It’s Time to Make Republicans Feel the Heat on Second Amendment Issues

While the Second Amendment shouldn’t be a partisan issue, it kind of is. Democrats are the party of gun control, and Republicans are the party of gun rights. There are, of course, exceptions in each case, but that’s how it’s generally perceived by the public, including most gun rights advocates.

Unfortunately, we’ve got a problem. A big one.

A lot of Republicans aren’t stepping up to protect our rights like they should. I spoke with GOA’s Florida director, Luis Valdez, about what’s happening in the Sunshine State regarding that kind of thing last week. Florida is an unfortunate prime example.

It’s not the only one, as Cody Wisniewski notes over at The Blaze.

Texas claims to be a bastion of liberty in the United States. Texas also claims to be unabashedly pro-gun — a state where people are free to exercise their right to keep and bear arms. But the state’s actions show those claims are just words.

In reality, Texas has several laws that prohibit individuals from carrying arms in certain locations. The most notable of these laws is a ban on carry in locations that derive 51% or more of their proceeds from the sale of alcohol. While some might immediately react that it seems like a good thing to keep guns out of bars, they miss the actual effect and application of the law.

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This blanket ban isn’t just ridiculous; it is unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that the Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms in public. Clearly, no historical basis exists to let Texas authorities ban peaceable people from bearing their arms in these locations.

The most interesting part? Texas agrees.

Recently, the Firearms Policy Coalition and some of its members filed a lawsuit against Texas challenging this and a couple of its other carry bans. In what seemed like a positive development, Texas responded to the lawsuit by agreeing that it can’t ban bearing arms in these locations.

But actions speak louder than words.

In a recent turn of events, Texas filed a brief to kick the case out of court. Why? Standing. Texas claims that the plaintiffs lack the right to challenge the law. The kicker? Texas still goes on to admit that the law is unconstitutional.

While this isn’t quite as egregious as what we see in Florida, there’s a harsh truth that needs to be understood.

Republicans aren’t afraid of gun rights supporters anymore.

It used to be that they understood that they needed us. Gun rights voters were passionate and could swing an entire election. They needed the backing of the 800-pound gorilla in the gun rights world known as the National Rifle Association.

I know a lot of people aren’t thrilled with the organization, but the truth of the matter is that at the height of its powers just a few years ago, it could roll into town and scare the pants off of Republicans who refused to toe the line.

Now, though, it doesn’t matter.

We don’t matter.

Look at Rep. Tony Gonzales for a moment. The GOP establishment threw money at him to keep him in his seat, in a very red district, despite him actively working for gun control, while ignoring a social media giant in Brandon Herrera, who would still have won that district easily. Hell, Herrera almost won as it was, but not with the help of the Republican Party.

So now we’ve got an anti-gun Republican sitting in a seat in Washington that will likely refuse to vote for any substantive gun rights legislation if he can help it.

In Florida, so-called Republicans refuse to bring legislation to a committee vote because they simply like the law in question. Never mind the will of the people. They figure they can do it because no one is going to stop them.

It’s time to make these members of the supposedly pro-gun party scared for their jobs.

They need to fear losing primaries to pro-gun opponents. They need to fear the mass and might of the gun rights movement once again. It’s time to make anti-gun lawmakers in general terrified, not of losing their lives, but their careers.