Cast Your #GunVote at the Polls This November 4th
Learn About the Issues, Find NRA Endorsements & Grades and More
General elections will be held throughout the US on November 4th this year. Early voting is already well underway in many locations and absentee ballots are being circulated.
With controversial issues like healthcare and immigration reform being talked about, an openly anti-gun administration which recklessly wields “a pen and a phone,” personnel shake-ups at the Department of Justice and close decisions by an aging supreme court there is clearly a lot at stake with this election.
If you like the idea of more gun control laws and greater restrictions on individual rights, your task is easy: stay at home and don’t get involved. On the other hand, if you desire to see our constitution upheld and our rights preserved you have a little more work to do. An informed, involved populace is the only thing that will keep our nation on track. Continue reading
NRA-ILA: One On One With Governor Mitt Romney
Via NRA-ILA
Chris Cox
Exec. Director
This year’s election is going to define the future of our freedom, perhaps more than any other in our history. For gun owners, there are a number of areas crucial to the survival of our Second Amendment rights. That’s why I took the time to visit with Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee, to find out precisely where he stands on the issues of concern to gun owners.
Chris W. Cox: First, let me start with the most basic question of all. In the 2008 case District of Columbia v. Heller, and in the 2010 case McDonald v. City of Chicago, the U.S. Supreme Court—by a 5-4 majority—held that the Second Amendment guarantees the fundamental, individual right of all law-abiding Americans to keep and bear arms. Do you agree that the Second Amendment protects a fundamental, individual right to own and use firearms for all lawful purposes?
Governor Mitt Romney: Absolutely, and I was pleased when the Court finally rendered a clear and concise decision on this critical issue. The Second Amendment is essential to our free society. I strongly support the right of all law-abiding Americans to exercise their constitutionally protected right to own Continue reading
Make Your Pro-Second Amedment Voice Heard at the Polls in 2012
Online Resources Help Voters Stay Informed
With voter turnout on the rise after a long period of low showings, as well as the current political environment and momentum from recent court rulings, gun rights advocates have a big opportunity this fall. Aside from federal, state and (absent state preemption) local law makers who potentially wield a fair amount of power concerning gun rights, the last two Supreme Court decisions on the Second Amendment have been decided by just one vote. Given the possibility that the next administration will have the opportunity to name replacements for one or more of the Second Amendment-affirming SCOTUS justices, this November’s election could be even more important for firearms owners and enthusiasts than usual. The internet is rife with resources to help voters stay informed.
One of the most well-known resources to find out where candidates stand on firearms issues is the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) grading system. NRA-PVF provides grades on an A+ through F scale for primary and general election candidates. Gun Owners of America’s PVF also offers candidate ratings; however, at the time of this writing, ratings are not yet posted. The #GunVote initiative from NSSF is also a valuable resource for informed voters.
Aside from the above firearms-centric voter resources, there are Continue reading
GOP Officially Adopts Favorable Position on Second Amendment Gun Rights
Late last month, the Republican Party officially incorporated their favorable position on the Second Amendment into their 2012 party platform. In their platform document entitled We The People: A Restoration of Constitutional Government, the GOP states:
The Second Amendment: Our Right to Keep and Bear Arms
We uphold the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, a right which antedated the Constitution and was solemnly confirmed by the Second Amendment. We acknowledge, support, and defend the law-abiding citizen’s God-given right of self-defense. We call for the protection of such fundamental individual rights recognized in the Supreme Court’s decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago affirming that right, and we recognize the individual responsibility to safely use and store firearms. This also includes the right to obtain and store ammunition without registration. We support the fundamental right to self-defense wherever a law-abiding citizen has a legal right to be, and we support federal legislation that would expand the exercise of that right by allowing those with state-issued carry permits to carry firearms in any state that issues such permits to its own residents. Gun ownership is responsible citizenship, enabling Americans to defend their homes and communities. We condemn frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers and oppose federal licensing or registration of law-abiding gun owners. We oppose legislation that is intended to restrict our Second Amendment rights by limiting the capacity of clips or magazines or otherwise restoring the ill-considered Clinton gun ban. We condemn the reckless actions associated with the operation known as “Fast and Furious,” conducted by the Department of Justice, which resulted in the murder of a U.S. Border Patrol Agent and others on both sides of the border. We applaud the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in holding the current Administration’s Attorney General in contempt of Congress for his refusal to cooperate with their investigation into that debacle. We oppose the improper collection of firearms sales information in the four southern border states, which was imposed without congressional authority.
The Democratic Party website opines that “the GOP has adopted an extreme platform that is incredibly out of touch.” Despite the “Forward” slogan, their official platform includes the following text, which makes for a big step backward:
We believe that the right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation. We understand the terrible consequences of gun violence; it serves as a reminder that life is fragile, and our time here is limited and precious. We believe in an honest, open national conversation about firearms. We can focus on effective enforcement of existing laws, especially strengthening our background check system, and we can work together to enact commonsense improvements—like reinstating the assault weapons ban and closing the gun show loophole—so that guns do not fall into the hands of those irresponsible, law-breaking few.
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet and the democratic party’s steaming pile of twisted vocabulary still smells exactly as one might expect. Their so-called “assault weapon” ban is nothing more than an emotion-fueled ban of firearms based on cosmetic features (see “the shoulder thing that goes up”). The ban was ineffective in 1994 and any new ban would be as well. The tired old “gun show loophole” language is also played out and amounts to nothing more than government intervention in private transactions between individuals. It seems an especially silly stance to take in light of Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) report on “Firearms Use by Offenders” showing that fewer than 1% of U.S. “crime guns” came from gun shows.
While firearms owners are obviously not unique to one side of the aisle or the other, these official positions are telling. If firearms rights are an important issue to you when you head to the polls, make sure to do your research on candidates. NRA-PVF offers an online Grades & Endorsements tool to help you find information about candidate support of gun rights. Gun Owners of America, via their Political Victory Fund arm, also offers such information although candidate ratings are currently listed as “coming soon.” Presidential-Candidates.org also offers information about candidate’s positions on issues, including gun control.
