local elections

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It’s Not Just Legislatures That Are Targeted

May 3, 2019 by 4 Comments

We’ve long said that if you want to make sure you get pro-gun politicians elected to Congress and the various state houses, we have to start pushing candidates at the local level. It is the rare candidate that starts out running for office at the state or national level. For every Donald Trump, there are thousands and thousands of other politicians that started with the school board, town council, or even just a town or county appointed committee.

Everytown has just made endorsements for three candidates at the school board or city council level. The fact that they are pushing gun prohibitionists at this level says a number of things. First, they are actually using Bloomberg’s money to start building an actual grassroots. Second, they recognize that candidates start local and then move up from there. Third, it is an expansion of their efforts from the state level to the local level since they have no had success (so far) at the nation level. Finally, getting anti-gun politicians elected to school boards will help in their efforts to make schools less safe (gun free zones) and to encourage hoplophobia in the curriculum.

From their press release:

NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund today endorsed three Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America volunteers, two of whom are also survivors of gun violence. The endorsements include Rhonda Hart, a survivor of gun violence and a volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action; DeAndra Yates-Dycus, a survivor of gun violence and a volunteer with the Indiana chapter of Moms Demand Action; and Christine McGrath, a volunteer with the New Jersey chapter of Moms Demand Action.


“As leaders in the gun safety movement, these candidates have proven that they will never stop fighting to protect their neighbors,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Everytown is proud to endorse Rhonda Hart and DeAndra Yates-Dycus — gun violence survivors who are turning their pain into action — and Christine McGrath, a Moms Demand Action volunteer leader who is working hard to keep her community safe.”


“These volunteers and survivors, some of whom have experienced firsthand the toll of our nation’s gun violence crisis, are running for elected office to enact change in their communities,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “Our volunteers have the courage and fortitude to do whatever it takes to make their communities safer, including moving from shaping policy as volunteers to actually making it as lawmakers.”


More on the volunteers and survivors endorsed today and their elections:


*Rhonda Hart, Dickinson, Texas School Board
Hart’s 14-year-old daughter, Kimberly Vaughan, was killed in the shooting at Santa Fe High school almost a year ago. Before the shooting, Hart was a school bus driver in Santa Fe, Texas. Hart is a volunteer leader with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action and an Everytown Survivor Fellow. Her general election for Dickinson School Board in Texas is on May 4.


*DeAndra Yates-Dycus, Indianapolis City-Council District 13
Yates-Dycus’ 13-year-old son, Dre, was wounded by a stray bullet in Indianapolis on February 1, 2014. Yates-Dycus is a volunteer leader with the Indiana chapter of Moms Demand Action and an Everytown Survivor Fellow. Her primary election for Indianapolis City-Council District 13 is on May 7.


*Christine McGrath, Verona, New Jersey Town Council
McGrath has been a volunteer leader with the New Jersey chapter of Moms Demand Action in Essex County for the past two years. She’s running for Verona Town Council and her general election is on May 14.

UPDATE:  The endorsement of Rhonda Hart by Everytown doesn’t seem to have impressed the voters in Dickinson. According to unofficial results, she lost to Corey Magliolo who received 67% of the vote to her 33%.

The endorsement from New York City based Everytown reminds me of this.

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If You Live In Prince George’s County, Maryland, May I Suggest…

May 28, 2014 by

If you live in Prince George’s County, Maryland and vote in County Council District 6, may I suggest that you vote for my friend and fellow gunny Kenn Blanchard. He is an honorable and decent man, a believer in freedom and self-determination, and an all-around nice guy. He is running as a Republican in a heavily Democratic county.

Looking back at the 2010 General Election results for Prince George’s County, out of nine districts only one had a contested election. Frankly, that is deplorable. The only contest is who will win the Democratic primary for the respective council districts. Nonetheless, if all you do is elect Democrats with the same mindset, how can you ever change the way things are? The answer is you can’t.

The usual path to higher office starts at the local level with the county councils or commissioners, the boards of alderman, city councils, or even the school board. It is rare that you find someone running for higher office as their starting point. Maryland’s gun laws suck and most members of the Maryland General Assembly got their political start somewhere other than the state legislature. If we as a community want to change these types of laws, we need to start electing good people like Kenn at the local level.

If you want to help Kenn out, you can make a contribution at his campaign website found here. He’s got an uphill battle and he needs our help. I’ve donated and I would encourage you to do so as well. We as a gun culture and community need to support those like Kenn who have stuck their neck out.

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In Other Election News…

November 7, 2013 by 3 Comments

The big races yesterday were in New Jersey and Virginia. Others have covered those races and I won’t bother to rehash them other than to say than to say, despite the different party tags, neither winner is a friend of gun owners and their rights.

