Country music legend and longtime NRA supporter Charlie Daniels passed away on the morning of July 6 after suffering a stroke. He was 83 years old.
Daniels, largely known for his 1979 hit single “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” was a Grammy Award-winning artist, a member of the Grand Ole Opry and also an ardent supporter of your right to keep and bear arms.
“It has been proven over and over that about the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun, and no matter how vehemently self-serving politicians may contest this, the fact remains irrefutable,” Daniels recently wrote in an open letter for America's 1st Freedom.
A lifetime NRA member, Daniels also appeared in a number of ads, including a recent one where he said, “I’d fight to my last breath to defend my home and my family. And by the looks of the lines at gun stores lately, it looks like an awful lot of other people feel the same way—that they want to defend themselves—which is the constitutional right we’re guaranteed in the Second Amendment.”
The country music icon was featured regularly at NRA events, including NRA Country concerts, NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits and he recently sat down with NRA Country’s Vanessa Shahidi to discuss his love of firearms.
Daniels' staunch support of the Second Amendment and his passion for these tools of freedom embodied what it means to be an NRA member.
“The world knew Charlie Daniels as a wizard with a fiery fiddle. A legendary musician. A true American icon. But, to his NRA family, Charlie was all that and a lot more. We knew and loved Charlie as an outspoken patriot whose passion for freedom was unparalleled. Charlie didn’t just preach about values—he lived them every day. A proud NRA Life Member and lifelong Second Amendment supporter who performed at countless NRA events, and courageously spoke out for freedom every chance he got. The world lost one of its brightest stars. Our country grieves for a true patriot. Our NRA family mourns the loss of a brother. Rest in Peace, Charlie,” said NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre.
Daniels is survived by his wife, Hazel, and son, Charlie Daniels Jr.
