Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Vote Freedom

Friday, October 31, 2008

In no other nation does the average citizen enjoy as much political power as we do in America. If not for a handful of Florida voters in 2000, the last eight years would have been a dark time for those of us who cherish our Right to Keep and Bear Arms and our hunting heritage.

In 2000 and 2004, American gun owners rose to the occasion and defeated tough, seasoned opponents of the Second Amendment--Al Gore and John Kerry. And those opponents got craftier each election cycle in camouflaging their true beliefs about gun ownership.

Today, we face a different challenge. Barack Obama has such a long, openly anti-gun record that he cannot hide his true stance. All he can do is try to paper it over with platitudes. "If you`ve got a gun in your house, I`m not taking it," Obama says on the campaign trail, although he voted in Illinois to do just that. And he goes on to admit the real obstacle: "Even if I wanted to take it away, I couldn`t get it done. I don`t have the votes in Congress."

In contrast, we have John McCain and Sarah Palin. As you can read throughout these pages, Sen. McCain has a good record overall of supporting the Second Amendment, and Gov. Palin would be a stellar new voice for gun owners in Washington.

We`ve had a few disagreements with Sen. McCain in the past. We don`t hide from that, and neither does he. But that doesn`t cancel out his long career of opposing gun and ammunition bans, opposing waiting periods, supporting America`s firearm industry and supporting our hunting heritage.

And our differences with Sen. McCain don`t take away from the fact that Barack Obama, with his career of supporting every gun control scheme he`s ever encountered, would be the most anti-gun president in American history.

Our mission--and our duty to protect the Second Amendment--is to defeat Barack Obama, now.

Our mission is to ensure that Obama never has the chance to push the radical schemes he promoted in Illinois, or voted for in the U.S. Senate, or funded through the Joyce Foundation. And our mission is to ensure that the Congress, the governors and the state legislatures all stand against Obama and those who think like him. The only way we can do this is by voting for candidates endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund.

To carry out that mission, we need you. And we need your family. And we need your friends and fellow sportsmen.

To carry out that mission, all gun owners--and all who believe in the United States Constitution--need to go to the polls on November 4 to defeat Barack Obama and Joe Biden, by voting the McCain-Palin ticket.

Wayne R. LaPierre
NRA Executive Vice President

Chris W. Cox
NRA-ILA Executive Director
IN THIS ARTICLE
Politics
TRENDING NOW
FBI Releases Final Crime Report for 2025 to the Dismay of Firearm Prohibitionists

News  

Monday, August 24, 2026

FBI Releases Final Crime Report for 2025 to the Dismay of Firearm Prohibitionists

There has been a certain amount of anticipation while the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) analyzed the available crime data for last year. The speculation among many was that the report would be, not just ...

District Court Enters Final Judgment Striking Down New Mexico’s Waiting Period Law in NRA Victory

Friday, August 28, 2026

District Court Enters Final Judgment Striking Down New Mexico’s Waiting Period Law in NRA Victory

The U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico granted summary judgment holding New Mexico’s 7-day waiting period law unconstitutional in Ortega v. Grisham—a case brought by the National Rifle Association and Mountain States ...

Questions and Answers About the Texas NFA Case

News  

Monday, August 17, 2026

Questions and Answers About the Texas NFA Case

On August 12, we reported on an important development in the ongoing litigation over the National Firearms Act (NFA) filed by multiple plaintiffs in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. These included, ...

Federal Court Strikes Down NFA Registration Requirements for Suppressors, Short-Barreled Rifles, and Short-Barreled Shotguns in NRA Case

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Federal Court Strikes Down NFA Registration Requirements for Suppressors, Short-Barreled Rifles, and Short-Barreled Shotguns in NRA Case

In another major victory for the National Rifle Association and law-abiding gun owners, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas today held that the National Firearms Act’s registration and approval requirements for ...

DOJ Relaunches Federal Firearms Rights Restoration with New Final Rule

News  

Monday, August 24, 2026

DOJ Relaunches Federal Firearms Rights Restoration with New Final Rule

On August 20, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published a final rule in the Federal Register that establishes application standards for those seeking relief from federal firearm disabilities under the Gun Control Act of ...

SCOTUS Statutory Ruling Not the Final Word on Biden-Era “Frame or Receiver” Rule

News  

Monday, August 24, 2026

SCOTUS Statutory Ruling Not the Final Word on Biden-Era “Frame or Receiver” Rule

For years, NRA-ILA has closely followed and reported on the legal and regulatory saga surrounding the Biden-Harris administration’s so-called “Frame or Receiver” rule. 

California: Anti-Gun Bills Pass the Legislature, Now Heading to the Governor's Desk

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

California: Anti-Gun Bills Pass the Legislature, Now Heading to the Governor's Desk

This week, three anti-gun bills received final passage from the legislature and will now be transmitted to the Governor's desk for his consideration. The most egregious among these measures is Senate Bill 948, which imposes ...

What Does the Texas NFA Decision Mean for You?

News  

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

What Does the Texas NFA Decision Mean for You?

On August 5, 2026, Judge Wesley Hendrix of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas held that the National Firearms Act’s registration and approval requirements for suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns ...

ATF Director Corrects Gun Control Advocates on Regulatory Reform

News  

Monday, August 17, 2026

ATF Director Corrects Gun Control Advocates on Regulatory Reform

In a stark departure from the last administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is taking gun control advocates to task for their sensationalist rhetoric and questionable legal claims. 

DOJ Withdraws Appeal in Challenge to Post Office Firearms Ban

News  

Monday, July 27, 2026

DOJ Withdraws Appeal in Challenge to Post Office Firearms Ban

Another significant victory has emerged in the ongoing effort to roll back unconstitutional restrictions on the right to bear arms in places that millions of law-abiding Americans visit every day in every state in towns ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.