A Fairfax Republican

A northern Virginia senator is taking aim at gun shows with legislation to require private sellers to run criminal background checks on their customers.

Sen. Jeanne-marie Devolites Davis, R-Fairfax, said Monday that the so-called gun show loophole makes it all too easy for criminals to get firearms.

Fairfax? That's some lobbying success.

Until the Republicans are shown that creatures like this will be repelled at the polls, they will continue to betray their duty to the Constitution.

I also like the quote from the little girl, which is an accurate measure of the mindset of so-called "adults" who bleat to be disarmed.

I don't suppose with all this renewed interest in background checks that our Fairfax gun lobby will show any interest in an alternative?

Why is NRA Ignoring Santa Barbara Gun Owners?

I've been compiling "testimonials" from Santa Barbara area gun owners concerning their attempts to contact NRA about their A rating and endorsement of anti-gun Sheriff Bill Brown. Note that in some cases, I do not have permission to use full names, but I would be able to produce evidence via emails should I ever be required to do so--plus many of them were copied to NRA reps, and phone records of calls exist.

This will be a long post, but I think you'll get the gist pretty quickly. Also note that I have not edited the original emails for spelling or grammar.

From Larry Rankin:

Just so you know Ed Worley has been contacted about this issue many times, by many people in and out of Santa Barbara. Ed Has not responded to one person! Many have called his office three times. Also your Fairfax office has been contacted by many of the same people, because Ed has not returned there calls. NRA's response...call Ed. I have a Friend who call Ed a least three time and ended up calling Fairfax, he would not take, "call Sacramento", as an answer. After going through four or five people, he found someone that listened and even said they will contact me. He gave them all of my information. I was wise enough not to hold my breath! That was well over three weeks ago.

To be very honest, I do believe the NRA would like this to go a way by not addressing the issue! The only way this will go away at this point...is NOT with just an apology and we will not support Sheriff Bill Brown with an "A" as we did to help him get into office! They were warned by me and by David Codrea about this before he was elected!

Now NRA head quarters needs to call me and I can set up a game plan with them. This needs to be on a conference call, with the group, "Santa Barbara CCW United". Any thing less will not be accessible!

From BL:

R: Ed Worley _ I called and left a message - result: NADA! I called Virginia, was told to call Sacramento, I replied that was useless and the woman in Vir said, "We don't know about that," or words to that effect. What a load of crap.

From Gerhard Paul:

David, i was a paid voting member of the NRA but decided not to renew my membership because of the very same problems we are having now regarding Ed Worley! This is not new from the NRA in regards to giving "A" rating that should be "F".

You can use my name. Gerhard Paul former paid voting member of NRA

From JS:

My confidence in the ability of the NRA to defend the Second Amendment has been sagging for years , while my support of Gun Owners of America has increased . My vote for Sheriff Brown was based strictly upon the NRA recommendation and went against the advice of more informed local citizens!

One can only wonder how the NRA ever came up with its recommendation !! ??

From Jim Berkley:

Larry Rankin forwarded me your request for experiences calling the NRA to report Brown’s “anti” policies.

I was a holder of a CCW permit for 6 years prior to Brown’s election. I received an orange card from the NRA before the election endorsing Brown.

Although nothing changed re my “need” for a permit, Brown did not renew my CCW permit when I came up for renewal in Feb. I met with Brown and he stated allegiance to the NRA and the 2nd amendment, but that he didn’t want people carrying guns. Not sure how you reconcile those two ideas but he didn’t seem to have any trouble with it.

I called the NRA in Fairfax and told them what the situation was. I was told to call the Sacramento office which I did. A receptionist answered the phone and I told her that we had a new Sheriff, Mr Brown, and that he had been endorsed by the NRA and duly elected. The purpose of my call was to notify them that something had gone terribly wrong because he was actively denying existing permit holders and when I got together with him he made it clear that he did not want people carrying guns.

She said that the lobbyist, Ed Worley, would be very interested to hear this and took my number and said he would call back.

Two weeks passed without a return call, so I called the Sacrament office again. I left a message on Worley’s voice mail and also one on Steve Hellsley’s e-mail. Both messages were very nice and basically said you guys need to know what this man is up to so it doesn’t happen again.

It has been over a month since I left those messages.

Hope this helps – feel free to email me or call if you have any questions or need further info.

From RD:

I don’t know why the NRA does not support its members.

They do not return calls and the only people you can find at the NRA is those who will take your money!

From TB:

I wish to add my voice of protest to the NRA's policy of giving high pro-gun ratings to political candidates that have not proved themselves worth of our support.

I can understand how this could happen if a candidate falseifies his response to the NRA questionnaire. But there is no excuse for the NRA's maintaining their support and not informing the voters that the candidate misstated his positions and changing their rating to a a far lower grade.

Sincerely

TB
NRA member

From KD:

David - I recently dissolved my association with both the NRA and FNRA committee. My reason for doing so was the NRA's lack of response to my repeated requests for a return call to discuss Sheriff Brown's position on concealed carry in Santa Barbara County. I can no longer support an organization which, in the light of clear evidence, will not step up and recognize its mistake in endorsing Sheriff Brown. I will neither renew my NRA membership, nor will I assit in FNRA fund raising, until the NRA publicly decries Sheriff Brown's tactics and reassigns an "F" rating, as is
appropriate.

From Steve:

i called worleys office a few minutes ago. the lady i spoke to was very nice, but said she didn't know why he isn't returning calls. she gave me randy kozuch's number. he is director of state and local affairs. worley's boss. the first lady said to go up the chain of command. randy is supposed to call me back.

More from Steve:

I called Ed Worley Tuesday morning. I asked his secretary after stating my business in regards to the above subject, why hasn't or doesn't he return the calls people have asked him for? She said she didn't know why, but I could call HIS boss. Randy Kozuch is the Director of State and Local Affairs, and is a name I had not seen or heard of in my correspondence with Larry . Kozuch's "secretary" said he was out to lunch (approx 1100hrs-I didn't believe her) and would return my call when he came back. I left my number, and have not heard from him.

From PS:

I called the office of the NRA Manager of Governmental Affairs Executive Director Ed Worley 5-15-07 at 9:45 am PST.

I spoke with Intern Dan Reed who is a good 2nd Amendment proponent, and is law student at McGeorge Law School.

I stated that many people whom I know had called his office in the last 2 months and were upset that the NRA had given an A rating to then candidate Bill Brown for Sheriff of Santa Barbara County, CA. He said "This is about Mr. Rankin, right?". I said that many NRA members will not renew, nor will they contribute another penny to the NRA, including life members. I said that everyone whom I know who is informed about the rating, and once Sheriff not renewing Carry Concealed Weapon permits to long time holders, and not providing a questionnaire to then incumbent Sheriff Jim Anderson, is upset and will stay upset about the NRA misleading them. And that those persons will communicate loudly and clearly to all their friends, family and co workers and tell them to re-direct the funds they had given the NRA for years, to GOA, 2nd Amendment Foundation, JPFO and other actually pro-gun organizations with backbone and accountability.

Dan said that he'd been there 5 months 3 days a week and that all he could do was make notes in the call log and forward the message to Ed Worley. I said that many people of my acquaintance had called Ed already, multiple times, and that NO ONE had been called back by Ed Worley. Dan said that he had the call log, and "only a couple" of people had called, which I know personally to be untrue. The call log may not have been entered to reflect the calls, but people have told me they've called. I told Dan that people had also called Fairfax to complain, and been promised return calls, and again no one had ever been called back, in spite of repeated calls (as many as 4 from the same person within a 2 week period). Dan told me that it concerned him to hear people disgruntled and not supporting the NRA. He said again that all he could do was forward the subject and message of the call to Ed Worley. I told him to leave the NRA and get a position at an organization that had integrity.

