by Chris Muir’s Day by Day Cartoon for Monday nails it as to who is really calling the shots in Virginia.
I guess that is what Northam will be doing this afternoon – shuffling out there like a good boy for the media.
Month: January 2020
Northam Issues Temporary Ban On Firearms On VA Capitol Grounds
One of the first acts of the new Democrat-controlled Virginia General Assembly was to ban firearms in the State Capitol and the adjacent office building. The new rule went into effect as of 11:59pm Friday, January 10th. This was done on a straight party line vote.
Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) has gone the General Assembly one better – or worse.
Fearing a repeat of the deadly violence that engulfed Charlottesville more than two years ago, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam plans to declare a temporary emergency Wednesday banning all weapons, including guns, from Capitol Square ahead of a massive rally planned next week over gun rights.
That’s according to two state officials who were briefed on the plans but not authorized to speak publicly about them. The governor, a Democrat, plans to announce the plans at a news conference Wednesday afternoon because of credible threats of potential violence and extremism, one official said.
Supposedly, there were “inflammatory” postings by out-of-state pro-gun groups. I don’t suppose they are talking about the NC House Republican Caucus who will be sending representatives to Lobby Day.
They also managed to throw the words “militia” and “Charlottesville” into the conversation. Unless there is an Antifa-wing of the Demanding Mommies that I don’t know about, this is just so much hyperbole.
Northam’s declaration will also ban helmets and shields. I guess any Viking Norsemen will have to leave them at home.
Northam and his backers attempts to portray honest gun owners seeking to petition their own legislature for redress is nothing short of an attempt to delegitimize them. It is an “othering”. It is straight out of Rule 13 of Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals.
Pre-SHOT Show Releases, Part 2
The FN Mk20 SSR and the civilian variant FN SCAR 20S have been out since 2016. They are the long range precision version of the SCAR-17 aka SCAR Heavy. They traditionally have been chambered in 7.62×51 NATO.
FN America has now released the FN SCAR 20S in 6.5 Creedmoor.
For 2020, FN announces new advancements in the legendary FN SCAR® 20S – now chambered in the superb long range cartridge: 6.5 Creedmoor. Perfectly calibrated for long-range precision fire, the FN SCAR® 20S in 6.5 Creedmoor gives you the ability to engage targets exceeding 1,000 yards with ease. The chrome lined barrel of new FN SCAR® 20S will deliver precision accuracy with improved barrel life. The gas-operated piston design and Surefire ProComp 762 muzzle device manage recoil efficiently to improve follow-up shots and maintain target acquisition. Lending further aid is the match-grade, two-stage trigger that breaks crisply at 3.5-4.5 pounds, full-length MIL-STD 1913 rail at 12 o’clock position, and fixed buttstock providing adaptability to fit to each user’s needs through adjustable length of pull and cheek rest height.
The rifle will be available in both flat dark earth (FDE) and black.
The trigger is a Geissele 2-stage match trigger (Geissele Super SCAR). The 20 inch barrel is cold hammer-forged and chrome lined. The weight of the 6.5 CM SCAR 20S will come in at 11.6 pounds.
The price? MSRP is $4,499.
Davidson County Becomes 10th NC County To Adopt 2A Resolution (Update)
The Davidson County Board of Commissioners voted 7-0 tonight to adopt a resolution declaring the county a “Second Amendment Protected County”. Davidson thus become the tenth county in the state to adopt a Second Amendment Sanctuary resolution or the equivalent.
Resolution – Second Amendment Protection 1-14-20 v3 by jpr9954 on Scribd
In similar news, the North Carolina House Republican Caucus have adopted a letter stating that they support the cities and counties in Virginia that have declared themselves Second Amendment Sanctuaries. By extension, that would also include these NC counties that have done likewise.
From Freshman Majority Leader Steve Jarvis (R-Davidson) on Facebook:
The signers of the letter include Speaker Tim Moore and Majority Leader John Bell Freshman Majority Leader Steve Jarvis as well as 47 other members. Representative Kidwell will attend a rally on January 20th where he and several other members of the North Carolina House of Representatives including Rep Michael Speciale (Craven) and Rep Bobby Hanig (Currituck) will present the letter to the members of the Virginia legislature. “It is our hope that we can impress upon the Virginia legislature the importance of protecting the rights of the people they represent”. Said Rep. Kidwell. As stated in the letter, North Carolina and Virginia have stood together beginning with the revolution, and it is the hope of the signers of this letter of support that we will continue to stand with the citizens as their rights are being attacked in much the same way they were under colonial rule.
