Second Amendment supporters certainly could have hoped for a better Election Day. We’re now stuck with a possible Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi yet again, and an uphill battle for expanded gun rights.
While Republicans controlled Congress, gun rights weren’t a major issue for them. Several quality pieces of Second Amendment legislation penned by Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C. — such as the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 (H.R. 38), which garnered the support of more than 200 co-sponsors, and the D.C. Personal Protection Reciprocity Act (H.R. 2909) introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. — weren’t a priority for retiring Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.
But now that gun-hating Democrats have taken the House back, you better believe gun control legislation will be a top priority for Pelosi and her minions. In particular, Reps. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., David Cicilline, D-R.I., and Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., have all introduced heavily backed gun control legislation in the past year.
Democrats, who bragged and campaigned on their “F” ratings from the National Rifle Association, prevailed in states such as Virginia, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Colorado, as well as Republican strongholds such as South Carolina and Texas. In particular, Jason Crow unseated Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., who had held his congressional seat since 2009. Crow campaigned on gun control and proudly touted his “F” rating from the NRA. In an interview he said, “I’ve never needed an M4 or AR-15 or anything like it to deer, duck, or rabbit hunt. Nor would I need a weapon like that to defend my home or my family here in the United States.”
Another key victory for gun control-supporting Democrats took place in Virginia, with the loss of NRA-backed Rep. Barbara Comstock, who was unseated by Jennifer Wexton. Wexton’s campaign website says:
The key takeaways from both Crow and Wexton are their support for an assault weapons ban.
This type of legislation was, and currently is, heavily backed by House Democrats.
Cicilline recruited 176 fellow Democrats to support his Assault Weapons Ban of 2018 (H.R. 5087). Not one Republican co-sponsored Cicilline’s unconstitutional legislation, because doing so would admit that certain firearms could be banned because they look scary and are misrepresented by the media.
As for gubernatorial races, long-time NRA champion Scott Walker was defeated by Tony Evers, who supports regulating “military-style weapons” and “banning bump stocks.” Evers would also like to pass stricter training requirements for concealed carry license holders: “I’d like to see the requirements — make sure that the requirements are tough.”
Not only was Walker’s unseating a massive $1 million-plus blow to the NRA’s gubernatorial collection, but Evers will likely be swayed by fellow Democrats to push a gun control agenda.
With a Democratic majority in the House, there’s little hope that pro-gun rights legislation will advance in the next two years. It will be up to Republicans in the Senate, President Trump, and a conservative Supreme Court to defend and protect our Second Amendment rights.
Tyler Yzaguirre (@realtyleryz) is the founder and president of the Second Amendment Institute.
