Topping the List are Pro-Gun Judges, Opening Gun Stores During COVID, and Unsigning the UN Gun Treaty!
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- Imagine having a President that did not believe the Second Amendment protects an individual right. Or a President who believes that’s it’s okay to confiscate millions of commonly-owned firearms.
That is precisely what gun owners would be facing if Joe Biden is elected President. Yes, we suffered two notable setbacks over GOA’s strong objections during the past four years, namely “Fix” NICS and Bump Stocks.
But had Hillary Clinton won, gun owners would have suffered many more losses than this.
In fact, gun owners can be certain that none of the Gun Owners of America policy goals would have been achieved under a Hillary Clinton Administration — and many of these successes would be undone by a new Biden-Harris Administration.
So here are the top ten highlights that gun owners can celebrate from the past four years under PresidentTrump:
Victory #1. President Trump nominated and confirmed two (soon to be three) pro-Second Amendment Supreme Court Justices and over 200 pro-Second Amendment Federal and Circuit court judges. The impact of this action cannot be overstated. Barring the Left’s plan to pack the Supreme Court, the confirmation of these judges and justices will enshrine our right to keep and bear arms as our nation’s precedent for generations to come.
Victory #2. President Trump recently renewed his promise to sign Concealed Carry Reciprocity if Congress put such a bill on his desk.
“I will support such legislation. If it comes across my desk, I will sign it.” – President Trump 10/13/2020
Victory #3. The Trump Administration worked closely with Gun Owners of America during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Responding to a letter from GOA, the Department of Homeland Security issued a memo designating the firearms industry as “essential business.” Because many states directly referenced the DHS guidelines for “essential business,” many gun stores were immediately protected. In other states, this DHS designation became an essential tool for GOA when fighting to overturn unconstitutional state shutdown orders.
Victory #4. President Trump directed his administration to restore your right to keep and bear arms on over 400 lake and river projects, totaling over 11 million acres of public lands in 43 states.
Victory #5. President Trump kept his campaign promise by signing House Joint Resolution 40 into law, which rejected a final rule submitted by the Social Security Administration. Without the President’s actions here, an estimated 75,000 otherwise law-abiding citizens would have had their names submitted to the NICS system as prohibited persons each year.
Victory #6. President Trump unsigned the UN Arms Trade Treaty before thousands of gun owners, saying the following:
“We will never allow foreign bureaucrats to trample on your Second Amendment freedom. This treaty threatened your […] rights. […] Under my administration, we will never surrender American sovereignty to anyone.”
Victory #7. President Trump empowered his administration officials to repeatedly attempt to allow Defense Distributed to publish 3D printed gun files. While the Obama Administration began this infringement, the Trump State Department settled the lawsuit in 2018, allowing for “unlimited release.” Unfortunately, several states’ attorneys general filed a lawsuit and won an injunction against the opposition of the Trump Department of Justice. The case is currently pending.
Victory #8. President Trump’s Department of Justice filed an Amicus Brief with the Supreme Court in the case New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. New York City in support of the defendants. While the high court dropped the ball with the case, the Administration’s brief was a huge show of support for the individual right to keep arms.
Victory #9. President Trump’s Administration successfully completed a modernization of export control regulations on the American arms manufacturing industry. It also removed a regressive federal registration fee of $2,250 that small gunsmiths and firearm companies were forced to pay even if they did not manufacture, or export firearms or ammunition. This was a huge win for small gun businesses and the firearms industry.
Victory #10. GOA opposed the passage of the unconstitutional Fix NICS legislation from start to finish. In response to GOA’s hard-hitting criticisms of Fix NICS that gun owners with unpaid out-of-state parking tickets would be subject to a federal gun ban, President Trump moved to redefine the ATF’s interpretation of the prohibited person category, “fugitive from justice.” This resulted in the successful elimination of tens of thousands of names from the NICS background check system.
Instead of facing vehement and unrelenting assault by a Hillary Administration, gun owners were handed this series of public political victories over the last four years.
