Reaction To Trump Landslide Runs From Elation To Devastation

With former president Donald Trump winning the 2024 presidential election and Republicans retaking the majority in the U.S. Senate (votes are still being counted in some close House races, but it’s likely they will keep that, too), the response from various groups invested in the gun control debate was quite diverse.

As expected, gun-rights groups—many of which had put lots of time, money and effort into the election—were nothing less than ecstatic at the results. Of course, enthusiasm by gun-ban organizations was at an all-time low after being handed the tremendous loss.

Soon after the election, the National Rifle Association took to X, to give President-Elect Trump some much-deserved kudos.

“The NRA congratulates President Trump on his hard-fought victory,” the organization posted. “Gun owners across the country will once again have a strong advocate for their Second Amendment rights in the White House. The NRA-PVF endorsed President Trump in May of 2016 in his first successful run for president, and since then, he has been a steadfast advocate for NRA members and our freedoms.”

Gun-rights group Gun Owners of America was no less pleased with the results, based on a press release sent out early Wednesday morning.

“Kamala Harris would have continued weaponizing the power of government against the Second Amendment rights of the people,” Erich Pratt, GOA’s senior vice president, said.“We’re thrilled to be charting a far different and brighter course with President Trump, who has promised to repeal the Biden-Harris infringements within his first week in office. Rather than going on defense, we’re already preparing to help the Trump Administration repeal gun control and restore Second Amendment rights.”  

GOA Director of Federal Affairs Adrian Johnston said with the Republicans also capturing the majority in the Senate, it’s time for pro-gun senators to start doing the necessary work concerning firearms ownership.

“With such a pro-gun mandate from the voters tonight, we’re ready to hold Republicans to their election promises to protect and restore gun rights,” Johnston said.“It is time that Congress finally enact national concealed carry reciprocity, destroy the ATF’s illegal gun registry, de-regulate suppressors and quit funding unconstitutional ‘red-flag’ gun confiscation laws.”

For its part, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) took the win as an opportunity to thank gun owners for turning out and making a difference in Election 2024.

“There’s only one way to put it—gun owners, hunters, outdoorsmen and women, firearm and ammunition industry members and Second Amendment supporters across the country made their voices loudly heard last night and gave a resounding victory to President-elect Donald Trump and pro-Second Amendment Members of Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate,” the group said in a letter to gun owners. “Last night’s success was made possible in no small part due to your efforts to get to the polls and vote!”

On the other side of the issue, representatives from the Brady Campaign, the group formerly known as Handgun Control Inc., were quite down in the dumps over the results.

“The election of Donald Trump is deeply troubling for our safety and freedom from gun violence,” Kris Brown, Brady president, said in a Wednesday press release. “And that’s why we will be doubling down on our work and fighting harder than ever. As the nation’s oldest gun violence prevention group, this won’t be the first unfriendly administration we have had to weather, but we know how to fight like hell, even in the most challenging of times.”

As for the so-called Everytown for Gun Safety, the Bloomberg-funded group that focuses on anti-gun legislation rather than anything involving safety, it followed up the election putting out individual news releases about a handful of anti-gun candidates that were elected. It then quickly turned the devastating loss of the White House into a fundraising opportunity, which they probably had to do since Bloomberg himself spent millions on the election to get anti-gun candidates elected.

“This week’s election results are tough for our movement,” the group posted on its home page. “But the last time Donald Trump was in office, we doubled our efforts and got critical legislation passed in the states while blocking extreme NRA-backed bills at the federal level. Taking on the incoming Trump administration won’t be easy—but we’ve done it before. Together, we’re channeling our frustration into action. Donate to Everytown today to keep our momentum going and continue our fight to end gun violence.”