Trump’s Second Amendment Coalition

Trump
Trump

By Jeff Knox

FirearmsCoalition.org
FirearmsCoalition.org

USA -(Ammoland.com)- Just days before the presidential election, Donald Trump’s campaign announced the formation of a Second Amendment coalition.

The announcement said the coalition would be chaired by Trump’s son Donald Jr., along with NRA-ILA’s Chris Cox and 62 other “co-chairs” who will supposedly advise the president throughout his term in office.

The list of co-chairs includes several current members of Congress, a former governor of Virginia, several members of the industry – including renegade motorcycle builder turned reality TV star turned gun maker, Jesse James – along with several NRA directors and supporters, and a whole bunch of people I’ve never heard of.

Just how much attention the Trump administration will pay to any advice from the coalition is yet to be determined – like everything else about the new president’s administration – but at least some of the people listed as co-chairs of the coalition seem serious about having their ideas heard and their agendas implemented.

Others on the list disavowed any knowledge of the coalition or their being included in it. So far there has been no indication that the members of the coalition have any plans to meet or communicate in any formal way with each other or the administration.

That’s not very promising. Also on the “not promising” side is the lack of inclusion of leaders of other gun rights organizations or state-level grass-roots groups.

NRA has definitely earned its seat at the table in the Trump administration.

The organization spent heavily and worked hard to get him elected, and to ensure that he had pro-rights majorities in both the House and Senate, and group deserves recognition and appreciation for those efforts.

The NRA wasn’t the only rights organization working for Trump and/or against Hillary, and those others deserve some recognition as well.

Many within the rights community have been offering up suggestions of things President Trump should do in his first days in office, and Trump himself has publicly stated support for several of these, including making it easier for service members to carry on military installations, repealing a number of executive orders and actions of Obama and his predecessors, and supporting national reciprocity legislation that would force states to honor carry licenses from other states.

Other proposals that are high on rights advocates’ lists include removing the “sporting purpose” tests from both the Gun Control Act and the National Firearms Act, removing silencers and short-barreled rifles from the restrictions of the National Firearms Act and removing bans on interstate sale of handguns by licensed dealers.

All of these, along with many other suggestions that are floating around out there, should be very doable, either through congressional action or executive order, but rights advocates shouldn’t start counting their chickens just yet.

The first days, weeks and months of a new president are hectic to say the least, with much to learn and many demands on time, energy and political capital. President Trump will be under more pressure and scrutiny than any president before him, and his learning curve will undoubtedly be much steeper due to his limited government experience.

Much will depend on who he chooses as his top advisers and assistants.

As with any high-level executive, Trump will depend on the folks around him to handle most of the day-to-day operation of the administration, while he focuses on bigger-picture issues.

While it’s important for rights advocates to keep reminding Mr. Trump who brought him to the dance and what we desire, it is probably even more important to keep pressure on our members of Congress to be sure that they are moving in the right direction, bringing forward liberty-enhancing proposals and backing up President Trump in efforts to protect Second Amendment rights.

Obamacare, immigration, the economy and foreign relations are all big issues that are doubtlessly going to be at the forefront of the Trump administration’s agenda. It would be easy for him and the Congress to focus on those pressing issues and push rights matters to the back burner.

It’s up to all of us to make sure that doesn’t happen. We have to keep sending emails and making calls to be sure that we are the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.

Follow up your email messages with phone calls to local district offices for your elected representatives.

Tell them you voted for them and for Donald Trump, and tell them you want action on restoration of gun rights in America.

No one ever knows how good or bad a president might be until they get into office and prove their mettle. That will be true of Donald Trump as well. We do know, however, that many of our members of Congress will use any excuse to avoid taking hard votes on controversial issues. Make it clear to them that protecting Americans’ rights is not controversial; it’s their job.

Read more here.

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Dan

Great article Jeff, keep up the good work! Many of us remember President Bush the 1st’s “No new gun laws.” statements in 1988 only to watch him ban all imported “assault rifles” while just in office a few months. Gun owners need to be watchdogs and never “go to sleep” regarding our rights. So far, things don’t look that good regarding many cabinet picks: Trump’s Leftists Picks & Potential Picks “I’m going to have the best people.” Well, Donald, this certainly ain’t “awesome.” Secretary of the Treasury – Steven Mnuchin (PICKED): a Goldman Sachs founder’s grandson and Globalist communist supporter… Read more »

D.Jones

The litmus test for the politicians that give lip service to our 2nd Amendment Civil Rights will be te REPEAL of the bastard hughes amendment. The statesment will vote for it and the wannabees will balk. We shall see…..

John Hauserman

I know its not law but it has costs attached to that will have to be paid at some point. If we officially withdraw I don’t think we would need to pay it. I could be wrong .

Tionico

refuse to pay them anyway. If they holler or threaten to throw us out for non[ayment of our “dues” on that treaty, the only two words that could be spoken in a suitable reply are “Bye bye”.

“Youre fired” would also work just fine.

