Arizona/United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- In 1968, Second Amendment supporters nearly found themselves in a deep hole. By a slim margin, they were able to keep a licensing and registration scheme that Johnson wanted out of the Gun Control Act of 1968. This greatly angered Lyndon Johnson, who denounced the “gun lobby” for the omission of the means of eventual gun confiscation from that bill. But why did we have to come that close to seeing the tools of eventual confiscation happen? Well, for that, we must go to the 1964 presidential election, and the cautionary tale of Barry Goldwater.
To be fair to then-Senator Goldwater, he started with an uphill battle. Johnson had succeeded the relatively popular and beloved John F. Kennedy, who had been gunned down in Texas the previous year. That would have been difficult enough. However, Goldwater managed to let himself be portrayed as an extremist by the media, and he also showed a very poor grasp of not just strategy and tactics, but the very basics of the political landscape.
He compounded that by needlessly feuding with other elements in the Republican party. As a result, some sat on their hands. Others actually crossed over. As a result, Goldwater ended up on the wrong end of one of the biggest electoral blowouts in the last 60 years.
How bad? He got only 38 percent of the popular vote. He carried only six states. What was just as bad was the effect on the down-ticket races. The Democrats picked up 37 seats in the House of Representatives, for a total of 295. They got up to 68 Senators. Let’s put the disaster into some perspective. To propose a constitutional amendment, you need 67 Senators and 290 House members to vote for it. It takes 60 Senators to end a filibuster on legislation (at least for now).
Imagine a Congress with 68 anti-Second Amendment Senators and 295 Representatives who also seek to neuter – or repeal – our freedoms. Put it this way, they would arrange for the Supreme Court to be packed (you could kiss the Heller and McDonald decisions good-bye as a result). They would ram through Australia-style gun laws, like those Jerrold Nadler wants. Or, they could listen to the demands of some anti-Second Amendment extremists, and propose an outright repeal of the Second Amendment.
That would be the second item on their agenda, right after they ram through legislation to make the grassroots efforts of Second Amendment supporters much more dangerous (from a legal standpoint). Imagine HR 1 on steroids, only with the empowerment of an army of Lois Lerners. The resulting combination would be a death blow to our freedoms.
So, how do we prevent it? First of all, Second Amendment supporters must resolve to ensure a “No More Goldwaters” standard. As emotionally appealing as it might be to support a candidate who runs on principled opposition to any new gun control laws, we need to think strategically and tactically – not to mention in terms of how they come across to our fellow citizens – in every election cycle. Depending on how things are going, we must be willing to make hard choices in the political and legislative arenas should they be necessary, given the hostile media climate and the fact that these days, Silicon Valley is also taking sides against our rights.
As was pointed out in January by Duane Liptak, virtually all Second Amendment supporters have the same goals. The problem is that there is all too much infighting. If we don’t want to end up like Barry Goldwater, we need to get our act together quickly. We have no more time for infighting over tactics and strategy. Attack the anti-Second Amendment extremists, not fellow Second Amendment supporters.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than 15 years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
So the point of your “cautionary tale” is that we should support a candidate who embodies the goal of the NRA — an incremental loss of all firearms rights nationwide culminating in the repeal of the (by then defunct) Second Amendment only after they have sucked every possible penny from anyone foolish enough to think they support the right to keep and bear arms.
Hutchison, you came across as saying that we must vote for someone who can win and forget about principles. Trump is someone who can win who is not based on principles. He will sell out the 2A some of the time and protect it others because he does not appear dedicated to the principle. Sure, less destruction is better than more, but a lack of principle will just lengthen the road to tyranny. To everyone crapping on Hutchison, try talking to people who think differently. Most Americans are not like us. They vote by gut feeling and sound bites rather… Read more »
During the 1960s and to some extent till about recently, Second Amendment supporters were not divided along party lines. There were sizable gun rights advocates and a smaller cadre of opponents in both major parties. The Democratic Party picked up the banner of civilian gun rights restrictions and making it gospel for all party-approved candidates only in the last fifty years. The assassinations of Dem icons JFK and RFK had a lot to do with it.
I think that, in one sense, we “gunnies” all need to stand together. For example, whether or not you have a bump-stock, you should stand together to oppose their ban, because it isn’t about bump-stocks, it’s about incrementally increasing infringement of 2nd Amendment rights. We all need to recognize this. The same is true for “universal background checks.” The Democrats aren’t stupid. They know perfectly well such laws can’t/won’t reduce mass murder or violent crime. They just want their camel’s nose further under the tent, which is why they’re pushing this legislation. WE need to act together to oppose it,… Read more »
Here I am again, Kicking myself for not looking to see who wrote the article before wasting my time reading it. About halfway through though, I realized it must be Harold Hacks-up-some begging us to not make such a fuss so we don’t upset the overlords. Harold, you are a F#@%ing coward, grow a pair or STFU!
WAR is coming, and our destruction as a nation awaits.
The Constitution CAN NOT be overridden by any laws Congress passes. You need a Constitutional amendment to pass in 38 States.. The 2nd Amendment is law of the land until then. Anyone subverting the Constitution is a traitor. Time to replace most of the 545 in D.C. with Patriots.
Now there is Beto Oroke who’s running his campaign from El Paso Texas, pushing for open boarders(no limits on illegals-well they need jobs he says- yeah so our unemployed veterans, and the employees layed off from Payless Shoes (20000), Family Dollar stores (4000) and other businesses closing their doors, Beto is a gun banner, pro gay, anti-Christian among other political issues. Nope we sure don’t need him for President. Vote for President Trump in2020. Background checks = gun registration = gun confiscation = you locked away forever in a New World Order gun control concentration camp!
The author rightly points out that unless Second Amendment supporters stop fighting each other and band together, our rights will be lost. So naturally Ammoland readers immediately reject this proposal and start sniping at one another. Well, just go ahead and pat yourselves on the back for being so uncompromising in your diehard belief that the world has to work your way or no way. I’m sure your self righteousness won’t fade a bit after they take our guns like they did in Australia. You stood tall. You didn’t compromise. You didn’t do shit.
Appeasement and political correctness is NOT the way to win and this is the second article I’ve seen by Hutchison recently advocating 2nd Amendment supporters roll over and kiss the ass of the opposition and public in order to achieve some level of success. That is total crap. Giving up one’s honor and character to win, will cost you more than the victory is worth, if you are a man. Written above the entrance to the Marine Corps Sniper School are the words, “Compromise is Failure”. With all his claimed military familiarity it is obvious Hutchison never knew about this,… Read more »