The Gun Owners of American (GOA) presser wants you to know that “multiple challenges & opportunities lay ahead for our gun rights.” Ya think? Here’s their post-presidential election presser:

“I want to thank Gun Owners of America for coming into my district twice.  Their involvement helped educate gun owners as to who the real pro-gun candidate was in this very close race.” — Rep.-elect Keith Rothfus (R-PA)

There is no doubt. Gun rights will come under attack in the next four years . . .

The President who said that he was pursuing gun control proposals “under the radar” during his first term can now come out of the closet.  Just as Barack Obama told outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he would have more “flexibility” after the election, we can expect an emboldened White House to pursue a UN gun control treaty … more gun owner registration … more Executive Orders designed to limit our rights … more anti-gun Supreme Court Justices, etc.

Sadly, Harry Reid is going to remain the Majority Leader of the Senate.  We realized that it was an uphill battle to take the gavel out of Reid’s hands, but it was an important fight if we were going to stop the onslaught of future anti-gun judicial picks.  And while we lost some heartbreaking races, there are some things to cheer about.

First, we did get three new pro-gun Senators elected:  Ted Cruz in Texas, Deb Fischer in Nebraska and Jeff Flake in Arizona.  The Cruz race in Texas was especially contentious during the primary, and GOA got involved early to help push Cruz over the finish line.

While many other pro-gun Senators also retained their seats, gun owners will find several new friendly faces in the House:

* Steve Stockman, who was perhaps the most aggressively pro-gun Representative in the 1990s, will return to Congress with a 70% mandate from his Texas district.  Even if you don’t live in the Lone Star State, Steve Stockman will represent you by fiercely fighting for your Second Amendment rights.  GOA helped push Stockman, who was an underdog in his primary, over the hump in July.  His victory yesterday may well be the number one pick-up for gun rights in this election.

* Another key victory for gun owners is Keith Rothfus, who knocked off a “Blue Dog” compromiser in western Pennsylvania.  There was tremendous confusion in this race since another gun group had endorsed his opponent. So GOA made multiple trips into the district to help gun owners see that Rothfus was the real pro-gun candidate in the contest.  Happily, Rothfus will be joining the new freshmen class in January.

* In addition to Rothfus in Pennsylvania, GOA helped make distinctions in several other races — between real, pro-gun candidates and those who merely feign support for gun rights.  Notable examples of “Blue Dog” compromisers who lost their jobs occurred in North Carolina and Kentucky, where Richard Hudson and Andy Barr emerged victorious.

* GOA also heavily backed Jackie Walorski in Indiana.  As a state representative, she was a fierce defender of individual liberty and was even willing to take on members of her own party in defense of the Constitution.  She will be a welcome addition in this next Congress.

* While gun owners lost a squeaker in the Montana Senate, the pro-gun Steve Daines won the open House seat.  He replaces Denny Rehberg who failed narrowly to unseat “F” rated Senator Jon Tester (D).

* GOA also helped “A” rated Tom Cotton win a very contentious primary in the 4th District of Arkansas.  He went on to thump his opponent in the general election last night, collecting almost 60% of the vote.

* Across the nation, Gun Owners of America was able to assist several freshman Congressmen who were on the “endangered list.”  Examples include Reps. Justin Amash of Michigan and Steve Southerland in Florida who are both “A” rated by GOA.

While the challenges are obvious, GOA will continue to fight for your gun rights in this next Congress.

By using guerilla-style tactics, GOA was actually able to work with Congressmen to REPEAL gun control laws like the Amtrak and National Parks bans during the Obama administration.  No, Obama didn’t support these repeals, but we were able to get these repeals inserted into “must pass” bills which Obama couldn’t afford to veto.

This is the type of political warfare that we will be fighting for the next four years.  And now, we have fresh troops reporting for duty in January who are ready and willing to fight.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

44 COMMENTS

    • Harry Reid has been part of the reason why more liberal Democrats have had no luck pushing gun control, because he shut them down as Senate Majority Leader. He’s also helped get a fair amount of pro-gun legislation pushed through.

      The only “problem” is that he’s a Democrat, and many gun-rights organizations have forgotten that they aren’t supposed to be Republican shills.

      • No, the only problem is that Reid is an idiot, and the few gun control issues he supports gets trumped by the ridiculous bills he pushes through, not to mention NOT passing a budget in 4 years.

        • None of which ought to be of any consequence to a single-issue organization focused on gun-rights.

          The NRA at least tries to stick to their mission of focusing on gun-rights and related issues, though I’ve noticed them getting more partisan in the past few years as well.

          The GOA doesn’t even try, they’re an outright partisan conservative organization that pretends to be about gun rights.

  4. I voted for this guy “Keith Rothfus” because I got a pro gun ad at my local shooting range. I had no idea he was so hardcore …but I’m glad we got the right guy into office!

    • Me too!!! Yep we finally got a pretty staunch pro gunner in Arkansas. Cotton seems like he will do good for us!!!
      Even tho the Dems still hold some power here and there we have more on our side now too!!!
      We just have to be vigilant and keep fighting the good fight!!!

    • as long as she can maintain a 4-6 mph fast march pace with her full battle load for at least 6 miles, then she is more than welcome to tag alongside.

