I am relinquishing the space for My View this week to Dudley Brown, Executive Vice President of the National Association for Gun Rights, who wrote this excellent column about our need to safeguard our Second Amendment rights.
~Don Sorchych
My View
BY DUDLEY BROWN | DECEMBER 12, 2012
A mandate?
A little after midnight on election night, I received a call from a close friend who needed someone to talk to and knew I'd be awake.
I could hear his voice shaking as he asked me to make sense of the results we were both watching come in from the polls.
Even as radical as President Obama was during his first term, American voters still rewarded him with four more years.
I certainly understand what he was feeling.
During that moment, I remember struggling to find the right words to say.
"Taking on incumbents isn't easy," I said.
"It's hard to compete with Obama phones."
Of course, all of that is true.
But I remember my words ringing hollow at that moment and perhaps they do now, as well.
Much is going to be written in the next several days about "what went wrong."
And I suspect, ultimately, more focus will rightly be put on the Republican Presidential candidate's shortcomings and shifting principles -- including on our gun rights.
The truth is, to defeat any incumbent, every "i" must be dotted and every "t" crossed.
Candidates who aren't able to show a clear contrast often have a tougher time.
Based on the state our country is in right now with President Obama in office, I know many folks wanted to look past those facts.
I don't blame them.
But at the end of the day, I know they would have much preferred a candidate they could be more excited about.
Unfortunately, because the top of the ticket failed to generate enough enthusiasm among grassroots gun rights activists, pro-gun candidates across the country suffered.
However, there was some good news in a few Congressional races.
Thomas Massie (KY), Steve Daines (MT), Steve Stockman (TX) and Steve King (IA) all responded to NAGR's Candidate Survey 100% pro-gun and all defeated anti-gun challengers.
Of course, now President Obama and his anti-gun pals are claiming a mandate.
The truth is, he has anything but.
Despite a flawed opposition, President Obama still received only a little over 50% of the vote.
But that doesn't mean gun-grabbers won't rush to cash in with anti-gun schemes like:
*** The United Nations Gun Ban. I had hoped November 6 would be the death-knell for this outrageous anti-gun scheme. But instead, these next several months will be critical to defeating its onslaught;
*** A new "Assault Weapons" Ban. President Obama came out in support of a ban during the presidential debates, and this will likely be a top item on his agenda in his new term;
*** Mandatory "psychological screening" to be able to carry a concealed weapon or even buy a firearm. After the Colorado shooting earlier this year, anti-gun activists believe they have a ready-made excuse and politicians will fall in line for their new schemes.
Of course, this won't be all.
The good news is, thanks to the generous support of good folks like you, the National Association for Gun Rights has already proven it can stand toe-to-toe with President Obama and his anti-gun pals and WIN.
This isn't the first time we've had our backs against the wall after all.
After the 2008 elections, with control of the White House, the U.S. House and nearly a filibuster-proof Senate, gun-grabbers and their allies in Congress believed they could ram virtually any bill they could dream up into law.
Unlike many who were urging "compromise," we didn't go to President Obama with our tail between our legs begging for him to go easy on us.
We mobilized millions of Americans from all over the country to send a loud-and-clear message to EVERY politician -- lay off our gun rights or pay the price at the polls.
It worked.
Despite their best efforts, the gun-grabbers couldn't overcome our grassroots strength.
Against all odds, you and I beat back the U.N.'s dangerous "Small Arms Treaty," a new "Assault Weapons Ban" – not to mention ammo and magazine bans that reared their ugly heads after the recent tragedy in Colorado.
Today, the National Association for Gun Rights is the fastest-growing pro-gun organization in America.
Our take-no-prisoners style is turning heads in Washington, D.C., paving the way for even more victories in the future.
But Donald, to say nothing of the lame duck session of Congress, you and I are about to enter an absolutely crucial period.
The gun-grabbers are not going to wait around to try and ram new anti-gun schemes into law.
So in the coming weeks and months, I'm going to be counting on your support like never before.
Mentally, I know this is hard.
For the past four years, gun rights activists have stood with NAGR as we've beat back the worst of the gun-grabbers' schemes.
Virtually everyone I talked to wanted this nightmare to be over.
They wanted to rest easy for a change.
They wanted November 6 to bring everything to an end.
That didn't happen.
One thing I have learned over the years is that letting pressure off politicians – of either party – even for a second, means you could lose everything.
So our job is to remain vigilant.
Our job is to remain 100% committed to the protection and expansion of our gun rights.
Our job is to make sure we never let our guard down for ONE SECOND to give the gun-grabbers an opening for new schemes.
In the coming weeks and months, I'm going to be counting on your help like never before to help me send a message . . .
There is NO Obama anti-gun mandate from the American people.
And politicians who try to undermine our gun rights will pay the price with their political careers.
For Freedom,
Dudley Brown
Executive Vice President
P.S. Gun-grabbers are already claiming an anti-gun mandate for President Obama.
It's up to you and me to show them they're dead wrong.
Please help the National Association for Gun Rights fight to protect our gun rights!
The National Association for Gun Rights is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, single-purpose citizens' organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the Constitutionally protected right-to-keep-and-bear-arms through an aggressive program designed to mobilize public opposition to anti-gun legislation. The National Association for Gun Rights' mailing address is P.O. Box 7002, Fredericksburg, VA 22404. They can be contacted toll-free at 1-877-405-4570. Its web address is www.NationalGunRights.org/
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