Since election night last November, a portion of the gun rights community has sat back in stunned defeat, refusing to believe what happened, and convinced that all hope is lost.
Of course, this does not include the members of Iowa Gun Owners, who have stood tall for freedom here in Iowa for thirteen long years, becoming one of the most potent political fighting forces in the state.
In fact, if you’re a member of Iowa Gun Owners, you can safely ignore the rest of this email, because it does not apply to you.
But for gun owners who have thrown up their hands in despair over the last couple of months, I hope you will read this entire email, think about what’s at stake, and get back involved!
The Situation in the House
Thanks to a $100,000,000 investment from Michael Bloomberg, Nancy Pelosi did retain control of the House of Representatives, and was reelected as Speaker of the House.
As every gun owner knows, Pelosi hates the Second Amendment and gun owners like you and me who do everything we can to stop her from destroying it.
It’s true, of course, that if she had her way, Nancy Pelosi would reverse the Second Amendment, confiscate every gun in America, and throw gun owners into prison. We all know that.
Thankfully, it’s not up to her.
For Nancy Pelosi to pass anything in Washington, she needs 218 votes. And in case you don’t know this, after losing so many races last fall, Pelosi’s conference has a mere 221 members right now — the smallest Democratic majority in over 100 years!
So for Pelosi to pass gun control legislation, she’ll need almost every single member of her conference to agree to support it. And the news is already full of reports of ‘moderate’ Democrats in Congress warning Pelosi not to try it.
These moderates are openly concerned that they will lose their re-elections — and that Pelosi will lose the majority — if they advance an aggressive gun control agenda.
Can we stop crazed socialists like Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Rashida Talib from voting against our gun rights? No, of course not, but we don’t have to.
There are plenty of Democratic Congressmen in vulnerable seats that don’t want to go on the record in support of a national gun registry, a federal ‘Red Flag’ law, mental health tests of gun owners or a ban on the AR-15.
I’m talking about vulnerable Congressmen like AZ’s Tom O’Halleran who won by 3.2%, TX’s Vincente Gonzalez who won by 2.9%, our own Cindy Axne who won by 1.4%, MI’s Haley Stevens who won by 2.4%, MN’s Angie Craig who won by 2.2%, PA’s Conor Lamb who won by 2.2% and this list just keeps going.
These members won with such tight margins during a Presidential election cycle, meaning they will be even more vulnerable in 2022.
The Situation in the Senate
The situation in the United States Senate is very similar to the House. The radical left does have a majority, with a 50-50 tie in the chamber and Vice President Harris in place to break a tie.
Just like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer (D-NY) would love to crush the Second Amendment rights of the estimated one hundred million Americans who own firearms to defend themselves against criminals and more.
But Chuck Schumer needs to get every single member of his conference to vote to support his gun control agenda — every single one — before Kamala Harris can break a tie.
This includes New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan, who is up in 2022 and who won her race in 2016 by just .2%, the closest race that New Hampshire has had in over 40 years.
It also includes Nevada Senator Catherine Masto. Masto, who replaced Harry Reid in 2016, won her race by 2.4% in a Presidential election year, benefiting from Hillary Clinton’s turnout operation.
West Virginia’s Democratic Senator, Joe Manchin, isn’t up until 2024, but is one of the biggest swing votes in the Senate on many issues — especially gun control –- because of how tight his elections have always been.
Georgia’s new Senator, Raphael Warnock won by just 2% last November and Arizona’s new Senator Mark Kelly won by 2.4%. Since both of these races were special elections, both of them will be up for election again in 2022. Any vote they cast on gun control will play heavily in their races.
If any one of these Senators votes ‘NO’ on a gun control bill, the bill is dead, presuming that the Republican conference votes correctly. And if that happens one time, it will likely suck the momentum out of further gun control bills.
Tougher Allies
Another development that weighs in our favor is the new, tougher, breed of pro-gun champions who are doing all they can to hold the line for freedom in Congress.
Georgia’s freshman Congresswoman, Marjorie Taylor Greene, is an example of a new hyper-aggressive defender of our gun rights. Most newly elected Republican Congressmen get to D.C. and spend all of their time trying to avoid making waves.
Not Greene.
