Free Republic

Written by Allen West on May 21, 2016 : on this day I am honored to say I have been elected for a three-year term to the NRA Board of Directors.

Dubbing her "Heartless Hillary" Clinton, Trump and the NRA’s leaders cast the 2016 election in stark terms as a referendum on the likely Democratic nominee that carries long-lasting implications for gun enthusiasts nationwide. “The Second Amendment is on the ballot in November,” Trump told the more than 7,000 NRA members who paid to attend his speech, roughly 10 percent of the 70,000 activists in town for the group’s annual meeting. “I will never let you down. I will protect our Second Amendment. I will protect our country.” Showcasing his knack for nicknames and speaking in his characteristic vernacular, Trump drew...

For four decades, the National Rifle Association has pumped millions of dollars into federal elections, supporting both Republican and Democratic candidates who voted in accordance with the gun group’s strict view of the Second Amendment. That era is over. During the last federal election cycle, in 2014, the gun group’s spending on behalf of Democrats dwindled to virtually nothing, even as its overall election-related spending soared to more than $32 million, an analysis by the Daily News and The Trace found.

The National Rifle Association may be a nation unto itself in its commitment to the right to bear arms. The number of members attending its annual convention here is larger than the combined populations of Jeffersonville and Clarksville, Ind.; more than 70,000. But the message its leadership delivered by endorsing Donald Trump, and by hosting his second Louisville visit, is aimed at the more than 5 million members who stayed home. "This election is about the soul of the country, and the Second Amendment," said Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action. "If your preferred candidate...

One hour video: Highlights from the first 10 minutes include Chris Cox's hilarious but poignant assessment of Hillary Clinton’s remarks regarding the 2nd Amendment. Cox leads the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, which is the NRA lobbying arm. Cox: “Friends, let me say this: Hillary Clinton has a legitimate chance to be the next president, as long as people like us stay home. Sit on the sidelines” and “You know what? We’re giving her reason for optimism these days. She looks at all the discord and division and starts shopping online for ‘His and Hers’ twin beds for the White...

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump locked, loaded and fired away at Hillary Clinton on Friday at the National Rifle Association's annual gathering in Louisville, Ky. Trump, who seemed surprised to receive the major gun lobby's endorsement minutes before he took the stage, spent most of his speech blasting the Democratic front-runner's aggressive push for gun control and accusing her of wanting to leave Americans "defenseless." "Hillary wants to disarm vulnerable Americans in high-crime neighborhoods. Whether it's a young, single mom in Florida or a grandmother in Ohio, Hillary wants them to be defenseless," the billionaire told thousands of gun...

The National Rifle Association threw its weight Friday behind Donald Trump, as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee personally assured the group’s members he would protect Second Amendment rights if elected – and claimed that likely Democratic rival Hillary Clinton would threaten them. The billionaire businessman and leaders of the nation’s powerful gun lobby joined forces as they amplified warnings that the Supreme Court vacancy only raises the stakes for gun owners in this election. Trump, speaking to the NRA-ILA (Institute for Legislative Action) forum in Louisville, Ky., even challenged Clinton on Friday to release a list of her potential Supreme...

Donald J. Trump called on Friday for an end to gun-free zones in the United States and accused Hillary Clinton of seeking to let violent criminals out of prison, putting law-abiding citizens at risk, as he accepted the endorsement of the National Rifle Association at its annual convention. Mr. Trump said that the November election would be a referendum on the Second Amendment and asserted that Mrs. Clinton, his likely Democratic opponent, wanted to abolish the right to bear arms. “Crooked Hillary Clinton is the most anti-gun, anti-Second Amendment candidate ever to run for office,” he said at the N.R.A.’s...

The National Rifle Association has endorsed Donald Trump for president at today's convention. Chris Cox, the executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action, made the endorsement immediately before Trump walked on stage. "Now is the time to unite. If your preferred candidate dropped out of the race, it's time to get over it," Cox said earlier in his remarks. The news of the endorsement came shortly before Trump addressed the group at their convention in Kentucky. How Donald Trump's Views on Guns Shifted Over Time Trump talked about "crooked Hillary" and said that Clinton is "anti-gun," claiming that...

The National Rifle Association plans to endorse Trump at its convention today, sources told ABC News. News of the endorsement comes shortly before Trump addresses group members at their convention in Kentucky.

