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Bloomberg gun-control group launches new ad against McAuliffe Bloomberg gun-control group launches new ad against McAuliffe
(about 7 hours later)
RICHMOND — A national gun-control group recently allied with Gov. Terry McAuliffe took out a full-page newspaper ad against him Tuesday to blast the Democrat’s surprise gun deal with Republicans. RICHMOND — The surprise battle between Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and the gun-control organization founded by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg escalated on Tuesday to include a full-page newspaper ad skewering the governor’s rationale for a gun deal with Republicans.
“Terry McAuliffe is wrong,” begins the ad that Everytown for Gun Safety placed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. It goes on to quote several of the governor’s statements about the deal, declaring each one “false” and then providing a detailed analysis on each point. As recently as November, New York-based Everytown for Gun Safety was pouring $2 million into McAuliffe’s ultimately failed effort to help Democrats take control of the state Senate. On Tuesday, 12 days after McAuliffe announced a deal on gun laws with Republican legislators, the group bought an ad in the Richmond Times-Dispatch with this blunt headline: “Terry McAuliffe is wrong.”
Last week, Everytown unleashed Facebook and Twitter ads against McAuliffe, posting his photo side-by-side with that of the National Rifle Association chief Wayne LaPierre. The ad quotes several of the governor’s statements about the gun deal, declaring each one “false” and providing a detailed analysis to back up that conclusion. Words that Everytown takes exception to are marked in red ink, as a teacher might when grading a test.
[Bloomberg gun-control group has new target: Terry McAuliffe] McAuliffe dismissed the criticism during an appearance in Northern Virginia, saying “everybody supports [the gun deal] except one gun-safety group out of New York City.”
Top McAuliffe administration officials called the newspaper ad “disingenuous” and “misleading.” His spokesman doubled down on criticism of Everytown, a group launched by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, as an outsider organization meddling in Virginia politics. At McAuliffe’s request in the fall, Everytown bankrolled $2 million in attack ads on behalf of two Democratic allies in state Senate campaigns. It was an awkward line of attack for McAuliffe, a native of Syracuse, N.Y. and close friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton who has relied heavily on out-of-state money to fund his governor’s race, political action committee and the state Democratic Party. More than half of the money that the party pulled in for state races last year came from a single donor, Philip Munger — the son of a Berkshire Hathaway billionaire and resident of New York.
Republicans, who enjoy an overwhelming majority in the House, nevertheless held onto their narrow 21-19 advantage in the Senate.
“This out-of-state group’s misleading political attacks won’t distract from the real lives this historic bipartisan agreement will save by keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and people who can’t pass background checks,” said McAuliffe’s spokesman, Brian Coy in a statement. “The Governor is proud to stand with the Virginians from both parties who worked together to make our communities safer, even in the face of Mr. Bloomberg’s negative politics.”
[McAuliffe spokesman lashes out at Bloomberg’s “group from New York”]
The bitter back-and-forth stems from the deal that McAuliffe’s administration quietly hammered out with the NRA and Sen. Bryce E. Reeves (R-Spotsylvania). The resulting legislation, now making its way through the Republican-controlled General Assembly, would expand the rights of concealed-carry handgun permit holders in Virginia and across the country in exchange for tighter restrictions on domestic abusers and voluntary background checks at gun shows.
Having run for governor in 2013 bragging about his “F” rating from the NRA, McAuliffe shocked his usual gun-control allies by finding common ground with the NRA and Reeves, one of the legislature’s staunchest defenders of the Second Amendment. Just 10 days before the deal became public, McAuliffe had stood with gun-control activists and Attorney General Mark Herring, cheering Herring’s decision to revoke reciprocity rights with 25 states with standards looser than Virginia’s. The deal not only reverses Herring’s move but extends reciprocity to every state but Vermont, which does not have a permitting process.
Just as surprising has been how bitterly and personally McAuliffe and Everytown have turned on each other.
In response to Everytown’s biting social media campaign, Coy dismissively referred to it last week as a “group from New York” that does not have the interests of Virginians at heart.
McAuliffe, a native of Syracuse, N.Y., who spent most of his career on the national political scene as a close friend of and fundraiser for Bill and Hillary Clinton, has relied heavily on out-of-state money to fund his governor’s race, political action committee and the state Democratic Party.
[Clinton donors pumped millions into McAuliffe’s coffers]
The largest single donor to the Democratic Party of Virginia last year was Philip Munger — the son of a Berkshire Hathaway billionaire and resident of New York. He gave $1 million last year to a party that pulled in $1.7 million for state races last year.
[Virginia’s Democratic party relies heavily on one donor — a New Yorker][Virginia’s Democratic party relies heavily on one donor — a New Yorker]
Everytown’s ad in the Times-Dispatch lays out a detailed analysis of McAuliffe’s statements about the bill, complete with footnotes. Words that Everytown takes exception to are marked in red ink, as a teacher might when grading a test. The governor’s statement further alienated him from activists in the Virginia chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, an Everytown affiliate whose volunteers knocked on doors and held rallies for McAuliffe’s allies last fall.
