Gun Owners A Major Force In Virginia Primaries

[WAGCEVP]

Gun Owners A Major Force In Virginia Primaries

Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org

June 13, 2003


"... it was the gun owners of Prince William County, among others,
that put me over the top at the polls on Tuesday."
-- Jeff Frederick, June 13, 2003


Dear Virginia gun rights supporter,

Taking out an entrenched, establishment-supported incumbent is never
an easy task. The system itself was designed by incumbents, and its
rules tend to give them built-in advantages.

However, it is by no means impossible. Ultimately, people vote on
issues that matter to them. And certainly, a lot of people care
very deeply about their gun rights... time and again, elections
have been decided as gun owners spoke loudly at the polls.

Some politicians know that. Others have to learn it the hard way.
On Tuesday, voters in the 52nd District taught that lesson to Jack
Rollison. Jeff Frederick defeated the sell-out Rollison by a 58-41
percent margin for the Republican nomination. The district leans
Republican, so Frederick is the likely winner in November.

While it is always good to see a politician who stabs us in the back
look for other work, it is especially gratifying when his
replacement shows a desire to lead the pro-gun charge in the
legislature. Jeff Frederick will be such a person. Consider the
following statement by Frederick, from which the quote at the start
of this alert was taken:


My soft-on-the-Second-Amendment opponent, although a Republican in
name, attacked me in a fashion that would have been no different
had Sarah Brady been his campaign spokeswoman. He attacked me on
the gun issue, he did it hard, and he did it often. He then
actually tried to scare all law-abiding citizens in the area with
mail pieces about the "danger" of allowing armed people to be
among us! He even called GOA an 'extremist and militia-esque'
organization. Well, it is my distinct pleasure to inform you that
his attacks backfired. The voters of the 52nd District did not
fall for the incumbent's deceptions or fear-mongering, and it was
the gun owners of Prince William County, among others, that put me
over the top at the polls on Tuesday. Please believe me when I
tell you that we sent a message on June 10th that has already been
heard in Richmond. We as voters will NOT allow our constitutional
rights to be limited, restricted or taken away by liberals in the
General Assembly!

Congratulations to the gun owners of Jeff Frederick's district, and
to all who contributed to his campaign.


Other News Not So Good

There was unfortunate news on Tuesday as well. Pro-gun challengers
Mike Rothfeld (28th Senate District) and Howie Lind (32nd Senate
District) both lost in their respective primaries.

But a heartbreaker occurred in the 27th Senate District. Pro-gun
restaurant owner Mark Tate missed knocking off long-time Senator
Russ Potts by a mere 106 votes -- out of more than 14,000 cast.

Truly, every vote counts. If just 54 additional gun owners would
have voted, Potts would be gone. Mark Tate has indicated that he
will ask for a recount. Since the margin was less than 1 percent,
the request has to be granted. Nothing can happen, however, until
at least June 24th, when the original returns are officially
certified.


Message Being Received

An important thing to keep in mind is that the establishment-types
in Richmond must be getting very nervous. Jeff Frederick's victory
is the latest in a string of pro-gun changes altering the make-up
of the Virginia General Assembly.

Even in northern Virginia (where the conventional wisdom is that
candidates have to be more "moderate"), the recent election of
people like Sen. Ken Cuccinelli of Centerville continues to send
the message:

Politicians who ignore the rights of gun owners do so at their
peril.