If we don't punish the anti-gunners in the next elections we are in big trouble

[usmarine0352_2005]

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It is widely believed that passing the '94 AWB cost many Democratic lawmakers their seats. An article below said:

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In some cases, those media are citing President Bill Clinton, who, according to Politico's uncritical report on his January 19 speech, "said that passing the 1994 federal assault weapons ban 'devastated' more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers in the 1994 midterms -- and cost then-Speaker of the House Tom Foley (D-Wash.) his job and his seat in Congress." Clinton also credited the National Rifle Association for the Democrats losing control of the House in his 2004 autobiography.
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If we don't unseat the lawmakers, Democrat, Republic, or otherwise who have voted against the 2nd Amendment we are sending a strong signal that pro-2nd amendment citizen's no longer wield the power we once had and that voting against the 2nd amendment is no longer a seat costing action.


Sure we can hope cases get to SCOTUS and rule in our favor, but that takes years and in that time politicians can pass so many laws in so many states that their death by a thousand cuts could do irreparable harm.



All I can say is that people better get out and vote these anti-2nd Amendment folks out of office otherwise we won't have a 2nd Amendment left to preserve.
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[sota]

we have to be willing to vote in candidates that we otherwise wouldn't support.
anti-abortion?
anti-gay?
as long as they're pro-2A they get the vote.

it's a horrible way to look at it, but it might just come down to that. we might have to be willing to accept errosion of liberties in other areas to gain back ground on 2A. we can only hope if that comes to pass we can use 2A to get those liberties back. there's our "compromise." most importantly we need to let the abortion, gay and other lobbies know, you keep throwing us under the bus and we'll do the same to you from now on.

 

[usmarine0352_2005]

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Sota, completely agree. We'll have to be 1 issue voters. The fact that Colorado voted anti-2nd amendment is a big deal and has emboldened other states since Colorado is seen as a pro-gun state.
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[Solo]

we might have to be willing to accept errosion of liberties in other areas to gain back ground on 2A. we can only hope if that comes to pass we can use 2A to get those liberties back.

I would not advocate this as plan A.

It would be better to elect candidates who are for civil liberties, and sue to remove laws we do not want.

 

[Bobk538447]

We need to do it at the Primary Levels also offering "Strong Second Amendment" candidates to challenge weak or shaky incumbents.

 

[beatledog7]

I am not a single issue voter.

Support of RKBA is important, but there are some people I would not support no matter their positions on 2A. If, for example, during the 2012 campaign, our current president suddenly had had an epiphany, vowed to veto any form of gun control bill that reached his desk, and became a lifetime member of the NRA but remained in every other way a tax and spend, grow the power of central government, control as much of people's lives as possible, new world order Marxist, I still would not have voted for him.

The upside is that most politicians who are predictable gun control bill supporters are also big government, tax and coddle progressives; and most politicians who will reliably vote against gun control bills are also freedom-loving, fiscally conservative believers in the rest of the Constitution. The two-party system tends to make this perpetually so.

 

[Queen_of_Thunder]

A few suggestions.



Voter registration matches.

A meet and greet the candidate match.

Put some of that money you are not spending now aside to use to fund 2A politicians in 2014.

If there isn't a viable candidate then run for office yourself.

Band together now. Prepare for the 2014 elections because thats what the anti's are doing.

 

[Pilot]

It is my experience after watching, and being involved in U.S. politics for many years that most politicians that back the 2A are also for other rights, and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.

 

[Hunter991]

I don't agree. I think this new crop of D's is actually with him on taking away more rights. I have yet to see any of them vote against him on anything.

 

[x_wrench]

the way i see it, the problem is 2 fold. first, we are not stopping politicians from "interpreting" the constitution to say what ever floats their boat. and second, they no longer feel much, if any, responsibility to uphold the values that made this once great country the strongest on the face of this planet. i really do not know what is going thru their heads anymore, but representing the majority of the actual people of these United States is not high on their list of priorities. i think it is more about how much money they can extort, bribe, etc. out of special interests pockets than anything else. in other words, total corruption. but to many people either are not paying ANY attention to what they are doing, simply do not care, or feel completely powerless to change anything. to be honest, i do not know if any of the "reported" election results are actual, or if it is what "they" think they can get away with posting. as long as the results are relatively lose, who of us can really say if they are correct.

