Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Hillary Clinton, Democratic Machine All In For Gun Control In 2016

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Hillary Clinton, Democratic Machine All In For Gun Control In 2016

Too often, newspapers report on firearm-related issues ignorantly or with deliberate dishonesty. But the headlines shortly after the Democratic National Convention (DNC), held this year in Philadelphia, told a true story—one that every American gun owner needs to understand. From The New York Times: “After Years of Setbacks, Democrats Again See Gun Control as a Winning Issue.” From the Washington Post: “For Democrats, gun control is no longer a third rail.” And from the Los Angeles Times: “About Time for Gun Control.”

Simply put, the Second Amendment—and your God-given right to defend your life and the lives of your loved ones—is on the ballot in November. That’s not an overstatement; that’s the plain and simple truth.

There was plenty of talk about gun control at the DNC, and I’ll turn to that shortly. Talk, when it comes to politicians, can be cheap. But their actions and the company they keep speak volumes, and in the case of Hillary Clinton and the relentless focus on gun rights throughout the week at the DNC, eliminating your freedom is clearly priority number one.

And so it seemed more than coincidental that just as members of the Democratic Party were gathering in Philadelphia to coronate Hillary Clinton as their presidential nominee, the Obama administration once again released a sweeping gun control measure by executive fiat. With little fanfare or warning, the U.S. State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) issued a “guidance” document that sought to turn gunsmiths into regulated firearm “manufacturers” for purposes of U.S. laws governing the import and export of military materials. DDTC’s guidelines drag small businesses that perform relatively simple work on existing firearms into a regulatory regime that requires thousands of dollars in annual registration fees. Gunsmiths who fail to pay could be looking at 20 years in prison and/or a $1 million fine.

And then there was Clinton’s choice of a running mate—Tim Kaine, former governor of Virginia and current U.S. senator from that state. Perennially “F” rated by the NRA during his tenure at both the state and federal levels, Kaine has proudly voted time and again against Second Amendment-protected freedoms. Clinton herself alluded to this when she announced he would be her running mate. “[B]ehind that smile, Tim also has a backbone of steel,” she told a cheering crowd. “Just ask the NRA.”

I don’t know about Kaine’s “backbone,” but his anti-gun bona fides are ironclad. As Virginia governor, Kaine vetoed a bill that would have protected the right of Virginians to keep their own guns in their own cars. That same session, he also vetoed a bill that would have allowed concealed-carry permit holders to carry concealed handguns into restaurants that serve alcohol, provided they didn’t drink on the premises. Both measures later became law without any detriment to peace or good order in the commonwealth.

Kaine’s record has been no better in the U.S. Senate. Against the NRA’s opposition, he supported Sonia Sotomayor’s appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. And at her first opportunity, she voted against the individual right protected by the Second Amendment. Kaine also voted for bans on private firearm sales and supported limiting the number of rounds a law-abiding person could carry in a firearm for self-defense.

I could go on, but suffice it to say that Kaine is no friend to gun owners.

Both Clinton and Kaine nevertheless voice respect for the Second Amendment, just as Barack Obama did before them.

But even as the national Democratic Party pushes to destroy the Second Amendment, gun control advocates obscure their true intentions with carefully crafted messages. That’s why they speak of “gun violence prevention” rather than “gun control.” That’s why they re-cast gun restrictions as “closing loopholes” or merely “common-sense” approaches to controlling violent crime. And that’s why a woman the media described as a former Democratic delegate and a volunteer organizer for Clinton told an investigative journalist that Clinton “for sure” would support banning guns but had to couch that agenda in benign phrases. “You say [stuff] like that and people will buy into it,” she explained.

But make no mistake, if pro-gun voters buy into the Clinton/Kaine act this November, they might never get another chance to get it right. The next president will decide whether we have a Supreme Court that does or does not believe in the Second Amendment.

And Hillary Clinton, Tim Kaine and the Democratic Party machine have made their position unmistakably clear.

TRENDING NOW
U.S. Senate Forced to Remove Pro-Gun Language from Reconciliation Bill

News  

Friday, June 27, 2025

U.S. Senate Forced to Remove Pro-Gun Language from Reconciliation Bill

Today, the U.S. Senate was forced to remove the pro-gun language that had been previously included in the Reconciliation Bill currently making its way through the chamber. We explained in a previous article that this language would, ...

U.S. Senate Adds Pro-Gun Tax Relief Language Back into Reconciliation Bill

News  

Saturday, June 28, 2025

U.S. Senate Adds Pro-Gun Tax Relief Language Back into Reconciliation Bill

Overnight, the U.S. Senate added pro-gun tax relief language back into the Reconciliation bill after the Senate Parliamentarian struck out an earlier provision.  While this new provision is not as expansive as the language we advocated for which ...

U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

News  

Second Amendment  

Thursday, May 22, 2025

U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

Earlier today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1 the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included Section 2 of the Hearing Protection Act, completely removing suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA).

U.S. Court of Appeals Backtracks on Adverse Suppressor Ruling

News  

Monday, June 23, 2025

U.S. Court of Appeals Backtracks on Adverse Suppressor Ruling

In a single sentence, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit added to the high-profile and consequential national conversation on firearm suppressors.

North Carolina: Update on Gun Bills Moving through the General Assembly

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

North Carolina: Update on Gun Bills Moving through the General Assembly

Recently, House Bill 193 (H193) was reported favorably out of both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Rules Committee, with amendments.

Ninth Circuit Strikes Down CA’s One-Gun-A-Month Law

Friday, June 20, 2025

Ninth Circuit Strikes Down CA’s One-Gun-A-Month Law

Today, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that California’s law prohibiting people from buying more than one firearm in a 30-day period violates the Second Amendment.

News  

Second Amendment  

Friday, June 27, 2025

Joint Statement from Pro-Gun Groups on the Senate Reconciliation Bill

On behalf of millions of NRA members and gun owners, we stand united in calling on Congress to uphold Americans' Second Amendment rights and zero out the NFA's excise tax on suppressors and short-barreled firearms.

Minnesota: Shotgun-Only Hunting Zones Repealed

Friday, June 20, 2025

Minnesota: Shotgun-Only Hunting Zones Repealed

On Monday, June 9th, outside of regular session, the Senate passed the Environment Omnibus bill, removing shotgun-only hunting zones in the state. 

Senate Finance Committee Releases Text of Reconciliation Bill

News  

Monday, June 16, 2025

Senate Finance Committee Releases Text of Reconciliation Bill

Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance released its portion of the Senate version of the Reconciliation Bill. Late last month, the U.S. House passed a version of the Reconciliation Bill which included Section 2 of the ...

Oregon: Omnibus Gun-Control Bill Heads to the Governor's Desk

Friday, June 27, 2025

Oregon: Omnibus Gun-Control Bill Heads to the Governor's Desk

With only two days left in the legislative session, the Oregon legislature has allowed the passage of Senate Bill 243, the gun control omnibus package. SB 243 has been transmitted to Governor Tina Kotek's desk ...

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.