UPDATE: Allison Lee Isley of the Winston-Salem Journal has posted a series of photos from the Davidson County commissioners meeting. It looks like there was a good crowd there supporting the Second Amendment Protected County resolution.
The photos can be seen here.
The Dispatch of Davidson County had this comment at the hearing from a social studies teacher. It is not what one might expect to hear in other parts of the country.
Daniel Watson, a social studies teacher with the Davidson County School System, said there did not need to be a discussion on whether to pass the resolution.
“We just went through the Bill of Rights and if my kids can understand it, I expect this board could understand it,” Watson said. “If they come for the Second Amendment, the First Amendment is right behind it. It is what gives the First Amendment its teeth. If they take our guns, they take our freedom and you better believe your Bible is next. … The founding fathers are rolling over in their grave because we have to have a discussion about this.”
Three More North Carolina Counties Adopt 2A Resolutions (Updated)
County Commissioners in three more North Carolina counties have adopted Second Amendment Sanctuary resolutions. Adding Beaufort, McDowell, and Stokes counties to the list now makes nine counties that have adopted some form of a Second Amendment resolution.
My friend Andy Stevens who resides in Stokes County reports that it was standing room only there with over 200 people attending the commissioners’ meeting. It was a 5-0 vote in favor of the resolution. As you can see below, the resolution declares Stokes to be a “Constitutional Rights Protection County for Second Amendment Rights”.
2nd Amendment PDF by jpr9954 on Scribd
McDowell County called their resolution a “Second Amendment Endorsement”. Also on their agenda was an agreement to open a public shooting range. Unfortunately, I don’t have a copy of their “endorsement” as it isn’t on their website. I have requested a copy of it from the McDowell County Clerk’s Office.
Beaufort County became the first eastern North Carolina county to adopt a Second Amendment Sanctuary resolution. The Beaufort County Second Amendment Sanctuary resolution passed 5-2. As a historical aside, Beaufort County is the sixth oldest existing county in North Carolina and was founded in 1705.
In addition to adopting this resolution, they also considered a resolution allowing county employees with concealed handgun permits to carry in most county buildings. The resolution stated they wanted their county employees to be able to protect themselves from “the wrongful, purposeful evil intent of the deranged individual.” The author of this resolution, Commissioner Stan Deatherage, pulled his resolution and will resubmit it after some tweaks.
2020 01 13 Regular Meeting Agenda by jpr9954 on Scribd
UPDATE: Thanks to the very quick response from McDowell County County Clerk Cheryl Mitchell, I now have the resolutions adopted by the Board of Commissioners yesterday. It actually goes beyond merely “endorsing” the Second Amendment to actually declaring that McDowell County is a Second Amendment Sanctuary.
McDowell 2nd Amendment by jpr9954 on Scribd
Demanding Moms Channel CSGV In Comments About Lobby Day
When Ladd Everitt was the communications director for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (sic), it was a favorite tactic to characterize Second Amendment supporters as “gun extremists”. CSGV’s Executive Director Josh Horwitz took it a step further by calling those who opposed the Obama Administration‘s efforts “insurrectionists“. I was one of those called a “gun extremist” when I challenged the sainted Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) over some of her comments.
In a news release about the VCDL’s Lobby Day next Monday, Moms Demand Action channels CSGV and calls it a “gun extremist rally”.
On January 20th, gun extremists – including out-of-state militia groups – will descend on the Virginia General Assembly, hoping to intimidate lawmakers into rejecting the democratic will of the people who, by wide margins, want (and voted for champions of) common-sense gun safety laws.
The Democrats won control due to court-ordered redistricting. The plan was devised by California-based special master Bernard Grofman of U. California – Irvine and intended to be most favorable to Democrats. It was approved in a 2-1 decision with Obama-appointed Judges Barbara Keenan and Arenda Allen in the majority. Republicans who opposed the new districts called it “legal indefensible” because it was so slanted towards the Democrats.
They portray Second Amendment Sanctuary resolutions as “lawless county resolutions”.
