The next two years may very well decide the future of the Second Amendment in America. Elections will be taking place in a handful of states this fall, and the U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and the presidency will be up for grabs in 2020. We are living in a significant time in the history of our country and your NRA when the Second Amendment is facing the strongest political attacks since the era when it was first drafted by our nation’s Founding Fathers.
At such a tumultuous time, I do have hope. I have been involved in politics all my life and I have seen the effects ordinary men and women can have on getting the right people into public office.
By the grace of God, I was born into a political family in Georgia. My father voted Republican, which was unheard of at that time because the South was primarily Democratic. At the dinner table, he would always tell me and my siblings to be involved in the political process and to know our elected representatives. While he thought that getting to know our local sheriff was most important, I can honestly say that we need to be acquainted with all our public officials. Know what they stand for. Know what their positions are on issues that matter—especially the Second Amendment. Contact them and their offices—by phone, email or in person, if you get the opportunity.
Gun owners have a voice, and the politicians need to know we are present in the political arena.
The website for the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (nraila.org), is a great resource for NRA members and gun owners. There you will find articles and fact sheets on various issues that concern the Second Amendment and lawful gun ownership, as well as summaries of gun laws for each state.
I hope you will check out the “Grassroots” tab on the website to see how you can be active in your area. At your fingertips is a quick and easy way to contact your elected officials and register to vote.
Grassroots participation is important in politics and can help us broaden support for the Second Amendment. This can take many forms. For example, you can volunteer to help pro-gun candidates in their bids for office. Simple steps can make a big difference, such as displaying yard signs, participating in phone banks, and knocking on doors to distribute campaign literature or publicize the candidate’s positions and qualifications. On NRA-ILA’s site, you will also find out how you can volunteer for upcoming elections. The time to get involved is now—especially if your state has elections in the coming weeks.
Some people may even want to run for local office themselves. Whether it’s serving on the PTA, school board, city council or at the county level, you can ensure pro-gun and pro-freedom views are represented in the decisions that affect your hometown, family and friends.
We should also encourage our young family members to become politically active. It is so important that we don’t leave it up to schools to influence our children about Second Amendment rights. My husband and I taught our three sons to enjoy the shooting sports and to handle firearms safely, and it worked out well. They are very involved in politics and support the Second Amendment. Even my grandchildren have participated politically in college. We are all shooters and NRA lifetime members. If you’ve lived it, there’s a pretty good chance your children and grandchildren will follow your lead.
This upcoming presidential election is critical to protecting our Second Amendment rights. If we don’t help retain the White House by supporting President Donald Trump, we will see our country’s Constitutional rights erode. If we don’t gain election wins for the Second Amendment, then the First Amendment could also be diminished or ignored. Looking at the Democratic presidential candidates, you can see that if any of them were elected, it would be a disaster for our Second Amendment and Constitutional freedoms.
We as gun owners have to be vigilant. The number of NRA members who vote can decide elections. So, let’s work harder than ever before to protect our Second Amendment. As I say, we have a country to save.
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