Has NOVA been written off?

[LonghornBob]

I’m a relatively new gun owner, just the past year or so. First, I want to say I appreciate all the efforts of the pro-2A, pro-freedom, advocates that protected my liberties while I wasn’t paying attention.

I am now starting to do my part, by joining the NRA and VCDL, and sending communications to legislators/regulators when I get NRA-ILA and VCDL alerts. But, I’m curious about what good it does given where I live. It doesn’t seem like we have any pro-2A candidates to vote for.

My congressman, Gerry Connolly, an anti-2A Democrat, is running unopposed this year.

My state senator, Janet Howell, another anti-2A Democrat, ran unopposed last year. The same goes with my state representative, Ken Plum, another anti-2A Democrat.

Anyway, it doesn’t feel like I even have a voice, when my legislators are all strongly anti-2A and no one even tries to compete against them.

[kelu]

So what? Stop whining. Fight. I'm here too, and many others.
As long as I'm breathing, I will never give up! That applies to all things I care.
Take control at grass root level. School board, city, county.

[ShotgunBlast]

Well, I guess the first way to fight back is to figure out why these people continue to run unopposed. Even if the VA GOP is realistic about their slim chances of winning an election, why should they admit defeat before the race even starts? How is an undecided voter supposed to take their ideas seriously when the party itself can't find a person to run that takes those ideas seriously?

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[SHMIV]

Hey; y'all live up there. Why don't y'all run for these offices?

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[Ironbear]

I agree that there needs to be alternative candidates, but the problem is that people in their "right" minds, have real jobs already and don't really want the job of politician. Besides, the GOP wants candidates who play ball, not actual conservatives.

[Swampman]

Well, I guess the first way to fight back is to figure out why these people continue to run unopposed. Even if the VA GOP is realistic about their slim chances of winning an election, why should they admit defeat before the race even starts? How is an undecided voter supposed to take their ideas seriously when the party itself can't find a person to run that takes those ideas seriously?

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And that it exactly what the VA GOP has done - admitted defeat before the race even starts.

[kelu]

Hey; y'all live up there. Why don't y'all run for these offices?

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Thinking seriously to do it.
Not a citizen yet.

[trailrunner]

Connolly is my representative too. He started as a local politician on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, then became chair, then our representative to Congress. I didn't like him when he was on the BoS, and I don't like him now.

Most of the politicians up here are pretty liberal, but not all, and you can make a difference. Most of the laws we live under are decided at the state level, and Virginia has good preemption laws, so the state level is very important to us. My delegate to the Virginia assembly is Dave Albo. At one point, I had given up on him and stopped writing him. But then I heard him say that not one person had contacted him about a gun bill, so now I contact him now, even if it's a short email to ask him to vote for or against a certain bill. He's a republican and hasn't been real strong on gun issues, but he's not automatically anti-gun. If I can get him to lean our way, then that's one more vote on the Virginia assembly in our favor and can make a difference.

The governors elections have gone back and forth between R and D. Across the state, Republicans have a chance to win every time, and your vote goes towards that.

I moved here from California in 1991. I tried to get a ccw permit shortly after that, but Fairfax county only issued a very small number (less than a dozen, perhaps), and I was rejected. In 1995, the law was changed to take that discretion from the counties and make the state a shall-issue state. I played a very minor role in that lobbying effort. VCDL started around that time as NVCDL, with the N standing for Northern. Eventually it grew large enough to cover the entire state, ant the N was dropped from the name.

So yes, you can make a small difference, even in northern VA.

[GregVa]

Longhorn, I know how you feel. I live up here too, and I send emails and bug those anti 2a dems when ever some new bill comes out.

I asked connoloney why he wanted to ban my 20 year old 10/22 and all I got was a canned response about why citizens don't need rpgs, pretty frustrating. So welcome to the club and email, mail and bug them when they keep up the anti 2a stuff.

[Reverenddel]

Hey; y'all live up there. Why don't y'all run for these offices?

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THIS! I have ALWAYS hated "running unopposed" candidates! That's the LEAST representative way to run things! Even if you're gonna LOSE, RUN! It gives people another voice!