“I’m so angry at the governor for his comments,” said Jennifer Herrera, the volunteer leader of the state’s Moms affiliate. “We are Virginians and we are the people doing the work. So to hear him repeat this line that it’s this outside group — we have met you. You’ve stood with our survivors. You’ve been at our events.”
McAuliffe’s spokesman first referred to Everytown as a “group from New York” on Friday, after the group unfurled a pointed social media campaign against the governor. But Tuesday marked the first time that McAuliffe had personally characterized Everytown as an outsider group meddling in Virginia politics.
[Clinton donors pumped millions into McAuliffe’s coffers]
The bitter back-and-forth stems from the deal that McAuliffe’s administration quietly hammered out with the National Rifle Association and Sen. Bryce E. Reeves (R-Spotsylvania).
The resulting legislation, now making its way through the Republican-controlled General Assembly, would expand the rights of concealed-carry handgun permit holders in Virginia and across the country in exchange for tighter restrictions on gun ownership by domestic abusers and voluntary background checks at gun shows.
Everytown’s ad in the Times-Dispatch lays out a detailed analysis of McAuliffe’s statements about the bill, complete with footnotes.
“I am shutting down the gun show loophole,” it quotes McAuliffe saying.“I am shutting down the gun show loophole,” it quotes McAuliffe saying.
“Fact: False. The Governor’s bill does not close the gun show loophole. The Governor’s bill allows for voluntary background checks at gun shows. But voluntary background checks already exist. The ATF has made clear that any private seller who wants to run a background check, whether at a gun show or anywhere else, can simply ask a dealer to do the check.”“Fact: False. The Governor’s bill does not close the gun show loophole. The Governor’s bill allows for voluntary background checks at gun shows. But voluntary background checks already exist. The ATF has made clear that any private seller who wants to run a background check, whether at a gun show or anywhere else, can simply ask a dealer to do the check.”
Brian Moran, McAuliffe’s secretary of public safety and homeland security, called that criticism “disingenuous.” He said the governor had actually claimed that the deal was “a first step” toward closing the gun show loophole.Brian Moran, McAuliffe’s secretary of public safety and homeland security, called that criticism “disingenuous.” He said the governor had actually claimed that the deal was “a first step” toward closing the gun show loophole.
Moran acknowledged that under federal law, private sellers already can have a background check performed through a licensed dealer. But he said that is much simpler to have the state police run the check for the private seller, as the deal would allow. Moran acknowledged that under federal law, private sellers already can have a background check performed through a licensed dealer. But he said it is much simpler to have the state police run the check for the private seller, as the deal would allow.
“The dealer has to take [the gun] into their inventory” when running a check for a private seller, he said. “It’s a far more complicated process.”“The dealer has to take [the gun] into their inventory” when running a check for a private seller, he said. “It’s a far more complicated process.”
[Bloomberg gun-control group has new target: Terry McAuliffe]
The ad also quotes McAuliffe saying that under the bill, someone who is subject to a permanent protective order will be required to “surrender their firearms.” It deems that statement false as well, noting that the bill “contains no explicit requirement that abusers surrender their guns, no procedure for surrender, and no mechanism to confirm relinquishment.”The ad also quotes McAuliffe saying that under the bill, someone who is subject to a permanent protective order will be required to “surrender their firearms.” It deems that statement false as well, noting that the bill “contains no explicit requirement that abusers surrender their guns, no procedure for surrender, and no mechanism to confirm relinquishment.”
The bill prohibits those people from possessing firearms and gives them 24 hours to sell or give away their guns, but it does not require that the weapons be surrendered to law enforcement or anyone else in particular. Everytown officials believe that system allows guns to be given to a friend or family member, from whom they can easily be reclaimed. The bill calls for the guns to be sold or given away within 24 hours, but does not require that the weapons be surrendered to law enforcement. Everytown officials said guns could be given to friends or relatives, from whom they might easily be reclaimed.
Moran said establishing a surrender provision puts a burden on agencies that would be required to accept and store the weapons. Moran said a surrender provision would burden public agencies required to accept and store the weapons. “Police don’t want the guns. The sheriffs don’t want the guns, don’t want the liability,” he said.
“Police don’t want the guns. The sheriffs don’t want the guns, don’t want the liability,” he said. He said he could find only a handful of places, including Wisconsin and the city of Dallas, that provide a mechanism for accepting weapons in those cases. In a guest column in the Virginian-Pilot Sunday, Moran noted that failure to comply with the requirement to get rid of your gun would be a felony, punishable by five years in prison and permanent loss of firearms rights.
In a guest column defending the deal in the Virginian-Pilot Sunday, Moran also noted that failure to comply is a felony, “punishable by five years in prison, a $2,500 fine and permanent loss of firearms rights.”
“If this guy still has it in 24 hours, he can be convicted of a felony,” he said in an interview Monday night. “That’s quite an incentive.”“If this guy still has it in 24 hours, he can be convicted of a felony,” he said in an interview Monday night. “That’s quite an incentive.”
Patricia Sullivan contributed to this report.