 

[freyasman]

The one liberty we cannot survive without is if we lose the 2nd Amendment; any of the others can be taken back. It sucks, but a message must be sent.... we need to fire everyone of these guys. And tell the next crop, to toe the line or go out the same way.

 

[Autolycus]

I can't do it. I refuse to be a one issue voter. I voted on one issue when I was young and naive. I regret voting for Bush and will not vote that way again. I cannot vote for any of the GOP candidates, who usually are more pro-gun, as they are destroying this country in the name of their corporate interests.

 

[Walkalong]

If the politicians who voted/vote for gun control do not see a high percentage of defeat in 2014, the antis will double, if not quadruple, their efforts at disarming America.

Get active politically. Strive to throw antis out. Don't assume a dem is anti, nor a repub pro gun. Research the voting records. Let's make them pay for it with their jobs.

 

[jj1962hemi]

I think civil liberties are usually tied-in with R2KBA views, but not always. The obvious recent exception being the major changes post-9/11. I'm hopeful that the anti-war sentiment (much of which is anti-US encroachment on other country's rights) can be channeled back home.

Additionally, the more people we can encourage to get in to the sporting side of shooting the better. They can go to the range, then realize the responsibility most gun owners exhibit, then realize the gun is a tool, gain comfort in handling them, maybe invest in a few, then people will realize that self defense is such a fundamental thing they will be more supportive.

This all could go the right way, depending on how things play out. I'm encouraged by the publicity Rand Paul recently received regarding domestic drones. The Libertarian-leaning politicians (all of whom can't be Republicans) need to crytallize a message that people can embrace and use as some sort of basis to judge their officials. This transcends party, unless taken to the nth degree. The opponents of this type of thinking (like gun opponents, euthanasia opponents, welfare opponents, etc.) will always take things out to an impossible idealogical conclusion to sway people from changing the status quo. I'm beginning to feel a little more optimism than I have over the past few years.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

As one who has been involved in the political game (and it is a game) for some time on the local level there are three things you need to do. 1. Give money to the opponent of the anti's. (money given directly to a candidate is mch more effective than money given a group because it all goes to a person you support which is not the case with groups) 2. Cast an intelligent vote on election day. It astounds me how many people don't execise their voting power because "they forgot" or "didn't have the time." 3. Go to the candidates rallies and public events so he or she knows your face, then hold their feet to the fire after they are elected. Both the state level and national politicians hold town hall meetings on occasion in your area (here we have state level meetings usually twice a month during the legislative session), show up and ask questions. It may surprise you how much or how little your elected official knows about a particular subject and will welcome knowledgeable input. (unless they are following a party agenda and then it is fun to make them twist in the wind trying to defend an indefensable position.)

 

[sota]

I don't want to be a "1 issue voter" but let's be honest... we all prioritize the issues on a personal basis, and NORMALLY pick a candidate that has the best balance of issue balance that matches our own. All I'm saying is, 2A has become a much more important issue in that balance for me, to the point of being a majority issue that could override all other issues (since i'm straight, i'm married (to a woman), i'm male, and i'm white.) I don't want to be a one issue voter. I don't want to throw everyone else under the bus but you know what, I'm tired of being the only one with tire tracks on my face. Firearms owners in this country have been too quiet and too complacent for far too long with regards to keeping their rights in the forefront of the political landscape. We rant at and about people who "sand on the graves of children" during this latest anti-gun escapade, and yet what we've ignored is for decades all of the "issues" out there have been clambering over each other in a big pile of bodies, and we've been sitting at the bottom getting stepped on instead of trying to stay on top ourselves. That has to change. Gun Rights has to be ever vigiliant to stay at the top of that pile. It is tiring, exhausting work and one we don't have the muscle built up to maintain... but we better tone up and bulk up fast.

