Gun Groups Support Trump’s Choice for VP

Following Donald Trump’s announcement this week in choosing one-time critic J.D. Vance as his vice presidential nominee and Vance’s own speech at the Republican National Convention last night, while some serious Trumpers may still have their doubts, Vance’s record has for now won the support of some of our country’s biggest gun rights organizations. Here is what they are saying:

From NRA-ILA:

Following President Donald J. Trump’s announcement of his selection of U.S. Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate, the NRA released the below statements:

“Now, more than ever, freedom and liberty need courageous and virtuous defenders,” said Doug Hamlin, NRA Executive Vice President & CEO. “President Trump and Senator Vance have the guts and the grit to stand steadfast for the Second Amendment. On behalf of millions of NRA members, I wish them Godspeed as we head toward this historic election in November.”

“President Trump has made an outstanding choice in selecting Senator Vance as his vice presidential pick and running mate in the upcoming election,” said Randy Kozuch, Chairman of the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF). “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. Between now and November, the NRA and its millions of members will engage with America’s gun owners about the importance of electing the Trump-Vance ticket.”

The NRA-PVF formally endorsed President Trump for re-election as President of the United States on May 18, 2024, where he spoke before a standing-room-only crowd of NRA members during the 2024 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Dallas, Texas. The NRA-PVF first endorsed President Trump in May of 2016, helping him secure the Republican nomination and defeat Hillary Clinton. Since then, he has been a steadfast advocate for NRA members and the Second Amendment—including his promise in 2016 to never let NRA members down.

From the NSSF

The NSSF issued the following article by the organization’s legal counsel, Larry Keane, a regular contributor to TTAG.

Former President and presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump announced U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) as his vice presidential nominee on the first day of the official Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Sen. Vance has been in the U.S. Senate since 2023 and was well-known prior to running for office for his 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy.

In naming Sen. Vance his running mate for the 2024 election, former President Trump has tapped a strong Second Amendment stalwart and someone who proudly stands with the firearm industry and law-abiding Americans from coast-to-coast who believe in exercising their Constitutional rights to keep and bear arms.

Solid Track Record

While he’s only been in the U.S. Senate for 18 months, Sen. Vance brought a strong personal background and pro-Second Amendment stance with him. As is well known from his book, Sen. Vance grew up in Ohio and served in the U.S. Armed Forces as a U.S. Marine, serving a tour in Iraq.

In 2022, Sen. Vance challenged U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio). During his debates with Rep. Ryan, Sen. Vance made it known he’d support law-abiding Ohioans and their ability to legally purchase firearms. He noted at the time the surge in crime was responsible for violence that worried Ohioans who saw criminals disregarding the law. Soft-on-crime prosecutors were refusing to hold criminals accountable for their crimes, Sen. Vance argued during one debate.

“I’m a big pro-Second Amendment guy and I know a lot of people who will strongly, stridently defend the Second Amendment. None of them think convicted felons, who have been afforded their Due Process rights should be able to buy firearms and then kill people. But here’s the thing – the reason why we have skyrocketing gun violence in this country is because Democrats and Tim Ryan are [deciding] to declare war on America’s police,” Sen. Vance shot back to Rep. Ryan. “We didn’t have it two years ago, five years ago, and nothing significantly changed in the gun laws.”

Sen. Vance continued, saying, “We need to fix the system we have that has problems as opposed to layering on a bunch of new regulations and laws on top of it. The thing that I don’t like is when you create a new background check system with new sets of regulations that go after law-abiding citizens.”

An Industry Friend Now

Since he took over as The Buckeye State’s junior senator, Sen. Vance has kept those promises to revere the Second Amendment. And his Senate track record of support of firearm industry priorities demonstrate he’ll be a staunch ally in The White House, especially compared to the current vice president.

Sen. Vance has led and lent his name in support as a co-sponsor of pro-industry, pro-Second Amendment legislation including S. 214, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act; S. 410, the Hearing Protection Act, to remove firearm suppressors from the list of regulated items under the National Firearms Act (NFA); S. 293, the NSSF-priority Fair Access to Banking Act; and also S. 2736, the successful bipartisan Congressional effort to block President Biden’s Department of Education from prohibiting funding from going to youth recreational shooting sports and hunter education training programs.

In addition, Sen. Vance was also a strong supporter of Congressional efforts to block the Biden administration’s continued whole-of-government attack on the lawful firearm industry. That includes co-sponsoring Congressional Review Act (CRA) S.J. Res. 93 to block the Bureau of Industry and Security’s (BIS) Final Rule to severely restrict the export of certain firearms and firearm accessories, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) unlawful expansion of the definition of who qualifies as “engaged in the business” of selling firearms, and also the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) redefining of a pistol with a stabilizing arm brace attached as a “short-barreled rifle” under NFA restrictions.

Those bills and CRAs are currently being held in the Senate by Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). However, the election in November will possibly bring with it a change in Senate majority control which could mean all those efforts could move forward and possibly be signed into law with a President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in The White House.

There are about three and a half months to go before Election Day 2024. The party tickets are set and the campaigns are picking up.

Gun Owners of America

Gun Owners of America (GOA) spokesmen issued the following statements after news broke yesterday afternoon that Senator JD Vance of Ohio has been selected to be the Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States:

“Senator Vance is a friend of the American gun owner, one who will fiercely defend our Second Amendment rights,” said Erich Pratt, GOA’s Senior VP. “We are thrilled with his selection and look forward to removing the anti-gunner-in-chief from the White House.” 

“Despite his short time in office, Senator Vance has maintained a perfect voting record where other Republican Senators have not. It’s clear how seriously Senator Vance treasures our Second Amendment rights,” said Aidan Johnston, GOA’s Director of Federal Affairs. “Whether it’s his support for abolishing the ATF, his commitment to destroying the federal gun registry, or his opposition to expanded background checks, our members can sleep soundly with his nomination for Vice President.” 

Senator Vance has a 100% voting scorecard from Gun Owners of America. More on his record below, where he has:

• • Vocally called for the abolishment of the ATF
  • Highlighted GOA’s research on the billion record ATF gun registry
  • Opposed the Biden Pistol Brace Ban
  • Opposed Senator Cornyn’s “Compromise” Gun Control Law
  • Opposed the VA submitting veterans’ names to the FBI background check system simply for having a fiduciary manage their complex VA benefits
  • Threatened major corporations with legislation to restrict anti-gun policies that harass or restrict individuals from purchasing firearms and ammunition.