New York/DC – -(AmmoLand.com)- In the 2018 mid-term elections, there is a chance that the Democrats could take control of the House of Representatives. While the fact that Nancy Pelosi would be speaker is well-known, there is something else to keep in mind: Every committee and subcommittee chairmanship would also change hands. One committee chairmanship in the House would be crucial for Second Amendment supporters.
The committee in question: The House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over firearms legislation.
Currently, with Republicans controlling the House of Representatives, the chairman is Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, who has an excellent record of supporting the Second Amendment according to Project Vote Smart. Goodlatte, who is term-limited out as a committee chairman, is stepping down. With Lamar Smith and Jim Sensenbrenner having both served, the next Republican to take the lead on this committee is up in the air.
If the Democrats take control of the house though, the likely choice is Jerrold Nadler, who represents the 10th Congressional District of New York according to Ballotpeia.org.
To say it bluntly, the man would be a nightmare for Second Amendment supporters.
Nadler has been in Congress since 1993, and in the quarter-century since, he has been someone you could rely on to vote against our Second Amendment rights. According to Project Vote Smart, in 1993, he not only voted for the Brady Act, he wanted to make it a permanent five-day waiting period to get a handgun. He voted against the National Instant Check System. The next year, Nadler voted for the ban on certain semi-automatic firearms that expired in 2004.
In 1996, he voted against the repeal. In 1998, he opposed mandatory minimum sentences for the misuse of a firearm in a crime. He voted to kill gun shows in 1999, against the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act in 2003 and 2005, and he opposed efforts to scale back DC’s draconian gun laws in 2008 and 2014. In recent years, he has opposed concealed carry reciprocity and voted against the Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act.
In terms of his voting record, Nadler is just as bad as Charles Schumer and Dianne Feinstein. There is one major difference – he has just been much more low-key, and as a result, he is under the radar. Feinstein made that famous “Mr. and Mrs. America, turn them in,” declaration on 60 Minutes. Schumer has so much love for media attention that there are jokes that the most dangerous place in the country is to be between him and a TV camera.
Nadler’s district is a very liberal one in New York City. As such, his Republican challenger, Naomi Levin, is not likely to win, even though she is campaigning actively. According to Project Vote Smart, her positions on issues of concern to Second Amendment supporters is unknown – but given Nadler’s track record of hostility, it may be a gamble worth taking. Her campaign site is here.
If we are to keep this enemy of our Second Amendment rights from being the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, the real key will be to support pro-Second Amendment candidates elsewhere in the country.
You voting in the November 6 2018 election will be crucial to ensure that Jerrold Nadler is kept away from the levers of power.
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.