Concerns voiced by gun-rights advocates about Donald Trump’s 2A stance were effectively silenced by his vice-presidential pick, Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio). During his own acceptance speech, Vance told this story:
Now, my Mamaw died shortly before I left for Iraq, in 2005. And when we went through her things, we found 19 loaded handguns. They were stashed all over her house. Under her bed, in her closet. In the silverware drawer.
And we wondered what was going on, and it occurred to us that towards the end of her life, Mamaw couldn’t get around very well. And so, this frail old woman made sure that no matter where she was, she was within arms’ length of whatever she needed to protect her family. That’s who we fight for. That’s American spirit.
Gun-rights advocates expressed nervousness and concerns when the Trump/GOP platform relegated mention of support for the Second Amendment to seventh place on its list of 20 promises. That nervousness increased when there was not a single 2A speaker among the many who addressed the RNC’s convention in Milwaukee over the last four nights.
And that nervousness was reinforced when they remembered Trump’s bump stock ban, along with his support of “red flag” laws despite their infringement of the Fourth Amendment.
They began to suspect that, like Jacob Sullum noted in Reason, “Trump has never been a true believer” in the Second Amendment.
Not to worry.
When Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita was pressed on the matter during a meeting sponsored by the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) at a nearby hotel during the convention, he said:
I think what we’ll see is a continuation of supporting and defending the Second Amendment and where that really comes into play is the judiciary, the appointment of judges. And so that is clearly, you know, one of the largest impacts that President Trump had clearly during his first term was a remake of the judiciary.
That “remake,” it will be remembered, resulted in the high court’s ruling in Bruen that upended the entire jurisdictional conversation and court rulings about the Second Amendment, resulting in the overturning of many 2A infringements. And lawsuits attacking those infringements will continue.
The NRA, which endorsed Trump at its national convention in May, also likes Trump’s pick. Said Randy Kozuch, chairman of the NRA Political Victory Fund:
Senator Vance has been an unwavering supporter of constitutional freedoms, especially the right to keep and bear arms. In the U.S. Senate, he has consistently stood against the Biden-Harris gun control agenda.
This was echoed by Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America: “Senator Vance is a friend of the American gun owner, one who will fiercely defend our Second Amendment rights. We are thrilled with his selection and look forward to removing the anti-gunner-in-chief from the White House.”
Additional comfort comes from enemies of the Second Amendment, who wasted no time in recognizing the threat Vance poses. Angela Ferrell-Zabala of Moms Demand Action declared that “Donald Trump’s pick for Vice President has a record of undermining the gun violence prevention movement.” And Giffords’ Emma Brown expressed her concern:
Republicans and Democrats alike are concerned about gun violence in this country, yet Donald Trump and JD Vance have consistently put gun industry profits over the safety of American communities.
We owe it to future generations to keep this pair out of the White House.
Let’s not forget the victories achieved during Trump’s first term. His newly formed Gun Owners for Trump declares that “President Trump did more for gun owners than any administration in history,” and then listed some of them, which included:
-appointing three Supreme Court justices and hundreds of conservative federal judges “to interpret the Constitution as written and to protect the Second Amendment;”
-Trump deemed firearms and ammunition dealers as “essential businesses;”
-He rolled back Obama-era Social Security rules that effectively stripped 2A rights from recipients depending on others to handle their finances;
-and he petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn New York City’s unconstitutional ban on transporting handguns outside the home. The high court ruled in favor of the Second Amendment in the landmark case New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen.
To be sure, some remain skeptical and are promising to hold Trump and Vance accountable in the event there is even a trace of wobbling over the Second Amendment. Said GOA spokesman Luis Valdes:
Our stance is very simple. We will not compromise, and we will be relentless in holding Republicans accountable to their campaign promises. Republicans campaign that they are pro-gun. We will hold their feet to the fire.
Related article:
Republican Party Platform All But Ignores the Second Amendment
