Whileboth sides in the gun control debate regroup after our victory in the Senateearlier this week, I want to give credit where credit is due. The credit forWednesday’s defeat of gun control goes to the countless gun owners and otherAmericans who drew a line in the sand—who sent emails and letters and madephone calls to their U.S. senators, urging them to protect private firearm transfers,semi-automatic firearms, and the magazines that millions of Americans own forself-defense.
There is no question that you shocked the enemies of liberty two days ago.Going into Wednesday’s votes, they thought victory was within reach. Many inthe media had pushed the idea that resistance to the gun control agenda wasfutile, and some of our more aggressive adversaries may have started to believetheir own propaganda. I’m sure some had convinced themselves that the intensityof their anger toward gun owners was all that was necessary to assure victory.
But you and your fellow gun owners proved them wrong. As you know, the bestAmericans do what they have to do, not for personal praise, but because it’sthe right thing to do. They do what has to be done not only for themselves, butfor their fellow Americans today and for generations of Americans to come.Nevertheless, on behalf of all of us at NRA headquarters, I want to thank youfor answering the call.
As you know, however, we can take only measured comfort from this week’ssuccess. In his bitter response to the Senate’s votes, President Obama saidthat this fight is far from over, and that’s the one thing that he is rightabout.
Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), sponsor of the gun control billdebated this week, has promised to bring his bill up at a more opportunemoment. Obama’s “Organizing for America,” billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s“Mayors Against Illegal Gun Guns,” and former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’“Americans for Responsible Solutions” will focus their efforts on defeatingpro-Second Amendment senators in 2014.
I say to those groups and their leaders, that pro-Second Amendment senatorsstood with us and we will stand with them, as we have with other electedrepresentatives who have supported the Second Amendment before them.
Over the last generation, gun owners have had tremendous success advancing ourcause. The refusal of the Obama administration and anti-gun radicals inCongress to attack us during Obama’s first term is a testament to our strength.They became emboldened by Obama’s reelection and over the last four months, wehave weathered an anti-gun public relations campaign as severe as any we haveexperienced. And we have won the first legislative battle at the nationallevel.
Our adversaries are well-funded, though, and as determined as any we have seenbefore. The fight ahead will be as difficult as this organization and the gunowning community has ever faced. Prepare for what’s ahead. Every gun owner willbe needed on the team. Elected officials who support the Second Amendment willbe subjected to a well-financed, cleverly conceived campaign designed toconvince them that they are on the wrong side of history. Our job and yourswill be to expose that claim for the fraud that it is. Please find strength inthe knowledge that the victories best savored are those that are hardestfought, and encourage our friends in Congress to do the same.
Thank you for all you did to win this fight, and for your readiness to win thefights that will come.
