By: José Niño
In fewer than two weeks, Americans will go to the polls to determine who will assume several political positions from the presidency down to state level representatives.
The faceoff between incumbent President Donald Trump and Democrat candidate Joe Biden is obviously occupying everyone’s attention. As gun owners understand very well, however, down ballot races have just as much importance as the presidential race.
Pro-civilian disarmament forces also recognize the kind of impact down ballot races can have on policy making at every level of government. Renowned gun-grabbing organization Everytown for Gun Safety is leading the charge by spending an extra $4.5 million in the final weeks of the election cycle. The money is mostly directed towards TV and digital ads that the anti-gun organization is using to prop-up Democratic candidates.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg co-founded Everytown and has turned it into one of the most prominent vehicles for gun control in the country. After Trump’s upset of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 elections — largely the product of a well-run campaign that targeted key swing states — anti-gun organizations, alongside other leftist interest groups, have placed a laser-like focus on battleground states in the Sun Belt and the Midwest in 2020s.
This final push is part of Everytown’s broader $60 million effort for 2020 races in six battleground states. This figure represents double what Bloomberg’s army spent during the 2018 election cycle.
Everytown has its sights set on two House seats in Texas, in which it believes it can get Democrats elected. Everytown has spent $2 million on negative TV ads in Texas’ 22nd District and Texas’ 24th District against Republican candidates. Further, Everytown is spending $1.4 million in TV and digital ads at the state level in Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Texas. The gun control organization hopes to turn the legislatures in the aforementioned states blue. Direct mail campaigns plus TV and digital ads are being funded to the tune of $1million to try to mobilize voters in states such as Arizona, North Carolina, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota.
Anti-gun forces are not letting the Wuhan virus pandemic deter them from mobilizing. These organizations never sleep. The very fact that record numbers of Americans, especially in battleground states, are buying firearms must keep anti-Second Amendment bigwigs up at night. They know very well that they have a fight on their hands. That’s why they’ve turned to the pocketbook of Michael Bloomberg to subsidize their campaigns.
Money isn’t everything in politics though. Gun rights activists have proven time and again that superior organization and commitment to a cause can propel groups to victory against well-financed opponents. Nonetheless, the Left is energized in 2020 thanks to riots that kicked off in the summer and their desire to remove Trump from office. In the circumstances we are currently facing, it’s not advisable for gun owners to become complacent. We must remember that Trump won a solid portion of the Midwest by razor thin margins. In addition, state level races can be very competitive and flip in unexpected ways in any given election cycle.
The gun control movement’s vision for America is deplorable, but we should not underestimate the lengths they will go to achieve victory. Gun owners must make their presence felt on November 3, 2020. This election will likely set the tone for the rest of the decade.
José Niño is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. Sign up for his mailing list here. Contact him via Facebook, Twitter, or email him at [email protected]. Get his e-book, The 10 Myths of Gun Control, here.