Some Specific Thoughts on How Those of Us in the Gun Culture Need to See the Coming Election

You know where I stand — unconditionally against the presumptive Democratic nominee. I have said that I am willing to vote for the "Best of Show" from the Westminster Kennel Club as long as he or she has an (R) after her name. That's because I vote guns, and the choice seems pretty simple to me. Let me list the ways:

• The Democratic nominee has called for "Australian style" gun confiscation if elected. Let me repeat that; The The Democratic nominee is in favor of door-to-door confiscation of legally owned firearms. 

• The Democratic nominee has stated her specific opposition the Second Amendment and the Supreme Court rulings in Heller and McDonald that interpreted the Second Amendment as an individual right. There is no doubt that should she be elected and quickly fills the currently empty seat, the Bloomberg organization, with it's unlimited funds, with push a 2A case to challenge to the Supreme Court ASAP.

• Because of the recent death of Justice Scalia, the incoming President will be able to immediately either shift or retain the 5-4 majority that passed both Heller and McDonald. Given the ages of several other Justices, the incoming President will likely have the power to change the Court for at least a generation. 

• The Democratic nominee has stated she will spend "every day" of her Presidency thinking of ways to destroy the "gun culture," e.g., "us." 

• The Democratic nominee unconditionally favors banning "assault weapons" and other non-specifiedd "guns." Any new assault weapons ban would likely be modeled on the bill proposed after Sandy Hook, which is far more restrictive and far more specific than the Bill Clinton AWB. That is, it would ban guns by name, as opposed to by some vague set of specifications, e.g. wording such as "…this legislation bans the possession all guns derived from the AR-15/M-4/AR-10 platform, or using any version, caliber or modification of the AR-15 lower and/or upper receiver and any other firearm using a operating system derived from a current military platform such as the AK-47, the M1A/M-14, etc., including but not limited to, the Ruger SR556, the Ruger AR556, the Ruger SR762, the Ruger SR22, the Ruger Mini-14…and on and on. 

• The Democratic nominee opposes concealed, open and Constitution carry and will support Federal legislation to curtail or eliminate these Fundamental rights. 

• The Democratic nominee supports universal background checks that would completely eliminate the private sale of firearms, even to family members. Under the Bloomberg Model bill adopted in Colorado and Washington and the only bill that has been mentioned as a model, the definition of the word "transfer," long defined by BATFE as "transfer of ownership," the standard BATFE still uses, would be changed to "transfer of possession," e.g. the physical act of handing a gun to anyone is defined as a "transfer" and as such must go through an Federally licensed dealer. Loaning a gun to a competition shooter whose gun has gone down or loaning a rifle to your friend for hunting season would be banned by Federal law. As originally drafted by Bloomberg's antigun attorneys, the law was so broad-reaching that, technical, it would be illegal, a felony, to allow someone to "house-sit" in your home if you had weapons locked in a safe, even if the house-sitter had no knowledge of the combination nor any other way to access your personal firearms.

• The Democratic nominee has called for he elimination of the law protecting firearms manufacturers from frivolous lawsuits and has in fact called for people to be able to sue gun manufacturers for criminals' use of stolen guns. 

• The Democratic nominee has called for a huge expansion of gun bans for "domestic violence," to include the "sexual assault" allegations built into the "Yes Means Yes" legislation currently in place on most college campuses and written into law in liberal states. This is a massive expansion of gun bans and. based on the current laws circumvents 4th and 5th Amendments Fundamental Rights. 

• Previously, the the Democratic nominee has called for the registration of all handguns and federal licensing of all handgun owners. 

• The Democratic nominee has a NRA rating of "F." From the NRA: "Hillary Clinton's extreme views are completely out of touch with the American people." 

• The Democratic nominee has received awards from antigun organization. 

• The Democratic nominee has vowed to do everything in her power to destroy the NRA, America's largest civil rights organization.