The best thing that helps gun sales is when a Democrat gets elected. This is especially so since the gun grabbers have taken over their party. When the NRA chooses to endorse Trump, they will be sending the Dems a message. That message is that the NRA does not represent the OEMs as the Dems claim. They'll be exposing that lie far and wide. The fears of the populace against an overbearing central government will actually cause a decline in sales.

Friday, May 20, 2016: Donald Trump will deliver remarks at the National Rifle Association-Institute for Legislative Action’s (NRA-ILA) Leadership Forum in Louisville, KY. There will be several speakers attending the forum listed below. Full coverage of the event from 1:00-5:00 PM EDT via the NRA. I'm not sure when Trump is scheduled to speak, but we will post as soon as we know.

He will address a convention on Friday hosted by the political arm of the National Rifle Association, expected to draw tens of thousands of people to Louisville, Ky.

It’s a tradition as old as yellow journalism, “Bash the Second Amendment” week, and it was off to a vigorous start with last night’s debut of “Under the Gun,” touted as a “documentary” hosted by Katie Couric and broadcast on Epix. The press seems to relish in doing gun control stories in the week leading up to the annual convention of the National Rifle Association. The NRA gathers this coming weekend in Louisville, and in addition to the Couric program, there’s an anti-gun opinion piece in today’s Seattle Times from Jerry Large, and another column in today’s Daily Californian that...

The National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action is launching an informational website to stop the Californication of Nevadans’ gun rights. The VoteNoQuestion1 website exposes the truth about how a universal background check would criminalize the commonplace activities of many Nevada gun owners. “The law-abiding gun owners of Nevada need to know that Question 1 would cost them their money and their freedom. It could even criminalize many of their commonplace activities,” said Catherine Mortensen, NRA Spokesperson. “This ballot initiative was bought and paid for by outside gun control groups bent on the Californication of Nevada. Armed with the facts,...

Donald Trump heads this month to the National Rifle Association’s annual convention in Kentucky riding a wave of strong support from the country’s gun owners, who say he’s just what they’re looking for in November. While pro-lifers, tax-cutters and others in the conservative coalition are struggling with Mr. Trump as the likely GOP presidential nominee, gun-rights leaders say there’s no hurdle for them. “I have not seen anything on the issue of guns that’s caused me to hesitate with him,” said Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League. “He seems to be the real deal on guns,”...

The Oklahoma legislature has passed HB 3098, the bill to restore permitless open carry to Oklahoma.  The bill passed the House  73 to 15, and the Senate 37 to 9.  Unless it is stopped in conference committee, it will be sent to Governor Mary Fallin.  Two years ago, in 2014,Governor Fallin, (R) Oklahoma, vetoed a number of bills in what has been described as a “tantrum” on the 29th of April. The legislature overrode one of the bills.  It is unclear if Governor Fallin would veto HB 3098, which passed with veto proof majorities.  I have read the bill,...

With yet another push from President Obama to revive initiatives to develop “smart gun” technology, it looks like it’s time to revisit the issue once again. The most common question I got in response to my previous piece on the many problems with smart guns is, “even if you’re correct that smart guns are a bad idea, why is the NRA so opposed to letting the market even try to get it right?” The NRA’s official position is that they don’t care one way or the other about smart gun tech, and that the market should decide, but we all...

There are some knee-jerk reactions to the seemingly "political correctness run amok" move to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, replacing President Andrew Jackson. But the replacing of the slave-owning founder of the Democratic Party with a gun-toting black Republican may spark a political debate worth having and unearth historical truths worth learning. As PJ Media described the announcement: The first woman on United States bank notes will be the famous abolitionist and Republican Harriet Tubman, Politico reported Wednesday. She will give the boot to the nation's sixth president and a major figure in the Democratic Party, Andrew Jackson,...

If Bernie Sanders is a subsidiary of the NRA, they really should spin him off. . . On today's MTP Daily, Hillary surrogate Hakeem Jeffries, a NYC congressman and Hillary surrogate, claimed that "Senator Bernie Sanders has effectively functioned as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Rifle association for the entirety of his career." Really? Let's go to the scorecard. Sanders current NRA rating is a subterranean D-. Since 1992, he has racked up four Fs. His highest score was a C-. Kudos to Chuck Todd for reacting with incredulity: "can you really refer to him as a wholly-owned subsidiary...