Opinion
United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- One of the biggest threats to our right to keep and bear arms is not a gun ban like that proposed by Eric Swalwell. It’s not Cory Booker’s licensing scheme. Nor it is Kamala Harris promising to ban imports of modern multi-purpose semiautomatic firearms.
No, the biggest threats are various campaign reform laws, like the For the People Act that passed the House of Representatives earlier this year.
In 2002, Michael Barnes, then the president of the Brady Campaign, explained the reasoning behind their support for McCain-Feingold:
“Even though the measure will impact our election activities as well, it will cut into the NRA’s even more, reducing the gun lobby’s ability to obstruct the progress of sensible gun laws.”
Translation: The NRA was doing too well in persuading Americans that millions of law-abiding gun owners shouldn’t be punished for the actions of criminals and nutcases, so the Brady Campaign wanted to change the rules. It seems the Second Amendment isn’t the only part of the Bill of Rights that they hated. They tried to use the power of the government to muzzle their opponents. It was a concession that they were losing the argument.
You have to admit, at least they were being honest.
It would have been far easier for Al Gore or Hillary Clinton to win if the NRA (or other pro-Second Amendment groups) had to jump through hoops set up by some Lois Lerner wannabe. Even if the anti-Second Amendment candidate lost, FEC investigations could saddle Second Amendment supporters with legal bills in the best of situations.
Of course, given the many intricacies and complexities of campaign finance law, it is very likely that the FEC investigation will come up with violations. As a result of those findings, the Second Amendment supporters get hit with fines and possibly jail time. Who might be the targets? Figure they’ll go for the most effective advocates for the Second Amendment first. [GOA, NRA, SAF, state groups]
Furthermore, you can bet that anti-Second Amendment extremists will get a pass. Dinesh D’Souza got a felony conviction for his scheme to bypass campaign donation limits in one election, but Rosie O’Donnell has yet to face any legal repercussions for repeatedly violating campaign donation limits in support of candidates who oppose our Second Amendment rights.
The goal is not just to bog down Second Amendment supporters who get involved, although the likes of Michael Bloomberg and Shannon Watts do benefit from that. The real target of this campaign of legal and bureaucratic harassment are those Second Amendment supporters who are thinking about becoming activists and advocates.
By making examples of activists supporting the Second Amendment, they hope to deter others from coming forward.
In essence, they will give us a choice: Either let them punish millions of law-abiding American citizens for crimes and mass shootings they did not commit, or they will proceed to use the power of the government to harass us and ruin our lives.
This template was tried in Wisconsin after Scott Walker became a viable gubernatorial candidate in 2010 (the effects of that harassment may have included Walker’s narrow loss to an anti-Second Amendment opponent in 2018). It is also likely that dissuading activism was the purpose of the harassment of the Tea Party by the Internal Revenue Service.
When you think about it, the use of such tactics by anti-Second Amendment extremists should not be a surprise. Commenting on the abuses carried out by some Wisconsin prosecutors using “John Doe” statutes, National Review’s David French noted the “by any means necessary” approach, and added that in the minds of those who carried out the John Doe abuses, the targets were getting “what they deserve.”
These days, the NRA is labeled a “domestic terrorist” organization for standing against the wrongful punishment of millions of Americans who only seek to peacefully exercise their Second Amendment rights. The Cuomo regime is already carrying out its own version of the Wisconsin abuses – and also seeking to pressure the financial services industry into a boycott. You can bet that if new campaign reform laws pass, the tactics French exposed will be in common use against Second Amendment activists, so get involved!
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen 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.
Please everyone, do not forget who and what Harold Hutchison is. This is the guy who has constantly argued why gun owners need to sit down and be quiet, to compromise on certain Gun Control initiatives demanded by the left. He is the guy who has defended every bad act of corruption committed by the leadership of the NRA, and each of their betrayals they made against their membership such as backing the unconstitutional bump stock regulation and support of Red Flag laws. He is the guy who has tried to blame us as gun owners for the failures he… Read more »
Campaign reform should include a ban on donations outside a candidates own district, I’m sick of Billionaires like Michael Bloomberg contributing to candidates all across the nation,
Way too logical and reasoning. That does not sit well with 99.9% of politicians and ALL democrat/rino scum.
