President’s Column | Why They Fear Us

by
at President, NRA posted on January 19, 2021
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As we brace for impending battles for our freedom, it’s worth remembering what gun-control proponents fear most about Americans who cherish their God-given, and Second Amendment-protected, right to keep and bear arms.

First, they fear the Second Amendment because it is a cornerstone of liberty. It is practical and unmoving. In contrast, the Left prefers and advocates for judges and legislators who will, when they can, treat the U.S. Constitution as a “living document” they can reinterpret to dead letters if they so desire. They want the ability to put a gravestone over your rights, but can’t because the NRA—most importantly all of you members—are standing in their way.

The gun-control crowd can’t stand that our right to keep and bear arms has been a fundamental part of American DNA since before 1776. They’ve tried many times to rewrite the history books, aiming to erase the truth that this right was always cherished and put to daily use by the American populace. They’ve done this because if they can revise history, then they can shape the future behind the false claim that this right isn’t an individual right at all.

Those who seek to take away our freedom also don’t like that the Second Amendment of the U.S. Bill of Rights protects a universal human right to self-preservation. The fact that it empowers women, minorities, senior citizens and everyone else is appalling to the Left, as this individual freedom emboldens and fosters a free people, no matter what their individual characteristics might be. Gun-control advocates want control, but are often stopped because the Second Amendment fundamentally undermines their attempt to turn people into submissive subjects of a controlling state.

They also fear that more gun owners will stand together. This is a big reason why they so often attack the NRA. They fear the massive voting block our membership represents. They fear that the NRA has continued to grow. With over 7.5 million new gun owners in 2020 alone, according to figures gathered by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, gun-control advocates are now very afraid.

This is why even Michael Bloomberg didn’t put a lot of emphasis on gun-control before last November’s election. They didn’t want to rile America’s 100-million-plus gun owners, because they know that an overwhelming majority of American citizens want their freedom left alone.

Let new and potential gun owners hear your enthusiasm, your love of freedom, as you tell them about this right and how you practice it.

Anti-freedom advocates also fear the simple, but very profound, truth that gun ownership leads to a safer nation, as individuals can protect themselves from predators on our streets and in their homes until help can arrive. This autonomy is directly opposite to how gun-control groups would like to reshape America.

And make no mistake, politicians like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris aren’t kidding when they say they want to fundamentally reshape America. They want to create a subservient citizenry that begs for government handouts and carveouts, that has to cower to thieves, rapists and murderers while they wait for the police to get there. They don’t care about you; they care about control.

It is important, right now, to keep this in mind because we do have the power to protect our freedom if we stand boldly together with our shoulders back, our eyes wide open and with a kind, strong and stubborn insistence in our voices and hearts that our civil rights, including our all-important Second Amendment rights, will not be taken from us.   

In essence, they are afraid of us because we are free. Never forget that and don’t let it go. They are afraid; we are not. We might get frustrated, even angry, when a court or legislature imperils our freedom, but that is not fear—rather, it is our American spirit rising up to the challenge.

With this strength, let new and potential gun owners hear your enthusiasm, your love of freedom, as you tell them about this right and how you practice it. Offer to take others to the range. Let them experience how empowering it is to use this freedom. And then talk to them about joining the greatest organization ever seen for protecting this bedrock of human freedom, the National Rifle Association.

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