OTOH, here is the platform of the Republican nominee as it relates to the Second Amendment and guns. Every point of this platform has been backed up in speaking engagements by the presumptive nominee. It is consistent with information I gleaned from my personal conversations with Donald Trump Jr. prior to the beginning of the campaign, and it is consistent with information I have heard from other 2A activists who have had direct contract with the Trumps.

PROTECTING OUR SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN 

Donald J. Trump on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms 

The Second Amendment to our Constitution is clear. The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed upon. Period.

The Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right that belongs to all law-abiding Americans. The Constitution doesn’t create that right – it ensures that the government can’t take it away. Our Founding Fathers knew, and our Supreme Court has upheld, that the Second Amendment’s purpose is to guarantee our right to defend ourselves and our families. This is about self-defense, plain and simple.

It’s been said that the Second Amendment is America’s first freedom. That’s because the Right to Keep and Bear Arms protects all our other rights. We are the only country in the world that has a Second Amendment. Protecting that freedom is imperative. Here’s how we will do that:

Enforce The Laws On The Books

We need to get serious about prosecuting violent criminals. The Obama administration’s record on that is abysmal. Violent crime in cities like Baltimore, Chicago and many others is out of control. Drug dealers and gang members are given a slap on the wrist and turned loose on the street. This needs to stop.

Several years ago there was a tremendous program in Richmond, Virginia called Project Exile. It said that if a violent felon uses a gun to commit a crime, you will be prosecuted in federal court and go to prison for five years – no parole or early release. Obama’s former Attorney General, Eric Holder, called that a “cookie cutter” program. That’s ridiculous. I call that program a success. Murders committed with guns in Richmond decreased by over 60% when Project Exile was in place – in the first two years of the program alone, 350 armed felons were taken off the street.

Why does that matter to law-abiding gun owners? Because they’re the ones who anti-gun politicians and the media blame when criminals misuse guns. We need to bring back and expand programs like Project Exile and get gang members and drug dealers off the street. When we do, crime will go down and our cities and communities will be safer places to live.

Here’s another important way to fight crime – empower law-abiding gun owners to defend themselves. Law enforcement is great, they do a tremendous job, but they can’t be everywhere all of the time. Our personal protection is ultimately up to us. That’s why I’m a gun owner, that’s why I have a concealed carry permit, and that’s why tens of millions of Americans have concealed carry permits as well. It’s just common sense. To make America great again, we’re going to go after criminals and put the law back on the side of the law-abiding.

Fix Our Broken Mental Health System

Let’s be clear about this. Our mental health system is broken. It needs to be fixed. Too many politicians have ignored this problem for too long.

All of the tragic mass murders that occurred in the past several years have something in common – there were red flags that were ignored. We can’t allow that to continue. We need to expand treatment programs, because most people with mental health problems aren’t violent, they just need help. But for those who are violent, a danger to themselves or others, we need to get them off the street before they can terrorize our communities. This is just common sense.

And why does this matter to law-abiding gun owners? Once again, because they get blamed by anti-gun politicians, gun control groups and the media for the acts of deranged madmen. When one of these tragedies occurs, we can count on two things: one, that opponents of gun rights will immediately exploit it to push their political agenda; and two, that none of their so-called “solutions” would have prevented the tragedy in the first place. They’ve even admitted it.

We need real solutions to address real problems. Not grandstanding or political agendas.

Defend The Rights of Law-Abiding Gun Owners

GUN AND MAGAZINE BANS. Gun and magazine bans are a total failure. That’s been proven every time it’s been tried. Opponents of gun rights try to come up with scary sounding phrases like “assault weapons”, “military-style weapons” and “high capacity magazines” to confuse people. What they’re really talking about are popular semi-automatic rifles and standard magazines that are owned by tens of millions of Americans. Law-abiding people should be allowed to own the firearm of their choice. The government has no business dictating what types of firearms good, honest people are allowed to own.