No, we did not get Concealed Carry Reciprocity or pass the Hearing Protection Act, but we also have not sent the majority of pro-gun elected representatives we needed to Washington D.C.
This 2020 presidential election will determine if our next president will sign or veto legislation put on his desk and the congressional elections will determine whether that legislation is pro-gun or gun control.
So, get out there and vote on November 3rd, 2020!
Let’s vote for politicians who will fight to put Concealed Carry Reciprocity legislation onto the president’s desk.
In liberty,
Aidan Johnston
Director of Federal Affairs
Follow me on Twitter at: @RealGunLobbyist
GOA spokespeople are available for interviews. Gun Owners of America, and its sister organization Gun Owners Foundation, are nonprofits dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. For more information, visit GOA’s Press Center.
I would call this a “puff piece.” Why? Because it failed to deal with the bumpstock issue. I know a bunch of you will pooh-pooh my concerns but that doesn’t make them any less meaningful. Bring it on.
No need to rehash the two big missteps over the last four years, bump stocks and ERPOs. Those were mistakes. But for those who claim that Obama was better on gun control than Trump, the evidence above says otherwise.
@Roy – Come on, what harm can it do to set precedent for executive orders impacting/limiting civil rights? It is not like democrats want to take away are guns or anything….
Oh yeah – Beto, Harris, Biden, Swallwell, finestein, and an infinite group do… Only Harris has explicitly promised to do so by executive order, even though the rest have all hinted (or threatened) plans to do the same. (Please forgive capitalization above – too lazy to fight spell apple checker which loved democrats)
When used properly, as in this case, sarcasm is a useful tool.
Big loss: Bump stocks. Don’t think that this won’t come back and bite us the next time we have Democrats in charge.
And the bad.
“Take the guns first, then due process”
And Democrat States jumped on that passing “Red Flag” laws.
Bump stocks. Not used in Las Vegas, planted by the FBI. And refused to let ATF examine the weapons because the firearm used was a M249 LMG. IMO, based on the cell phone audio of the rate of fire. Too slow and consistent for a bump stock.
The DIM’s and their ChiCom buddies cannot control America when we have guns… LOCK AND LOAD
Some people are more eloquent than I am, here is one of those people: “Let’s not kid ourselves. There are TONS of pro-gun things that Trump could have done in the last three and a half years, that did NOT require Congress. All he needed was a pen and a few minutes of time. Tons of things that could be done with directives/memos to government agencies, or with executive action or EOs. He has done none of them. He doesn’t give a shit about guns. He is not anti-gun, but he is not pro-gun. He just doesn’t give a crap, and it’s not on his radar at… Read more »
I must disagree with you partly. I can’t think of anything he can accomplish via executive order. He can’t override statutes, so he can’t impose national reciprocity, or do away with restrictions on suppressors, machine guns, etc. He has used his authority to open virtually all federal open lands to concealed carry with an state’s permit. Also, presidents tread lightly on contentious issues in their first term. If re-elected he will be “more flexible” as Obama promised the Russians in an open mic gaffe. I strongly disagree that Amy Coney Barrett was not chosen due to her 2nd Amendment stance.… Read more »
I would HARDLY call these wins…some yes, most no.
Didn’t Trump say he hated suppressors after the VA shooting? What about bumb stocks? One more would make it strike three. Can’t have that.
He signed gun control into law with the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018. There’s your third strike.
That’s a lot of reach considering all of the anti-2A things Trump has said and done that this article chooses to ignore.
Bump stocks, a big loss. Pistol braces a pending loss. Red flags (endorsement) a possible loss. BATF an ongoing cluster loss….
Bum stocks? I think that one was an appeasement to the antigunners, but plese note well HOW he handled that. He let unelected bureaucrats draft their dream regs and do what they wanted. It IS pending in court, and one of the contentioins most signficant is that those bureaucrats cannot MAKE LAW, which is exactly what they did. This thing is not over. He could have told Congress to draft changes to the NFA, which is the only real way that could be changed. same wiht hearing protection. He did not. This left it wide open to be trashed at… Read more »
In regard to your first paragraph that is like throwing a life preserver to someone who has fallen overboard and telling them that you’ll pick them up on the way back. Oh yeah, the person is floating in shark infested waters. Thanks a lot.
