Gubernatorial candidates Creigh Deeds and Bob McDonnell both have received National Rifle Association A-ratings in the past. But campaign officials say Deeds’ legislative attempts to close Virginia’s gun-show loophole may have prevented the NRA from backing Deeds in the governor’s race.
The NRA chose to endorse Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell. Four years ago during the race for Attorney General, the NRA endorsed Deeds.
“As a lifelong gun owner and hunter, Creigh Deeds is a committed supporter of the Second Amendment,” stated Jared Leopold, spokesman for the Deeds campaign, in a written statement. “While it appears that his work on closing the gun-show loophole following the Virginia Tech mass murder may have lost him this endorsement, Creigh looks forward to working with the NRA as governor to continue to protect our Second Amendment rights.”
The NRA Institute for Legislative Action’s Web site states the gun-show loophole is a myth, and gun shows are not the source for guns used to commit crime.
“The term ‘gun-show loophole’ is a misnomer,” said Crystal Cameron, press secretary for the McDonnell campaign. “All registered gun dealers must run background checks for any buyers. Bob McDonnell supports background checks for all purchases with licensed Virginia gun dealers at Virginia gun shows.”
Current federal law requires criminal background checks only for guns sold through licensed firearm dealers. A loophole in the law listed on the web site for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allows individuals not engaged in the business of selling firearms to sell guns without a license.
These transactions are called private sales and can occur at gun shows, but also can include guns sold through classified newspaper ads or the Internet.
Following the Virginia Tech mass murder, Deeds supported a bill that would have closed the gun-show loophole, but the bill failed to pass the state Senate.
According to Cameron, the McDonnell campaign said the actual loophole that allowed Seung-Hui Cho to legally purchase his two firearms was related to the lack of mental-health reporting in Virginia’s background system.
“What this issue is really about is mandating government regulation of private sales of firearms,” Cameron said. “Currently, the commonwealth does not regulate private sales of firearms between citizens, and Bob McDonnell does not support such an expansion into the private affairs of law abiding citizens.”