Now that 2024 has concluded, it’s worth looking back on the biggest Second Amendment stories of last year. There are quite a few noteworthy ones to be sure and some will undoubtedly have lasting impacts on our constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
7. The New Balance of Power
Last fall, the American electorate voted for a majority of candidates who favor freedom over increased government control, notably so in Congress, but also around the nation.
In the U.S. Senate, many NRA-endorsed candidates ousted multi-term incumbents as voters opted to no longer support their anti-freedom agendas. A few notable examples include Tim Sheehy (R) in Montana, Bernie Moreno (R) in Ohio and Dave McCormick (R) in Pennsylvania.
Beyond Congress, soft-on-crime politicians were also voted out of office, perhaps none more notable than now-former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón (D). His “restorative justice” policies reduced sentences, implemented no-cash bail and opted not to prosecutive a lot of individuals. All of this, unsurprisingly, paralleled a rise in violent crime.
Americans also voted beyond the ballot boxes with their wallets. For 64 months straight, more than one million background checks have been conducted for the sale of a firearm, with 1.5 million being conducted in November, according to data from the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
6. A Full Pardon for Hunter Biden
President Joe Biden (D) pardoned his son, Hunter, on federal gun charges in December after saying numerous times that he would not do so. The younger Biden was previously charged with making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm; making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federal firearms licensed dealer; and one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.
Hunter Biden was scheduled to appear for sentencing hearings in Delaware and California not long after the pardon was issued. In both cases, he faced possible lengthy prison sentences.
“So, even as President Biden continues to argue that America needs new gun bans and other gun-control laws, he has pardoned his son for illegally purchasing and owning a handgun. The hypocrisy and elitism infused in this intricate and scandalous story is so rich it feels hyperbolic to spell it out,” wrote America’s 1st Freedom Editor in Chief Frank Miniter.
5. Constitutional Carry Continues to Spread
Constitutional carry has been spreading throughout the states like wildfire over the past few years, largely in part due to the tireless work of NRA members and the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (ILA). Last year saw Louisiana and South Carolina join the fold as the 28th and 29th states, respectively, with some form of constitutional carry on the books.
This builds upon the success of 2023, which saw Nebraska and Florida added to the ranks, and 2022 and 2021, which saw four and five states join, respectively. The addition of over a dozen states in just a few years is nothing short of incredible.
As of today, the 29 states with some form of constitutional carry are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming.
4. Joe Biden Drops Out of the Race
Joe Biden suspended his reelection campaign on July 21. This was welcome news as the Biden administration had been outwardly hostile towards the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans.
His tenure was marked by one anti-freedom measure and statement after another. He created a federal office staffed by gun-controllers, dubiously labeled the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. He repeatedly voiced his desire to repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which protects firearms manufacturers from frivolous lawsuits, but not standard product liability lawsuits. Biden also reiterated a desire to ban commonly owned semi-automatic rifles.
Though Biden’s campaign suspension was welcome news, who came next wasn’t exactly better.
3. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz Replace Biden on the Ticket
With Biden out of the way, the road was clear for Vice President Kamala Harris (D), who was endorsed by Biden and became the official nominee in August. Shortly after that, she named Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) as her running mate.
While Harris’ numerous anti-gun views were known as she was part of Biden’s administration as his vice president, Walz was less of a known commodity. It didn’t take long, however, to find out that he was more of the same.
“Tim Walz is a political chameleon – changing his positions to further his own personal agenda. In Congress, Walz purported to be a friend of gun owners to receive their support in his rural Minnesota district. Once he had his eyes set on other offices, he sold out law-abiding Minnesotans and promoted a radical gun control agenda that emboldened criminals and left everyday citizens defenseless. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz cannot be trusted to defend freedom and our Constitutional rights,” reported NRA-ILA.
Incredibly, both Harris and Walz would attempt to portray themselves as pro-gun by speaking about their experience with firearms, but these efforts fell flat amongst those who have actually spent time understanding this important freedom.
2. The NRA’s Legal Victories
It is no surprise that anti-gun politicians will use their power to dishonestly come after the NRA. Such is what New York Attorney Letitia James and Maria Vullo, former director of the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS), attempted to do. Both failed spectacularly as the NRA fought back against these abuses of power.
In May, the United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously in the NRA’s favor, and against Maria Vullo, after the former head of the New York DFS attempted to use her regulatory power to financially blacklist the NRA to thereby coerce banks and insurers to cut ties with the NRA. She wanted to suppress the NRA’s pro-Second Amendment speech.
“What is right still matters,” said Doug Hamlin, NRA executive vice president and CEO. “That this decision is unanimous shows that all the justices on the Supreme Court understand that government agencies can’t be permitted to be weaponized against the American people. By fighting this First Amendment battle, the NRA has helped save more than just the Second Amendment. All Americans, whatever their politics, should be thanking the NRA today.”
As for Letitia James’ crusade against the NRA, which she pledged to do while on the campaign trail, the result was more of the same. The New York attorney general failed in her politically motivated attempt to dissolve the NRA.
“The NRA is moving forward full speed ahead,” says Hamlin. “We have a mission to fulfill and elections to win up and down the ballot. This is a major step toward rebuilding the trust of the members, donors, industry, and our staff.”
1. Donald Trump is Reelected to the White House
On November 5, Donald Trump (R) and JD Vance (R) were elected as president and vice president, soundly defeating Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
Simply put, this was a resounding victory for freedom. Harris and Walz’s anti-gun animus is well known and well documented. Trump and Vance, on the other hand, were endorsed by the NRA and are champions of the right to keep and bear arms.
During the first Trump presidency, he nominated U.S. Supreme Court justices who have records of interpreting the U.S. Constitution as it was originally written. These nominations were crucial in the Court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022), which affirmed that our Second Amendment rights do not cease to exist once we cross the threshold of our front doors. Trump also nominated numerous judges throughout the lower courts, including 54 appellate judges and 174 district judges. Trump also designated gun stores and shooting ranges as “essential” businesses during the outset of the COVID pandemic.
One thing that didn’t happen under Trump’s watch was the passage of any new, radical gun-control bills that would further infringe upon Americans’ Second Amendment rights.
“NRA members’ and gun owners’ votes returned this patriotic American to the White House. He has stood with us, spoken face-to-face with record numbers of NRA members at our Annual Meetings & Exhibits, and he has defended the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Through his Supreme Court appointments, he strengthened a court that finally recognized what we all knew—that the Second Amendment applies inside your home and out—President Trump has stood with the members of the NRA. We congratulate our 45th—and soon to be 47th—President of the United States, NRA Life Member Donald J. Trump,” said Doug Hamlin.
The former and now-future president will be inaugurated on January 20, 2025.