      • Depends on the “mission” you and her were on and the “destination”.
        You may end up carrying her…..at Usain Bolt speeds…..in full battle load……to complete the mission. War would NOT be hell.

        • “War would NOT be hell.”

          sure it would be. My wife will frown upon it. 😀 Nothing like a beating from the color sergeant (her nickname).

  8. She is adorable! GOA is a great organization. Personally, I prefer the GOA over the NRA. Robert this is a very good piece of writing. Articles such as this one and Joe’s gun review yesterday are the types of quality stories that I most appreciate.

  9. How exactly is Jon Tester an “F” candidate when it comes to gun rights? He is a huge supporter of gun rights. So much so that the NRA rated him and his opponent Denny Rehberg pretty much the same and therefore couldn’t tell me what candidate I should vote for.

    • My understanding is the NRA rates candidates on what they vote not what the vote for and there personal views. There are many Democrats who are anti but keep on the good side of the NRA. So the NRA gives the a pass but GOA will give them a lower grade because they would if they tough they could get away with it.

      • In all the stuff I got from the NRA before the elections there was a candidate rating pamphlet which had each candidate an A+ down to an F rating which was based on a questionnaire the NRA sent out to them. The politicos answers were used to base their grade on, and some were given no grade because they either refused to answer the questions or gave a no comment answer.

    • The NRA endorses only A-rated contestants. If a B-rated contestant runs against an F, the NRA endorses neither. If both contestants are rated A, the NRA’s policy is always to support the A-rated incumbent over the A-rated challenger, since the encumbant’s rating was earned in that position and not another.

    • Me too. Even tho an NRA member for years I wonder if GOA isn’t the better choice.
      Will keep both, we are going to need all the help we can get for a few more years at least.
      @jwm….me too. My grankids( 5 of them) range in age from 10 yrs down to 1 yr old. In all reality I don’t see this fight being over before they are all old enough to vote. Hope it is and we win decisively but……

  13. Didn’t TTAG run *at least* one full post debunking the “under the radar” gun control comment falsely attributed to Obama? Either TTAG is wrong or the GOA is repeating a lie.

    I know which one I think is more likely.

    Trumpeting your guerrilla politics is all well and fine, but don’t forget the other side can do it too. What happens when they weasel some last-second anti-gun provision into that bill you worked so for?

    • Adding amendments in the House wouldn’t last since the R’s control it. The Senate with Feinstein’s bill, will see how far it goes… It will go nowhere in the House, for now. The scary aspect is Executive Orders.

      • For now, true.

        But you know the second Democrats get a majority in the House, the gun-banning contingent will use the same guerrilla tactics to slip their stuff under the door. Whether it’s legislative trickery or executive orders, the problem remains.

        When both sides play dirty, all you get in the end is lots of dirt.

  14. Where was GOA in the California election? Democrats now have a supermajority in both houses of the legislature and can do whatever they want. Republicans, now representing less than 30% of eligible voters, are becoming irrelevant. And our antigun senator Lee has promised to reintroduce his bullet button ban, and, we think, an even tougher AW ban, with the intent to rid the state of its evil black rifles.

    • This actually scare the wholly living #@$%#$% out of me!
      They have no road blocks at all and I suspect we will see the bullet button ban back on the floor here soon!
      While loading up the federal government is good, don’t forget the state ballots, this is where the most headway can be made.
      California is pretty much a lost cause until the next election cycle. Let’s just hope nothing gets railroaded through by then.
      The rest of the country only has to deal with Obama, but we have Leland Yee to deal with!!!!
      Stock up now, and early!!

  15. I live in the district that Rotfus just won. The Democrat that he defeated was solidly and reliably pro-gun, and had the NRA’s endorsement.

    The *only* reason that GOA supported Rothfus was because he’s a Republican.

  17. HE has excited domestic Insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the Inhabitants of our Frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known Rule of Warfare, is an undistinguished Destruction, of all Ages, Sexes, and Conditions.

    IN every Stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble Terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated Injury. A Prince, whose Character is thus marked by every Act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the Ruler of a free People.

    NOR have we been wanting in Attentions to our British Brethren. We have warned them, from Time to Time, of Attempts by their Legislature to extend an unwarrantable Jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the Circumstances of our Emigration and Settlement here. We have appealed to their native Justice and Magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the Ties of our common Kindred to disavow these Usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our Connexions and Correspondence. They too have been deaf to the Voice of Justice and of Consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the Necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the Rest of Mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

  18. i just joined GOA and have been an NRA member for a loooong time.we need all the ppl we can get into the fight!!

    • @rick c: thanks for joining. We do need all the voices we can get right now and far into the future.
      I am just a poor country boy but am a dues paying member of GOA, NRA, SAF, GRAA and Oathkeepers.
      The more voices we have, the more we can pound on our anti politicians from local levels on up to federal and make them constantly ad painfully aware that next elections for them are coming around.
      No support for our constitution, you want to compromise,?? Ok we want you out of your job!! You took an oath and I you deny it, break it or compromise it then we will do our damnedest to fire your non deserving butt as quickly as possible.
      Since Dec 2012 I have written, mailed and emailed over 600 letters to politicians ad sheriffs from local to federal level. Don’t see it easing up anytime soon.
      We need everyone we can get as quick as we can get them.

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