I want to wish a Happy Independence Day to my fellow NRA members and gun owners. As summer shifts into high gear and we celebrate with backyard BBQs and fireworks, it’s important to reflect on our roots, on why our country was founded, and on personal liberty and freedom.
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence. Our Founding Fathers, the patriots who birthed America, gave us a solid blueprint for a free nation after living as colonists under the tyranny of the British Parliament and King George III. Today’s NRA members are modern-day patriots who retain that spirit of 1776, serving as stewards for America’s values, freedom and our cherished way of life. NRA will always stand strong in defense of the Second Amendment. We know that it’s our responsibility to protect the freedom that our Founding Fathers fought so hard for and, most importantly, the basic right to defend our lives. As past NRA President Marion Hammer said, “The Second Amendment is the means with which we keep our heritage intact and keep our nation free. A disarmed society is powerless against the enemies of freedom.”
NRA members who defend that freedom come from all walks of life representing every race, color and creed in America and around the globe. Last April at the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits, I’m sure many of you saw the large banners featuring many NRA members gracing the halls of the Indiana Convention Center. The displays, part of our “Defend the 2nd” campaign, were a salute to the millions of NRA members who live by this credo, day in and day out. We wanted to highlight the diversity of the NRA membership—diverse, but united by an unwavering commitment to defending the Second Amendment as an inalienable right, one that we must protect at all costs. With many of our elected officials intent on ripping the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights right down the middle, the defense of the Second Amendment should serve as a rallying point for all American citizens to remember exactly how precious our freedom really is.
You’ll see these founding principles in everything the NRA does, and when it comes to celebrating American values, there is no better home for liberty and freedom than NRA Country, where top country-music talent and hard-working Americans meet. NRA Country is involved in causes that defend our values and in empowering our country artist friends who share our principles to inspire the next generation of leaders. Powered by that same love of country, respect for the military and responsibility to protect our great American lifestyle, NRA Country celebrates these values with events in support of military and veteran services organizations, first responders, conservation organizations, firearm-safety programs, and local charities. This Independence Day, celebrate the fact that we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world—the United States of America. And be proud to be a member of NRA Country! Learn more at nracountry.com.
