One might think that the body that is most closely related to the voters and that stands for election most often would be the more volatile, but, in fact, the House has been very stable. Influences such as gerrymandering and the seniority system which makes senior House members significantly more powerful than newly elected members has, for better or worse, worked to protect the status quo. In fact, the House has only changed political leadership twice in the past fifty years, and both elections were watershed events.
Today, NRA enjoys the support of a narrow pro-gun majority in the House. While the Democratic leadership in the House is anti-gun, their majority is due, in no small part, to the election of pro-gun Democrats over the past two elections. Many of these recently elected Democrats are important allies who deserve NRA members` support.
As always, our challenge is to protect our allies and defeat our opponents. In particular, pro-gun Republicans face a very difficult political situation for issues unrelated to the Second Amendment. In the 2006 election, a number of the Republicans who lost were defeated by pro-gun Democrats; this year, many of the challengers are less-friendly to our cause.
The Numbers Game All 435 members of the House are up for election. But not all 435 races are close. Every two years, the makeup of the House is decided by a relative handful of races, usually fewer than 70 out of the 435, sometimes far fewer. Those are the races where pro-gun voters can have the biggest impact. (For a sampling of key races, see the profiles in this article.)
How do we have that impact? It`s not complicated. We have to get informed, get involved and get out to vote and bring our pro-gun friends and family members with us!
Get Informed The first thing you need to do is gather information. If your home district is the scene of a battleground race, then you have the opportunity to make a difference. If your home representative is solid, you may be able to lend a hand in a neighboring district.
Next is to get the bottom line on the candidates. Who is the pro-gun candidate? Who has a proven record of fighting for our rights? To find the information you need, log on to www.nrapvf.org, the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) website. Also, look for the NRA-PVF political preference charts that will be included in next month`s magazine. These charts will provide the 2008 NRA-PVF grades on all the races in your state. And don`t be shy about calling a campaign directly and asking about the candidate`s position on key firearm and hunting issues.
Get Involved Every candidate needs volunteers, and candidates in tight races need them the most. Contact your NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC), whose name is on the front cover of this magazine, to find out what you can do to help.
Volunteers may help with phone banks, neighborhood canvassing and get-out-the-vote operations that are critical to the outcome of elections. Also, we must all work to encourage our pro-gun friends and family members to get involved. One person can make a difference, but 100 can make the difference.
Get Out the Vote This is the final and critical step. Remember: One pro-gun voter staying home is the same as an extra anti-gunner turning out to vote. Countering apathy could mean the difference between a pro-gun House and an anti-gun majority that has the votes to undo the gains made over the past few years.
The Bottom Line NRA`s mission is protecting a pro-gun majority, regardless of party affiliation. That majority will likely be decided in as few as 40 key races. Not all the candidates have been determined as this issue goes to press. But make no mistake: With the possible election of Barack Obama as the most anti-gun president in American history, it becomes even more important that we protect our narrow margins in the Congress.
In fact, even with President Bush still in the White House, our enemies are gearing up for a new wave of anti-gun legislation. They lost in the Supreme Court`s Heller case, but they are not letting that slow them down. In fact, they are trying to turn our victory around, claiming the NRA and gun owners are now somehow irrelevant. They want to march forward with unneeded, ineffective and illogical gun control schemes including gun bans, registration schemes, storage mandates, micro-stamping and ballistic fingerprinting. The District of Columbia Council`s response to the Heller decision is a clear example of how far the anti-gunners will go to defy the Supreme Court.
But, despite what some may hope, we are not going away. A strong showing in this election is the best way to show the anti-gunners that we will never relax our efforts to protect our rights. But to win, we`ll need every gun owner`s help, today and until the last vote is cast.
House Races Of Interest
While there are too many vital House races to feature in this space, the following races represent the type of candidates, both incumbents and challengers, who gun owners should search out and support.
