United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- While the “single issue” debate can roil Second Amendment supporters, there are two things that should be kept in mind. First, Second Amendment supporters should seek to build as large a coalition as possible to oppose anti-Second Amendment legislation, officials, and candidates. Second, since threats to the Second Amendment have emerged from places they previously haven’t, Second Amendment supporters need to figure out how to address them.
Looking back, it is now quite clear what happened in the wake of the Heller and McDonald decisions: Anti-Second Amendment extremists have made a fundamental change in strategy. They no longer would rely just on legislation to attack our rights as their primary focus. Instead, they would go after the Second Amendment with a two-pronged approach of financial deplatforming and social stigmatization, and Second Amendment supporters are behind the curve.
Financial deplatforming is insidious form of blacklisting, often through the invocation of “reputational risk.” This is being turned into a weapon – notably by former New York governor Andrew Cuomo against the NRA. In addition, it’s already been applied against the Second Amendment in the past via Operation Chokepoint. In addition, the New York Times has already called for banks to carry out the wishes of anti-Second Amendment extremists by targeting the firearms industry.
One of the legislative proposals to counter this is the Freedom Financing Act, which would prohibit such practices. But passage of this law, or anything similar, is not going to happen in the 117th Congress. That is not to say such legislation shouldn’t be pursued at the state level – to at least provide some sanctuary, but that doesn’t address another threat, and that threat is one that many pro-Second Amendment groups failed to properly anticipate and prepare for, even as they scored huge successes on the political, legislative, and legal fronts.
That other threat was social stigmatization. The social stigmatization of the Second Amendment has become a serious threat, and this one has developed largely under our noses. We remember Rosie O’Donnell’s televised haranguing of Tom Selleck, but we brushed it off as Hollywood elites being Hollywood elites. We ceded the pop culture arena to our enemies, and we’re paying the price for it now.
As important as defeating Al Gore, John Kerry, and Hillary Clinton for the White House were, they didn’t address the fact that anti-Second Amendment extremists were using the media and pop culture to carry out Eric Holder’s desired brainwashing of America. The successful passage of concealed carry legislation has proven impotent against Salesforce and other companies that attack the Second Amendment via policies. What good will Heller be if anti-Second Amendment extremists can bully people into not providing the services any business needs to survive to gun dealers – or even to those who openly support the Second Amendment?
There’s no two ways about it: Second Amendment supporters are behind the curve with regards to two long-term threats, and they need to turn things around. Legislation and political efforts are only a band-aid and must be viewed as a way to buy time in order to counter these long-term threats. If Second Amendment supporters fail to do this, then it is only a matter of time before our rights are gone.
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.
No, Harold, we saw this coming but the fudds aren’t helping. In fact, they hinder the cause.
And this is why “open carry”, especially of the “constitutional” variety is so criticslly important. To stop the demonization of an armed society and change it’s perception, normalizing it. Where no one blinks an eye at your average Plumber Joe Citizen leaving for work in the morning with his 1911 or his 686 in his over-the-shirt shoulder holster and his slung AR15 or Uzi.
Harold, the reason ‘Second Amendment Supporters are behind the power curve is simple. Those of us who long ago recognized the threat posed by the Progressive New Left to American culture and the political economy of the West were intentionally ignored by Republican Party organizers who found it far more efficient to fragment that resistance in to issue focused subgroups. Rather than attack the attack holistically these fund raising scams found it more efficient to break the problem down in to Big Baby, Inc following Roe v. Wade, Big Gun following the 1967 NFA, Big Married following the advent of… Read more »
this we already know harold. it has been happening for year, and you should have noticed unless you haven’t been paying attention. legislation would be of some help, but leftists will manufacture ways to get around that, but there is noting you can do to fight against social stigmatization. leftists have the media pushing their narrative and that will not stop. you have to talk to people and show how immoral it is for someone to tell another what, where, when and why they can defend themselves against predators, both four and two legged ones. the fact that tens of… Read more »
Harold, I have found myself irritsted in the past, no, rubbed raw, by some of your musings, bit this morning? Good article.
If you actually believe that a lobby for your Constitutionally guaranteed rights is required, then you believe that the government has the power to invalidate your rights on any whim. If you believe this, shouldn’t you have long ago picked up a gun and marched on the criminal traitors in the various Capitols, instead of begging for more funding to perpetuate and validate the continuing corruption and treason? No rights lobbying organization has a valid place here in the US. The instant that rights are invalidated, it is the duty of every able-bodied individual to take up arms against the… Read more »