Opinion
Fairfax, VA – -(Ammoland.com)- Here’s a hint for Virginia gun owners and sportsmen: When you get a firearm-related election mailing with a New York City return address and proudly proclaiming that it’s printed on soy ink, you can safely assume it doesn’t reflect reality, much less Virginians’ values on the right to keep and bear arms. In fact, it’s probably the only time that blaze orange is being used as camouflage.
Gun control financier, former Big Apple mayor, and would-be nanny to the nation Michael Bloomberg is resorting to desperate measures and outright lies to smear the NRA ahead of Virginia’s hotly-contested election on Nov. 5.
The NRA, of course, is not on the ballot, but Bloomberg knows it is his most formidable opponent as he pours millions upon millions of dollars into the Commonwealth via his Everytown Gun Control apparatus and other AstroTurf subsidiaries. His goal is to buy the election and the subservience of his hired guns in the legislature.
Everytown’s mailing recognizes that the NRA has more grassroots clout than Everytown itself does in Virginia by stealing classic themes from the NRA’s election-related materials, including the same orange used on NRA postcards and the same type of letter-grading NRA applies to political candidates. Everytown may be hoping some recipients will even be fooled into thinking the mailing did come from a real pro-gun sportsmen’s group.
But its message is all Bloomberg, a man who is so arrogant and out-of-touch that he thinks he can sit in a Manhattan skyscraper and tell Virginia’s gun owners what to think.
In bolded capital letters, the front of the mailing states: “THE NRA GETS AN F FOR ABANDONING VIRGINIA’S SPORTSMEN.”
Needless to say, the idea of Bloomberg advocating for any gun owners is absurd. He didn’t distinguish between sportsmen and other gun owners when he said: “[I]f you want to have a gun in your house, I think you’re pretty stupid….”
And, dating back to his time as mayor of New York City, Bloomberg-backed legal filings have repeatedly denied that the Second Amendment protects the fundamental right of Americans to possess a firearm for personal protection.
Yet Old Dominion gun owners know the NRA is the leading advocate for all firearm owners in the Commonwealth.
We maintain entire divisions devoted to hunting, access to public lands for hunting and target practice, and competitive shooting.
The NRA was a pioneer in modern hunting education and remains one of the leading providers and trainers for this vital component of preserving America’s hunting heritage.
The NRA has led efforts in state after state to enshrine a constitutional right to hunt and fish.
The NRA produces America’s leading national monthly hunting publication.
And, of course, the NRA has been the leading advocate for Sunday hunting in Virginia and elsewhere.
At the federal level, the NRA has made sure that the Pittman-Robertson Act remains true to its original purpose to promote America’s outdoor sporting heritage, including by supporting the recent passage of the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act.
REAL sportsmen and sportswomen know that without the NRA, the wide access that Americans enjoy to hunting and the outdoor shooting sports would be gravely imperiled. We’d at best look something like Great Britain, were hunting is the domain of landed gentry.
They also know that if Bloomberg were ever to succeed in depriving Americans of handguns and semi-automatic long guns, he’d eventually get around to the hunter’s bolt-action rifle and break-barrel shotgun.
The back of the Everytown mailing also contains quotes and unproven accusations maligning the NRA that are ripped out of context to make it seem like they’re coming from pro-gun sources. Needless to say, phony charges from the Far Left are all the rage these days, no matter how many times they eventually fall flat.
But no one should be surprised. Bloomberg and Everytown have a well-established history of bending or ignoring the truth, one even the legacy media cannot always ignore.
Rest assured, the NRA has and will continue to advocate for ALL gun owners, in Virginia and elsewhere. And if those who favor freedom manage to resist Bloomberg’s financial onslaught to hold or gain seats in the Virginia election, it will be due to the incredible efforts of the Commonwealth’s many thousands of hard-working NRA members.
About:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org
The NRA didn’t “lobby” until forced to do so because of all the anti-gun laws proposed in the early 1970s. They formed the ILA as a lobby and kept the dozens of shooting schools, law enforcement training, conservation, Olympics and NCAA just to name a few. Without the NRA all centerfire rifles would have been banned back in 1963-1969 time frame. Telescopic sights, bolt action rifles, bullets and loaded ammo were all included in laws filed in Congress and the States. Telescopic sights improved hunter safety by reducing accidentally identification of a person. All centerfire rifles will defeat a pistol… Read more »
The problem with Virginia is that many of the rich leftists in government live there. Virginia, a stalwart in the Revolutionary War, is about as blue as blue can be. America has brought in people from socialist countries by the millions. They see getting everything for free (the socialist/communist lie) and not working is a good deal. After all, in the United States, you can get ahead IF you work hard and prosper. But, too many people brought to the United States came here for the express reason NOT to work. They are perfectly happy living on welfare and voting… Read more »
The news reports that Virginia and Kentucky are lost. By the time the people realize the mistake the laws will be much worse.
Gear up and get active for 2020.
Don’t abandon the NRA, join and help get it fixed.
Why is Bloomberg so Anti-gun? What does it benefit him to pour millions into this? What does he gain by taking away our guns?
Bloomberg is a totalitarian. He, like all the communist democrats, plan on their slaves not being able to disapprove of their treatment at the hands of the totalitarian communist democrats. Bloomberg plans to be emperor while the lackeys in the media and Hollywood will be in the Politburo. They, the 2%, will have everything for free and we, the 98%, will be the slaves.
Communists do not approve of their slaves being armed.
Exactly.
While I despise Bloomberg, they have an easy target in the NRA, which has indeed betrayed ALL gun owners for close to 100 years now. Let’s review the highlights: 1934 – NRA approved the NFA; passed. 1938 – NRA approved the FFA; passed. 1968 – NRA approved the GCA; passed. 1986 – NRA approved the FOPA; passed. 1994 – NRA approved the AWB; passed. 2018 – NRA approved the Bump Stock ban; passed. 2019 – NRA supports Red Flag laws; passed in multiple states. With “friends” like the NRA, who needs Bloomberg?? Truth is, NRA is what is known in… Read more »
So, why are YOU not “tyrant hunting”? Wetting your panties thinking about your Constitutional obligation? You have your ‘facts’ wrong: The NRA does NOT support your lies. True, they did not fight as hard as we would like at times, but they never approved of these items. Also, the NRA DOES NOT approve of Red Flag laws in any manner. Besides, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SHOULD GET OFF THEIR FAT BUTTS AND GO TO WASHINGTON, D.C. AND FORCE THE POLITICIANS TO STOP THESE UNCONSTITUTIONAL GUN CONTROL LAWS. After all, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE have a Constitutional Right & Duty to do so.… Read more »
TJ, on this you need to do your homework before attacking a fellow gun owner over your difference of opinion. These are FACTS. The NRA President himself in American Rifleman’s own pages bragged decades ago about NRA being instrumental in getting the NFA (and FFA) passed. FACT. Likewise there is plenty of documentation for everything else since. The only reason why NRA started billing themselves as a pro-gun-rights group was because they were being publicly shamed and named by Gun Owners of America in the 1970’s. GOA was founded explicitly because of the NRA’s wrongheaded approach on the 2nd Amendment!… Read more »