The presidential primary elections have effectively concluded, as both incumbent Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have easily secured enough delegates to win their parties’ nominations. What comes next will be perhaps the longest general election season in recent memory, with more than 200 days remaining until citizens nationwide cast their vote.
A protracted election season could mean that the top issues dominating the news cycle ebb and flow. One day the focus could be the crisis at the southern border; the next day may highlight our economic struggles or ongoing wars overseas. Biden, Trump and other candidates across federal, state and local levels will be vying for voters’ attention and showcasing their vision for a more prosperous America.
One sizable voter bloc that can and should significantly impact the elections is law-abiding gun owners. An increasing number of voters from both parties are concerned about violent crime and rightly place the safety of their families as a crucial priority, according to Pew Research. Running parallel to this trend is gun ownership reaching a record high across America, with 52 percent of voters saying they or a member of their household owns a gun.
Even as some states like New York and California take every conceivable step to make law-abiding gun ownership more difficult, a self-defense awakening is occurring throughout the country. With this in mind, American gun owners must understand what’s at stake in the 2024 election. If they step up and get involved in the political process they can be a very influential coalition.
First, the stakes. The gap between Second Amendment advocates and detractors is growing wider by the day. President Biden and anti-gun members of Congress have called for sweeping bans on entire classifications of firearms, including those that are most commonly used for home and self-defense. They have supported efforts to track and essentially surveil law-abiding gun owners’ purchases at gun stores. And they’ve called for other policies that would only restrict the rights of American gun owners while doing nothing to punish actual criminals and address the root problems of violent crime.
Meanwhile, gun rights advocates have gained major ground in ensuring the right to self-defense is protected. This includes the 29 states that have passed “Constitutional Carry,” which removes government red tape around the right to concealed carry in public. This has led to decreases in gun-related crime in states like Ohio and Florida, which passed similar measures in the last two years. By electing the right leaders in Washington, gun owners could see even greater gains with the passage of national concealed carry reciprocity.
Despite these successes, powerful forces are organizing to strip away our constitutional rights. Anti-gun groups like Everytown and Moms Demand Action – some of which are financially backed by billionaires Michael Bloomberg and George Soros – have signaled that they plan to “spend big” in the 2024 elections to ensure that candidates who support their radical anti-gun agenda gain public office. Some have already surpassed pro-Second Amendment groups in fundraising during the early part of the year. This highlights the even greater need for everyday Americans to step up and get involved in the political process.
The surge of new gun owners from all walks of life clearly shows that there is a vast reserve of U.S. voters who want to see their fundamental rights protected. To support them, pro-self-defense organizations like the USCCA for Saving Lives Action Fund are helping to register, educate and mobilize gun owners this election season. These freedom-loving Americans must grow into a highly motivated voting bloc that not only casts ballots in November but also organizes in their community and gets others involved. The choice is clear: either they sit 2024 out and witness the erosion of their Second Amendment rights, or they recognize the stakes and harness their potential as a potent and influential movement.
Katie Pointer Baney is the managing director of government affairs for the U.S. Concealed Carry Association and the executive director of the USCCA for Saving Lives Action Fund.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller.