Top Eight Threats to Gun Rights in 2019

Anti-gun zealots have shown they will stop at nothing to destroy the private of ownership of firearms in America, even if it means exploiting terrified children for political gain (the tactic used by gun grabbers in the aftermath of the horrific attack in Parkland, FL). By exploiting the naivety of the massacre’s youthful victims, and preying on their need to feel safe with anti-gun propaganda, a group of gun control advocates succeeded in making their movement relevant.

Anti-gun groups were also able to trick people into supporting the passage of so-called “red flag” bills and other gun control schemes by utilizing a complicit establishment media to beam the image of terrified and victimized children into America’s homes - an act that was devoid of human decency, and made worse because it was done with full knowledge that none of the schemes will stop another Parkland attack.

The disgusting exploitation of young Americans trying to find their political voice also allowed the anti-gun movement a significance they haven’t enjoyed since the passage of the Clinton Assault Weapons Ban.

Now it’s incumbent on pro-gun advocates to block any further advance and remind the American people that gun control belongs in the political scrap heap.

The first step in resetting the debate on guns is identifying the biggest threats to gun-rights for the next year. Some of these threats haven’t changed in years, and others are relatively new. Regardless, both put the rights we hold sacred in jeopardy.

We know that gun control only succeeds in disarming law-abiding citizens and leaves innocent people to be preyed upon by merciless criminals. A situation that played out during the Parkland attack and is easy to see because it has already occurred in a much larger scale across Britain, Australia and parts of Europe.

Leaving innocent victims at the whim of armed thugs is at the heart of gun control policies and yet advocates still try to claim the moral high ground - a fact that shows the disconnect between their way of thinking and reality.

But that doesn’t mean gun owners can let their guard down or give an inch when it comes to fighting to protect the right to keep and bear arms.

To that end, here are the Top Eight Threats to the Gun Rights 2019. Make no mistake - we NEED to meet the challenge brought by each one.

8. John Kasich – Kasich’s position on this list is more about his overall point of view than his effectiveness as a gun control advocate. If he runs for president, as expected, Kasich is likely to do so as the “common sense” gun control supporter. He will position himself between the National Rifle Association (NRA) on one side, and anti-gun crusaders on the other side.

For Americans who believe the truth about guns falls somewhere between the NRA and Sarah Brady, Kasich’s “middle-ground” viewpoint might resonate. The problem, of course, is that his rhetoric might seem middle of the road, but in practice he supports “red-flag” gun confiscation and universal background laws which are hardcore gun control schemes. By portraying himself as moderate on the gun issue, John Kasich is the poster-boy for an anti-gun tyrant in sheep’s clothing.

He might fail to win over voters due to his pompous attitude and arrogant ways, but his strategy of playing both ends against the middle on the gun issue might inspire better candidates to who have the ability to successfully play the same game.

7. The Establishment Media – This entry on the list doesn’t require much of an explanation as nearly all of the establishment media outlets including CNN, MSNBC and the New York Times are shills for the anti-gun viewpoint. Anchors like Don Lemon, and others, openly mock the argument that protecting our schools requires a good guy with a gun. They do so despite the number of times that an armed victim or law enforcement officer was able to thwart a spree killing. The most recent case took place at Great Mills High School when a resource officer stopped a murderer before any innocent lives were lost.

Since it didn’t fit the establishment media narrative about guns, the incident at Great Mills was largely ignored - a clear example of the bias that pervades the establishment media and that actively works to keep gun control relevant.

6. Belligerent “Pro” Gun Groups – Gun organizations like the National Rifle Association, Buckeye Firearms Association, Ohioans for Concealed Carry (and too many others to list) spend countless hours fighting for the right to keep and bear arms. While nobody claims that the well-known pro-gun groups always get things right, there is a long history of accomplishments to prove these groups are successful. As an example, Buckeye Firearms Association has been the primary mover of every Ohio pro-gun reform since the original bill that made concealed carry legal (HB12).

Since 2004, Buckeye Firearms Association and the NRA pushed through legislation that eliminated the restrictions on how a gun can be carried in a car, created Castle Doctrine protection for homeowners, allowed legal concealed carry in places that serve alcohol for consumption, eliminated employer parking lot bans, protected concealed carry by pursuing statewide preemption of gun laws and simplified how guns can be stored in school zones.

At the federal level, the results haven’t been as remarkable, but the NRA successful blocked renewal of the Clinton Assault Weapons ban and countless other bills designed to destroy gun rights.

While successful pro-gun organizations were winning political battles, small, vocal and belligerent groups that haven’t achieved ANYTHING sprang up all over America. They seemingly exist only to attack and belittle other successful organizations.

The belligerent gun groups disregard longstanding successful strategy as a way to deflect focus from their failure. They think by sniping far more successful pro-gun advocates, it will stop people from noticing their utter futility. It’s the only way they can appear relevant to outsiders, since people getting things done refuse to afford them a seat at the table.

It’s a sad existence, but one that is a deadly threat to gun rights as we know them because these groups talk a good game. When their rhetoric resonates with the rank and file gun owner, it takes support away from the successful advocacy groups.

Back in the dark-ages of gun advocacy, every pro-gun group acted in the same petulant manner, demanding all or nothing from politicians, political strategists and the courts. By doing so, they attacked anyone that didn’t agree 100% and that turned pro-gun legislators into enemies. It’s no wonder that during the hey-dey of belligerent gun groups we saw the near destruction of gun rights in America.

5. Open Carry Zealots – This threat occupies the same spot on the list as it did in 2018. While nobody doubts the dedication of open carry zealots, there are many in the gun community that question their tactics.

To be clear, the average open carry practitioner is a huge benefit to the pro-gun community. By carrying a gun openly, it shows people that a person with a gun isn’t always a person with criminal intent. It’s a message that needs to be delivered, and is vitally important to defense of the Second Amendment.

A problem arises, however, when open carry zealots use legal open carry to bait law enforcement officers into a verbal altercation. The internet is full of videos that show snarky open carry zealots purposely aggravating law enforcement officers and then acting shocked with the police aren’t perfectly polite or understanding.

Non-gun owners don’t see the videos as an example of law enforcement being exposed as anti-gun, but instead see a gun owner acting like a jerk. That isn’t always accurate, but the videos give middle-American viewers the impression that gun advocates are overly officious jerks.

There is a time and place to confront the misdeeds of law enforcement when it comes to how they treat open carry practitioners. Baiting an officer and then posting the video to the internet, however, only serves to play into the myth that all gun owners are anti-social, afraid of authority and confrontational.

4. Michael Bloomberg’s War Chest - Since leaving office as New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg’s quixotic quest to end the private ownership of firearms has been a failure. His only meaningful contribution to gun control is offering a nearly bottomless bank account.

Bloomberg has allegedly bankrolled state ballot initiatives, a campaign to stop a recall election in Colorado, and in 2015 plowed $2.2 million in advertising to support state senate candidates in Virginia. Such a large advertising budget for a state senate campaign was nearly unprecedented – and was an abysmal failure. Despite throwing money at the issue, Bloomberg loses far more elections than he wins. Somehow, he hasn’t figured out that spending money without having grassroots support for his viewpoint will usually fail.

Despite his failures, Bloomberg has vowed to spend $50 million to fight the NRA and support gun control. Such a threat to gun rights can’t be ignored, because Bloomberg might eventually find a way to use his money in a successful venture.

Until then, we can only hope he continues the most successful Don Quixote impersonation in recent political history.

3. The Next Spree Killer – Another threat we also faced last year, the next spree killer is sure to revive the willingness of anti-gun zealots to prey on fear and ignorance and trick people into supporting gun control measures. If the spree killer victimizes a school, it will ratchet up the hand-wringing and is sure to send the likes of Diane Feinstein D-CA into a tizzy. It will also allow her to use a willing establishment media to renew demands for an assault weapons ban.

Of course, if the murderer is stopped by an armed victim or police officer the story will never story see the light of day (Again, just like the Grand Mills school shooting was quickly dropped from the 24 hour news cycle when the establishment media realized it was stopped by an armed good guy.)

2. Anyone using the phrase "Stand Your Ground" – This threat moved up from number six last year into the top two due to the unhinged reaction anti-gun activists and the establishment media have to the mere mention of the words “stand your ground.” That reaction, and the glee shown by the establishment media in using a phrase that misrepresents the facts, was enough to derail important pro-gun reform in Ohio. Eventually, the provision inaccurately named SYG had to be removed from the bill in question (HB228) in order to get enough Republican legislators to support an override of Governor John Kasich’s veto.

The outcome was predicted in the Top Threat list last year, when it was pointed out that any bill with SYG attached to it is doomed to fail. History has proven that prediction correct and we can assume this item will appear again next year.

1. Unproductive A-Rated/Endorsed Candidates - Last year, unproductive A-rated candidates were listed as the biggest threat to gun rights, and that prediction was dead-on. In Ohio, provisions in HB 228 that would have removed the duty to retreat from Ohio's self-defense test were lost when at least three endorsed legislators refused to live up to their promises. Instead, when it came time to vote according to provisions in their endorsement candidate survey, they balked.

Whether the turncoats will be held accountable politically is still up in the air. But they have to live with using a lie to gain an endorsement.

A similar failure took place at the national level when the Republican Party failed to pass National Concealed Carry Reciprocity, or any other meaningful pro-gun reform despite having total control of the legislative process.

Gun voters were key to bringing about a Trump victory, and to giving the GOP in control of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives for the first two years of the Trump presidency, yet gun voters were ignored when it came time to pass pro-gun bills and were instead victimized by the ill-advised ban on bump stocks.

We can only wonder how many of the jaded gun owner failed to show up during the mid-term elections that saw the GOP lose control of the House.

In 2019 and beyond, the gun lobby needs to reassess what it means for a candidate to earn a pro-gun endorsement. Not only to find a way to expose turncoats, but to make sure the right candidates are rewarded.

Gerard Valentino is the Buckeye Firearms Foundation Secretary and is a former US Army Military Intelligence professional and Signals Officer in the Ohio National Guard. He teaches the Ohio Concealed Carry class for ACA Personal Defense.