Opinion
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- With all of the hubbub over the mess at the NRA, now seems like a good time to remind everyone that YOU are the Gun Lobby.
This is a theme I have come back to again and again in the 13+ years that I have been writing about Second Amendment issues and leading The Firearms Coalition, and even before that. In a speech on the Arizona Capitol grounds earlier this year, I said that the gun lobby “is not a bunch of overpaid suits in Washington D.C. … if the NRA disappeared tomorrow, the Gun Lobby would still be just as powerful, because it’s not the NRA, it’s NRA members and tens of millions of other dedicated patriots just like you.”
In retrospect, those comments, which were very similar to comments I made at a rally in the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania over a decade ago, seem somewhat prophetic, especially considering Wayne LaPierre’s $276k clothing bills, but the point has always been true. All of the NRA’s power, prestige, money, and influence flow directly from you and me and people like us. While the NRA is a useful tool, it is not the source of power or influence. You are.
It is particularly important for everyone to understand that the ugly mess facing the NRA today has the organization crippled, and it will remain crippled for some time into the foreseeable future.
But the gun lobby must continue to be strong.
Even if the NRA “leadership” allows the last of our dollars to bleed out into the pockets of lawyers and charlatans, even if the organization allows itself to be torn down by politicians and bureaucrats, the gun lobby must continue to be strong.
With the NRA distracted and in disarray, it’s critical for you, the Gun Lobby, to take personal responsibility for protecting your rights. You can’t rely on the NRA, or any other group, to do the heavy lifting for you. You must roll up your sleeves and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with your neighbors to ensure that the radical rights opponents don’t flush your children’s and grandchildren’s birthright down the toilet.
After decades of a slow erosion of our rights, and occasionally regaining small bits of ground, we stand on the brink. The slippery slope is only inches wide, with nothing but a sheer cliff beyond it. The Democrats have given their party fully over to a “progressive” philosophy of total government control and citizen subservience, with a government monopoly on arms being one of their primary goals. Until saner heads regain control of that party, it is critical that they are defeated.
We, as defenders of freedom and lovers of liberty, can no longer afford to hang back and lend our support only to the cream of the solid, pro-rights candidates. At this point, the Democratic Party has taken that luxury away from us. Now our only option is to work for their defeat, regardless of the individual stands of their candidates or their opponents. Right now, it’s all about majorities – in Congress, in state legislatures, and on county boards and city councils. Even in states with low crime, and strong traditions of firearm freedom, like Maine and Vermont, Democrat majorities are pushing agendas of draconian gun control, simply because they can, and because Bloomberg and the Giffords’ group keep dumping millions into local elections, in support of radical Democrat, rights restrictors.
These assaults on our rights must be answered with votes. Gun owners can’t rely on the NRA to do it for us. We never could, but it’s more true and urgent now than ever before.
Too many times our guys got mad at Republicans for failing to deliver on promises, or for foolishly making concessions to the rights opponents, and stomped off in a huff, refusing to vote, or voting for third-party candidates with zero chance of winning. That’s how we got eight years of Barack Obama, and most recently, it’s how we lost the House of Representatives in 2018.
That absence from the field provided proof to Bloomberg and Democrat strategists that the power of the gun lobby and GunVoters was just a myth. They successfully painted GunVoter frustration with broken promises, as apathy and impotence, because we allowed vocal, gun control advocates to be elected with little opposition from our disgruntled troops.
They think we’re powerless, and they think that without big bucks and coordination from the NRA, we can’t be serious players in the political arena. It’s up to you to prove them wrong.
Political power lies in the ability to impact politicians’ most precious asset: the ability to be elected. Conventional wisdom says that can only be done with huge amounts of money spent on advertising, but conventional wisdom is wrong. We don’t need advertising, because we have the numbers we need already. All we need is for our fellow gun owners and rights advocates to stand up and get involved. Every one of us must engage in the battle, working for the candidates who are going up against the radical gun control zealots — defeating the party of gun control, by working for the party that isn’t dedicated to taking away our guns.
We must do this, even if the Republican candidate isn’t great on our issue, because right now, Democrats have declared war on our rights. The only way to change their position, and to wake up the squishy Republicans, is for GunVoters to turn out in droves, putting up signs, making phone calls, walking neighborhoods, and making sure that everyone in their family, their friends, their entire sphere of influence, is informed and activated to defeat those who oppose the Bill of Rights.
We didn’t make this a partisan fight, Democrats did. We’ll never make them change their minds by sitting on the sidelines or punishing weak-kneed Republicans by going hunting on Election Day. We must get busy, get involved, and demonstrate in November that the gun lobby is indeed alive and well, and we won’t tolerate open assault on our rights.
