United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- The 2020 presidential election may turn out to be one of the most momentous for the Second Amendment in history. The 2000 and 2004 elections mattered, as President George W. Bush brought in Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito, who provided two of the five votes in the Heller and McDonald cases. The 2016 election saved those cases – and President Donald Trump has brought in two more pro-Second Amendment justices.
Now comes defending those gains in 2020 (as well as advancing the position even further). As has been discussed earlier, packing the Supreme Court could very well be on the agenda the next time anti-Second Amendment extremists get control of the House, Senate, and White House. The Heller and McDonald cases would be high on the list for a packed Supreme Court to overturn.
That alone is a reason to work very hard to re-take the House, and to hold the Senate and White House in 2020. But things go beyond that. The fact is, even with only control of the House of Representatives, anti-Second Amendment extremists are already pushing legislation that doesn’t actually solve problems, but instead just punishes law-abiding Americas who merely wish to exercise their Second Amendment rights.
Sure, it’s not going anywhere this Congress thanks to a pro-Second Amendment Senate, but it still means that rather than work to improve the situation, for the most part, we’re stuck on defense, at least on the legislative front. What does that mean? It means Second Amendment supporters have to adjust to the situation as it is, and not succumb to the tempting complacency of wishful thinking.
For example, it means coming up with real NICS fixes that advance Second Amendment rights elsewhere – if for no other reason than to show our fellow Americans that anti-Second Amendment extremists really don’t care about anything other than confiscating the guns owned by law-abiding citizens. It means loading up a bill like HR 8 with loads of amendments for things like concealed carry reciprocity, the Second Amendment Guarantee Act, or other legislation. If the anti-Second Amendment extremists swallow those pills, fine. If they kill the bill, even better.
Such tactical and strategic thinking does not make a person a “Fudd.” In fact, it’s the opposite – the people who understand the current situation, make the proper plans for the defense of the Second Amendment over short, medium, and long term, and then adjust those plans as the situations change do far more good for the future of our Second Amendment rights than those who self-righteously label them “Fudds.”
In fact, the alleged “Fudds,” often portrayed as sellouts, are extremely eager to wipe away the useless laws that needlessly restrict our Second Amendment rights. Duane Liptak made that clear last month. The problem is, we’re not operating in a vacuum. There’s those anti-Second Amendment extremists on the other side, and they aren’t just going to let us restore our rights.
The reality of the situation is that the only major offensive front is on judicial nominations, and that is where President Trump has been excelling. The confirmation pace has already been record-setting, and it will continue through this Congress. There may even be more Supreme Court fights, as two justices are over 80. This is part of the long-term battle, and while not decisive, it is important.
The real long-term stakes of 2020 will rest not in our ability to put on Supreme Court justices, or to block (or pass) major legislation. They will instead lay in how well we convince our fellow Americans of the rightness of our cause. Getting our message out will be important, but so will how we come across to them. No Supreme Court ruling can cancel out social stigmatization, and serious blows to our rights could very well come from corporate boardrooms and Silicon Valley.
It’s time to get ready for the upcoming fight. Let’s get to work making our situation better starting in 2021.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.