BACKGROUND CHECKS. There has been a national background check system in place since 1998. Every time a person buys a gun from a federally licensed gun dealer – which is the overwhelming majority of all gun purchases – they go through a federal background check. Study after study has shown that very few criminals are stupid enough to try and pass a background check – they get their guns from friends/family members or by stealing them. So the overwhelming majority of people who go through background checks are law-abiding gun owners. When the system was created, gun owners were promised that it would be instant, accurate and fair. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case today. Too many states are failing to put criminal and mental health records into the system – and it should go without saying that a system’s only going to be as effective as the records that are put into it. What we need to do is fix the system we have and make it work as intended. What we don’t need to do is expand a broken system.

NATIONAL RIGHT TO CARRY. The right of self-defense doesn’t stop at the end of your driveway. That’s why I have a concealed carry permit and why tens of millions of Americans do too. That permit should be valid in all 50 states. A driver’s license works in every state, so it’s common sense that a concealed carry permit should work in every state. If we can do that for driving – which is a privilege, not a right – then surely we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege.

MILITARY BASES AND RECRUITING CENTERS. Banning our military from carrying firearms on bases and at recruiting centers is ridiculous. We train our military how to safely and responsibly use firearms, but our current policies leave them defenseless. To make America great again, we need a strong military. To have a strong military, we need to allow them to defend themselves.

There is not one single thing in that platform that I disagree with. In fact, I could have written that. It is a nearly perfect stand on guns and the Second Amendment. This is, my friends, as good as it gets.

FROM AN ACTIVIST'S STANDPOINT...

I think you will all accept my credentials as a Second Amendment activist and my work for the gun culture...I don;t need to reiterate, but if anyone asks I will be happy to provide my comprehensive resume and, if you desire, references.

The criticism of Trump from our culture seems to center around what Trump might do based on previous statements. Once again, my personal conversations with Donald Trump Jr. — and Trump lists his children as the single biggest influences on his opinions — Trump Sr. fully understands our issues and why his earlier positions were incorrect. I believe Trump. I also believe that Trump can and does carry a handgun for self-defense. That makes him a card-carrying member of our culture. Other than Rick Perry, he remains the only Republican candidate who actually exercised Second Amendment rights.

Whether Trump like big game hunting or not, he stood by his sons unconditionally in the feces-storm they went through and he refused to back down on the conservation issues involved in big game hunting.

From an activist standpoint, if I'm going to have to fight, I would MUCH RATHER fight a turncoat elected on a Second Amendment platform than a dedicated Alinsky-ite who ran on a gun confiscation platform and has the 100% support of her party. Even if Trump pulled a 180-degree turn — which I do not believe he would do — we could stop that cold, especially if his coattails allow us to keep the House and Senate, or even one of the Chambers. We stopped the antigun initiative after Sandy Hook, after all.

But with the election of the presumptive Democratic nominee, we will be fighting an unprecedented multi-front, heavily funded, totally immoral and unethical battle. We will be facing not only the Executive and Legislative branches, but a "weaponized" Supreme Court and a full frontal assault of "weaponized" agencies, including the IRS, the SEC, the EPA, Homeland Security, another crooked Attorney General with expanded powers, BATFE and the FBI let off the leash — you name it and the successful Democratic nominee will weaponize it and aim it directly at our heads.

And quite frankly, I believe that if the Democratic Party goes "all in," something they've dreamed of for decades — if they finally decide to go door-to-door — there is a potential approaching certainty that this does indeed come to guns, to a Second Civil War that has the potential to make the first one look like a Sunday church social. The Democrats either don't know or don't care that they're juggling lit matches and sticks of dynamite. But we do! And it is incumbent on us to stop dancing around the abyss, take a step back and make this country great again.

I've repeatedly said, sarcastically, "What difference does it make?"

THIS IS MY ANSWER. THERE ARE NO NON-COMBATANTS, NO CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS, NO "STANDING ON MY PRINCIPLES" COWARDS, NO "I DIDN'T GET WHAT I WANTED SO I'M TAKING MY FOOTBALL AND GOING HOME."  YOU ARE WITH US, OR YOU ARE AGAINST US. VOTE GUNS, OR REAP THE WHIRLWIND.