CALIFORNIA 11TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: Dean Andal (R)
As a California state assemblyman, Dean Andal has faced the sort of anti-gun environment that has pre-pared him well to stand up to the challenges he would face as a pro-gun congressman. Though anti-gun politicians in Sacramento have advanced some of the most radical gun laws in the nation, Dean Andal stood firm in his support for Second Amendment rights, voting against gun bans, registration, restrictions on hunting ammunition and against `micro-stamping,` the latest favorite issue for the anti-gun movement. Andal`s election would remove anti-gun incumbent Jerry McNerney, who supports the reenactment of the failed Clinton gun ban, opposes Right-to-Carry and received thousands of dollars from the radical anti-hunting/animal `rights` group Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), through its political action committee, Humane USA.
FLORIDA 24TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: Tom Feeney (R)
Representative Tom Feeney has earned multiple `A+` ratings from NRA-PVF during his tenure in the U.S. Congress because of his tireless support for our Second Amendment rights and hunting heritage. Rep. Feeney cosponsored the bill to repeal the gun ban in Washington, D.C., and he signed the congressional amicus (`friend of the court`) brief in the Heller case supporting the Second Amendment as protecting an individual right. Feeney is also a cosponsor of the National Right-to-Carry reciprocity bill to extend federal recognition of state carry permits across the country. Additionally, Feeney serves on the House Judiciary Committee, which often is the legislative gateway for bills affecting Second Amendment rights.
ILLINOIS 11TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: Debbie Halvorson (D)
The Illinois state legislature is not often a friendly place for gun rights. With anti-gun demagogues such as Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Mayor Richard Daley constantly pressing for even more restrictions on Second Amendment rights, it can be a tough place to stand up for freedom.
But Sen. Halvorson has done just that over the past decade in the Illinois Senate. When her party leaders pressed an anti-gun agenda, Halvorson pushed back. She earned the respect of her fellow senators, who elected her the Senate Majority Leader, making her a key ally for gun owners. Halvorson will take that same dedication to Washington, where she can be a strong voice within her party in support of the individual Right to Keep and Bear Arms. NRA support for Debbie Halvorson will send a strong message that partisan politics is not NRA`s game; support for the Second Amendment and our most important freedom is our only measure of a candidate.
KENTUCKY 3RD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: Anne Northup (R)
Anne Northup is well-known to the voters in Kentucky`s 3rd District. She represented the district for five terms, earning an `A` rating from NRA-PVF for her solid pro-gun record, and her consistent support for Second Amendment rights and our hunting heritage. Northup voted for the `Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act,` the `Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act` and legislation to reform the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE). She has also supported legislation to end the gun ban in our nation`s capital.
In contrast, her opponent, one-term incumbent John Yarmuth, has taken the most extreme anti-gun positions. He refused to sign the amicus brief in the Heller case and opposes efforts to restore the Second Amendment rights of D.C. residents. If a man is best-known by his friends, it should be pointed out that two of Yarmuth`s allies are the Brady Campaign and the radical animal `rights` group HSUS. In one of many anti-gun articles he wrote as editor of the aptly-named Louisville Eccentric Observer, Yarmuth demonstrated his radical viewpoint: `The Supreme Court needs to rule unequivocally` instead of implying` that the Second Amendment does not provide an individual right to bear arms. If they won`t, we need to amend the Constitution.`
OHIO 18TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: Zack Space (D)
As a freshman congressman, Zack Space took on a lead role as a primary sponsor of the bipartisan legislation to reform the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE). This legislation, H.R. 4900, the `Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2007,` is a vital step to modernize and improve BATFE operations and eliminate unfair treatment of many firearm dealers. Rep. Space`s work to advance this legislation is just one way he has shown his support for Second Amendment rights. He also signed the amicus brief supporting an individual right to bear arms in Heller, and he has worked with other pro-gun legislators to repeal D.C.`s onerous gun laws. Zack Space has proven his dedication to protecting our Second Amendment rights.
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