About Jeff Knox:
Jeff Knox is a second-generation political activist and director of The Firearms Coalition. His father Neal Knox led many of the early gun rights battles for your right to keep and bear arms. Read Neal Knox – The Gun Rights War.
The Firearms Coalition is a loose-knit coalition of individual Second Amendment activists, clubs and civil rights organizations. Founded by Neal Knox in 1984, the organization provides support to grassroots activists in the form of education, analysis of current issues, and with a historical perspective of the gun rights movement. The Firearms Coalition has offices in Buckeye, Arizona and Manassas, VA. Visit: www.FirearmsCoalition.
Jeffery P. Criminals are not a problem to the anti-gun rights politicians. Criminals provide these politicians false reasons to disarm us. Politicians violating the Bill of Rights is criminal. Criminals whether politicians or not steal from the same victims and desire the victims helplessly unarmed. No matter how large the percentage of our population are willing to forgo their rights, we must never give up our arms. We must make aware to all that we are not willing to relinquish any rights. That by what we mean by liberty or death is our liberty and their death as well as… Read more »
I agree that the anti-gun politicians use criminals to provide false reasons to disarm the honest citizens We as the way thus country is going will be destroyed from within as the Soviet Union was of this country.
The Republicans and Democrats are just two sides of the same rotten coin. John Adams warned us about the dangers of a two-party system “tearing the country apart”, but as with so much of the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, it has been lost to us over the years. NO ONE in Congress or the Senate serve the people or support the Constitution 100% any more, they only support themselves, their careers and their wallets. The idea of professional politicians itself, would be anathema to the Founding Fathers! Professional politicians are the American equivalent of “Royalty” and when the Constitution… Read more »
@JPM, I agree with you. What is the solution?
Wild Bill, the solution may be forced on us. I believe it to be imperative for all to know, that no matter how many in our population will forgo their rights, we will not. All should be aware that our numbers exceed three percent. The provisions of the 2nd Amendment may be implemented making the provisions of the 1st Amendment unnecessary.
JPM, I agree. I do not see two sides of a coin. I see both parties has joined the same party of pigs in the same pen.
I had been a longtime member of the NRA, and a certified instructor in several disciplines. But I have not renewed my membership with them as I’ve lost faith. I did however, just this week, sign up with the GOA as I feel they have a no compromise stance on protecting the Second Amendment, unlike the NRA.
GOA is a non-entity in D.C., they are the not a lobby lobby. A far higher percentage of donations to GOA goes into their salaries. The GOA is really just a meal ticket for the Pratt Family.
The NRA does more, it is why the Left really hates the NRA. The GOA is not even on their radar. That should tell you something.
The NRA needs to clean house. Regardless of his clothing cost, high salary, and other issues, LaPierre has been there too long. Its time for some new blood. If Wayne loves the NRA he should leave.
@moomoo
Wow. Somebody drank their koolaid on the 12th. Tell you what. I’ve got a couple bridges to sell if your interested. A nice red one out in San Francisco, and one that runs over the East River in downtown NY. Give em’ both to you for real cheap…
One look at GOA’s IRS Form 990 and you’ll see how little they actually spend helping “our cause”. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/521256643
Yet the GOA still does more to help the cause than the NRA. Do you actually know how little money the NRA spends on 2A lawsuits? The NRA’s $367M revenue is 160 times higher than the GOA’s revenue, yet the NRA spends less than $1M on 2A lawsuits.
I agree that the GOA has the potential to become a scam just like the NRA, but right now, they are doing more to help the cause with significantly less funding than the NRA.
Several years ago I decided that no Democrat candidates supported any of my values. There are bad Republicans. Call them Rhinos if you want. Some are actually so liberal that they should be running as Democrats. The place to defeat these candidates is in the primaries. For years I didn’t vote in primaries because I didn’t want to be a part of any party. I no longer have that luxury. I still see a lot of people who will vote for the Democrat if they don’t like the Republican.
Another ridiculous AmmoLand propganda piece. Americans currently own about 350 million firearms. Thats more guns per capita than any nation on earth. AmericaNS,. ANY American. Americans can buy weapons of war designed for the modern battlefield with silencers, large capacity magazines and they can store these weapons , unlocked, alongside all the ammo they want , virtually anywhere they want. America has fewer gun regulations than any developed nation on earth, AND, the worst per capita gun violence rate in the developed world. When AmmoLand editors claim Americans are victims of government gun regulations, they’re basically praying for rain in… Read more »
Funny how if you remove the top 10 large cities that have the most restrictive gun laws in the country your whole argument goes to crap! The US become one of the lowest with crime especially murder in the world, the idea you progressives of taking guns and right of law abiding citizens does not work! Rank Geography Firearm homicides: 2015-2016 Per 100,000 Firearm suicides: 2015-2016 (age 10+) Per 100,000 .. United States 27,392 4.4 44,950 7.7 1 New Orleans-Metairie, LA 404 16.6 186 8.1 2 Memphis, TN 398 15 183 7.9 3 Birmingham-Hoover, AL 275 12.6 245 11.9 4… Read more »
@Tom B, Good stats. You know, of course, that Oswill is just a paid agitator, who gets paid per reply, but not if people comment about his swill to someone else. Swill ignore the fact that the firearms industry is on fire and thus supporting the American economy.