Tionico

Lets hope they make a demand for payment with the threat of kicking us out or some such… two words would comprise the pervedt answer: “Bye bye”.

The words “you’re fired” would also work just fine.

Wild Bill

Or “Get Out.”

tomcat

I heard prior to the election that HiLIARy helped write that communist document known as the UN arms treaty. It never made it through congress so it is not part of law. If Chucky Shummer had his way it would be the law of the land along with many of his best friends including crooked Rangle. They have all broken many laws and got away with it. When is congress going to be accountable to laws just like we are? Term limits may help. While I’m at it, we need rid of the UN and all the money it costs… Read more »

Rich Seibert

Is the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act Constitutional The bill is a dastardly trick and a Trojan horse for institutionalizing licenses, permits, national ID cards, etc. And the end game of all those licenses, permits, national ID cards and such is eventual confiscation of all arms. And after that extermination. Here is the 2014 edition: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/1908/text Also, the federal government has no constitutional authority to make ANY laws dictating who may and who may not carry arms; or under what circumstances people may and may not carry arms across State borders! Arms control of the people is not an enumerated… Read more »

2nd Amender

The UN Treaty will become ‘null snd voided’!

What would prove Trump’s intentions would be for him to confront Chris Christie on the issues every licenced to carry legally citizen, from any of the other 49 states, has to abide by, or disarm, when in New Jersey.

Tionico

New Jersay have fixed it so that NO ONE who is a non-resident can ever carry in NJ… under current law one MUST get their FOID Mother May I Card to own/possess any firearm. It takes NJ residents at least six weeks, and a fair bit of cash, to buy this Mother May I Card. the dirty trick comes in that this Card is NEVER issued to non-residents. Thus, no non resident can ever legally carry in NJ, and many have been arrested for simple possession of a handgun inside NJ. Not to mention possession of Hollow Point ammo is… Read more »

John Hauserman

I know one thing I’d like to see on day one or two is to make null and void the UN Arms Trade Treaty.
Obama and Kerry already singed the UN Arms Trade Treaty. Trump and his SECRETARY OF STATE should send a letter rescinding Obama and Kerry’s signing of the UN Arms Trade Treaty.

John Hauserman

P.S.
The UN Arms Trade Treaty is incompatible with our constitution.
It should never been singed in the first place.

Wild Bill

I don’t believe that that treaty was ratified by the Senate nor has it ever been implemented in the U.S. Oblabla and Kerry can sign every page and initial every paragraph and it still is not law in the U.S.

Tionicoi

You are correct… the Senate have not ratified it, thus is cannot even be thought to be binding… yet the lamestream muse media regularly trumpet that it is now law, and that we are bound by it. And the Loe Information VOters swallow that bucket of koolade.
There is one other factor that precludes this trash from being law: it is most assuredly NOT
passed in accordance with the Constitution”, and thus cannot ever be binding. The kinyun conveniently forgets this minor detail…..

Tionico

It is not ratified by the Senate, thus not law. Further, it is incompatible with the rest of our Constitution, thus even if ratified, can never be law in the US. READ your copy of the Constitutioin regarding treaties. NOTHING signed as a treaty can be incompativle with our Constitution.

Bob in Florida

In typical liberal-fashion, they redefined the document(s) to NOT be a ‘Treaty’. That way they hope to bypass the Senate approval required for a treaty.
Surely we’re all aware that liberals are not at all inclined to let a little thing like a Constitutional requirement stand in the way of doing what they want.

Mick

Keep on the Congress critters to do their jobs !!

Martin

I think that Trump has the right ideas about the way the Nation wants to go as a whole, but how is he going to get his programs implemented through an entrenched bureaucracy that is most assuredly Left-leaning? That bunch of bureaucrats are actually more dangerous to the United States than any politician because they are nearly untouchable when it comes to accountability for their laws, rules and regulations.

OutdoorsGuy

Well, Martin, it is my understanding that there is no “tenure” in either the House or the Congress if you are referring to our duly elected National representatives having some kind of “guarantee” that their position is secure for and until they decide to retire. They were VOTED into office by the people of the USA and they can be VOTED out of office by the same people if they (the voters) have reason to not want them speaking for them in the future. They, all of that bunch, were VOTED into their positions by US to represent US for… Read more »

Martin

Outdoors Guy, I understand that it is “We, the People” who are responsible for the longevity in office of Congress and we have not been doing our jobs properly because the majority of the People have been working and trying to keep our families together over the years. Believe me, I most assuredly agree with your statement. What concerns me is the myriads of government employees who work in “the shadows”, so to speak, and make rules, regulations and laws that impact us every day without even being reviewed by any committee or group of Congressmen (either House). These employees… Read more »

Tionico

for all of these critters who are unelected, there are two words, and two words only, that will “fix” the problems they create and perpetuate. Those two words are “YOU”RE FIRED”.
Let us hope Donald Trump uses them well and uses them often. Can you imagine how much better this nation would be were BATF to get a serious housecleaning, effected by the frequent use of those two words?