Note: VCDL’s survey process is a little sketchy. It appears that candidates must get the survey from VCDL and fill it out. Looks like McKelvey did and good for him.
VCDL is Virginia’s only PROACTIVE gun rights organization and is largely responsible for Open/Conceal carry here in VA.
McKelvey’s Release:
McKelvey is Clear Choice of Gun Owners in Tuesday’s
5th C.D. District Republican Primary Election
-100% Rating from Virginia Citizens Defense League -
Moneta, VA - Jim McKelvey, Republican candidate for Congress in the Fifth Congressional District,
announced today that he received a 100% rating from the Virginia Citizens Defense League.
VCDL is a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots organization dedicated to advancing the
fundamental human right of all Virginians to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second
Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I Section 13 of the Constitution of the
Commonwealth of Virginia.
McKelvey said: ‘As a Constitutional conservative, I am grateful for the 100% rating from the
VCDL and appreciate their efforts as a defender of gun rights. As a member of the National Rifle
Association and a gun owner myself, I will defend gun owners rights in Congress and be an
active voice against Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Tom Perriello’s anti-gun policies.”
Good for Jim but Mike McPadden would defend and debate our 2nd Amendment Right much better than Jim IMHO. Mike understands that the 2nd Amendment is a guaranteed place there by our most wise Founding Fathers to protect us from both enemies from without and within! Mike McPadden is a better overall choice for our next Congressman; Jim is a nice guy, I like Mike!
Let’s see.
The “survey process is a little sketchy”, “it appears the candidate must get the survey from VCDL”, and the the surveys apparently just went out Thursday, June 3. And “good for [McKelvey]” that he checked a few boxes in the survey (of which we do not have a copy or a link). I wonder if the survey was in the essay style or multiple choice. It would be entertaining indeed to watch McKelvey attempt an explanation of how it is that, although the 2nd Amendment was originally only supposed to apply to the federal government, it now applies to state governments as well.
Checking a few boxes on a “survey” to get an endorsement does not make one fit for federal office. Sorry, guys.
Strange that the “Press Release” is on the watchdog website before it is posted on the McKelvey campaign website.
And the article allows McKelvey himself to state he is the choice of gunowners. I know of at least nine gunowners (I am sure there are more) who disagree with McKelvey’s assessment of himself. And I like the selection of Font Size with McKelvey’s self-serving (or is it) statement, Mr. Watchdog.
McKelvey self-identifies as a Constitutional Conservative. I am not sure he understands what that means.
PRESS RELEASE!!!!
MCPADDEN HAS SIGNED THE *TAXPAYER PROTECTION PLEDGE* OF THE AMERICANS FOR TAX REFORM.
MCPADDEN IS THE CLEAR CHOICE OF TAXPAYERS IN TUESDAY’S FIFTH DISTRICT PRIMARY ELECTION IN VIRGINIA!!
Yeah James you are right about that ” Press Release” is incorrect. Though I technically had it in that category and up at the top wrote “McKelvey’s release:” not “Press Release”. I just assumed it was cause it looked like all the other press releases I’ve seen from them. My mistake. I received this by email about 3 hours ago. as to the large bold type that was the type as received. I’m NOT a McKelvey supporter…but you knew that.
“McKelvey self-identifies as a Constitutional Conservative. I am not sure he understands what that means.” I agree with you there.
All, I received a mailer from the McKelvey camp. I assume they were targeting gun owners based on the concealed handgun permit records. In it he says ” protect the right to keep and bear arms that the founders gave us” REALLY? Cause I could have sworn that our rights came from GOD! This just confirms what I’ve been saying for a long time. Most of the candidates pulled out the constitution dusted it off and said “hey this would be neat if we added it to our platform” where as Mike McPadden truly understands it. He lives and breathes it from it’s foundations right up to it’s present day violations.
Thanks for the clarification, Mr. WatchDog.
As a gunowner and long time supporter of the Right to keep and arm bears, I’m a Mike McPadden supporter because he understands that our rights are given only by God, all Natural Rights are!
Not one of the 7 will put the 2nd amendment in jeopardy- it’s silly to suggest otherwise, VCDL is just another group that is trying to do something the NRA has done a better job of for decades.
I think the 2nd amendment is important but in this race all the candidates seem to be big supporters and many are hunters. In fact several also have conceal carry permits.
It would be wrong to suggest that anyone of them would be better than the others on this one issue. Of course many here would argue that constantly reminding you of what one has said many times before is evidence of something- I’m just not sure of what.
CJ:
Please see my comments on the McPadden article. Mike McPadden demonstrates his ability to apply the concept of originalism to a specific constitutional question.
I hope this is evidence to you and others of SOMETHING that many have stated but some seem unable to grasp – that is, that before a person can claim to stand on some constitutional ground, he must know the arguments for his position. McPadden is the only candidate in the race with a demonstrated ability to do this.
CJ is right-The VCDL has given everybody but one (I think it was FEDA but I’m not sure) got 100%.
http://blog.vcdl.org/index.php?/archives/963-VA-ALERT-Republican-Primary-in-5-Congressional-Districts.html
the link doesn’t have rankings but the emails did.
CJ,
“VCDL is just another group that is trying to do something the NRA has done a better job of for decades.”
The NRA has been riding the VCDL coat tails in VA for years. It wasn’t till Phillip Van Cleve started VCDL and worked with groups like OpenCarry.org that we saw ONE INCH of ground made in the fight for the 2A. The NRA is in Virginia and they couldn’t get it done. It wasn’t till the VCDL started citizens lobby efforts to get open carry legalized that it got done. Then the state moved from may issue to shall issue. It was not the NRA that has staff sitting in on the idiotic committee hearings. Nope it was the VCDL.
Oh but no doubt you got an email from NRA that said what a great job they did for Virginia gun owners this year.
I’m a member of NRA, GOA, and VCDL and it is only the VCDL that I would give credit to for getting the job done where others had “done a better job of for decades.”
James you are absolutely wrong. While the Supreme Court could rule that the Second Amendment applies to the states via the 14th amendment, it is just as plausible to state and argue that the second amendment applied to each of the states as well as the federal governments since the signing of the bill of rights. The second amendment was the one and only amendment excluding the ninth that gave it’s express right to the people. The wording of the amendment is clear. The right of the PEOPLE to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed upon. It was clearly written differently and for a good reason! An Armed People are much less likely to fall victim to a tyrannical government. The founders believed that no Government whether local or federal had the authority to take away this right! It was the one right that was necessary to enforce all others. On a side note, I have never seen a more rabid and hateful group of supporters in my life. Supporting your candidate does not mean tearing down a fellow freedom loving man in a personal manner. You people should be ashamed and reread the Bible you all proclaim to follow. They say you can Judge a Man by the company he keeps and if this is the case, I have to say Mike McPadden is mean and hateful person that I want no part in Supporting!
Micah:
My guess is the Supreme Court, in McDonald v. Chicago (yet to be decided), will use the 14th Amendment to extend 2nd Amendment prohibitions to state governments. My point in the previous comment was not whether a correct reading of the 2nd Amendment required its applicability to state governments but whether or not McKelvey even knows this is an issue.
I find it incredible you think it hateful to hold an office-seeker accountable to know and understand the document under which he would serve. My comments have not been and are not about McKelvey’s personal life. My comments involve his public statements and the requirements of a public office. Alas, you have made use of a personal attack (upon me and other “fellow freedom-loving” folks), the last resort of a fellow with no substantive argument on the issue – McKelvey’s lack of adequate constitutional knowledge and grounding. Is labeling a person hateful for raising pertinent questions not hateful?
All the 5th District candidates except one participated in the VCDL Survey. Anyone guess who abstained….Mr. Hurt. Hmmmm leaning towards the soft Dems again???
The VCDL 2010 Federal Candidate Survey was mailed to all 19 Republican candidates running for their party’s nomination in these five Congressional Districts. Unfortunately, not all answered the survey.
Failure to return a completed survey frequently indicates indifference, if not outright hostility, toward the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
If if any of the candidates are afraid to take a public stand on these issues now, before the election, then they are unlikely to be very responsive to your views after the election. There is absolutely NO reason why they should not answer this survey!
Tell us why Mr. Hurt??? Everyone else in the 5th completed the survey. All the other candidates in the 5th are 100% 2nd Amendment. Are you??
mr. vcdl member: what is Hurt’s GA record on 2d amendment. worry about something else.
Kelly, Agreed. Hurt’s voting record on the 2A is spotless.