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Lt. Governor Bill Bolling confirms that Senators Saslaw and Marsh broke the rules of the Senate. And, worse, they will get away with it.
What hypocrisy. THEY break the rules, but expect US to obey them!
That is intolerable. The Virginia Senate needs new leadership. Period.
Unless the Senate votes in some new leadership, the elections of 2011 is where gun owners and other like minded Virginians will fix the problem.
The anger at what Saslaw and Marsh did to betray the public's trust is palpable. Not since the Roanoke Times published the list of CHP holders have I seen this many furious emails!
With many Democrats already looking nervously over their shoulders as election day draws ever nearer, this move by the Senate Leadership is a form of political Darwinism for their Party - pouring gasoline on a fire.
That's too bad, as there are some very good pro-gun Democratic Senators who are being dragged down a path they probably would not go down on their own. But, they chose their leaders and, clearly, chose poorly.
For us, let's not get angry - that accomplishes nothing. Instead let's channel that energy into fixing the Senate.
Saslaw and Marsh have just awoken a sleeping giant who will make the Senate Leadership's treachery a rallying cry. We will come out as a huge voting block to remind the Senate Leadership that they serve at OUR pleasure. And we expect WHOEVER is in leadership to obey the rules and to honor and protect our right to self--defense.
Here is Freddie Kunkle's article in the Washington Post:
Lt. Gov. Bolling: Anti-gun bill panel creation broke Senate rules
Yes, Democratic leaders in Virginia's Senate broke the rules when they
killed a bunch of gun rights bills in a specially formed subcommittee.
And, no, there's not a thing anybody can do about it.
That's the upshot of a ruling that came down Friday from Lt. Gov. Bill
Bolling (R), who is president of the Senate.
The controversy began when Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw
(D-Fairfax) and Courts of Justice Chairman Henry Marsh (D-Richmond)
created a special subcommittee to consider several gun bills passed by
the Republican-controlled House, including an attempt to repeal
Virginia's ban on buying more than one handgun a month.
Almost all of the gun bills, except those that were similar to
measures adopted by the Senate, died there last week on party-line
votes. Among the dead was Del. Scott Lingamfelter's (R-Prince William)
closely watched attempt to repeal the gun-a-month law.
Some gun-control advocates praised the end if not the means. Others
criticized Senate leaders only for not thinking of the idea sooner.
But gun-rights supporters derided the Courts of Justice special
subcommittee as "the death star" committee and accused the Senate
leadership of acting like autocrats.
Other newly created subcommittees killed other unwanted House bills
too, including one that would have protected Virginians from
involuntary microchip implantation -- a measure derided by critics as
the "mark of the Beast" bill.
Saslaw wasn't shy about the purpose of the Courts of Justice special
subcommittee, which was stacked with four Democratic senators and one
moderate Republican. Saslaw said in interviews that the
Democratic-controlled Senate was merely engaging in a little payback
after years of watching bills roll out with significant majorities
only to die at the hands of a few delegates on subcommittees in the
Republican-controlled House.
On Thursday, Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-Winchester) tried to revive a
gun-rights measure--shielding public access to the list of concealed
weapon permit holders--by amending another gun-related bill on the
floor of the Senate. She withdrew the amendment eventually, but not
before criticizing the handiwork of the newly invented subcommittees
and their propriety.
Enter Bolling.
His March 12 memo, citing Rule 20 (h), says:
"Accordingly, and based on my objective interpretation of the Rules of
the Senate, it is my belief that Senate subcommittees do not have the
authority to take final action on any bill or resolution referred to
them. The subcommittee can consider such bills and resolutions, but
ultimately, the subcommitee is only empowered to make recommendations
to the full Committee. The ultimate authority of taking final action
on such bills and resolutions rests solely with the full committee."
Bolling's memo also points out that, unlike the Senate, the House's
rules specifically grant subcommittees the authority to take final
action on bills.
Bolling spokeswoman Ibbie Hedrick said the memo cannot force
compliance of the rules. "It's just his opinion on the matter," she
said.
But Bolling's memo also included a genteel reminder to the senators to
play nice:
"As you know, the Senate has long prided itself on compliance with the
Rules and traditions of the Senate. It is important that the Rules and
traditions of the Senate be complied with when they advance members
ultimate goals and objectives, and even when they do not."
-- Fredrick Kunkle