Will Fimian defend self-defense?

hunter45 said:

I do believe that Fimian just made that apology to shut everyone up who was offended by his original comments. I don't think he was really sorry (at least I hope he wasn't sorry). I think we heard his real views the first time when he said an armed student could have prevented the VT tragedy. Although I wish Fimian would have stood by his comment and not have apologized.

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peter nap said:

That just shows that he is another fair weather pro 2end politician.

Unfortunately, it's no different than any other election. Choose the best of the bad but don't base it on a single issue. There is a Hell of a lot going on these days.

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Dear Fellow Virginians,

For the past 16 years, residents of Fairfax have had to deal with the destructive voting record of Gerry Connolly. First as Providence District Supervisor then Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors - and now as a US Congressman, Gerry has a tried and true voting record as one of the most destructive influences on the Northern Virginia economy. And that says a lot.

On October 26th the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) made one of the largest single ad buys this election cycle and poured over 1 million dollars into the 11th District race against Keith Fimian. Of course, all of these ads are harshly negative, and aimed at driving down turnout low enough so that Connolly can squeeze his way into a second term.

Before that buy, Keith was up on air almost 2-1 against Connolly, and all indicators point to the fact that the race is very - very - close. So why did the DCCC make such a huge 11th hour contribution to the race? Simple.

Connolly is one of Nancy Pelosi's most reliable votes in Congress.

As most of you know, Keith Fimian is a strong conservative and successful businessman who is running an effective grassroots campaign.He has come a long way towards defeating Connolly - but for Keith to win, he needs your help. Please, in the remaining two days of the campaign, make a real effort to help, however you can. Keith needs volunteers to knock on doors, make phone calls - and most critically, if you live in the 11th - voting for him on Nov. 2nd.

Please make sure to go the extra mile for Keith - in the final days of this race, your help means more than ever. So, please go to Keith's website and help out!

Thank you so much!

Sincerely,

Ken Cuccinelli, II
Attorney General of Virginia

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nova said:

He's not going to be voting on state bills, and college carry is a state issue, not federal.

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Tess said:

Way too many people don't understand this. Thank you for pointing it out.

I'm voting for Fimian even though Cuccinelli likes him.

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http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/s...ccinelli-Compass&highlight=cuccinelli+compass

From a forum perspective, though, I would prefer campaign literature not be copied here. I would prefer our members talk about pro-OC and pro-RKBA issues, referencing points or websites, but keeping the issue to gun topics.

Just my $0.02.
Tess

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Tess said:

Way too many people don't understand this. Thank you for pointing it out.

I'm voting for Fimian even though Cuccinelli likes him.

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Tim Edson, a Fimian campaign spokesman, refused to say if Fimian would support legislation without knowing the exact details.

"His view is that we need to make sure that we're protecting our constitutional rights but also protecting our society from criminals having guns, from people that are mentally ill having guns and making sure that guns aren't in the hands of our kids," Edson said.

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Last week, Keith Fimian, a candidate for Congress in Virginia's 11th District, told a reporter the April 2007 Virginia Tech shooting would have been averted had students been "packing heat." On Friday, Fimian and his campaign backtracked saying it was an "offhand comment" and that "his words were very poorly chosen" and "did not ... take into account the gravity of the situation." When asked if he supports closing the Gun Show Loophole, which enables criminals and the mentally ill to buy guns no questions asked, he refused to answer, and jumped into a car.

"Because I found Keith Fimian's earlier comments about the Virginia Tech tragedy offensive, I met with him yesterday along with other Virginia Tech family members," said retired Lieutenant Colonel Peter Read, father of Virginia Tech victim Mary Karen Read. "And though he offered his apology for the words he chose, he has yet to decide his answer on the simple question of whether he'll support background checks for every gun sold at a gun show. I need my representative in Congress to know the answer to that question."

Seventy five Virginia Tech family members have called on Congress to close the Gun Show Loophole, including retired Lieutenant Colonel Peter Read.

"It's hard to believe a candidate for the U.S. Congress doesn't appreciate the gravity of the massacre at Virginia Tech," said Omar Samaha, brother of Virginia Tech victim Reema Samaha. "We are tired of politicians who are unwilling to stand up for public safety and support closing the Gun Show Loophole. Why is Keith Fimian protecting criminals instead of protecting us?"

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Repeater said:

Yet, the pressure builds on Fimian to capitulate yet again:



Congress could close the 'Gun Show Loophole' federally if it has the votes and the will to do so, so this discussion is in fact a federal issue in addition to being a state issue.

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nova said:

but Fimian didn't say he wants to close the "gun show loophole"

Not to mention if the feds outlawed private sales I guarantee you'll see another supreme court case result from it on 2nd and 10th amendment grounds.

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The Donkey said:

Fimian has repeatedly refused to commit to what he would do regarding private sales.

And while I suppose it is possible that a Federal "Gun Show Loophole" law could make it to the Supreme Court, as could any statute, the chances of the Supreme Court overturning this sort of law are very low.

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nova said:

And most important of all, just remember who Fimian's running against. Someone who no doubt would support banning private sales, and is no doubt against college carry.

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user said:

"don't worry about the gun people, they'll vote for you anyway" (would they really vote for Connolly under any circumstances?).

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peter nap said:

No big surprises anywhere in the state Tfred.
Only half the eligible voters showed up in most places.

One disappointment even though I knew it would be a coin toss. At least nationally, the Obama machine had a heart attack.

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TFred said:

Two precincts left to report (been stuck there for quite a while...)

Fimian is down by 487 votes out of a total of 224,762, or 0.21%.

This will certainly go to a recount if that thin margin holds up after the last two precincts come in.

Can't help but notice that the three "other party" candidates collectively took 4,149 votes, or more than eight times the losing margin.

Welcome back to the anti-gun, liberal Democrat.

TFred

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Now it appears we have an example from the other side: a gun-control group is taking credit for helping to keep one of Virginia’s Democratic congressmen in his seat. The group used the brother of a Virginia Tech massacre victim as narrator of a TV commercial that took on a GOP challenger for his refusal to support closing the gun-show loophole.

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Gun violence prevention advocates and Virginia Tech survivors applaud voters in Virginia’s 11th congressional district for handing a stinging loss to Republican candidate Keith Fimian. While a wave election was sweeping the country and the rest of the Commonwealth, Fimian finds himself 820 votes behind Democratic incumbent Rep. Gerry Connolly pending a possible recount.

Fimian, who had been surging in the polls, came under assault in the final week of the campaign for his extreme position on guns, thanks to a $450,000 campaign by the non-partisan advocacy group Americans United for Safe Streets. The campaign produced a moving television ad featuring Omar Samaha, brother of Virginia Tech victim Reema Samaha, and four mailers that were delivered to 70,000 homes across the district.

While Fimian had carried considerable momentum and showed gains in the polls in recent weeks, his position on guns and irresponsible comments stopped him in his tracks. When pressed by reporters in late October about his views on guns in schools, Fimian said that the Virginia Tech shooting would have been averted if the victims had been “packing heat.” Fimian and his campaign later backtracked, saying it was an "offhand comment" and that "his words were very poorly chosen," but when reporters asked Fimian if he supports closing the Gun Show Loophole, he refused to answer ...

The weekend before election day, several family members met with Keith Fimian and we discussed his comments about Virginia Tech,” said Lori Haas, whose daughter Emily was shot and wounded in the Virginia Tech massacre. “We told him his remarks were offensive and he apologized. But we also asked him to take a stand for closing the Gun Show Loophole. He would not make that commitment, and on election day Virginia voters punished him at the polls for protecting criminals instead of public safety. Gerry Connolly has stood firm with the families and victims of the tragedy at Virginia Tech and always supported Closing the Gun Show Loophole. That is what we expect of our representatives."

“A candidate from Virginia should know that blaming the victim for gun violence won’t get you very far,” said Josh Horwitz, Executive Director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. “Keith Fimian was driving along using the gun lobby’s roadmap, but he didn’t realize it was leading his campaign right off a cliff. All it took for the real Keith Fimian to emerge was Americans United for Safe Streets pointing out his extreme views on guns. And once Virginians heard what he had to say, it’s clear they had heard enough.”

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TFred said:

The lesson that needs to be taken from this whole incident is if you are going to run for office, it is pretty important to have a backbone.

Fimian lost because he tried to pander to both sides, and ended up losing both instead.

TFred

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TFred said:

The lesson that needs to be taken from this whole incident is if you are going to run for office, it is pretty important to have a backbone.

Fimian lost because he tried to pander to both sides, and ended up losing both instead.

TFred

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VA 11 is part of the People's Republic of Northern Virginia. Of course, they find new ballots for their candidates and loose ballots for their opponents. NoVA is a mini Chicago.

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Repeater said:

I'm wondering if Virginia gun owners should pressure Fimian into capitulating his previous capitulation -- I'm wondering because it seems he really intends to fight for victory:

Virginia 11th's End Game

In reading some of the comments there, it seems he ran a poor campaign and made more than a few mistakes.

. . . .

Well, perhaps some of you should talk to his campaign manager, Tim Edson, and see if he's willing to be an advocate of gun rights, no matter what.

At this point, he seems to need us more than we need him.

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