Political Report |
Election 2016—The Stakes Couldn’t Be Higher
By Chris W. Cox | Friday, October 30, 2015
If there was a message I could get to every NRA member and
lawful gun owner in America, it would be this: The 2016 election is under way
and the stakes couldn’t be higher, so we have to get involved and go to work
now!
For most Americans, odd-numbered years are not election
years. We get a rest from the barrage of political ads, the omnipresent
campaign signs and the never-ending coverage of local and national races by the
news media. But this year, we can’t wait to get moving on 2016.
When I say that 2016 starts now, it’s
because we cannot afford to wait until next fall to get involved. We can’t even
wait until the primaries start.
Before we get to next year’s pivotal races, there are five
states with elections this year. On Nov. 3, voters in Virginia and New Jersey
are electing state legislators; Kentuckians are electing statewide officers,
including a new governor; and Mississippi and Louisiana will be electing
statewide officers and state legislators.
In Mississippi, Gov. Phil Bryant, a strong NRA ally, is up
for re-election. In Louisiana and Kentucky, the race is on to replace
term-limited governors, and in both cases we have pro-gun candidates ready to step
in. Endorsements and NRA Political Victory Fund grades for these races are
included in this magazine for members in these states. (Members in Louisiana
received their endorsement lists separately in the mail.) I strongly encourage
every gun owner in these states to take action to ensure that our allies win
these key elections.
In addition, there will be a very important vote this year
in Texas, where voters will decide whether the Lone Star State adds the right
to hunt and fish to its state constitution. This is a vital action to protect
our treasured hunting heritage from attacks by animal rights activists and
environmental extremists.
As important as these elections are, we must also look
ahead. We all know what’s at stake.
We’ve seen how much damage an anti-gun president can do.
Even with our victories beating back anti-gun legislation in Congress,
President Barack Obama has used his executive authority to strip Americans of
their Second Amendment-protected rights. In previous issues, I’ve described
abuses from Obama’s bureaucrats at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the
Social Security Administration and other agencies.
Enough is enough. In 2016, we have to do everything in our
power to elect a president who respects our fundamental freedoms. The good news
is that there are many solid pro-gun candidates in the race. Gun owners should
start to get informed now on the position each candidate holds on our right to
keep and bear arms.
But as important as the race for the White House is, it’s
also critical that we keep control of the U.S. Senate in pro-gun hands.
Grades and information are available
for the 2015 elections. For more information on elections in your state, click here.
Right now, there’s a pro-gun majority in the Senate, and
every member of the majority leadership is a solid, NRA-endorsed, pro-gun ally.
But—and this is critically important—the electoral map is not in our favor. Our
opponents have far fewer seats to protect than do we.
To bring this home, consider that they need only five
additional seats to make Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) the majority leader of the
U.S. Senate! That’s right, one of the biggest enemies of our freedom, one of
the most entrenched anti-gun voices of the past several decades, could take
control.
We simply cannot allow that to happen. That’s why, when I
say that 2016 starts now, it’s because we cannot afford to wait until next fall
to get involved. We can’t even wait until the primaries start. There is just
too much at stake.
We must work together—starting now—to protect our freedoms,
not just for ourselves, but for future generations. Your NRA will do its part
and we trust that gun owners throughout America will answer the call to win
back the White House, increase the pro-gun majorities in the U.S. Congress and
elect pro-gun officials in the states. And I’m confident that, through your
efforts, we will succeed.
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