How does this sound to you: President-elect Donald J. Trump?
Woot! Woot! He won! I can’t believe it but he won! He defeated the mighty Clinton machine!
This is truly historic. Trump pulled off the ultimate upset despite a rocky campaign, subpar debate performances, an adversarial media, a seasoned, well-heeled opponent and a Billy Bush hot mic incident that would have sunk almost any other politician known to man. Crazy!
Today is a great day for the Second Amendment. For the first time in eight years, the person to be sitting in the oval office doesn’t harbor a hostility toward one’s right to keep and bear arms. Amazing!
I’ll be the first to admit that Trump wasn’t my first choice but when it came down to brass tacks he was the only choice. Hillary Clinton is an unrepentant criminal, a pathological liar and an existential threat to the Second Amendment. I really hope that Trump prosecutes her to the fullest extent of the law for deliberately mishandling classified material.
Anyways, the gun industry is celebrating this victory. In a statement, the nation’s gun lobby congratulated “The Don.”
“On behalf of the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) five million members and tens of millions of Second Amendment supporters, the NRA congratulates President-elect Trump on his hard fought victory,” said Chris Cos, the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) executive director.
“Voters sent a loud and clear message that our gun rights are not for sale. Despite the unprecedented efforts by New York City billionaire Michael Bloomberg and the gun control lobby, the Second Amendment prevailed,” continued Cox.
“In the face of threats against their constitutional freedoms, NRA members and Second Amendment supporters rallied to elect a pro-gun president,” said Cox. “Trump’s victory repudiates the assertion by gun control advocates that the political calculus regarding the Second Amendment has changed.”
Likewise, Dudley Brown, President of the National Association for Gun Rights, echoed the NRA in that Trump’s victory is a repudiation of the anti-gun agenda.
“It was a slap in the face to virtually every know-it-all gun grabber in Washington,” stated Brown “A flat out rejection of President Obama’s gun control policies.”
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the firearms industry trade association, also commented on the win for the Second Amendment.
“The American people have spoken,” said the NSSF in a statement. “We have elected a president who has pledged to protect our Constitutional rights and a majority of both houses of Congress that will work to ensure that our individual right to keep and bear arms will be preserved.”
So, everyone is celebrating. Everyone is happy. Rightfully so. But I feel like looking ahead a bit and from what I see there are several pros and cons to a Trump presidency. It’s not all rainbows and butterflies.
Pros
Trump To Appoint Supreme Court Justices
This is huge! And arguably the biggest pro to a Trump win because president’s come and go but Supreme Court Justices span generations. With conservative justices on the bench, we can rest assured that landmark decision’s like Heller, which affirmed one’s individual right to keep and bear arms, is safe for the foreseeable future.
Pro-Gun Laws Will Meet a Pro-Gun President
Trump has vowed to protect and preserve the Second Amendment. In doing so, he also has the opportunity to expand gun rights at the national level. Something that Obama flirted with in his first term when he signed a law expanding carry rights into government parks. Obama ultimately, as we all know, dropped his tepid pro-gun facade in his second term and unleashed his anti-gun agenda. Trump, on the other hand, may have a chance to sign a national concealed carry reciprocity bill into law or even a bill that removes suppressors from the NFA (National Firearms Act). And who knows, his “love affair” with Putin might impel him to lift the Obama sanctions that prevent the importation of all those Russian-made AKs!
Death of Assault Weapons Ban
Hillary Clinton wanted to follow in her husband’s footsteps and ban black rifles. Since she will not be occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., we no longer have to worry about a ban on “assault weapons,” at least at the national level. With no ban in place, more and more folks will have the opportunity to discover modern sporting rifles and hopefully, in the process of shooting these awesome firearms, get bit by the gun bug.
Cons
Obama Was Greatest Gun Salesman of All Time
The industry’s dirty little secret is that as much as it hated president Obama, it loved him as well because he sold more firearms than any other president in history. Some referred to it as “fear-buying” others simply said that Obama “created urgency in the marketplace,” but either way because of Obama a lot of people made a lot of money in the gun biz from 2008-2016. It stands to reason that Trump will not have the same effect on the market. Which raises the question, could the gun industry be headed toward a recession?
Recession
To meet up with the demand created by the Obama gun boom, almost every gun and ammo manufacturer expanded operations to make more guns, accessories, and ammunition. Today, in some parts of the country, supply still hasn’t caught up with demand (especially as it relates to ammo), however, in many other parts a prospective buyer can now get what he wants at a pretty reasonable price. This increase in supply has met the increase in demand, in other words. The question is what does a Trump presidency do to the demand side of the equation? There is no longer fear of national gun control or no longer that same urgency. No one will be waiting in line to buy black rifles at a premium as would have been the case if Hillary was elected president. Meanwhile, gun production remains at an all-time high. How long before supply outpaces demand to the point where everyone who wants a new firearm has a new firearm? What happens to the gun industry one or two years into the Trump administration? Will the gun industry experience a downturn? Will there be layoffs?
Trump Supports No Fly, No Buy Legislation
Trump’s not a Second Amendment purist. He does support some questionable laws, included the misguided “No Fly, No Buy” that would remove one’s right to keep and bear arms if one was placed on the extra-constitutional No-Fly list. There is a chance that a GOP version of the bill lands on his desk during his presidency. For many gun owners, this is not a big deal. However, when one looks into the details and implications of No Fly, No Buy it becomes exceedingly troubling.
Conclusion
Overall, it’s a great day for gun owners and the Second Amendment. Yet, at the same time, we must remember that no victory is permanent in this war, that the fight will continue on and on and on.
I think the NRA made the difference that pushed Trump over the top. He won on high conservative voter turn-out in close battleground states like FL, PA and MI. Concern over gun rights had to have been a big factor in that turn-out. As for pro-gun legislation in Congress, I am not that optimistic. The GOP only has a 2-vote majority in the Senate, with arch gun-hater Chuck Schumer likely to be the Minority Leader. They can block pro-gun bills on cloture votes and by using filibusters. Still, we have a lot to be thankful for – it’s not Hillary.
While I agree that a Trump presidency is better than a Clinton presidency in relation to gun rights, the only reason I agree is because I think the party and the people will work hard to ensure that he holds true to his promises on the subject. That said, Donald Trump is and always has been anti-gun. As someone from upstate NY, I know better than to trust any politician (that’s what he is now) from NYC with my gun rights. He has spoken numerous times about how anti-gun he is and proved it every time he was asked a gun related question during this campaign and had no answer other than to ask the NRA for advice. I hope he continues to do just that, but I am afraid that the no fly no buy issue is going to be just the tip of the ice burg. Yes, we can take a deep breath that Hillary didn’t win, but it’s certainly not a time for celebration. We must remain vigilant and alert as always because he’s certainly not who he has recently claimed to be on this topic.
I believe that Trump is a smart man. I believe that he will find smart people to surround himself with. And I think he will become more educated on certain issues…..the No-Fly-No buy issue being one of them. And I think he will adjust accordingly. I know he listens to his children….both sons being on the pro-gun side of things. I think they can and will help in these type of decisions. I believe that’s why he stands where he does on 2A issues today. Time will tell, but that’s my take.
I do think the gun industry should pull together and get a little something for the greatest gun-salesman EVER. They should start the OBAMA Sports Shooting Foundation……LOL!!!! …..Could be used to educate people about shooting skills and sports. Actually….that’s a really good idea…….instead of a presidential library….lol!
It is possible that the firearms market will return to normal. Don’t let a pro gun president let you drop the guard on anti gun politics. The market will become stable when the law of supply and demand levels it self out.