Dan said I could also call Fairfax, which I did, immediately. I spoke with a mature sounding woman who didn't provide her name. I relayed the same story and message. She said that candidates must request a questionnaire, and that I should call the lobbyist (Ed Worley) in charge of the my area. I said that I just had, and that Ed Worley hasn't returned any of many calls from many people, and in fact has been completely uncooperative, unresponsive, irresponsible and people feel totally insulted. I then stated that the same people had called her office (the office of Chris Cox) and been promised return calls, and that calls would be made to Larry Rankin, and those people provided his phone number, and called back and been re-promised and again, no calls returned to them or calls to Larry Rankin.
She said that she'd pass on the message to Chris Cox.

From WT:

I had already decided not to donate this year as well as not contribute dues to the Golden Eagles. No one at the NRA acknowledged my letters (to three different officers) that were sent in April.

Too bad the principals stated by the NRA are not followed. For any years they have been at the forefront defending the rights of gun owners, but have apparently become an unwieldy bureaucracy.

It's evident the powers that be are hoping this will go away. Too bad.

It can't--not until the political "experts" come clean with why they misled their members on Brown's stance on their right to keep and bear arms, and come up with some way of ensuring they deserve credibility on future ratings and endorsements.

One thing is for sure--ignoring all these requests is no way to endear grassroots supporters to an organization that purports to represent their interests.

There will be a "Friends of NRA" dinner on June 2. Mr. Rankin is contacting Santa Barbara gun owners to boycott the event and sponsors not to donate to it. It's a shame it's come down to this, but it's also understandable. I'll keep an eye on this and report any developments that merit attention.

One final word: I also tried contacting NRA before my first post on this matter, and got the same runaround and lack of response as the people above. I repeat the offer I made last October:

If anyone authorized to speak for NRA wishes to post a response, I will be happy to post it in its entirety.

UPDATE:

Well, we got somebody's attention (click to enlarge)...



Come on out fellas. Talk to us.

The Cognitive Dissonance...It Burns...

 Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax focused his answer on the 2019 calls for his resignation that came after two women accused him of sexual assault. Fairfax said the calls for him to step down demonstrated how “African American men are presumed guilty” and “given no due process.” “Everyone here on this stage called for my immediate resignation, including Terry McAuliffe,” Fairfax said. “He treated me like George Floyd. He treated me like Emmett Till. No due process. Immediately assumed my guilt.” [More]

That's pretty funny coming from a guy whose party leadership demands we #BelieveWomen and demands "red flag" edicts.

Between that and McAwful being accused of a "backroom deal" with NRA, it's almost like we can't believe anything Democrats striving for more power have to say.

[Via Mack H]

The Devolites is in the Details

We've talked about anti-gun Jeannemarie Devolites Davis before, including how her daughter was convicted of armed robbery. In the interest of helping to deny power to a wretched tyrant wannabe, here are some more accounts.

First, I want to head off any criticism that bringing her family into things is off-limits. First, it shows how well she who would control us controls that which she is immediately responsible for. (How does that line in "Sunshine" go? "He can't even run his own life, I'll be damned if he'll run mine...")

Second, she's not above dragging her opponent's family into the race:

The Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney is looking into whether a recent campaign flyer from state Sen. Jeanemarie Devolites Davis (R-Fairfax) went too far.

The flyer contains the home address and phone number for her opponent, Democrat Chap Peterson [sic], and his kids' names.

And she's not above exploiting her own brood for political advantage. Besides, any chair in a bar fight, sez I, and this deserves to be a broken bottle brawl.

Here's the link to the Fox News report "Virginia State Lawmaker's Daughter Goes on Crime Spree." In it we find:

The daughter of a leading northern Virginia state legislator pleaded guilty in federal court to armed robbery and faces up to 27 years in prison for a five-week crime spree that stretched from New York to Virginia.

Not only had young Ashley "served as the trio's driver or lookout, but she was responsible for selecting targets," and furthermore, she "knowingly and intentionally provided misleading information which hindered and delayed the investigation of this case."

So how did it work out?