Can America afford gun control if it will bring economic recession with it?
Hey Thomas,
Where’d the stats come from so I can give attribution when I send them out?
Like many gun grabbers, most of what you think you know is just wrong. No, we cannot buy weapons of war. To buy a silencer requires a fee and a license. As for gun violence, the problem is criminals, not guns. You want to disarm innocent people and leave them defenseless. Fortunately, we have rights in this country. Our country is unique in recognized our rights are inherent and not granted by the state. I know this reply is probably moot as most people like you just repeat the same lies and bad statistics over and over again, no matter… Read more »
I agree with Jeffery P. Criminals will always have guns because they do not respect the law. Hitler did confiscate all guns in Germany in the early 30.s and be going door to door and then look what happened! We will be inviting socialism or worse a dictatorship We must protect our constitution.. May God bless America.
Go take a walk in California’s gun free LA barrios some night and see how your gun control dreams work.
Nobody is telling you to stay here,if you don’t like this country move to Australia no guns, England is trying to ban a knife with a point,move there.
George Washington said Americans would have to storm the capitol and rebel against the government every 12 years or so to keep it working for The People. Is why he was a founder and not a slave.
I think you need to aim at the proper target. It’s Lapierre, North, Hammer, etc. that need to be told. But they refuse to listen, or change. Preaching at us who already don’t lie and cheat(and perhaps steal) won’t change their bad behavior. Much like shooting, to be accurate, first you need to properly identify your target. I think you are aiming the wrong direction, and that hurts everyone. Please direct your comments towards those in the NRA who refuse to listen to their members. These ones are the problem, not the ones wanting a return to ethical and honest… Read more »
For all practical purposes, when it comes to elections, we have only two choices: R’s or D’s.
A few RINOs in a large herd of mostly elephants is a nuisance.
A few RINOs in a large herd of mostly jackasses is a catastrophe.
We must address the issue of which herd is in the majority before we can address the issue of weak links.
Mr. Knox, I recall that a couple of the Founders warned us not to allow a two party system to come into being. We do have other options, but the normalcy bias against voting outside the box the establishment has drawn around us must first be shattered. It won’t be easy. The fear porn that a vote for anyone other than “my team” will elect “the other guy” is deeply embedded in the public, that even when it’s obvious that it’s not even a choice between the lesser of two evils, but simply the label that evil will wear, that… Read more »
Jeff, you are correct. Even if there are RINO’s in the herd, the elephants would still control committee chairmanships and control the legislative agenda. That’s why we need to take back majorities in both the House and the Senate. Worse case, I would rather have a bunch of do nothing republicans than do something democrats.
JohnBored – Well said, on point – reality.
Jeff, I respect the heck out of you. But you are flat wrong. Republicans aren’t our savior, they’re barely on our side. Continuing to demonstrate that we will forgive infidelity is how we got in this mess to begin with. I regularly read comments that say, “once the democrats get power, our guns are gone”. That is not a second amendment attitude. If we aren’t willing to step up and scream “SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED” we don’t need or deserve our guns. We might as well turn them all in and go home cause they aren’t gonna do us any… Read more »
@Gbob, Parties are just devices to get candidates elected. There is corruption and greed in all of the parties, but so called gun control seems to tear along party lines. The Repubs need a “Root out the Rinos” program. The Dems need a “Trap a Demorat” program. Why are we not finding decent, honest, not corrupted people to send to Congress?
Because the two party system has been purchased by the elite, and(at least in the beltway) no such people exist today?
@Knute Knute, Well … then … we had better get busy reprograming some people.
Simply put: if you’re not corrupted you’re not connected and if you’re not connected you’re not ELECTED.
What a load of TOTAL BS. Nice try; no cigar. P.S. You DO realize that politicians are elected by those few citizens who BOTHER TO REGISTER TO VOTE AND ACTUALLY VOTE, correct?
Mike Pence at one time said he’s “a Christian first, a conservative second, and a Republican third, and in that order”.
You could place almost any set of terms into that statement, and the word “Republican” would likely always stay in third place. I had high hopes for the short-lived Tea Party several years ago, but it seems to have faded into history with a whimper.
You can scream “shall not be infringed” all you want. It means nothing when you throw elections to the Left. They will have power and you don’t. Rights? The powerless have no rights. So you better vote Republican, you have the primary elections to cull the RINO’s.