Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

November 2012 Standing Guard: If Obama Wins, Freedom Loses

Thursday, November 1, 2012

by Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President

With Gov. Mitt Romney’s and Rep. Paul Ryan’s pro-Second Amendment stance versus the Chicago-style gun-ban political machine of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, the votes of the nation’s gun owners have never been more important. We can and must make the difference at the polls on Nov. 6.

As individual NRA members—you and I are the key to a victory that will save “We the People” from the Obama regime’s systemic degradation of our freedom through Obama’s pledge to “fundamentally transform the United States of America.” Gutting the right to keep and bear arms is a key part of the “transformation.”

For NRA members there has never been a clearer call to action.

Mitt Romney is firmly committed to the protection of our constitutional liberties. Paul Ryan, a passionate hunter and shooter, is totally dedicated to our cause. Both have pledged to uphold our values, our ideals and our aspirations for a better America.

This election will decide whether the core principles of the Constitution will continue to guide our country, and whether Americans like you and me will continue to have an ironclad right to keep and bear arms.

If you consider the U.S. Supreme Court—with up to three vacancies likely in the next four years—the election of Mitt Romney to the presidency and removal of Barack Obama from that awesome seat of power is critical. Twice, the Second Amendment has been held to protect an individual right by one vote on the high court. Change that balance and all could be reversed.

In contrast, look at the platform unanimously adopted by the convention that nominated Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan and gave its unqualified support to the Second Amendment, America’s First Freedom:

“We acknowledge, support, and defend the law-abiding citizens’ God-given right of self-defense. We call for the protection of such fundamental individual rights recognized in the Supreme Court’s decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago affirming that right. …”

On the questions of Right to Carry, Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground laws, the Romney-led convention moved with equally firm resolve:

“We support the fundamental right to self-defense wherever a law-abiding citizen has a legal right to be, and we support federal legislation that would expand the exercise of that right by allowing those with state-issued carry permits to carry firearms in any state that issues such permits to its own residents.”

The platform applauded the U.S. House of Representatives contempt citation against U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for his cover-up of “Operation Fast and Furious”—the Obama administration’s gun-walking scheme that officially sanctioned the illegal purchase and smuggling of thousands of firearms into Mexican criminal commerce. That rogue operation resulted in the tragic death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent and the murders of hundreds of Mexican citizens.

When Barack Obama boasted in October 2008 that his ascension to power was about “fundamentally transforming the United States of America,” ordinary Americans had no clue as to what that threat meant. Now we do.

That transformation—which includes every aspect of our private lives as citizens—is being moved forward every day with Obama’s transformation of the executive branch from a constitutional branch that carries out the legislative directives of the Congress to a self-contained imperial power.

Obama recently declared that he’ll bypass Congress and the American people to achieve his political aims, announcing that, “If Congress refuses to act … I’ll do everything in my power to act without them.”

Examples of that abusive theft of power and arrogant disdain for the U.S. Constitution are everywhere. Congress enacts immigration laws to secure our borders and staunch the flood of illegal aliens, but Obama ignores those laws and manufactures his own “law” to “legalize” thousands of them. Congress mandates that Obama can’t create a gun owner registration scheme in America. No matter. He does it anyway by illegally ordering gun registration on rifle purchasers in five border states.

Obama is incompetent when it comes to doing the job Americans expect of a president. But for his own goals for a transformed America, he is a success—a master usurper of power—power to be wielded against our freedom in a second term and beyond. Already, he’s submitted a 2013 budget for the federal government that includes no fewer than six direct attacks against gun owners and the Second Amendment.

Obama aides are fond of saying this is Obama’s last election and he has to win. But this may be the last election for our rights if we don’t win.

With this election, your vote will be the last chance to stop Obama from changing America into a country we no longer recognize.

Facts don’t lie. And the facts make it clear that, if Barack Obama wins this election, freedom loses.

In the coming days before the Nov. 6 election, we must make sure that every gun owner is registered to vote, gets to the polls and votes “All In” to elect a Romney/Ryan administration that will reverse the grievous harm done by the Obama crowd, and save freedom and the country we love.

TRENDING NOW
Supreme Court Upholds ATF Rule on “Firearms,” Unfinished Receivers and Kits

News  

Monday, March 31, 2025

Supreme Court Upholds ATF Rule on “Firearms,” Unfinished Receivers and Kits

On March 26, in a 7-2 decision (with Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissenting), the United States Supreme Court upheld a Biden administration gun control rule on what constitutes a “firearm” under 18 U.S.C. ...

Trump Administration Revives Federal Firearm Rights Restoration Provision

News  

Friday, March 21, 2025

Trump Administration Revives Federal Firearm Rights Restoration Provision

On March 20, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published an interim final rule entitled, Withdrawing the Attorney General’s Delegation of Authority. That bland title belies the historic nature of the measure, which is aimed at reviving ...

House Judiciary Committee Votes to Advance Concealed Carry Reciprocity Legislation

News  

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

House Judiciary Committee Votes to Advance Concealed Carry Reciprocity Legislation

On Tuesday, March 25, 2025, the House Judiciary Committee held a markup for several bills, including two NRA-backed bills. With this crucial step in the legislative process now complete, these pieces of legislation can now ...

NRA Files Lawsuit Challenging Colorado’s Excise Tax on Firearm and Ammunition Sales

News  

Second Amendment  

Monday, March 31, 2025

NRA Files Lawsuit Challenging Colorado’s Excise Tax on Firearm and Ammunition Sales

Today, the National Rifle Association of America (NRA), together with the Firearms Policy Coalition, Second Amendment Foundation, Colorado State Shooting Association, Magnum Shooting Center, and an NRA member, filed a lawsuit challenging Colorado’s 6.5% excise ...

More Polish Citizens are Carrying Firearms for Self-Defense

News  

Monday, March 31, 2025

More Polish Citizens are Carrying Firearms for Self-Defense

Certain parts of the world—sadly, without any specifically recognized right to arms—have been moving closer to accepting the fact that firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens is not the inherently dangerous concept promoted by ...

Colorado: FOID Bill Heads to Governor's Desk, TAKE ACTION NOW!

Saturday, March 29, 2025

Colorado: FOID Bill Heads to Governor's Desk, TAKE ACTION NOW!

On Friday, March 28th, Senate Bill 25-003, the semi-auto ban turned FOID-scheme bill, passed the final vote on the Senate floor, concurring in the House amendments. 

Trump DOJ to Investigate Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for Permit Delays

News  

Monday, March 31, 2025

Trump DOJ to Investigate Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for Permit Delays

The United States Supreme Court, in its landmark Bruen decision recognizing a right to carry in public for self-defense, did not foreclose shall-issue licensing as being consistent with the Second Amendment.

President Trump Works to Expedite D.C. Carry Permits

News  

Monday, March 31, 2025

President Trump Works to Expedite D.C. Carry Permits

On March 27, President Donald J. Trump signed a wide-ranging executive order titled, “Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful.”

Reported Israeli Gun Owner Data Leak Exposes Danger of Registries

News  

Monday, March 24, 2025

Reported Israeli Gun Owner Data Leak Exposes Danger of Registries

According to a recent report from Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Iranian-linked hackers were able to penetrate Israel’s databases containing sensitive gun owner data and leaked the information online in early February.

Just One More Step: Australia’s New Weapon Laws

News  

Monday, March 24, 2025

Just One More Step: Australia’s New Weapon Laws

Australia implemented a firearm ban and mandatory confiscation in 1996 pursuant to the National Firearms Agreement, in which nearly 700,000 privately-owned firearms were turned in to the government and destroyed. 

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.