Despite all the media attention focused on Chris Christie, Terry McAuliffe, Ken Cuccinelli, and that Sandinista elected to replace Bloomberg, there were elections at the local level in many areas of the country.

Bitter at Shall Not Be Questioned examines the results in Pennsylvania as they impact gun rights here.

In North Carolina, municipal elections are usually held in odd years and there were a number of elections across the state involving mayors belonging to Mayor Bloomberg’s Illegal Mayors. According to their website, there are currently 15 misguided mayors in North Carolina who have lent their names to that effort. Out of those 15 cities, 12 had elections yesterday. The other three held their elections in 2011 and weren’t due until 2015.  The incumbent mayors of Carrboro and Emerald Isle did not run for re-election.

This left 10 elections in which a MAIG member was up for re-election. The mayors of Carolina Shores, Chapel Hill, Creedmoor, East Spencer, and Hillsborough faced no opposition except for possible write-in candidates. Thus, only five of the 15 MAIG mayors faced any real opposition.

So how did they fare?

In the cities of Durham and Winston-Salem respectively, incumbent Mayors Bill Bell and Allen Joines cruised to re-election with 80% plus majorities. The Mayor of Oxford, Jackie Sargent, squeaked through in a 3-way election but with less than a majority.

That leaves the mayors of Greensboro and Morrisville who both lost. While gun control was not an issue in the overwhelming defeat of Greensboro Mayor Robbie Perkins by Nancy Barakat Vaughn, it most certainly was an issue in Morrisville.

Morrisville Mayor Jackie Holcombe was quite outspoken in her support for gun control.

Holcombe has drawn the ire of both the National Rifle Association and Grassroots NC for asking Gander Mountain to stop selling semi-automatic rifles at its local store and for joining the Mayors Against Illegal Guns lobbying group.

Holcombe also pushed and failed to find ways for Morrisville to evade state law regarding concealed carry in city parks, greenways, and athletic fields. As such, she incurred the wrath of Grass Roots North Carolina and its Political Victory Fund which actively worked for her opponent Councilman Mark Stohlman who was pro-gun.

I don’t know if Holcombe’s anti-gun stance made the difference but she lost to Stohlman in the 3-way race by almost 100 votes.

With the defeats in Greensboro and Morrisville, the number of Illegal Mayors has been reduced to 13. I don’t know where the new mayors of Carrboro and Emerald Isle stand on gun rights. It may be if we are lucky that they don’t want anything to do with that organization. We’ll just have to wait and see.

To sum up, gun owners came out a little better after the election than before. Since most of the mayors in North Carolina who belong to Mayor Bloomberg’s Illegal Mayors represent small cities and towns, a concerted local lobbying effort might reduce the number even more. It’s worth a try.

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Local Elections Matter, Too

November 4, 2013 by 1 Comment

It is not only state and national elections that matter when it comes to gun rights. Local elections matter, too.

In North Carolina, Grass Roots North Carolina-PVF is making recommendations in two local elections: a mayoral race in Morrisville and a council race in Winston-Salem.

Jackie Holcomb, mayor of Morrisville, is one of the few members of Mayor Bloomberg’s Illegal Mayors in North Carolina. She is being opposed by Councilman Mark Stohlman who is pro-gun. Meanwhile in Winston-Salem, Councilman Jeff MacIntosh pushed restrictions on carry that were in conflict with state law. He is being opposed by Lida Hayes Calvert. The defeat of one or both of these officials would send a message to local politicians that opposing gun rights is not in their best political interests.

From GRNC-PVF:

Show Politicians Anti-Gun Efforts End in Short Careers

Morrisville


Currently led by Jackie Holcombe, the rabidly anti-gun member of Bloomberg’s MAIG group of gun control-supporting mayors (many of whom are criminals), Morrisville is in desperate need of political change.


We have already documented Holcombe’s outrageous efforts to violate state law and the rights of NC gun owners.


The good news is that Holcombe may be shown the door this Tuesday by pro-gun candidate Mark Stohlman http://www.citizensforstohlman.com/.


Morrisville GRNC members must get out the vote for this race and kick the anti-gunner to the curb.


Winston-Salem


The city’s Northwest Ward race provides another opportunity to shed an anti-gun politician: Jeff MacIntosh.
MacIntosh supported the City’s misguided resolution opposing expanded carry by state law. He is another freedom-attacker that needs to be shown the door.


Winston-Salem GRNC members of the Northwest Ward are encouraged to vote for Lida Hayes Calvert, a refreshing pro-freedom alternative. Please take your pro-gun friends along with you to the polls.


IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!