As per The Washington Post:

The daughter of a leader in the Virginia House of Delegates was sentenced today to more than nine years in federal prison for her role in a gas-station robbery in Fairfax City that authorities said was one of a string of armed holdups in Virginia and New York last summer.

Not bad. I wonder if someone not so connected, who "knowingly and intentionally provided misleading information," and "intentionally persuade[d suspect Christopher Martin] to withhold information from law enforcement," would have received only a third of the sentence--and would serve their time in a "minimum security federal prison" at that?

The thing that really shows the Imperial Devolites arrogance more than anything is her condemnation of media coverage of the trial--God forbid a free press act as watchdogs of government activities, and report public record legal proceedings to her constituents:

"I think it's a shame that all the members of the press that are here today do not have the common decency to show a family some privacy during a difficult time."

You own the courts now, Jeannemarie? By what stretch of the imagination do you claim a right to privacy when the feral felon you raised faces the music for her predation on the people you supposedly represent? Although perhaps it helps explain why you want those folks unable to resist, and maybe return lethal force to those so debased as to threaten their lives over a cash drawer-full of bills.

Countertop is going so far as to work for Jeannemarie's opponent, Petersen. I can't go that far, since the guy went out of his way to explain to the voters how he's just as big a gungrabber as she is (Good Lord, what's with the stupid bow tie? He looks like freakin' Jimmy Olsen), including bragging about his NRA "F" rating, but I do understand and support gun owners sitting on their hands here, and letting the Republican establishment know in no uncertain terms that ambitious fascists with an "R" after their names are wholly unacceptable.

The Bill Brown Runaround

From Larry Rankin via email to NRAHQ:

Just so you know Ed Worley has been contacted about this issue many times, by many people in and out of Santa Barbara. Ed has not responded to one person! Many have called his office three times. Also your Fairfax office has been contacted by many of the same people, because Ed has not returned their calls. NRA's response...call Ed. I have a friend who called Ed at least three time and ended up calling Fairfax--he would not take "call Sacramento" as an answer. After going through four or five people, he found someone that listened and even said they will contact me. He gave them all of my information. I was wise enough not to hold my breath! That was well over three weeks ago.

Sounds like the same thing that happened to me when I first began writing about this. I called NRA HQ, was referred to Sacramento and they referred me to NRA's "Media Office." They're counting on not enough members giving a damn about giving undeserved "A" ratings and endorsements, and I suspect they're probably right--which essentially gives them a green light to continue the practice.

[More on Sheriff Bill Brown]

We're the Only Ones Eroding Confidence Enough

Fairfax County’s chief prosecutor called for the Virginia State Police to investigate a Fairfax police shooting outside a church in September because he had lost confidence in the county police department’s ability to cooperate fully with him, newly released e-mails show. [More]

Gee, I wonder why.

[Via William T]

Why Tweet When You Can Quack?

NRA opens social media war with doctors over firearms [More]

That right there is a lie, but then again, "NBC News."

"The Hero of Medicine." Again.

Maybe I should put out another "Wanted" poster. Maybe I can even get the pseudoeggheads to publish another half-assed retraction.

The Gunquacks are the ones initiating attacks against RKBA, and their stupid tweets demonstrate this is about a statist agenda, not science, and certainly not freedom. The only possible "next good step" would be banning handguns.

Really?

Still, it creates problematic optics for Fairfax to engage with virtue-oozing "healers" in front of the children. The ones to take these leeches on are our pals at DRGO. Unfortunately for Wayne and Chris, they're part of the Gottlebian Alliance that Fairfax has a longtime habit of appropriating credit from.

Sic 'em, guys.

[Via Bluesgal]

We're the Only Ones Outraged Enough

Fairfax County police officials want to suspend for three weeks without pay the officer who accidentally shot and killed Salvatore J. Culosi, an unarmed optometrist being investigated for sports gambling, according to an internal affairs report.

The punishment recommended for Officer Deval V. Bullock in the shooting, which occurred in January, has outraged fellow officers, who said it is too harsh...

