.
And Kaine, of course, was Obama/Biden’s stooge at the DNC. Don’t discount the fact that this event itself may be specifically designed to force Mark Warner’s hand – and perhaps get some gun control passed but also have the benefit of keeping him from going into Iowa and claiming his purity in support of the 2nd Amendment to Iowa Caucus participants.
Fair points – and an interesting take on the issue of killing Mark Warner’s chances to challenge Biden. I’m just not sure how Warner would try to claim purity when he has already come out in favor of a semi-auto ban.
Because Kaine beat the worst candidate in the world – George “Maccaca†Allan….
Yeah, the moment I learned Allen was nominated I knew that race was lost. Here’s an additional reason:
Back when I was living in Arlington, after the 1995 “This time we mean it!” shall issue law was passed, I heard that Allen had earned the undying enmity of many concealed carriers outside of the No.VA. and Virginia Beach areas for which that law was made. One guy said “George Allen shook my hand and promised me he wouldn’t take any of my gun rights away, but…” that law changed the license from a “weapons” to “handgun” one, and had a very nasty “serves alcohol” poison pill.
It got fixed in the middle of 2010, but it was very obnoxious in the meantime (granted, I left in 2004).
Many parts of Virginia are anti-gun, including Richmond. Or speaking from semi-direct experience, that’s one reason I lived in Arlington instead of Fairfax County when I spent a dozen years in the D.C. area.
Don’t you have that backwards? Richmond city is anti gun. And certainly some of Fairfax (and many of the politicians) lean anti gun. But Fairfax itself isn’t anti gun. And any politician who spends time at the NRA range and witnesses all the Korean business owners (and those owners kids) driving Mercedes and shooting their AR15s is going to take a different view perhaps of how this issue plays out with the areas fastest growing population.
It’s the “many of the politicans” that prompts me to consider it anti-gun. E.g. when the “This time we mean it!” shall issue law passed, Fairfax County had to be taken to court to force them to obey the law (which was actually taking the court to court, since the court system does it in Virginia). Never heard anything bad about Arlington WRT to this, and when I went to got mine everyone was not just pleasant but extra helpful, except the young lady at the counter of the court office who may have just been having a sort of bad day.
I’m sure there’s other stuff I’m forgetting, but I in general considered Fairfax to be a place to avoid when possible.
Richmond? Biden must have been talking to Rangel about “sourthern areas”.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/on-air/willis-report/blog/2013/01/23/rangel-southern-areas-have-cultures-we-have-overcome
I’m not going to suggest anyone not go, but I do want to caution that we could very easily wear ourselves out chasing little stuff, that for our enemies (like Biden) amounts to nothing more than a normal ho-hum day’s work and campaign appearance, but for us is exhausting resources, both material and emotional. Then when something big comes along, no more days can be taken off from work, all the gas money has been spent, and we feel we’re been there, done that already.
Andy makes a good point. I think there is a potential for burnout, myself included. At the rally at the PA capitol yesterday there were lots of pro-gun folks who were on fire and I do not believe this has the potential of fizzling out on our side, especially since the anti’s seem to be laying chase everywhere they feel they can. However, we do need to make sure we are channeling resources effectively. What I’d really like to see is a “boots on the ground” approach from the NRA similar to CeaseFire. It’s already happening, but at a grassroots level. As much as grassroots is going to be how we win this, we also need some national and statewide direction. I mentioned on one of the PAFOA threads that it would be great to see NRA bus people in to places like Richmond(if it’s looking like a groundswell) and feed them lunch and give them a t-shirt. That’s what Bloomberg money buys. Not necessarily popular support, but a “visible presence”. NRA has the money to do it, and they have the team to gauge the legislative and PR processes.
I think that you guys envision something different than what I’m suggesting. In order to get in the local media coverage for protesting something like this, half a dozen protestors is all you need. This doesn’t have to be rally with speakers level of event planning here. I know it works because there was coverage of just a half dozen protestors who showed up to protest Biden’s fundraiser in Bucks County during the Obamacare debate. Because the media wasn’t inside for the fundraiser, photos of the protestors were featured instead. That’s the kind of thing I’m talking about.
As for comparing it to what’s going on in PA, there’s a legitimate concern of burnout here in the Keystone State. There were groups calling for a massive rally last Saturday. Then others who wanted a mass rally yesterday. Still more want a massive rally later this spring. Yes, when you call for everyone who possibly can to turn out for a long drive repeatedly, that’s going to cause burnout. However, when you encourage the people who happen to be right near the area to throw together a quick sign and stand outside as a small group, that’s less likely to cause burnout because it’s not a huge trip for everyone.
When Biden was protested in Bucks County, it was something that just kind of spread quickly on Twitter the day before the event. I ran to the grocery store across the street from the venue and bought a piece of posterboard and a pack of markers to make a sign up in the back of the car right there on the spot. The other people did the same thing. The only person who showed up really “prepared” in a serious way was the single pro-Obamacare protester who drove over from Jersey. It was about activating only those people who were right nearby and didn’t have much of an issue taking off just an hour of work – putting off their lunch hour or just staying an hour later. That’s the kind of effective protest that’s handy in these types of events.
Interesting comparison. Well luckily it does sound like Va. sportsmen are organized.
I can’t believe there would be a solid anti-gun presence much further south of the NoVA area. Even in Richmond, the home of the museum of the confederacy???
As far as I’m concerned, the Commonwealth of Va. should have let DC keep what is known as Arlington County today!
Richmond is where anti-gun Tim Kaine started his political career as mayor. A good portion of the city is in a district represented by a D+ rated Congressman. It’s not nearly as pro-gun as you seem to think it is.
And Fairfax is where VCDL got its start. Fairfax is huge, and its a mistake to label it Anti Gun. The Democrat politicians may be (but then Chap Peterson was elected to the State Legislature running on a Pro Gun ticket against former Congressman Tom Davis (R-VA) wife who had Bloomberg come campaign for her. That was also the death of Davis’s political career and his replacement – Gerry Connolly has remained not silent but certainly not vocal at all on gun control. And don’t forget Ken Cuccinelli also came from Fairfax).