While being attacked mercilessly, Congresswoman Greene is sponsoring some of the best gun rights legislation in Congress right now and is galvanizing gun owners across the country into taking action to stop the left’s gun control agenda.
Already, her actions have inspired other Republicans in Congress to take bolder stances and other state level Republican legislators to launch primary campaigns against weak-kneed moderates in Congress.
The real benefit here is that Greene is reminding Republican sellouts who may consider stabbing us in the back and supporting federal gun control, that their betrayal may very well earn them a primary challenge.
Gun Owners Engage Again
And finally, the outcome of the 2020 election cycle has already begun to awake a sleeping giant of gun owners, who have been slumbering rather peacefully since 2016.
The truth is that when Obama’s gun control agenda fell apart in April of 2013, a lot of gun owners sat back, feeling no pressure at the federal level as the Republicans were in charge either partially or completely.
Of course, that was a mistake.
That lack of mobilized pressure is what helped allow the GOP-controlled Congress pass ZERO pro-gun bills during the first two years of President Trump’s administration.
More than that, this lack of engagement is how FIX-NICS legislation was passed in 2018, and how bump stocks were banned that same year.
But the days of many gun owners sitting back and hoping for the best are over, as Joe Biden poses an immediate threat that every gun owner is now taking seriously.
We Can Hold the Line
When you add all of this up, an ultra-slim Congressional majority in Washington, tough elections on the horizon for gun-grabbers, a new breed of Second Amendment fighters in Congress, and a mobilized base of gun owners — WE CAN HOLD THE LINE!
No, it’s not going to be easy.
Yes, the radical socialists in Congress are going to come after our freedoms with everything they have.
But we can hold the line if gun owners all over the country stand together and make their voices heard and flood Congress with calls, emails, and petitions demanding that our gun rights be left alone!
Rallies are fun, but rallies don’t stop gun control. Just look at Virginia for all of the proof you’ll need on that. That’s because the politicians dismiss the crowd, assuming that few of them can actually vote in their districts.
But they can’t ignore our programs, as our action center directs your petitions and emails directly to the inbox of your legislators in the state legislature or Congress.
That’s why Iowa Gun Owners focuses so much of our time and energy on these programs, because they work!
They Are Counting on Us
If you have read this entire email and are still sitting back in defeat, realize that our children and grandchildren don’t care about how sorry we feel for ourselves today.
They are desperately counting on you and me to stand together and block the gun control agenda that is designed to disarm them, more so than us.
The gun grabbers love to make carve outs for current gun owners, hoping we’ll agree to their terms. Our children and grandchildren will pay the price for our laziness and shortsightedness if we go along with this.
As a father of seven minor children, who are unable to buy firearms for themselves, I feel this pressure every day as my older boys ask me “Will I be able to buy an AR when I turn 18?”
While I can’t guarantee my kids an outcome, I can damn sure guarantee them that I am doing everything I can (along with the tens of thousands of supporters of Iowa Gun Owners) to make sure that their freedoms don’t die on my generation’s watch.
Our forefathers ensured that these rights and freedoms were passed down to you and me, and now it’s our turn to take our stand to ensure the same for the next generation.
It’s a debt of honor, a debt of freedom, that we must pay.
Now is the Time
So if you’re not a member of Iowa Gun Owners, I am asking you to become one today. Every gun owner needs to get off the bleachers and into the arena and join in this fight.
Become a member of Iowa Gun Owners here.
For our members, I can’t thank you enough for your ongoing support that has made it possible for us to be Iowa’s leading voice for freedom for well over a decade.
But we are facing very dark times over the next 24 months. And no army can go into battle with too much ammunition. So please consider an immediate donation of any amount, right away.
Some of you can donation $10,000 or more to help us hold this line. For others, I know that $50 is a real sacrifice. Whatever amount you can afford, please make a donation right away.
Make a donation to Iowa Gun Owners here.
Our freedoms have been attacked by tyrants, big and small, for hundreds of years. And for hundreds of years, freedom loving Americans have answered the call to defend these freedoms.
It’s our turn.
For Freedom,
Aaron DorrChairmanIowa Gun Owners
P.S. Some gun owners have thrown their hands up in despair, but this is no time to sit back and pout. Our children and grandchildren are counting on us now, more than ever!
Read the email above to see what’s at stake, how gun owners can hold the line for freedom, and then take action.