 

[22-rimfire]

If there isn't a viable candidate then run for office yourself.

Easier said than done. Just collecting enough signatures is a major effort for most who have no organization. Then once you are technically on the ballot, the political machines take over and if you are not the chosen one... you will have trouble raising any money other than what you and your friends contribute.

I cannot vote for any of the GOP candidates, who usually are more pro-gun, as they are destroying this country in the name of their corporate interests.

Amazing, I have the opposite view when it comes to corportate interests. Get your head out of the sand. These views are a sterotype and do not reflect reality. Corporate interests are in play for any major candidate in either party.

I vote for the person who I feel is best suited for the job. 2A issues do take on an important part of the choice as do some other issues.

 

[danez71]

It is my experience after watching, and being involved in U.S. politics for many years that most politicians that back the 2A are also for other rights, and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.

Thats not my obsevation with the exception of Ron and RandPaul and maybe Newt in recent times.

 

[LiveLife]

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

I am not a single issue voter but in 2014, if they are pro 2A, they'll get my vote.

Remember, this is not a short fight but a long multi-decade WAR. We may need to make alliances at times with those who want to support the Constitution to win this WAR against our rights!

Some Democrats/liberals at work who are now gun owners/CCW carriers (and trained by me) are thinking HARD about who to vote for the next election as crime/home invasion is right at their doorsteps and had many family members/friends/neighbors victimized already.

Spread the word and extend your hands out to potential allies to possibly sway their votes.

 

[76shuvlinoff]

If we let 2A slip now in the not too distant future even gun blogs will be outlawed.

I value my freedoms.

 

[Bad Andy]

I am a single issue voter on one issue. Freedom. Any politician who tries to restrict my freedom is not getting my support and I will actively campaign against said politician. I only give money to The Wounded Warrior Project and the NRA. Support the NRA. Check each and every politicians NRA rating before voting.

 

[r1derbike]

I can't do it. I refuse to be a one issue voter. I voted on one issue when I was young and naive. I regret voting for Bush and will not vote that way again. I cannot vote for any of the GOP candidates, who usually are more pro-gun, as they are destroying this country in the name of their corporate interests.

Total bunk. I can't remember who said it to give credit to the quote, "there's not a dime's worth of difference between the Republican and Democratic parties".

 

[hso]

Steel Horse Rider has given sound advice in his post, but let me add that be mindful of the power in the primary. If our goal is to remove Antis from office we should put that advice to good use during the primary to unseat an elected official that voted against us. At the very least by putting a more junior person in the same party in their place we've removed the proven Anti from office, reset the seniority of the office holder, and perhaps, just perhaps, helped to put a less ardent/effective Anti in place or even a neutral or pro-2A newcomer.

We can not forget that we want to send a clear message, any elected politician that supports restrictions/bans on ammunition, magazines, or firearms should fear for their political future because we will work to unseat them in the primary and, should they win the primary, then again in the general election.

 

[joeschmoe]

How can we begin to organize an effort now to unseat them? The sooner we start finding and funding opposing candidates the better choices we will have. If we wait till the last minute we will wind up with the same lesser of two evils problem we always have. That's what allows these anti's to keep their seats. Specifically target each and every cadidate that has voted for, or proposed new anti 2nd amendment laws. State and federal.

IMO, we need state, and federal, PAC's to raise money and organize to find, get our candidates vetted and on the ballot. Dedicated to only this issue. We need to start now. Not wait till it's too late.

 

[TheDaywalkersDad]

I know that there are some Democrats here that love their guns but...
This is what I am seeing.
I know a lot of gun owning Democrats but I cannot get even one of them to even fill out the form on Ruger's website in order to contact their politicians. None of them are willing to contact a lawmaker, join the NRA, or donate to the cause.
All of them TALK about supporting the 2nd Amendment but NONE of them will lift a finger to help.
I know, I know... a bunch of long time Dems will list everything they've done in the comments below. That's not my experience however. Maybe it's a VA thing but every Obama voter that I know is sitting this one out.
Hopefully it is just a VA thing.