by Karen Mehall Phillips - Friday, March 11, 2016
“The Supreme Court is wrong on the Second Amendment, and I am going to make that case every chance I get,” said presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as reported by the Washington Free Press on Oct. 1, 2015. Just ponder that comment—and its implications—for a moment. Regardless of whether you hunt with a firearm or bow, the right to keep and bear arms is the one that guards all others—and keeps America free.
As for the U.S. Supreme Court decision to which she refers, it was the landmark 2008 Supreme Court ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller declaring the handgun ban in Washington, D.C., unconstitutional. It affirmed that the Second Amendment granted gun rights to individuals whether or not they were members of an organized government militia and set a legal granted precedent that continues to influence federal court rulings on Second Amendment cases.
In addition to going on to attack the NRA, Clinton’s comments marked the first time since launching her campaign that she vowed to take on the U.S. Supreme Court over gun issues. Of course, quashing freedom is easier if you just ban guns outright—whether we’re talking the heirloom rifle from your grandfather or your favorite slug gun for the whitetail woods. So it was no surprise that when the topic of gun confiscation came up two weeks later Clinton said, “Certainly, the Australia example is worth looking at,” as reported by the WFP on Oct. 16.
“Hillary Clinton just doesn’t get it,” said Chris Cox, executive director of NRA-ILA. “The NRA’s strength lies in our five million members and the tens of millions of voters who support the Second Amendment. A majority of Americans support this freedom, and the Supreme Court was absolutely right to hold that the Second Amendment guarantees the fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms.”
Need more recent examples of Clinton’s agenda? Her speeches from the campaign trail are packed with promises to carry on President Obama’s fight to revoke law-abiding Americans’ gun rights.
If you’re a hunter and not an NRA member, did you realize that people who don’t even hunt or own a gun join the NRA in droves? As Constitutionalists, they join simply to preserve their Second Amendment right should they choose to exercise it.
Need more convincing? Go home and turn on your TV. You’ll see how billions of people worldwide live in fear with no recourse because they are not free. They can’t protect themselves, let alone take part in the hunting experience that is a cornerstone of American life. So then why do some of us take freedom for granted?
If you are a hunter and not an NRA member, do the rest of us hunters and yourself a favor and join. It’s why I’m an NRA Endowment member. And the next time you grab your hunting rifle and head for the woods, give thanks for your freedom to do so.
About the Washington Free Press: The WFP launched four years ago as a public service to uncover the stories that the powers that be hope will never see the light of day. As with NRA publications, the effort is monumental considering the mainstream media continually opts not to do its job.