"The discipline is very disproportionate to prior [shooting] cases," said Officer Marshall Thielen, president of the Fairfax police officers union.

So if someone "accidentally" shot and killed one of your loved ones, Marshall, you'd be out there saying a three week suspension is "too harsh"?

And this is "disproportionate"? You mean they consider the lives of We the People to be worth less than that? At least we know the value "The Only Ones" place on us.

[Via Benson]

We're the Only Ones Sporting Enough...

Fairfax County's police chief said yesterday that one of his officers accidentally shot and killed an optometrist outside the unarmed man's townhouse Tuesday night as an undercover detective was about to arrest him on suspicion of gambling on sports...

"As they approached him . . . one officer's weapon, a handgun, was unintentionally discharged," said Fairfax Police Chief David M. Rohrer.

Well, it's not like he was a productive citizen or anything, and he was breaking the law...that gambling between consenting adults--now that's something I want government resources used to crush.

Here's something else I always look for in stories like this, and WaPo is true to form:

The officer, a 17-year veteran assigned to the police tactical unit, was not identified.

Why the hell not? If you or I killed an unarmed man, do you think our names would be shielded by the police and by the press? Do you think we'd be place on leave with pay, and described as "valued"?

Lt. Richard Perez, a police spokesman, said he could not say how or why the gun discharged.

Gee, Dick, let me take a wild guess. It couldn't have anything to do with Officer Secret Identity having his finger on the trigger, could it?

If he really is the trained veteran being described, the only doubt this casts is on the accidental nature of this obscenity.

[Thanks to straightarrow]

Tags: gun, police

Holed Up in Fairfax and They Ain't Comin' Out

I said this morning I'd get around to addressing NRA's silence on the Holder nomination, and on Sebastian's defense of it.

He gives a list of pros and cons. I'm not going to address every one, but will comment on what I think are the most important points.

The gist of his first "risk" is that a vengeful Holder will cut off access to the DoJ. If he did, that would certainly be worth raising a ruckus over, but what makes them think this anti-gun zealot who hates NRA and everything they stand for is going to not make things as difficult for them as he legally can as a matter of course?

This reminds me of the NRA representatives' stated position when they arranged for the California DoJ to come tell their members that there was no individual right to keep and bear arms, and that they had to fill out registration cards for their lawfully-owned semi-autos. The NRA rep actually told us how lucky we were to have the DoJ come speak to us, and how they didn't have to--like we were being done a favor--arranged through NRA's vaunted access to the corridors of power--to have the enforcers come and personally dictate to us the terms of our surrender.

His second stated "risk" is that if we lose, we'll be seen as impotent.

That all depends.

A man very close to me told me a good thing that happened to him when he was a teenager at a Depression-era CCC camp was that he got beat up in a fight on the first day.

"Why was that a good thing?" I asked.

"Because it took the guy half-an-hour to do it. Everybody knew they might be able to beat me, but they wouldn't be able to do it without a lot of effort and getting hurt back."

This business of being afraid to engage because you might lose is precisely the excuse given when they tried to derail Heller, a decision they now can't take enough credit for. It is simply unworthy of any who would call themselves our leaders.

Talk about appearing impotent.

The third "risk" he lists, "distracting membership from bigger fights looming on the horizon" is simply not credible. He's not just saying we can't walk and chew gum at the same time, he's saying we can't walk now and chew gum at some undetermined time in the future.

If this is the capacity and commitment of grassroots gun rights activists for multitasking, it's difficult for me to fathom why the "pragmatists" (there, I said it) put so much faith in their way being the strongest and most reliable.

What--if I ask you to write a letter on Holder today, when I come back to you next year and say "Obama's trying to ban assault weapons," you're going to turn around and tell me "Sorry-- I'm burned out on all I did last time"...?

This is our last best hope?

And what if we win and we get someone just as bad? If we win, the new administraiton won't put up someone just as bad, because they'll realize why it was they lost and not want to repeat it. If we win, they'll be so rocked back on their heels, their momentum will have been broken and their confidence challenged.

