United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- When it comes to Second Amendment issues, many loyal Ammoland readers are on the same page. They oppose gun bans, licensing and registration schemes, and other infringements on our rights. They seek constitutional carry and repeal of other anti-Second Amendment laws. When it comes to guns, the answers are easy.
The issues are often legislation, whether a pro-Second Amendment bill like the Home Defense and Competitive Shooting Act or an anti-Second Amendment bill like the Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act.
But, as we have seen when discussing some [U.S. Senate races] or other issues, there are some other issues that affect our Second Amendment rights. Some Second Amendment supporters who wouldn’t think of backing a gun ban would go along with some proposals that greatly harm the effort to stop
What might those “secondary” issues be? “Secondary” issues are those which impact our right to keep and bear arms in a more indirect fashion. Some clear instances of secondary issues are nominations to the executive branch positions or in the judicial branch, campaign “reform” schemes, Silicon Valley censorship, and financial deplatforming.
Why nominations to the executive and judicial branches matter is pretty clear. The people in those positions end up making choices that affect how we exercise our Second Amendment rights. Those in the executive branch decide how to implement the gun laws that are in place (like the National Firearms Act). Judges can decide whether gun laws are constitutional. This is why Jon Tester needs to be replaced. He may vote against gun bans, but are those votes any good when he votes to confirm an anti-Second Amendment extremist to the federal bench time after time?
The importance of opposing campaign “reform” schemes, Silicon Valley censorship, and financial deplatforming really boil down to a single issue: Preserving the ability of Second Amendment supporters to make our care to the American people. Back when McCain-Feingold was being debated two decades ago, the Brady Campaign admitted their support for the legislation was to place the NRA (and other pro-Second Amendment groups) at a disadvantage when it came to making our case.
Silicon Valley censorship (especially using “medical misinformation” as a pretext) does the same thing. While competing for social media platforms to Big Tech (TMTG, Parler, etc.) can help Second Amendment supporters talk to each other and pass information, they do not have the reach of the Big Tech companies. This has to be addressed, and the recent investigations into GoFundMe could be a path forward.
I’ve also discussed the existential threat that financial deplatforming poses to both activism for and the exercising of our Second Amendment rights. The fact is, right now, states have enacted some half-measures that don’t do anything to really make the thought of a bank blockade of our rights unthinkable in the corporate boardrooms of America’s financial sector.
It also goes without saying that who controls our legislatures also matters. With a Supreme Court seat on the line due to the retirement of Stephen Breyer, wouldn’t it be better if we had a Mithc McConnell as Senate Majority Leader? In this sense, a Susan Collins who can win an election easily is better than a Kris Kobach who could hand an otherwise winnable seat to an anti-Second Amendment extremist.
The fact is that the secondary issues beyond just whether or not a candidate opposes gun bans or supports constitutional carry are important factors when considering who to vote for. With so much at stake, Second Amendment supporters need to look at the whole picture.
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.