In regard to your second paragraph do you think that, before he became President, if he had a hotel that was underperforming that he wouldn’t make it his personal business to correct the problem since no one else seemed capable of doing the job. Go sell crazy somewhere else.
Spot on. Even if they’re anti 2A politicians call and email their offices. They hate hearing from constituents.
As I understand it, Reciprocity passed The House, was in the tube and ready to launch in The Senate and Turkey Neck asked Trump about it. Trump reportedly waved Turkey Neck off on that, therefore innocent, good citizens, will continue to collect criminal records, in many cases felonies.
That was not Trump’s doing. McConnell didn’t bring it forward because there weren’t enough votes to pass it.
I would have brought it forward and made the Dems vote it down. He chose not to. Still a valid choice when the votes simply aren’t there.
Besides, it was actually written poorly and would have allowed states to tweak their CC laws/rules to forbid just as many out of state carriers.
What we need is nation-wide constitutional carry.
Agree, most definitely !!
true that.
Nt a felon? Carry on. Anywhere. We do with long guns.
Friends, please forgive me for getting religious, but the battle for the soul of America is a spiritual one. Please pray “fervently” as the bible says that God will ensure that Donald Trump is elected and that at least the senate remains in Republican hands so that they may continue to counter the forces of evil that want to destroy this country just so they can loot the remains.
Why stop there? Pray that the House switches. History is replete with examples of what happens when Humans distance themselves from the Creator.
President Trump has stood with us throughout his Presidency and will continue to stand with us. 1st we need to reelect him for 4 more years. 2nd we need to give him a congress that understands the 2nd Amendment and will work with him. Especially to hold the Senate so he can continue to put Constitutional conservative judges on the benches of the federal courts. That means NO votes for any Democrats up and down the political spectrum. That means from your local elections up to and including the POTUS. That party has sold its soul to the dark side.… Read more »
Trump at the NRA Annual Convention three years running (Soapbox)……just like Biden….all talk; no walk…….when it comes to being pro-gun. No action as promised on National Reciprocity, no Hearing Protection Act when he had both houses of congress for two years. I didn’t vote for Trump in 2016, but I sure as Hell voted against Clinton. Same this year. As for decades, America has to pick the lesser of two evils (Ballot Box). Praying for Trump win, but that merely pushes the inevitable down the road maybe four more years. Socialists will be back intending to over throw America and… Read more »
Yuo seem to be lacking understanding on HOW our government works. READ your copy o fthe Constitution. (you DO have one. don’t you? If not, shame on you and GET ONE). The President is charged with EXECUTING the laws of the UNited States. He cannot do that until laws are drafted and enacted by the COngress. There WAS NO LAW relating to intertate carry. Nor was there one relating to hearing rotection. He cannot MAKE such laws, that’s the job of CONGRESS. He is not like his predecessor, who brazenly and illegally declared “I have a phone and a pen,… Read more »
You can thank Paul RINO Ryan for most of these since he is the one that held them all up & would not let a vote happen on them.
Yes Ryan was a total RINO and believed the Dems propaganda lies that The President was colluding with the Russians to get elected. Most of the Republican leadership bought it hook line and sinker in 2016 and truly thought he was going to be impeached and perp walked out of the WH. So it was more important to them to save their ass than to actually lead. That’s why I call myself a Constitutional Conservative and not a Republican nor a democrat.
Ryan was a total disappointment and Boehner was worthless.
Trump “I have a hunger for red flag laws”, “and banning bump stocks”, he is completely ignorant to were most gun owners stand! To be re elected, as a lame duck also, I will be very disappointed if he runs again. Desantis knows gun issues front and back, I hope he runs with Trump’s support, for 8 years so he actually make a big difference.
Yes, DeSantis knows gun issues front and back and he is 100% behind red flag laws and has encouraged people to use them more often.
KAG 2020