Saturday, August 28, 2010
Campaign notebook: Boucher opposes federal bill regarding gun shows
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The latest from our Blue Ridge Caucus politics blog
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From today's paper
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher said this week he opposes a federal bill to require background checks for buyers of firearms at gun shows.
Boucher, who as a Democrat received the National Rifle Association's endorsement in his race against Republican challenger Del. Morgan Griffith and independent Jeremiah Heaton, said Monday that the bill would potentially cripple gun shows in his district and provide an economic setback.
Registered firearms dealers are already required to run background checks on buyers, whether it's in their stores or at a gun show. But at many gun shows, the bulk of transactions occur between private buyers who don't have the technology to run background checks, which can take several days to complete, Boucher said.
"A lot of these gun shows take place over a weekend, and if it takes several days to complete the background check, you're going to lose the sale," Boucher said. "And if the sales are lost, a lot of these gun shows will just go away."
Boucher cited Hillsville's Labor Day Flea Market & Gun Show as a major economic driver that "essentially occupies the whole town."
After the 2007 campus shootings at Virginia Tech, several parents of victims began a legislative campaign to close the so-called "gun show loophole" at the state level, but that effort has so far been unsuccessful.
Boucher said he has yet to hear from any parents of the Virginia Tech victims on the issue but said the tragedy there wasn't a result of a lack of background checks at gun shows but flaws in the inventory of people with mental illness. That problem, he said, was largely fixed by federal legislation that's since been passed, with the NRA's approval.
-- Mason Adams
Governor will attend event to support Griffith campaign
Gov. Bob McDonnell will wrap up a monthlong series of town hall meetings Tuesday in Bristol, and he'll take some time to help fellow Republican Morgan Griffith's congressional campaign.
McDonnell will appear at a private fundraising event for Griffith at The Virginian Golf Club in Bristol. The event will be held before McDonnell's 7 p.m. town hall meeting at the Bristol Public Library. McDonnell is holding public meetings to discuss government reform initiatives, including his plan to privatize the state's liquor stores.
Griffith, the majority leader in the House of Delegates, is challenging veteran U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon. Griffith and McDonnell are longtime allies, having served together in the House from 1994 until 2005, when McDonnell was elected attorney general.
McDonnell on Tuesday also will hold a bill-signing ceremony for legislation Griffith sponsored during the 2010 General Assembly session. The bill puts limits on a process known as "cooperative procurement," which allows one locality to piggyback on another's construction contract. Griffith first introduced the bill in 2009 in response to concerns about a Roanoke schools roofing contract. The bill signing won't take place in Griffith's legislative district of Salem, but in Abingdon, a part of the 9th Congressional District where Griffith is trying to expand his name recognition.
-- Michael Sluss