@freewill, I agree! I’ve donated to out-of-state Senate campaigns, myself**. Howerver, it seems WRONG that I should be able to influence with my contribution a U.S. Senate election in Arizona or Florida or wherever — just like Bloomberg should not be able to give to out-of-state candidates or groups.
_________
** out of necessity, since donations make absolutely NO difference in my home state,
where one party has the whole state completely “locked up”
I think it says a lot more about the NRA drinking the Republican kool-aid and alienating Democrats by joining into populist rhetoric to increase the political divide. This Gerrymandering is undemocratic – the very oppression owning guns is meant to ultimately prevent. The chickens are gonna come home to roost in 2020 and we’ll all be sorry for it.
Democrats alienated themselves by going after the 2nd amendment & the fourth amendment,.
As long as the perpetrators of these attacks on our Constitutional rights face no consequences for their actions, the onslaught will continue. They ignore laws or have the support of bureaucrats they have put into positions of power. One example is soros’ “secretary of state project”.(https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jun/23/section-527-works-to-seat-liberals-as-election-ove/)
The United States Constitution was written for a reason. To stop ignorant people from messing with the laws of our Country. The writers of our Constitution could even see into the future hence adding the words :SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED” to the end of the 2nd Amendment. If our Government which is made up of people leaning to the ignorant side would just follow our Constitution as it is written then we would be living in a perfect Country or rather a perfect Republic. Follow the Constitution or get out of our Government. You were voted in to preserve all… Read more »
Politicians take an oath to protect the constitution against “all” enemies foreign and “domestic”…
To arm’s, to arm’ , …The Libby’s are coming, the Libby’s are coming!
“Libbys.” What a cute and grammatically incorrect term and spelling. Their real title should be “Imposers.” They want to impose their will on all, at the expense of freedom. The end result being a subjugated populace totally dependent on and subservient to the state. Nikita Khrushchev was right when he told America that it would be destroyed from within, not without, by Communism.
You’re delusional or ignorant if folks don’t think this all ends, sooner rather than later, in a historically unprecedented ultra violent Civil War (that makes our last one seem like a playground squabble) and sees the near extinction of leftism nationwide.
“You’re delusional or ignorant if folks don’t think this all ends, sooner rather than later, in a historically unprecedented ultra violent Civil War (that makes our last one seem like a playground squabble) and sees the near extinction of leftism nationwide.”
Good, let it start sooner rather then later, let the war wage and let us rebuild without them and their mental illnesses.
Freeman and women need to stand ready. I believe that the majority of service members in the Guard and Reserve will stand with their neighbors on the side of Liberty, as well.
Active duty may resist at first, but will eventually see that their oath of loyalty is to the nation and not the political class (Programming runs deep).
Moderated again?! Geez, guys!
@TBSL, While I admire your enthusiasm, I have to ask how will you provide the logistics for “the near extinction of leftism nationwide.” Isn’t that about half of the population? Call it 160 million people. No multi nation participant war has ever killed that many people. No pandemic has killed that many people. No combination of war or pandemic has killed that many people. How you going to do that? But … let’s just say for the sake of continuing your civil war hypothetical, that you accomplish “the near extinction of leftism nationwide.” With so few Americans remaining, do you… Read more »
Way, way too late for that, Wild Bill. You are 50 years too late. Nice try; no cigar. Now go back to sticking your head in the sand.
Now Clark, Too late? To late for what? Whatever you are writing about, you have to give it a name Clark. If you are claiming that it is too late to prevent civil war, then you fail to understand the logistics of the issue. And why would anyone want to switch tactics to hot war when the supporters of the Constitution are winning. Heller, McDonald, and Rock Island Armory. Lots of swamp drained. Hillary, Coomey, McCabe, Brennen, Page, Strzk and others all with investigations ongoing. And a chance to send “uncorrupted yet candidates” to Congress right around the corner. Too… Read more »
f wisconsin’s john doe a**holes, they should all be in jail for a long time