Texas/California – -(AmmoLand.com)- Why do Second Amendment supporters need to think about strategy and tactics? Well, take a look at what Gavin Newsom is planning to do. Was this a case of not thinking several moves ahead? Is the Firearms Policy Coalition right about potential risks posed by SB8?
It is hard to say – unlike abortion, the right to keep and bear arms is explicitly protected by the Second Amendment. There is also the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act as another layer of protection, although its clear language has been ignored in cases centered around mass shootings in Connecticut and California.
So, theoretically, Newsom’s threat is a dead letter. But theory is one thing, the real world can be another. In the real world, Newsom is going to push that legislation through, and there will be attempts by anti-Second Amendment extremists to use Newsom’s proposed law against the entire Second Amendment community. Yes, the PLCAA and the Second Amendment might result in cases being tossed, but even a summary judgment won’t come cheap (in terms of legal fees).
Now for a big reality check: The targets won’t just be firearm dealers or manufacturers. We could very well see anti-Second Amendment extremists site Newsom’s anti-Second Amendment version of SB8 as the authority to go after Second Amendment supporters for using the First Amendment to defend the right to keep and bear arms.
We’re talking about attacking pro-Second Amendment organizations, from the NRA (and its executives) to the Second Amendment Foundation, to the Firearms Policy Coalition, and Gun Owners of America. They could also go after the individual lobbyists, lawyers who worked to strike down laws, and donors to those groups.
Worse than that, Ammoland itself could become a target for anti-Second Amendment extremists looking to silence opposition to their efforts to unjustly punish us for crimes and acts of madness we did not commit. Before you dismiss the possibility of that, take a close look at how anti-Second Amendment extremists talk about us on social media. You know the names. You know the groups.
The fact of the matter is, Second Amendment supporters are now facing an existential threat.
This needs to be countered – but how to do so will require a lot of thought. One option is to go after Newsom first. Another could be to have legislators in pro-Second Amendment states pass legislation to counter those assaults. What might that entail? Perhaps travel bans would be a start, coupled with boycotting banks and financial institutions that do business with the government of California.
Harsh? Maybe, but the fact is, California is already banning travel to other states (based on issues unrelated to the Second Amendment). The financial boycott was aimed by Andrew Cuomo at the NRA. Given the nature of the threat, can Second Amendment supporters afford to unilaterally disarm?
Regardless of how the questions about countering Newson’s attack are answered, we are presented with a case of why we need more than just a belief in the Second Amendment. Our intentions and a dollar will buy a soda at McDonald’s (at least for now). Strategy and tactics matter and Second Amendment supporters need to use good strategies and tactics to defeat anti-Second Amendment extremists via the ballot box at the federal, state, and local levels.
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.
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