Lawless County resolutions, or as gun extremists call them, ‘Second Amendment Sanctuary’ resolutions, which threaten that officials will disregard their duty to enforce duly enacted and constitutional laws, have no legal force. The resolutions also threaten the safety of communities nationwide by fostering distrust in law enforcement and may deter people from reporting individuals that may hurt themselves or others.
Since when did promoting respect for God-given, Constitutionally-protected rights become a threat to the safety of communities? That is the kind of argument one would have expected from racial segregationists who opposed school integration in the face of Brown v. Board of Education.
The news release continues and throws in “militia”, “white supremacist”, “Charlottesville”, and “Civil War” for good measure. I’m surprised they didn’t include “Boogaloo” as well. Remembering that Everytown and Moms Demand have the best PR flacks that money can buy, it is obvious that they want to scare both African-Americans and suburban “soccer moms” with this rhetoric. This is the sort of thing that Matt Bracken warned about in his comments on Lobby Day characterizing it as a Charlottesville-style setup.
They end this screed with a few words about their ultimate boogeyman – the NRA.
The NRA has yet to make any public statement disavowing the January 20th event or the various militia groups planning on attending. However, the NRA’s people and rhetoric are intertwined with the January 20th rally. The NRA put out a formal statement supporting the Lawless County resolutions, and former NRA TV personalities like Cam Edwards and Antonia Okafor are listed as speakers at the rally. The NRA has taken out billboards throughout Virginia ominously and baselessly warning of coming “confiscation” of firearms.
While the NRA hasn’t “disavowed” the VCDL’s Lobby Day, they haven’t supported it either. Instead, they came up with their own rally being held today. As to “baselessly warning” about confiscation, a magazine ban without grandfathering certainly meets the standard for confiscation.
We know the Demanding Moms don’t respect the Second Amendment. It is increasingly clear that they don’t support the First Amendment rights of their opponents. The First Amendment ends ” the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” That is exactly what the many thousands of Virginians and their supporters from other states will be doing on January 20th.
This Is My Kind Of Sheriff
Greg Seabolt is the Sheriff of Randolph County, North Carolina. His recent statements regarding Second Amendment Sanctuaries make me proud to say I was born in Randolph County though I haven’t lived there for over 53 years.
The Asheboro Courier-Tribune reports that Sheriff Seabolt will be bringing a Second Amendment resolution to the County Commissioners at their meeting on February 3rd.
Seabolt announced his intentions on his Facebook page saying:
My job as the Sheriff of Randolph County is to protect and serve the nearly 145,000 citizens. The laws of this great state are very important and must be enforced to insure the safety of our citizens. The rights of each individual in this country are also very important and must never be modified, misinterpreted or overlooked. These are the rights of our constitution that applies to all citizens of this great nation. We have many people attempting to intrude on those rights and that will not be tolerated. That is the reason I stand firm alongside other Sheriffs across this state to draft a proclamation which will be presented to the county commissioners. This resolution will indicate our intentions of preserving our 2nd amendment right so that all citizens can defend themselves against enemies foreign and domestic and never question their authority to bear arms.
My staff and I have been working diligently to prepare this resolution and our hope is deliver it to the commissioners next month. While the subject of the 2nd Amendment can often divide, we must stand firm and hold true that once our rights are infringed upon, we lose the ability to govern ourselves as our founding fathers imagined.
North Carolina needs more sheriffs like Sheriff Seabolt and fewer like some of the sheriffs in the larger counties.
When You Have No Grass Roots, This Is How You See It
When your organization has no real grass roots, you tend to see all real grass roots activities as being directed from above. That’s how you do it so you assume that is how the opposition does it.
This is how Brady United (aka the Brady Campaign) is choosing to portray the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement.
Disturbing so-called “Second Amendment sanctuaries” are a coordinated effort supported by politically motivated, national groups. Since 2018, more than 270 counties have passed resolutions declaring themselves as “Second Amendment sanctuaries,” and this number continues to rise.
Christian Heyne, the Brady VP for Policy, said, ” We are not talking about a grassroots movement. We are talking about a dangerous push from the gun lobby to remain relevant.”
This, of course, is pure, unadulterated bullshit.
What you are seeing in Virginia as in North Carolina is not being directed from Fairfax. If anything, the NRA is late to the game here.
What you are seeing is an organic effort by state and local groups to assert their God-given, Constitutionally-protected rights. This would include state-level groups like the Virginia Citizens Defense League and the Illinois State Rifle Association.
You see Facebook groups springing up like with Rowan County pushing the movement. You see local citizens like in Kenton County, Kentucky recognizing that what is happening in the Virginia General Assembly could happen to them and taking action.
Unlike Brady United who is telling people how to fight Second Amendment Sanctuaries using FOIA requests, no one told my friend and fellow blogger Dave Cole to speak up in Kentucky. And no one has told the thousands and thousands of people who have shown up across Virgina to show up. They were asked and they responded.
Rowan County Makes The 6th NC Sanctuary County
Rowan County, North Carolina became the sixth Second Amendment Sanctuary in the state on Friday. The Board of Commissioners adopted their sanctuary resolution unanimously. They join Cherokee, Rutherford, Lincoln, Surry, and Wilkes Counties.
From the Salisbury Post:
In a unanimous vote on Friday, Rowan became the latest North Carolina county to pass a measure referred to as a “Second Amendment sanctuary” resolution. Already, county commissioners in Lincoln, Surry and Wilkes counties have passed similar resolutions. Nearby Davidson, Iredell, Randolph and Alexander counties are considering doing the same, according to media reports.
Rowan’s resolution was brought up for consideration just before commissioners adjourned a planning retreat. It stated, in part, the right of individuals “to keep and bear arms is under attack” in the United States, that the illegal misuse of firearms is not a reason to infringe upon the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens and that Rowan County commissioners are opposed to any law, regulation or other act that would unconstitutionally infringe on Second Amendment rights. It also contained language from the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Article 1, Section 30 of the N.C. Constitution.
Commission Chairman Greg Edds said it wasn’t a hard decision.
“We are for the lawful use of firearms and do not in any way defend unlawful use,” Edds said before the vote. “This is an easy thing for us. Rowan County wants to be a community that values our right to self-defense.”
According to news reports, this is the second time the Rowan County Board of Commissiorers had adopted a resolution in support of the Second Amendment. They had passed one in 2013 in response to then-President Obama’s push for gun control after the Newtown murders.
A Facebook page called “Make Rowan County A 2nd Amendment Sanctuary” was started on this past Wednesday and already has 5,700 members.
WBTV posted a photo of the resolution that passed to Facebook.
Given that all the counties that have passed a Second Amendment Sanctuary resolution are either in western North Carolina or the western part of the Piedmont, I’d say it is time for eastern North Carolina to get in gear!
2A Sanctuary Movement Comes To NC
Cherokee and Rutherford Counties were the first to become Second Amendment Sanctuary counties in North Carolina. They had their votes back in 2019.
You can add three more to that list as of this week.
Surry, Lincoln, and Wilkes Counties have all joined the list. Surry and Wilkes Counties voted unanimously while there is some controversy regarding the Lincoln County vote.
Near Charlotte, all but one of the Lincoln County commissioners were in favor of a resolution that said it would refuse to “enforce any new restrictions on gun ownership,” according to WSOC.
A report from WCNC says the decision was unanimous.
In Surry County, northwest of Winston-Salem, officials voted 5-0 to refuse to use government resources to take guns away from people who follow the law, its resolution shows.
And to the west, another unanimous vote means the Wilkes County government is “opposing any efforts” to restrict gun rights, according to leaders.
Iredell County may become the sixth county. Sheriff Darren Campbell said on Facebook yesterday that he would be preparing a resolution to present to the Board of Commissioners to make that county a Second Amendment Sanctuary.
When I set out to become your sheriff, I promised that I would do my best to protect the citizens of Iredell County. In addition to protecting tangible items, I also swore to protect intangible ones as well. Mainly, the rights guaranteed to each of us under the constitution that we all hold so dear.
In light of those few who wish to impinge upon our rights, I am proud to join with other sheriffs across our state and country to draft a resolution which I will present to our board of commissioners, asking that they protect our most basic right….the ability to defend ourselves against enemies foreign and domestic, our right to bear arms.
My staff and I have been diligently working to prepare this resolution and our hope is deliver it to the commissioners this week. While the subject of the 2nd Amendment can often divide, we must stand firm and hold true that once our rights are infringed upon, we lose the ability to govern ourselves as our founding fathers imagined.
Five down, 95 to go!