November 25, 2013 By Kyle Ebersole

Virginia’s governor-elect Terry McAuliffe already moving against guns

Virginia’s governor-elect Terry McAuliffe tapped anti-gun activist Lori Haas to serve in his 54-member “transition team” come January, 2014.
Haas has been an organizer for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence since 2010 and serves as the organization’s director in the Virginia Commonwealth. She has lobbied for gun legislation in Washington, DC and Richmond, Va. on numerous occasions.
The CSGV website reveals the organization’s mission statement as follows:

1) We are taking an aggressive approach with political advocacy. Our message to elected officials is simple: “The era of no accountability is over. If you do the NRA’s bidding and put our loved ones in the line of fire, we will educate your constituents about your record.” This strategy involves the use of social media campaigns and hard-hitting TV, radio and print ads.
2) We are building personal relationships with legislators and challenging them to become dedicated, long-term advocates for sensible gun laws. The victims and survivors of gun violence on our staff are the leaders in this lobbying effort. We are also looking to facilitate the advocacy of state/local activists whenever and wherever we can.
3) We are the first gun violence prevention group to talk about the issue in terms of democratic values, and to use the term “insurrectionism” to describe the NRA’s treasonous interpretation of the Second Amendment. By exposing the hypocrisy of the NRA’s “freedom” message, we have reframed the debate and put them on the defensive.

McAuliffe’s appointment of a CSGV organizer, in addition to the fact that his gubernatorial campaign was funded in part by Michael Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns, shows that Virginians ought to expect a fight over their natural and constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms.