While the presidential race grabs the headlines, the governors elected this year will play a key role in protecting--or diminishing--gun owners' rights.
By NRA-ILA Staff
In this election year, the presidential contest is the proverbial 1,000-pound gorilla: It gets the attention of everyone in the room, and with good reason. Presidents are crucial decision makers who can seriously impact our Second Amendment rights. As we saw during the Clinton administration, a president can use his "bully pulpit" to bully the Congress into passing new restrictions on gun owners' rights, and can command new anti-gun actions by federal agencies.
Governors have similar power in state capitals. In some ways,
state legislatures and governors have a bigger impact on gun
owners' rights than do Congress and the president. That is why, in
every election year, gun owners must pay close attention to the
candidates in these races and select the best advocates for gun
owners' rights. And then we must follow up with the hard work to
help get them elected.
The majority of governors' races are held in non-presidential
election years, so this year there are only 11 gubernatorial
elections. But these few races provide important opportunities for
gun owners to help elect pro-gun leaders. The following are some of
the key races for gun owners.
These races, as well as the thousands of state legislative seats up for election this year, are all key to protecting our Second Amendment rights. With the presidential race getting all the press, it is important not to forget that state legislatures can and do have a huge impact on our rights. We must all get informed, get active and most importantly, get out to vote. Please make sure all your pro-gun friends and family do the same.
For more information on elections in your state, check the Political Preference Charts in the center of this magazine.