If we win, they'll know the old lion still has some teeth left.

And if we lose, well, remember the CCC camp.

NRA needs to understand that a growing critical mass gun owners are fed up. They're like the dumb republicans--more worried about what their avowed enemies will say about them than keeping faith with their core constituency. They don't understand that guys like me want a strong and principled NRA--and their hiding when they should be leading disgusts and alienates activists sick of all the compromise. It guarantees they'll be weak with the people who count--gun owners with a fire in their bellies for freedom.

And the opinion that NRA can't afford to lose and have it's reputation tarnished, but other, smaller groups can is insulting. What, like we don't have any credibility and NRA does?

Let me share some NRA credibility. Or better yet, let Mr. Cox:

Your NRA-PVF does not just pick the easy battles. There are groups that endorse only “safe” candidates, but avoid the tough races completely...

And when we walk the halls of Congress to defend our rights, we need to know—and your lawmakers need to know—that you’re standing behind us all the way. United, we—and the Second Amendment—will prevail.

I haven't been this inspired since Mel Gibson yelled "FREE-DO-O-O-MM!!!"

Mr. Cox reveals something else very interesting:

[T]he NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) endorsed 23 candidates for the U.S. Senate, of whom at least 14 were victorious...

OK, guys, we backed you. You're now in, thanks to us.

How about you now give us some return love, and EVERY DAMN ONE OF YOU pledge to put a hold on Holder? How about we start with the biggest "risk" NRA backed out of the entire herd, the old bull elephant himself, John "End Private Sales/Free Political Speech" McCain?

How many millions did NRA sink in his campaign, and on promoting other Republicans?

It's simply not credible that an organization that screamed so loudly and relentlessly on Obama being "the most anti-gun president in American history" would remain hidden and mute on the ascendancy of the most anti-gun Attorney General in American history.

The only excuse I can make for them is that they could be quietly working behind the scenes to get a "hold" commitment. That's the only thing I can think of that's acceptable. And since I haven't heard it floated from their apologists, I don't have confidence that's anything more than my desperate wishful thinking.

One last thing and then I've said enough--for now. If I were the Bradys, or some smaller group trying to establish relevance, I'd be looking at this latest schism. How would I exploit it?

The antis are already crowing every chance they get about how NRA is now impotent and ineffectual. It doesn't matter that they're making much of that up, the bottom line is they're doing it, and the media is helping them amplify their voices.

Do our champions at Fairfax really want to be portrayed as not only too insecure to fight, but hiding in their fortress afraid to even speak out?

-------------

NRA may be unwilling to engage on the Holder confirmation. How about you?

The following links are from a four-part (and ongoing) series from Examiner.com explaining why Holder is so bad for gun owners, what reasons a non-gun owner would have to oppose Holder, what citizens can do to oppose his confirmation, and new information regarding his contempt for using the legal system to defend yourself.

This guy will be a disaster for our liberties. Please help me let people know that.


Holder" To-Be" or Not To Be


How to Hold Holder Without "Using Guns"


How You Can Help Hold Holder


Another Reason to Hold Holder

How can We RSVP if We Didn't Get an Invite?

From AR15.com, toward the bottom of page 64:


That's funny.

One of the expert witnesses in the case says he's sent your liaison information and has been ignored.

And I see not being invited didn't stop y'all from inserting yourself in the Parker (now Heller) case. You not only just "stepped in on your own," hell, you tried to derail it. Just like your attorney tried to do with Silveira, a case you were invited, that is practically begged, to support.

Seeing how the outcome of this case affects every owner of a semiautomatic firearm in the country, one must ask what you have done to show the least bit of curiosity AND LEADERSHIP. Did anyone call Olofson's attorneys, ask 'em what's going on, see if there's anything you could do to help? Did they reject your advances?

God, this forked tongue misdirection out of Fairfax drives me nuts.

