It was a standing-room-only crowd when Republican vice-presidential candidate Sen. J.D. Vance took the stage at Defender Ammunition’s handgun range in Raeford, N.C., on Oct. 25. The venue was an unusual one, although Second Amendment supporters are intimately familiar with similar confines.
Located in the heart of Hoke County, where Democrats have long dominated, the larger-than-expected crowd felt like it reflected a growing erosion of support for the current administration. One hundred people were waiting in line two hours before Secret Service security screening began. It grew by the minute and cars were parked blocks away. By the time Vance spoke, more than 400 filled a range that might have had 10 shooting lanes. Half of the attendees sat on berms or stood. Others listened outside the gates.
The intimate setting amplified the crowd’s enthusiastic roars of approval throughout the event. Chants of “U.S.A.” filled the air as Vance took the stage with the last parachutist gliding overhead with a U.S. flag in tow. “That’s one way to get to a Donald Trump-J.D. Vance rally … parachute in on an American flag,” he quipped.
His interactions with the audience were frequent and often. “We’ve got a beautiful baby back here with a Make America Great Again shirt,” he said. “If we were a part of the Kamala Harris campaign, I’d say get him registered to vote.” Later he acknowledged a man holding up a red “Jesus is Lord” shirt and issued a warm welcome for the message.
Many in attendance were active-duty or veterans and their families who were stationed at nearby Fort Liberty or its John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, home of U.S. Special Forces. Vance addressed one of their major concerns. “Why do we force a veteran to drive 95 minutes away from their home for a doctor’s appointment, when it would be cheaper for them—and for the government—for those folks to get healthcare 15 minutes away from where they live?” he asked. “We’ve got to promote choices for veterans. … Donald Trump already did that and we’re going to build upon it in this second term.”
The base’s name change has been a controversial one, even among those who have never served in uniform. Vance noted the historic facility is, “Not Fort whatever-Kamala-Harris-renamed-it; it’s Fort Bragg and we’re proud.”
The Defender Ammunition handgun range, although tiny compared to most political rally sites, was ideal for security. The backstop and berms, combined with the flat terrain in the Sandhills region of North Carolina, minimized the candidate’s exposure. Strategically parked semi-trailers with counter-sniper teams atop blocked visibility through the main entryway and allowed law enforcement to scan the countryside during the event.
Defender Ammunition is a veteran- and family-owned business that opened its doors in near Fayetteville, N.C., in 2013. What began as a modest operation with seven employees has grown into two firms—Defender Ammunition, owned by Haywood Jones, and Defender Distribution, owned by his wife Krissy.
When demand for the company’s cartridges outgrew its original site, it moved in 2020 to the 10-acre location where Vance’s rally took place. Today, the companies employ 21, each a veteran or family member of one.
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