Virginia gun rights PAC endorses Republican ticket for statewide election

October 17, 10:53 PMDC Gun Rights ExaminerMike Stollenwerk

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           VCDL logo

In response to the refusal of all 3 Democratic candidates for state wide office in Virginia to fill out their gun rights survey, the Virginia Citizens Defense League's   Political Action Committee (VCDL PAC) has endorsed all 3 Republican candidates.  In its release today, VCDL PAC Chairman Kenneth M. Elliott, Jr. said that

"THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES NOT ONLY ANSWERED THE SURVEY POSITIVELY, BUT THEY ACTIVELY PURSUED IT SO THAT THE VOTERS WOULD KNOW WHERE THEY STAND.  They have been strong supporters of your rights for years."

During past election cycles the VCDL PAC has sometimes followed up endorsements with cash donations, as well as robo-calls and post cards to likely pro-gun voters urging them to support the endorsed candidates.  Many observers say that the VCDL PAC's real strength is VCDL's Internet alert list of almost 13,000 Virginia gun owners. 

VCDL's "VA-ALERT" emails soon reach many more likely voters as political and gun rights blogs echo the group's messages through cyberspace.  Joining the VA-ALERT list is as easy as clicking here.

In 2005 the VCDL PAC was neutral in the Virginia Attorney General contest between NRA endorsed Creigh Deeds and his opponent Bob McDonnell up and until the weekend before the election when a staffer from Deeds's campaign called to reverse an error on Deeds' VCDL gun rights survey - Democrat Deeds wanted to make sure the survey counted him as **against** repealing Virginia's gun carry ban at K-12 schools.  The VCDL PAC immediately endorsed Republican McDonnell by way of an email alert and McDonnell won by 360 votes in a race where 1.9 million votes were cast.

Though Deeds historically voted at least as (or more) pro-gun than McDonnell when they both served in the Virginia legislature, VCDL has grown concerned about Senator Deeds' commitment to gun rights after Deeds proposed banning private non-dealer sales of guns at gun shows.  VCDL President Philip Van Cleave told the Examiner.com that Deeds claims that he remains pro-gun but wants to ban private sales at gun shows "only because he wants the parents of the 2007 Virginia Tech murder victims to feel better." 

Private sales of guns are allowed in most states, and the Virginia Tech campus murderer bought his guns from a gun dealer after passing full-blown background checks.  Van Cleave said his group sympathizes with crime victims, but opposes politically expedient measures to restrict gun rights just to make some voters feel better. 

Instead, VCDL advocates arming students and faculty to better deal with mass murderers in the future, asking candidates point blank at question number 5:

"Will you SUPPORT legislation that would prevent public colleges and universities from penalizing students with concealed handgun permits who carry on campus?"

VCDL's Virginia state wide office candidate gun rights survey can be found here.  The actual state wide candidate answers are expected to be posted online before the election as soon as the surveys from candidates for Delegate are received and processed.

UPDATE (Oct. 18, 2009):  See news coverage here or at "Gun Rights Protest," look under "top video section" and scroll to "Gun rights protest."