Making the Grade

Another decidedly pro-gun GOP congressman, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, was downgraded from an A to a B, seemingly because he got cross-wise with the NRA from the right. Last year, Massie vocally opposed the Fix NICS Act, which offered incentives to states to increase data submissions to the federal background check system. [More]

They've long punished politicians for being too "pro-gun."

The Bloombergians have done us a service here. This business of hiding ratings allows Fairfax to feed members all kinds of BS and then makes it easy to cover their tracks when a grade blows up in their faces.

[Via Mack H]

Nagin's in Contempt...

...but the NRA/SAF mouthpiece padded his bill.

Again, we run into the same lack of plain decency I've been pointing out since I began covering the press releases on cases the two groups jointly supported:

Again and
again and
again and
again and
again and
again...

NRA-ILA does not give any credit to SAF.

SAF always gives joint credit to NRA.

I guess the guys in the nice suits at Fairfax believe what their apologists maintain--that every dime going to another organization is "diverted" money.

[Link to contempt order via Cousin G]

Rest Assured

[Click to enlarge]

Anybody see anything worth Holder covering things up that's come out of this yet? This is the same deliberate indifference that's characterized "Gunwalker" since Day One.

Aside from advancing the absurd "botched gun sting" deception, anybody see anything other than double-talk coming out of ol' Buddy here?  Every time one of these guys (or Fairfax, for that matter) says "Rest assured," it's like code for you're being played.  Resting and trusting them to actually do something means nothing will get done -- which is the plan.

Yet again they have been given leads they have the power to follow, and yet again the deniers can count on cover from the glad-handers.

[Via Wynn A] 

We're the Only Ones Sticky-Fingered Enough

But the man in the video may have been a Fairfax County sheriff’s deputy, Northington said he soon learned. And within days, two things happened: The deputy retired from the sheriff’s office and Target fired Northington, 29, a married father of two with a third child on the way. [More]

It's not like Target actually means to provide...you know...security. If only he'd just gone along with the facade instead of embarrassing everyone.

[Via Steve G]

NRA Sues Florida

Plaintiff seeks declaratory and injunctive relief: a declaration that Florida’s law banning adult, law-abiding citizens under the age of 21 from  purchasing firearms of any kind is unconstitutional under the Second and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution... [More]

Good. And they mentioned those being disabled are members of the militia per U.S. Code, so double-good.

See? I can say nice things about Fairfax when they merit it.

Still...

We're the Only Ones Less Shocking Enough

Police use of Tasers has dropped in Virginia — in some cases dramatically — in the year since a federal appeals court decision essentially “rewrote policy for every department” in the state, a nationally recognized expert on stun guns and police use of force says. [More]

And what about police shootings? Sorry, "Precise statistics on the number of killings by police in Virginia are not available" and Fairfax PD "has decided unilaterally to stop reporting the data to state police."

Another perk of being "Only Ones," I suppose.

[Via Mack H]

Looks Like We Got Us a Sow Here Instead of a Boar

“He didn’t drink the Kool-Aid; he made it,” Dick Saslaw (D-Fairfax), the state Senate minority leader, said in 2013. [More]

Does this guy ever not squeal like a pig?

[Via Mack H]

UPDATE: Not that he's wrong this time...

And There Was War in Heaven

SB 613, The NRA and the Lies [More]

I will say I am against stolen gun reporting requirements in principle. That said, I find it noteworthy every time state groups push back against Fairfax, which is not infrequent, and especially when it's done so vehemently.

It will be interesting to learn more. But it will have to come from someone who understands all the issues, background, history, personalities and ramifications, and that person is not me.

We're the Only Ones Blacked Out Enough

There exists dash-cam video of Masters' shooting. There are also police interviews of other witnesses, and the police report itself. But the public and the press are as unlikely to see any of those as they are to learn the officer’s name. That's because the Fairfax County Police Department—along with the neighboring municipal police departments of Arlington and Alexandria—are among the most secretive, least transparent law enforcement agencies in the country. And local political leaders don't seem particularly concerned about it. [More]

So what will it take to make them "particularly concerned"? And why should we be "particularly concerned" about them?

[Via Mama Liberty]