Hold the Line, Defend the Second!

Hold the Line, Defend the Second

By: Tiffany D. Cheuvront

“Hold the Line, Defend the Second” is not just something that CRPA placed on our 2020 gun calendar because we thought it was catchy. It means something to all those gun owners who stand up for their rights. Here in California we have been fighting a long battle, and we continue to fight even though we sometimes get tired and think “what else could they try to throw at us this time?” Its hard to hold out hope for our freedom to chose to own a gun for sport or to defend our families.

But the battle over gun rights in Virginia has united gun owners from coast to coast. No longer is it just “crazy California” or “liberal New York” trying to enforce its naïve will upon the people. This is an agenda that is being pushed into our everyday lives, and into small towns across the country that never thought this fight would come to their doorstep.

When power shifted in Virginia last election cycle, Virginia gun owners got a rude wake up call—one that Californians heard a long time ago. If you give power to the wrong people they will make it their life work to trample on your constitutional rights.

Virginia’s Incoming Democratic speaker of the House of Delegates, Eileen Filler Corn, said gun control is a top Democratic priority for 2020 when she was recently interviewed for Fox News’s On the Hill. The gun banners goal is clear, and they do not want to negotiate. At least they are finally being honest about how extreme their agenda is. They are flat out proclaiming that they want your guns while other states like California are watching with eager anticipation to see if they can push the regulatory envelope even further based on the outcome in Virginia.

Regardless of what these anti-gun politicians and their well-heeled gun control support groups think, the Supreme Court has already ruled that the right to bear arms is an individual right secured by the Constitution. But thanks to a sophisticated multi-million dollar PR campaigns of shame meant to demonize the “gun culture” and ostracize those who choose to lawfully own a firearm, thoughtful rational policy decision-making has been replaced with political showmanship that helps the politician get more votes from the groups that want to eradicate the gun culture in America. The gun ban lobby pushes useless laws that don’t work. We hate guns, so just do something, anything!

CRPA has been in this fight for longer than any other group in California, since 1875. We are not here to just be a feel good organization or a social club, we are here to fight for the rights of lawful gun owners in the state. We have people in towns and city council meetings across the state and in Sacramento everyday fighting that up hill battle, because we have to be there from the beginning of the process. When telling these politicians that their actions are unlawful doesn’t work, we take those issues to the next level. We currently have ongoing lawsuits for the ammunition restrictions, the “large capacity” magazine ban, and gun show litigation all pending. We helped support successful litigation that knocked out an L.A. ordiance that discriminated against contractors who support the Second Amendment and the NRA, and we work with attorneys across the country to support other Second Amendment litigation that could have impacts on what we do here in California.

When it comes to being serious about defending the Second Amendment, we are. CRPA will not back down. We will continue to Hold the Line, Defend the Second just as we have done for 145 years. If you are not a CRPA member, we urge you to join today. If you know others that are not engaged, share this with them and encourage them to engage and stop watching from the sidelines. We need everyone, across the country to stand up for their Second Amendment rights.