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| Va. GOP capitalizes on political backlash to handgun permit changes | Va. GOP capitalizes on political backlash to handgun permit changes |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| RICHMOND — When Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring (D) incensed the gun rights community Tuesday by severing reciprocity agreements with 25 states, the state Republican Party moved fast. | |
| It sent out a fundraising blast, remade the party home page and tagged social media with #HerringHates2A. More than 850 people signed an online petition that implored, “Tell Democrats like Mark Herring, Terry McAuliffe and Hillary Clinton that we won’t let them take away our constitutional rights!” | |
| Republicans aim to capitalize on the political backlash to what they consider executive overreach at a time when the stakes are high in Virginia. Presidential contenders are trying to woo the commonwealth’s coveted swing-state voters, and the 2017 races for governor and attorney general are well underway. | |
| [Virginia to stop recognizing concealed-carry gun permits from 25 states] | |
| Herring’s action and the swift response show both sides believe gun issues will unequivocally inspire the base — a reality that played out in this year’s legislative elections. | Herring’s action and the swift response show both sides believe gun issues will unequivocally inspire the base — a reality that played out in this year’s legislative elections. |
| Everytown for Gun Safety, an activist group associated with former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, poured millions into legislative races. In the end, Democrats claimed the cash helped Jeremy McPike comfortably defeat Manassas Mayor Hal Parrish and narrowed the margin in Republican Glen Sturtevant’s win over Dan Gecker in state Senate races. | |
| “What I find so fascinating about it is it comes in wake of the Bloomberg buy during the election. Democrats have a view on this that is contrary to the conventional wisdom about the election,” said Bob Holsworth, a former political science professor and a principal of DecideSmart, a Richmond public policy consulting firm. | “What I find so fascinating about it is it comes in wake of the Bloomberg buy during the election. Democrats have a view on this that is contrary to the conventional wisdom about the election,” said Bob Holsworth, a former political science professor and a principal of DecideSmart, a Richmond public policy consulting firm. |
| “Democrats believe that ultimately in Virginia they’re going to be helped not harmed by taking a strong stance on gun regulation. And the Republicans obviously believe this is something that’s going to be positive for them.” | “Democrats believe that ultimately in Virginia they’re going to be helped not harmed by taking a strong stance on gun regulation. And the Republicans obviously believe this is something that’s going to be positive for them.” |
| [Did gun control cost McAuliffe and Democrats the Virginia election?] | [Did gun control cost McAuliffe and Democrats the Virginia election?] |
| Gone are the days when Democrats — in Virginia and across the country — felt compelled to tiptoe around gun control for fear of alienating conservative voters. In 2013, McAuliffe won the commonwealth with a full-throated call for universal background checks and has not hesitated to repeat the message every time an act of gun violence shatters the calm of a community or college campus. | Gone are the days when Democrats — in Virginia and across the country — felt compelled to tiptoe around gun control for fear of alienating conservative voters. In 2013, McAuliffe won the commonwealth with a full-throated call for universal background checks and has not hesitated to repeat the message every time an act of gun violence shatters the calm of a community or college campus. |
| But there are still plenty of outspoken gun enthusiasts in Virginia who vote. | But there are still plenty of outspoken gun enthusiasts in Virginia who vote. |
| [Graphic: How to acquire a gun in your state] | [Graphic: How to acquire a gun in your state] |
| Republican Del. C. Todd Gilbert said his constituents in the rural Shenandoah Valley are infuriated like he has rarely seen before. | Republican Del. C. Todd Gilbert said his constituents in the rural Shenandoah Valley are infuriated like he has rarely seen before. |
| “I live in a part of the world where people are self-reliant,” he said. “They don’t rely for the most part on the police to keep them safe. That may happen in urban areas where people are willing to live like that.” | “I live in a part of the world where people are self-reliant,” he said. “They don’t rely for the most part on the police to keep them safe. That may happen in urban areas where people are willing to live like that.” |
| He said residents were “deeply offended” by what they see as Herring’s move — with the Virginia State Police’s blessing — to revoke concealed-carry agreements with 25 states, because Herring said they did not hold the same standards as Virginia. As a result, six of those states will no longer recognize permits held by Virginians. | |
| Virginia GOP chairman John Whitbeck said Tennessee’s lieutenant governor and Florida’s agriculture commissioner blasted Herring’s move. | Virginia GOP chairman John Whitbeck said Tennessee’s lieutenant governor and Florida’s agriculture commissioner blasted Herring’s move. |
| “It’s already backfiring,” he said. “We in Virginia have a very strong tradition of Democrats and Republicans both protecting our Second Amendment rights.” | “It’s already backfiring,” he said. “We in Virginia have a very strong tradition of Democrats and Republicans both protecting our Second Amendment rights.” |
| Then Whitbeck turned to Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, the Democrats’ sole declared candidate for governor, asking why the former state senator from the Eastern Shore had been silent on the issue. | Then Whitbeck turned to Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, the Democrats’ sole declared candidate for governor, asking why the former state senator from the Eastern Shore had been silent on the issue. |
| Asked to comment Wednesday, Northam’s office responded with support for Herring’s move, which Democrats say applies Virginia’s handgun standards to everyone who steps foot in the state regardless of residency. | Asked to comment Wednesday, Northam’s office responded with support for Herring’s move, which Democrats say applies Virginia’s handgun standards to everyone who steps foot in the state regardless of residency. |
| “I believe there can be common ground that respects the right to bear arms and also protects the safety of our communities,” he said in a statement. “We need to enforce existing Virginia law, as well as continue to pursue policy that will keep our citizens safe.” | “I believe there can be common ground that respects the right to bear arms and also protects the safety of our communities,” he said in a statement. “We need to enforce existing Virginia law, as well as continue to pursue policy that will keep our citizens safe.” |
| All eyes have been on Northam since September when Herring said he would seek a second term as attorney general — not run for governor. Yet from gun control and marriage equality to abortion and illegal immigration, it’s Herring who embodies the Democratic Party’s agenda, Holsworth said. | |
| “The days of this office simply being the state’s law firm are gone,” he said. | “The days of this office simply being the state’s law firm are gone,” he said. |