Distrust and Verify

The nation’s most respected Sportsmen association has endorsed Senator Emmett Hanger on his re-election campaign and for the June 12th primary this coming Tuesday...

The NRA Political Victory Fund has publicly endorsed Hanger and is encouraging all its members to vote June 12 to return Hanger to the Virginia Senate.

Why? What does Hanger really believe about gun ownership and use rights?

From his website:

Gun Rights

As a rural legislator, I have long been a leading advocate for the protection of 2nd Amendment rights.

From consistently opposing legislation intended to chip away at gun owner rights, to patroning key legislation to afford statewide protection of this constitutional right, I am regarded as a leader in the Senate on this issue.

I am proud of my A+ rating from the National Rifle Association and have a clear record of consistency on this issue over the years. I also am pleased to be a Republican co-chair of the Sportsman Caucus in the General Assembly.

I don't see much in terms of specifics here. And the problem is, what with the Sheriff Bill Brown 'A' rating endorsement fiasco-- and NRA's refusal to address numerous, oftentimes multiple sustained efforts by members (for months) to find out how that happened and what's to prevent it from happening again-- the Association has created conditions where its credibility on political endorsements is-- and should be-- questioned.

Candidly, why should we trust people who have let us down? Do we accept their endorsement on blind faith, or do we maybe peel back a few layers and examine things a bit more closely?

We might ask why, for instance, the Virginia Gun Owners Coalition gave Hanger a "C minus".

We might ask why he ignored a 2003 Virginia Citizens Defense League survey altogether. We might also ask why Hanger's independent (libertarian) challenger in the November 2007 election Arin Sime, issued a press release stating "that he agrees with the VCDL’s position stating that SB827 would greatly burden gun sellers and is a step in the wrong direction for second amendment rights."

And what about Hanger's Republican challenger for the June 12 primary, Scott Sayre? Apparently, gun rights aren't important enough to list on his "Issues" page (interesting he posted a Virginia Tech memorial black ribbon logo--I wonder what his solution for preventing future massacres would be?). A Google search for the terms "Scott Sayre" + gun doesn't give us much insight, either, although there is a link to a VCDL post, indicating that as of a few weeks ago, he had not returned their questionnaire. It doesn't look like he's all that interested. But he is, according to a support blog, "an avid turkey hunter," for what it's worth.

And what about Democrat candidate David Cox? Perhaps it's not fair to make assumptions based on the fact that he's an Episcopal priest, but I just can't find anything about his position, or even how to ask him--searching for his name doesn't result in any readily-accessible campaign website or blog.

Look, I don't mean to malign Sen. Hanger--I really don't know that much about him, and what I do see is vague. He may be a fine politician and the best hope for Virginia gun owners. But what I know--from bitter experience--is not to automatically accept NRA ratings as the final word. And since Mr. Sime looks very good on RKBA, there ought to be a more credible way to determine who will best serve the interests of Virginia gun owners.

There is. I developed this political questionnaire some years back. It would be interesting to see if any of these candidates would respond, and if so, how:

1. Do you believe that the Constitution is the "supreme law of the land," that the Bill of Rights acknowledges the birthrights of all Americans, and that the Second Amendment was intended to protect the right of the people to keep and bear arms from being infringed?

2. If so, should these rights be proactively protected from infringement by all levels of government, including city, county and state? How?

3. Who are the Constitutional militia?

4. Please give some examples of gun control laws you consider do not infringe on the right of the people to keep and bear arms. Please share as many as you can think of.

5. Please give some examples of gun control laws you consider unconstitutional.

6. Does the right to bear arms include the right for any peaceable citizen to carry them concealed without a permit, as in Vermont?

7. Do you believe that Americans have a right to own, use and carry weapons of military pattern?

8. Do you support or oppose registration of weapons? Why?

9. Do you support or oppose licensing requirements to own or carry firearms? Why?

10. What specific gun laws will you work to get repealed?

11. If elected, will you back your words of support for firearms rights up with consistent actions? How?

13. If brief clarification is requested for any of your answers, will you provide it?

I'll send a link to this post to both campaigns, and report back on any responses or lack thereof...meanwhile, if anyone has knowledge to share about any of these candidates, feel free to educate us in the "Comments" section to this post.

UPDATE: