I worked the VCDL booth at the Richmond Gun Show yesterday. The show was packed. Our booth got a lot of traffic due to the recent election where the Democrats swept into a trifecta in VA government. On a positive note, we did get a lot of new memberships and donations at our booth. On the negative side, though, our booth seemed to be a magnet for yahoos who just wanted to pontificate about gun control, but wouldn't join or contribute to the organization and said they did not plan to show up on Lobby Day on Jan. 20. We have been pushing that because we believe it will be the most critical Lobby Day we have ever had. Here is what I heard a lot of:
"Whatever the Democrats pass, we'll get it shot down in court." My reaction:
"Whatever the Democrats pass, we'll get it shot down in court." My reaction:
- Look at all the infringements out there now that the courts have approved or refused to rule on. Even with Heller, a lot of restrictions continue be upheld by the courts. You can blame that on whatever you want, but whatever it is, it is not getting fixed and is going to continue.
- Court cases cost a lot of money. At the gun show, we couldn't get most people to spend $25 to join our organization. Like most state groups, we operate on a shoestring. How do you figure these court challenges are going to get funded? I can tell you, the NRA won't do it. By contrast, the state has virtually unlimited funds to fight any challenges. If the new legislature hits us with a dozen gun restrictions at once, there is no way the courts are a solution.
- Court challenges take time. The Heller case took six years. Guess whose side of the law was in effect for that time? The government's.
- Heller was was a pretty rare case. The higher courts don't help us on many gun cases and the casses rarely make it to SCOTUS.
- I can tell you from experience, they will always listen. They may not give you what you want, but listening to voters, more than anything else is what keeps them in office. The VCDL has found that if a legislator of either party get 10 or more similar voter opinions in a short period of time, they do pay attention. Even if it does not change their position, it can change how hard they will fight for a position.
- As @Rock and Glock told me through PMs, Maine did a great job standing up against a Democratic trifecta earlier this year. I may not have the numbers right, but from what I can tell online, they got 17 out of 18 anti-gun bills killed in committee. The one that made it through got significantly watered down. I heard a lot of push back on that. "Maine isn't Virginia" they said. No, but it is a state (or "Commonwealth"), it has a Dem trifecta, they were facting same kinds of bills we are facing and they did stuff we are proposing, stuff that has been effective for us in the past, only they did it better. So how different can that be?
- Then why is the governor already saying openly he is working on confiscation plans with the state police, months before any bills have been passed? He isn't running for reelection. I think he is really intends to move forward.
- Red Flag is being proposed. That is confiscation. AWBs and mag limits are proposed. They will do at least some token confiscations for the media.
- What good is an illegal buried gun? You can't take it to a range and you can't use it for self-defense, or you will be going to jail.
- If the cops have a warrant and you come up with excuses like that, they may just tear your house apart anyway looking for them.
- If you ever get caught with your illegal stash, you are going to prison. And some people will get caught. Not most, but who wants to be the test case?