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NRA Leaders by Ties

NRA Leaders' Links To Republican Party (GOP)

The following is a list of controversial statements and actions of NRA leaders regarding their ties to Republican Party (GOP). NRA leaders are listed alphabetically by last name.

Joe Allbaugh (Board Member)

In a June 2012 email to POLITICO, Allbaugh wrote about President Barack Obama, “Our leader is more pomp than circumstance. Again, no leadership. Hell, I could do better than he is doing. All hat, no cattle.”

On October 24, 2011, Republican Rick Perry’s 2012 presidential campaign announced that Allbaugh, who served as campaign manger for George W. Bush successful 2000 presidential campaign, would serve as a “senior adviser” to Perry.

Between 1999 and 2010, Allbaugh donated over $39,000 to political candidates and PACs. The only politician to receive money from Allbaugh who is not a Republican was Joe Lieberman (I-CT).

In 2003, shortly after Allbaugh became FEMA director, FEMA awarded a large emergency water supply contract to Lipsey Mountain Water. The move was unusual because Lipsey had no production capacity and only 15 employees—they had to purchase their water directly from Nestle Waters North America, the former holder of the contract. The Lipsey family is also is also one of the nation’s largest gun wholesalers. Like Allbaugh International Group, Lipsey’s Inc. is an NRA corporate donor.

Scott Bach (Board Member)

In a July 3 interview with Adam Toxin, the interim communications manager of Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JPFPO), Bach asked, “Are we trending towards more individual freedom, which, of course this country was founded on, or less?” Referring to a recent Supreme Court decision upholding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, he answered, “And what I see, and which is, um, echoed and amplified by the recent, um, health care decision is, my conclusion is it’s less … The Obamacare decision is, to me, it’s the final nail in the coffin … It is the ultimate attack on the Republic. The last vestige of freedom that’s left.” Toxin, referring to the King of Britain at the time of the Revolution, stated, “King George wasn’t anywhere near this tyrannical. The Stamp Act was nothing like Obamacare.” Bach replied, “I agree with that … This is a…case of public officials who have an agenda, who have exceeded their mandate, who have violated their trust and Constitution and the principles on which the country was founded … You know what? The system is not self-enforcing. It requires human beings with the will to preserve it and somewhere along the line, um, those with the will to destroy it have taken over the majority.” Turning to the topic of civilian militias, Bach stated, “Let me substitute the word ‘militia’ for ‘armed populace.’ You know, ironically, and JPFO members know this, Hitler was pro-gun control. Ironically, Mahatma Gandhi understood the need for a people to be armed … He understands the importance of being armed, not necessarily using arms, but having them as a check.” Finally, he made reference to the November 2012 elections and warned, “It is the most important elections, presidential and congressional, of our lives.”

Bob Barr (Board Member)

On November 19, 2013, Barr spoke at a rally in Washington, D.C. which called for a “Second American Revolution,” involving a coup to oust President [Barack] Obama. The rally was organized by Larry Klayman, a conservative attorney and outspoken Birther. Barr stated, “Be it remembered that it started here today, November 19, 2013, that Americans for generations to come will look back and say, ‘Yes, good and faithful servants, you did your duty. We thank you and we will carry that torch forever into the future.’”

In a November 12, 2023 op-ed for the Marietta Daily Journal, Barr wrote, “Had Reagan faced President Barack Obama on Nov. 6, he almost certainly would have won. For virtually every element accounting for [Republican presidential candidate Mitt] Romney’s failure to connect with a majority of voters last week, Reagan’s genuineness, good humor, vision and optimism would have carried the day for the GOP. Fielding such a candidate to represent the Party in 2016 will greatly increase—not decrease—the chances that the 45th President of the United States will be a Republican. And fortunately for the GOP, there are a number of such potential candidates in its farm team—young Ronald Reagans ready to lead the country to a new Morning in America.”

In an October 28, 2023 op-ed for the Marietta Daily Journal, Barr endorsed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan in the November 2012 election, stating, “The inescapable and overriding importance of re-charting America’s course away from the Big Government Liberalism of the current administration has prompted me to support the GOP ticket of Gov. Mitt Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan. The stakes are simply too high to admit any degree of hesitancy in this regard. The decision I have reached, and in which I ask other libertarian-leaning and conservative-oriented voters to join, is not one based on a serendipitous view that Romney is the perfect candidate … He is not [the perfect candidate] … We cannot afford a search for perfection. We cannot afford to withhold votes from a candidate we perceive to be imperfect. What we do know beyond any doubt, is that the current course on which our nation already is well-embarked is not sustainable.”

In July 2008, Barr called former Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC)—who famously and fiercely opposed the creation of a national Martin Luther King Jr. Day—“one of the finest, most courageous and deeply principled men to ever serve in the United States Congress.”

Barr accidentally discharged a pistol that was handed to him by a supporter at a campaign event in 2002. The bullet struck a glass door—no one was injured in the incident. One of Barr’s sons later attacked a man dressed as Yosemite Sam who showed up at a campaign event to mock the then-Congressman over the incident.

In January 1999, Barr’s second wife, Gail, swore in an affidavit that she was convinced that Barr had an affair with a woman who would become his third wife while he was still married to her. Barr did not deny the affair when asked about it repeatedly during divorce proceedings. The affidavit was released to the public while Barr served as a manager during impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton. Impeachment managers were Congressmen on the House Judiciary Committee who functioned as prosecutors during the proceedings. Clinton was impeached after he was accused of lying about an extra-marital affair.

Ronnie Barrett (Board Member)

In a July 26, 2023 appearance on NRA news, Barrett commented on a July 17, 2023 speech in which President Barack Obama stated, “There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me—because they want to give something back. They know they didn’t – look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something – there are a whole bunch of hard working people out there. If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business–you didn’t build that.” Barrett replied to these remarks, stating, “What Obama had said here with the ‘you didn’t do this’—this is not new stuff. You know, the world has heard socialist people try to sell this game for decades. You know, it’s the same thing that was said in Europe in the 30s. I went back and listened to his whole talk on that and the whole thing is that ‘you’re not going to be able to do it by yourself and you’re only going to be able to do it if we share and your problems of you not having any money is really this rich man over here and we’re going to take from that rich man and give it to you.’ And of course that identifying a problem thing, we’ve seen that in history, too. You always have to identify some sort of group that is the problem for you and you can go back and like I said look in Europe in the 30s and how their groups were identified … The original government that our Founding Fathers set up loves [entrepreneurship] because that’s what they wanted you to be. What they wanted you to be [is] self-sufficient, hardworking, get out there, you keep what you’ve earned. But that flies in the face of socialism. So entrepreneurship and things like that is gotta be the enemy of the socialists, of the Obama folks and things like that. You can’t have those guys walking around. The Obama people, or the socialist people, they have to have people solely dependent on the government and sucking on its tit … It blew me away to hear the people applauding what [Obama] was saying. I thought, ‘did you never pay attention to history? Don’t you know we have heard this before?’ And it always ends up in collapse or millions of people dead.”

In a July 26, 2023 appearance on NRA news, Barrett commented on a July 17, 2023 speech in which President Barack Obama stated, “There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me—because they want to give something back. They know they didn’t – look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something – there are a whole bunch of hard working people out there. If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business–you didn’t build that.” Barrett replied to these remarks, stating, “What Obama had said here with the ‘you didn’t do this’—this is not new stuff. You know, the world has heard socialist people try to sell this game for decades. You know, it’s the same thing that was said in Europe in the 30s. I went back and listened to his whole talk on that and the whole thing is that ‘you’re not going to be able to do it by yourself and you’re only going to be able to do it if we share and your problems of you not having any money is really this rich man over here and we’re going to take from that rich man and give it to you.’ And of course that identifying a problem thing, we’ve seen that in history, too. You always have to identify some sort of group that is the problem for you and you can go back and like I said look in Europe in the 30s and how their groups were identified … The original government that our Founding Fathers set up loves [entrepreneurship] because that’s what they wanted you to be. What they wanted you to be [is] self-sufficient, hardworking, get out there, you keep what you’ve earned. But that flies in the face of socialism. So entrepreneurship and things like that is gotta be the enemy of the socialists, of the Obama folks and things like that. You can’t have those guys walking around. The Obama people, or the socialist people, they have to have people solely dependent on the government and sucking on its tit … It blew me away to hear the people applauding what [Obama] was saying. I thought, ‘did you never pay attention to history? Don’t you know we have heard this before?’ And it always ends up in collapse or millions of people dead.”

Clel Baudler (Board Member)

Responding to plans by Occupy Wall Street protestors to hold non-violent demonstrations in conjunction with the January 3, 2024 Iowa presidential caucuses, Baudler, who is a Republican member of Iowa’s state legislature, told protesters to expect a response that “will be swift and it will be sure.” He went on to add, “Since I'm not a state trooper anymore, they probably won't be handcuffed - but I have friends. If an officer asks for help, I will help, believe me. We're just not going to tolerate in rural Iowa what's going on in the big metropolitan areas. A little thump therapy never hurt anybody.”

Baudler is a Republican member of the Iowa House of Representatives.

Ken Blackwell (NRA Board Member)

In a December 9, 2023 interview with Newsmax, Blackwell responded to a comment by Republican House Speaker John Boehner that men in the Republican Party should be “a little more sensitive” to women. Boehner also added, “You look around the Congress, there are a lot more females in the Democratic caucus than there are in the Republican conference, and some of our members just aren’t as sensitive as they ought to be.” Blackwell stated that Republicans are "foolish" to respond to complaints that the GOP is waging a “War on Women”: "For us to have folks in the mainstream media tell us that we are a bunch of knuckle-dragging Neanderthals might be entertaining to them, but it would be foolish for us to start to respond to it as if they're making a good point … We have no problems convincing women, men, you name them, across these voter groups.”

Ken Blackwell (Board Member)

In a January 19, 2024 interview with Breitbart News, Blackwell discussed the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, in which 20 first-grade students and six adults were killed. Blackwell stated, “A gun is a tool. The challenge we face instead is the culture … More and more people reject the whole notion of right and wrong. It’s becoming fashionable to deny the existence of God, and claim the right to determine for yourself what you will live for and how you will live. Some embrace the worldview that life is ultimately meaningless, so what’s the point? We come from nothing and we become nothing. Others embrace a worldview that all that matters is going for the thrill and whatever feels good.” Blackwell also addressed President Barack Obama’s proposals to combat gun violence, stating, “If we stop this gun control legislation, what kinds of executive orders and regulations will this president come out with to achieve the same result. We can take him to court on all that, but he’s trying to remake the courts as well. We’re only a single vote away from the Supreme Court erasing the Second Amendment … Nobody wants to talk about 2016 yet, but the reality is this is likely a four-year fight over the Second Amendment to our Constitution. Whoever wins the White House in 2016 will likely determine whether the right to keep and bear arms a decade from now is embraced as a constitutional right, or as a government-granted privilege that a president or governor can revoke on a whim.”

In a January 15, 2024 open letter to former Secretary of State General Colin Powell, Blackwell wrote, “I was disappointed with the clear implication in your Meet The Press interveiw [sic] that those of us, in the GOP who defend life, protect traditional marriage and advance religious liberty are intolerent [sic]. The Democratic [National] Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina… came out against marriage. They say they only want to add to the number of happily married couples by allowing men to marry men and women to marry women. But we know that wherever these counterfeit marriages have been recognized, true marriage declines … Just as counterfeit money drives out true money, same sex marriage drives out true marriage. … President Obama has refused to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act and pledges to repeal it. He has openly joined the Marriage Enders. They're not changing marriage. They are ending it. If two men can marry, why not three? If gays and lesbians can marry, what about bi-sexual persons and persons who have sought to change their sex? Why can't they have one spouse of either sex? After slavery, after Jim Crow, after the KKK, it is fair to say that among the worst things visited upon black Americans have been the targeting of our families by abortionists and the effort to end marriage. That is why we are in a crisis. This is what happens when a major party rejects God.” Blackwell was referring to Powell’s January 13, 2024 interview on “Meet the Press,” in which he stated that the Republican party is suffering from a “dark vein of intolerance” and that some in the party seem to “look down on minorities.” Blackwell was also referring to the platform at the 2012 Democratic National Convention (DNC) which originally did not include the word “God.” On September 5, 2012, Los Angeles Mayor and Chairman of the DNC Antonio Villaraigosa made a motion on the floor of the DNC to revise the platform to include the word “God.” Some delegates and journalists on the convention floor claimed that one could not audibly hear two-thirds of the delegates say ‘Aye.’ Villaraigosa nonetheless declared the amendment had been approved.

On October 12, 2012, the Tea Party Victory Fund, a PAC headed by Blackwell, released a political TV ad in which Blackwell asks, “Have Barack Obama's policies empowered or enslaved Americans?" The ad features an unidentified African-American woman at an Obama rally. She says, “He gave us a phone. Keep Obama in president.” When asked how she received the phone, the woman replied, “You sign up if you are in food stamps, you are in Social Security, you've got low income. Keep Obama in president. He gave us a phone." In a fundraising email, Blackwell wrote, “This commercial is a microcosm of the difference between Republicans and Democrats. Republicans want to create an environment where free people make their own choices and pursue their dreams. President Obama and the Democrats want to create a dependency on government that ensures that Americans rely on Washington from cradle to grave … What this lady said is so offensive because it's so blatant–she finally comes out and says what we all know that the Democrats really think.” Free phones are given to eligible individuals as part of a Federal Communications Commission program called Lifeline that provides low-cost or free phone service so they are “able to connect to jobs, family, and 911 services.”

In an October 8, 2023 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell wrote, “The Obama Mandate will force us to violate our consciences. President Obama famously said he doesn't know when human life begins, but he's willing to force us to collaborate in the destruction of innocent human lives … President Obama doesn't care what you think, so long as you join him in helping to destroy the unborn on demand. And help him by paying for it … We are putting at risk America's unique contribution to the world: religious freedom.” Blackwell was referring to a January 2012 Obama Administration announcement that the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” requires employers to provide health insurance that covers contraception for women free of charge. The rule does not apply to church organizations themselves, but instead to affiliated nonprofit corporations, like hospitals, that do not rely primarily on members of the faith as employees. Additionally, the Act did not in any way alter existing, strict federal restrictions on the funding of abortion.

In a September 21, 2023 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell wrote, “The Democratic Party has officially committed itself to ending traditional marriage. For what else can happen to marriage when two persons of the same sex can marry and the rest of us are forced to recognize these counterfeits as true? If two, why not three? There is no compelling reason why not … Historian Michael Knox Beran found this nugget in Mr. Obama's second autobiography, The Audacity of Hope: ‘[I] came to appreciate how the earth rotated around the sun and the seasons came and went without any particular exertions on my part.’ What becoming modesty: earth, sun, seasons. Wait! Did he say the earth rotates around the sun? Yes, he did. Where is our ready-to-pounce press corps on this one? I don't know how they taught in fifth grade science in Jakarta, but here in America I learned that the earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun. This is no small point … President Obama has similarly mixed up the social science on family. His administration has given us ‘Julia.’ She is the Every Woman fictional figure who spends her entire life looking to government for assistance, from Head Start through Social Security. The only man in Julia's life is Barack Obama. Social science unambiguously reports that children thrive with mothers and fathers who are married and who worship regularly. President Obama's administration is not about that at all.” A Department of Health and Human Services report stated that children in nuclear families were “generally healthier, more likely to have access to health care, and less likely to have definite or severe emotional or behavioral difficulties than children living in nonnuclear families.” The study defines “nuclear family” as one that “consists of one or more children living with two parents who are married to one another and are each biological or adoptive parents to all children in the family.”

In a September 19, 2023 interview with WND Radio, Blackwell spoke about the August 15, 2023 shooting at the Family Research Council (FRC) headquarters in Washington, D.C. According to the criminal complaint, shooter Floyd Lee Corkins II entered the building and encountered the building manager, Leo Johnson. Corkins "stated words to the effect of, 'I don't like your politics,'" a witness told FBI agents. Corkins then pulled a firearm from his backpack and shot Johnson in the arm. Johnson, though injured, wrestled the firearm away from Corkins and subdued him. Blackwell is the Senior Fellow for Family Empowerment at the FRC. In the interview, Blackwell was asked if he knew of any connection between the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the shooter, Floyd Corkins. Blackwell replied, “Well [Corkins] mentioned that he was not attacking Leo [Johnson] personally but he was attacking us because we were a hate group. And the Southern Poverty Law Center has mislabeled the FRC a hate group because of our stance on traditional marriage and our strong defense of the pro-life ethic in this country … We are asking [the SPLC] to cease and desist. Look, religious liberty is the most profound of our human rights. Without religious freedom people exist only as political or economic entities not as free human beings. Religious liberty, in our view, is the first of all human rights for it implies the dignity of the human conscious. So, one’s faith is one’s most profound level of personhood. And so we think not only FRC but all those who believe in American exceptionalism, because we understand that our rights come from God not from the state, should rally behind this call for the Southern Poverty Law Center to cease and desist for mislabeling people as being haters because they stand for biblical truth … Look, President Obama…is determined to transform our family-centered society into a government-centered society … But I think the transformation [President Obama] is most wedded to is that he wants to transform our national philosophy founded upon the primacy of the individual and the supremacy of God to one founded upon the primacy of the collective good and the supremacy of central government. That’s why every day of his presidency he has done whatever it takes to undermine the Constitution and to empower a strong central or federal government which, by definition, has to be predicated on the weakening and destruction of the family and chasing God and faith out of the public square or, at minimum, silencing the church.” The SPLC stated in a September 13, 2023 press release that it does not list FRC as a hate group because of its opposition to gay marriage or its religious beliefs, but, “instead, we list the FRC because it engages in baseless, incendiary name-calling and spreads demonizing lies about the LGBT community. The FRC portrays gay people as sick, evil, perverted, incestuous and a danger to the nation. It insists that gay people are ‘fundamentally incapable’ of providing good homes for children–a myth that has been rejected by all relevant scientific authorities. One of its key leaders has actually said that homosexual behavior should be criminalized. Perhaps the FRC’s most dangerous lie is its claim that pedophilia is a ‘homosexual problem.’"

In a September 13, 2023 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell wrote, “In the dreary years of Depression and drift leading up to World War II, there was always a difference of perception between Britain and France about the Hitler threat. France wanted to strike Hitler when he marched into the Rhineland in 1936. This was a direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles [which ended World War I and imposed sanctions on Germany] and France felt its very life was threatened by a re-militarized Rhineland on her border. The French premier was invited to London by Prime Minister Baldwin—for talks. Four years later, France fell under the Nazi boot. Britain always had the advantage of distance from Germany. Britain had a 22-mile anti-tank trench called the English Channel. France naturally resented Britain's talking, talking, talking while Hitler moved. This is useful history as we view the situation in Israel today. The Iranian mullahs are motivated by the same anti-Jewish hatred that poisoned Hitler. They are developing a nuclear weapon, while claiming only to want nuclear energy for ‘peaceful purposes’ … [Secretary of State Hillary] Clinton has responded to the latest increase of Mideast tensions with soothing bromides … [President Barack] Obama administration's Iran policy has been all hope and no change. The U.S. has bunker buster bombs that reportedly could destroy Iran's nuclear facilities as they take them deep underground. But would a re-elected Peace Prize winner ever use those bunker busters? Or, would he rely, as he is being daily urged to rely, on deterrence … When we permit [President of Iran, Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad…to visit New York and spew anti-Semitic hatred from the podium of the UN General Assembly, we may think we are showing admirable patience and forbearance; we may think we are demonstrating our liberal values to these dictatorial regimes. But they view this as a sign of our weakness. They are not deterred by weak-willed acquiescence. Hitler was genuinely surprised when Britain and France declared war on him in 1939 following his invasion of Poland. He had met Prime Minister Chamberlain and Premier Daladier at Munich and had taken their measure. He thought they would never carry out their threats. Nothing in the conduct of this administration's policy toward Iran has given the mullahs the slightest indication that President Obama and Sec. Clinton will actually use overwhelming force to stop their nuclear arms race.”

In a September 5, 2023 op-ed for the Daily Caller, Blackwell wrote, “The [Democratic] party was clearly embarrassed because its platform [at the Democratic National Convention] failed to mention God and overlooked the party’s historic support for Jerusalem as the capital of Israel … So now, the Democratic platform has been changed. Are we satisfied? Does anyone think that a party that has to be arm-wrestled into acknowledging God is sincere? What we saw on the convention floor in Charlotte was the real Democratic Party. It was hostile to religion.” The platform at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) originally did not include the words “God” or “Jerusalem.” On September 5, Los Angeles Mayor and Chairman of the DNC Antonio Villaraigosa made a motion on the floor of the DNC to revise the platform to include the word “God” and affirm Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Such action requires a two-thirds vote by convention delegates. Some delegates and journalists on the convention floor claimed that one could not audibly hear two-thirds of the delegates say “aye.” Villaraigosa nonetheless declared the amendment had been approved. Any delegate who objected to the process could have made a formal challenge within ten minutes of the vote. No formal challenge was made.

In an August 30, 2023 interview with MRCTV, a division of the Media Research Center, Blackwell stated, “President Obama and now the Democratic Party has embraced a national philosophy founded upon the primacy of the collective good and the supremacy of the national government as opposed to our national philosophy held by most Americans founded upon the primacy of the individual and the centrality and the supremacy of God.” The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution explicitly prohibited the government from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.”

In an August 28, 2023 interview with The Hill, Blackwell made references to controversial remarks made by U.S. Representative Todd Akin (R-MO). On August 19, 2012, Akin commented on the issue of pregnancy induced by rape, stating, “It seems to be, first of all, from what I understand from doctors, it’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down.” Later, Akin publicly stated that Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan had personally asked him to end his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus also announced that even if Akin, who was trailing Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill in two recent polls, managed to pull even with her, "We're not going to send him a penny." Commenting on this imbroglio, Blackwell stated, "I think it was a mistake not to get the leaders in Missouri lined up before [GOP national leadership] went up and looked overly heavy-handed in the way they were pushing [Akin] … I've encouraged people at the Senatorial Committee to wait about five days and do a poll and see if things have stabilized. If things have, they might want to readjust. Senatorial committees can do anything. It is not as if some of the damage they've done can be papered over but they can reverse themselves on it."

In an August 27, 2023 interview with Fox News Radio, Blackwell spoke about Voter ID laws. He stated, “Over the past 40 years, most of case law in elections have been focused on the franchise, making it easier for folks to cast their ballots. In the last four to six years, there’s been a focus on the other voting right and that is the right to be protected against a fraudulent vote cancelling out your legal vote … I do a lot of work with Judicial Watch, and Judicial Watch’s studies show that of the 1.3 million voter registrations gathered by Project Vote and ACORN, over 400,000 of those were fraudulent.” Radio host Bob Davis asked Blackwell why Democrats argue there is no fraud in elections. Blackwell replied, “They try to cast it as a voter suppression effort. Again, the facts will fly in the face of those misdirected concerns … In 2004, Georgia, a Southern state that had a history in terms of slavery and the black codes, etc … They implemented a voter ID law in the state of Georgia, everyone said this was voter suppression, this was geared to suppress the black and Latino vote in particular. Well, in 2008, the Latino vote went up from 18,000 to 19,000 … More importantly, there was an increase in the black vote of 42% … In American culture, in American life, having an ID is nothing that’s burdensome. We have an ID for a driver’s license. If you wanna get a library book, if you wanna receive a medical license … We must understand that what the Democrats and the left, in particular, are doing is using this notion of voter suppression to [drum] up anxiety in their base. They’re trying to convert this legitimate effort to protect the integrity of the ballot box into a way to mobilize their base by mischaracterizing as an attempt to throw us back into Jim Crow era.” Blackwell referred to ACORN, a community activist organization and its affiliate, Project Vote. After the 2008 election, the John McCain (R-AZ) campaign accused the group of perpetrating “massive voter fraud.” Neither ACORN nor its employees have ever been found guilty of—or even charged with—casting fraudulent votes. Several ACORN canvassers have been found guilty of faking registration forms. The evidence shows that the canvassers faked the forms to get paid for work they didn’t do, not to stuff ballot boxes. A report by the Congressional Research Service, the nonpartisan public policy research arm of the U.S. Congress, stated that there were no instances of individuals who were allegedly registered to vote improperly by ACORN or its employees and who were reported "attempting to vote at the polls." Blackwell also referred to the effect of a voter ID law on voting in Georgia in the 2008 election. In the 2008 election, more than 50,000 residents were purged from the Georgia voter rolls because of a computer mismatch in their personal identification information. Furthermore, voter ID laws in Texas, North Carolina, and Florida have been challenged in court by the Department of Justice over allegations that they disenfranchise minorities. In July of 2012, the DOJ began investigating Pennsylvania’s Voter ID law to determine whether it discriminates against minorities.

In an August 24, 2023 interview on "Washington Watch Weekly", Blackwell stated, “President [Barack] Obama and his party want to transform our market economy into a government-controlled economy but most importantly, they are dead set on making sure that they transform our national philosophy founded upon the primacy of the individual and the supremacy of God to one founded on the primacy of the collective good and the supremacy of the central government. Our document, the GOP document, is a direct contrast; it provides the American people with a choice, not an echo. That is so important because there are two paths that we can go down: we can reinforce our fundamental belief that when we are God-centered, free men and free women and free markets can accomplish much and overcome most hurdles thrown in our way or do we want to go down the path of being a government-controlled economy, destroying families, replacing it with bureaucrat decision makers that would run afoul of what the founders of this nation envisioned 237 years ago … In our 237th year as being an exceptional nation we are at risk of losing it all. We just can’t afford to have four more years of a President that one, doesn’t understand the nature of our exceptionalism, and two, has a worldview and a set of guiding principles that are in direct contradiction with what has made us an exceptional nation. I’ve always enjoyed the push and pull of the whole process, I think it’s now incumbent upon us to make sure that this is not a document that is put on the shelf and our candidates across the country can just let collect dust and ignore. There is a fault line from the Pacific to the Atlantic and one side are those who believe in big government and who believe that the family and God can be replaced by a supreme state government, and that’s a problem.” The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution explicitly prohibited the government from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.”

In an August 24, 2023 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell wrote, “Determined to do [sic] follow what is ‘inevitable,’ very liberal delegates [at the Democratic National Convention] will embrace platform proposals that will spell the end of marriage. Do they fully realize what they are doing? If your only requirement for a marriage is that people love each other, have a committed relationship to each other, and that they give their consent, then you cannot bar twins from marrying. Once you've permitted identical twins to marry, how can you bar twin brother and sister from marrying? They love each other. They have a committed relationship. None of us has had such a biological bond since before birth with our own spouses. Vice President Biden voted for the Defense of Marriage Act as a U.S. Senator. Now, of course, he says that he is not influenced by his many years as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Instead, he takes his guidance on marriage from Hollywood, specifically from the comedy series, Will and Grace. If Hollywood producers are to set the standard for constitutional law in our country, then marriage will be ended, to be sure. For Hollywood has given us another series, Big Love. It's an HBO production about polygamy. It's pretty favorable toward polygamy, they tell me … Is this really where Democrats want to go? Do their very progressive delegates think the voters at the grassroots will approve their lurch to the progressive extremes?” Blackwell continued, stating, “Minorities give strong support to true marriage. In North Carolina, black and Hispanic voters provided the winning margin for marriage … Marriage is not a wedge issue, it's a bridge issue. It's the way Republicans can embrace minorities and immigrants.”

In an August 24, 2023 op-ed for World Magazine, Blackwell wrote, “Happily, the Republican Platform Committee this week sidestepped the issue of civil unions. Committee members reaffirmed the party's historic support for true marriage. That's a good thing because, from the government's perspective, all our marriages are civil unions. And government has a duty to protect the civil institution of marriage. What some call a civil union-as a softer way to grant same-sex couples all the rights of marriage without the name of marriage-is merely a slow-motion surrender on the critical issue of marriage. Governments cannot sanctify marriage, but governments can and should protect the civil institution of marriage. True marriage … We have seen many examples of the ways in which defenders of marriage will lose their civil rights if marriage itself is abolished. If 61 percent of North Carolina voters last May had voted to end true marriage in that state instead of affirming it, we could have been sure that the very next semester schoolchildren in the Tar Heel State would have been proselytized in the early grades for the new definition of marriage. This is what happened in Massachusetts. When parents of public schoolchildren object, they will be the ones singled out for threats, ridicule, and possibly even government sanctions … Those who want to end marriage as we know it often cite the famed U.S. Supreme Court case of Loving v. Virginia (1967). In that case, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote for a unanimous court when he struck down a state law that barred men and women from different races from legally marrying. We agree with that opinion. We, too, believe that marriage is a fundamental civil right of Americans. And we also agree with Earl Warren's view that true marriage is necessary for the survival of society. Chief Justice Warren did not have to say true marriage-between one man and one woman. It was understood. It must still be so understood. The civil rights of all Americans must be defended … Keeping marriage alive requires hard work. And it needs government support. What we are saying is that true marriage must survive for America to survive. We are saying preserve Americans' civil right of marriage if we want America to climb back from the abyss of economic decline and social decay.” On the 40th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, Mildred Loving, one of the plaintiffs in the case, stated, “I believe all Americans, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry … I am proud that Richard’s and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight, seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about.”

In an August 21, 2023 op-ed for Huffington Post, Blackwell wrote, “This election now turns on whether a critical mass of American voters have arrived at the undeniable conclusion that if we do not fundamentally transform the three major entitlements for younger Americans then it will not be there for them at all (or even for those who will soon rely upon them), and that if we do not balance the federal budget it will cause an economic catastrophe … [If] President Obama wins a second term, and claims it as a mandate not to curb spending or entitlements … by November 2016 voters should have no doubt what must be done, and realize that liberals offer only blame and denial, while conservatives offer solutions.” To balance the budget, as he has promised, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney would have to cut $9.6 trillion from non-defense discretionary spending. Romney would also increase defense spending to $7.9 trillion between 2013 and 2022. Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan’s budget plan would cut $5.2 trillion from entitlements and non-defense discretionary spending while increasing defend spending to $5.7 trillion between 2013 and 2022.

On June 25, 2012, Herman Cain, former 2012 Republican presidential candidate, released an advertisement in which he and Ken Blackwell defended a Florida’s Voter ID law. Blackwell asked, “Why is [U.S. Attorney General] Eric Holder demanding that Florida stop removing illegal voters from their rolls/a>?” Blackwell was making reference to a Department of Justice lawsuit which challenged the Florida law because of allegations that it disenfranchises minorities. Blackwell further boasted, “As Secretary of State of Ohio, I was responsible for the integrity of the vote.” In 2004, while serving as the Secretary of State of Ohio and co-chair of the “Committee to Re-Elect George W. Bush,” Blackwell was the defendant in 16 lawsuits that alleged he disenfranchised Ohio voters.

In an April 26, 2023 op-ed for The Daily Caller, Blackwell wrote about “the secularization of Martin Luther King Jr,” stating, “So, since Rev. King and religion are inseparable, why are some people so quick to hide Dr. King’s religiosity? We would expect this type of careful ideological manipulation of history in the tyrannical states of the former Soviet Union or North Korea, but how does this happen in America? Sadly, I believe this is another example of how the secular left is winning the culture war. By driving religion out of the public square and re-writing the history books, they are erasing the invaluable role religion has played in our country’s history.” He continued, “By eliminating religion, the secular left is using the force of law to build its own type of warped, unholy church which is highly dogmatic and mandates participation under the threat of force … With the Obama administration’s openly hostile approach to religion, we have a government forcing members of religious institutions to participate in acts that violate their consciences, such as providing contraception and abortion services. All churches in Obama’s America are subservient to the whims of government bureaucrats, who are exercising power far outside the limits of our Constitution.” Blackwell was referring to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which requires employers to provide health insurance which covers contraception for women free of charge. The Act did not in any way alter existing, strict federal restrictions on the funding of abortion.

In a February 26, 2023 web appearance on The Daily Caller, Blackwell said of Democratic President Barack Obama, “What you see is a president that ignores the Constitution, an administration that ignores the Constitution. And he wants to build a federal court system in his own philosophy and in his own image, and thereby give him, and his administration, unbridled power.” Blackwell was then asked why some polls were indicating that African-American support was down for President Obama. He responded, “I remember being in graduate school and I read a work of a psychiatrist in the late 1800s and he was talking about the Antebellum south and slavery. And he said, ‘What people don’t understand is that you have a slave, and you have to worry about that slave running and bolting towards freedom. So your guarding and you put him in chains. And what you have is not a slave, you have a captive.’ He said, ‘When you can take off the chains and you can do away with the guards and that captive will not walk and walk outside of the area of prescription of slavery, you then have converted that captive to a slave.’ And he said, ‘There is a fear of freedom, that slaves, unlike captives, wont take the risk of bolting because all of us, slave and master alike, like homeostasis or equilibrium.’ And so one of the things that I’ve started to notice is that more and more young black people are willing to take the risk of being free, the risk of being not dependent on the government, and that is something, that’s a force that the pill of dependency, you know, cannot overtake by the Obama administration.”

In a February 22, 2023 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell wrote, “The term ‘Southern Strategy’ was invented by liberals in 1968 to attack their partisan opponents in the Republican Party, then led by Richard Nixon.” In fact, it was Republican President Richard Nixon’s political strategist, Kevin Phillips, who popularized the practice. The “Southern Strategy” involved exploiting white racism against African-Americans to drum up Republican votes, and was first used by Nixon during the 1968 presidential campaign. Blackwell added, “We who defend true [heterosexual] marriage are equally committed to civil rights. We strongly believe that marriage is a civil right—and that overturning true marriage will cause grave harm to all Americans, not the least to the poor and to minorities.”

On October 26, 2011, Blackwell endorsed Republican Texas Governor Rick Perry for president in the 2012 elections.

On September 22, 2023 it was announced that Blackwell, along with former Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle, would serve as the two vice presidents for the National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA). Commenting on his selection, Blackwell said, “The NFRA is the flagship of constitutionalist conservatism within the Republican Party. It is intent on making sure the federal government has limited powers and the states have an independent sovereign place in our system of government. If we, the people, are to arrest the Obama march to collectivism, social democracy and an imperial presidency, we must swell the ranks of the NFRA and maintain its status as a principled defender of liberty.” One month later, the NFRA endorsed former Republican Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum for president in the 2012 election.

Blackwell authored an August 19, 2023 op-ed for the Patriot Post, criticizing President Barack Obama’s role in the death of Osama bin Laden. He wrote that what was missing from the raid (ordered by President Obama) was “presidential leadership.” Blackwell further opined that, “The real reason why President Obama has hurriedly put the bin Laden raid behind him is the same reason why George McGovern could not point to his wonderful combat record, or even let others point to it: The Democratic Party houses a large and influential pacifist element.”

On August 2, 2011, Blackwell commented on the resolution of the debt ceiling crisis, writing, “The only thing being terrorized by tea partiers is the tyranny of the status quo.”

In a March 23, 2023 op-ed for the Patriot Post, Blackwell, upset that a book about the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan focused too little on Reagan’s policies as president, wrote, “Just imagine if Hinckley had so grievously wounded Jimmy Carter. Can anyone believe that that would have made 18% mortgage rates go away, forget ‘America held hostage’ in Iran, chill out while lining up for gasoline, or learn to enjoy the era of limits and malaise?” The book in question, “Rawhide Down,” was critically acclaimed and well received by reviewers with diverse viewpoints, including Bill O’Reilly and Bob Woodward.

John Bolton (Chairman of International Affairs Subcommittee)

On April 13, 2012, in a speech at the NRA Convention in St. Louis, Bolton stated, “You’ll remember, Jimmy Carter told us that we were suffering—we the American people—were suffering from a malaise. It turned out the only malaise we were suffering from was Jimmy Carter. And Ronald Reagan took care of that. I think we’re gonna take care of another malaise this November.” Bolton then compared President Barack Obama’s foreign policy to that of Ronald Reagan, stating, “Ronald Reagan was proud to be an American. How ‘bout that in a president for a change? We’ve got instead today, we’ve got our first post-American president in Barack Obama. He’s above all that patriotism stuff. He doesn’t believe in American exceptionalism. He says he does, but he doesn’t … Ronald Reagan believed deeply in American sovereignty. In his administration, U.S. foreign policy was not made at the United Nations. That’s not the approach of President Obama or today’s left in America. They’re constantly talking about giving up our sovereignty ... They do it almost expressly to undercut our Constitution … You know as well as I do, that once Obama is reelected, if that happens, and never has to face the voters again, it’s gonna be Katie-bar-the-door on his efforts to undermine our sovereignty and key constitutional freedoms.” Finally, Bolton expressed concerns about U.S. missile defense, stating, “The problem with Obama is that he sees American strength as provocative. When in fact it’s the exact opposite. It’s American weakness that’s provocative. And we have an American president who specializes in it.”

Jeff Cooper (Former Board Member)

In Vol. 12, No. 12 of Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries published in November 2004, Cooper wrote about the recent presidential election won by President George W. Bush, stating, “And [close] it was, but not so much as the left−leaning media would have us expect. The important thing is that we did win, and now we have the chance to do something about this evil religious conflict that threatens to engulf the world … We may give thanks as Thanksgiving approaches in the realization that most Americans prefer to face up to a violent challenge rather than to cut and run. Hurray for our side!” Cooper added, “At school long ago I was told of one of the early church fathers, Telemachus by name, who taught that one of the delights of the blessed in heaven would be looking over the ramparts and relishing the torments of the damned below. This struck us as a bit rough for a true Christian, but after our recent election I can see how it might apply to our current domestic scene.” Cooper then turned to the topic of the war in Iraq, stating, “We continue to reflect upon the need to identify our objective in this Holy War. We certainly have the ability to destroy our enemies; but first, of course, we must be able to point out who they are. The fanatics cannot be intimidated, since tactical suicide is in their minds the pathway to paradise. Therefore they must be personally destroyed. The policy was set forth at the notorious Siege of Beziers. 'Omnes moritatem. Deus suos cognoscet.'" Cooper is referring to a quote attributed to the Abbot of Citeaux Arnaud Amalric during the Siege of Béziers: “Kill them all, God will know His own.” Finally, Cooper shared an observation from a Marine, “Consider the following: ‘And I know you don't have much use for female Marines (neither do I, but let's keep that quiet) but there is one out here who is pulling more than her weight and is doing things no one else could do. She is an educated Syrian−born Lance Corporal, an absolutely delightful and fascinating person. Because of her particular abilities, she can go with units on a variety of missions and help calm a situation by speaking to the women and children, which is something no male Marine can do effectively. She has also done yeoman's work as a translator for the interrogators. All of that is even more impressive when you hear what career she walked away from to enlist in the Marine Corps: she was a practicing physician. I wouldn't have believed it unless I saw it myself.’”

In Vol. 10, No. 1 of Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries published in January 2002, Cooper wrote, “The devout Moslem demands that other people share his faith or die. That is not a foolish fancy—it is right there in the book [Koran]. The devout Moslem does not necessarily hate the Infidel, he simply cannot accept his existence, and there you have the Holy War. It may be that OBL's [Osama bin Laden] days are briefly numbered, but whether he lives or dies, Islam remains the core of the Holy War. I cannot handle the Arabic language, and therefore it is not possible for me to interpret the Koran. The fact remains that we do have a Holy War on our hands, and how we pursue it remains to be seen.” He also added, “We American shooters who constitute the foundation of liberty, are philosophically correct, but we are not strong enough to aid the enemy by fighting amongst ourselves. Please do not throw rocks at people on your own side of the barricade. Despite our temporary victory at the polls, there are still plenty of people who voted the wrong way—and will continue to do so. [New York Democratic Senator and gun violence prevention advocate Chuck] Schumer, I understand, is still alive and well.” Turning back to the subject of Islam, Cooper wrote, “Several correspondents have informed us that according to the Koran, Moslems are forbidden to fight any but defensive wars. Since I do not read Arabic, I cannot be sure about this, but it seems that the Arabs had to defend themselves furiously all the way from Mecca (in Arabia) to Tours (in France), going backwards all the time. Those Christians must have been pretty clever in order to get around behind the ragheads, who then defended themselves in reverse for several thousand miles and several hundred years.” Cooper continued, “Our two favorite columnists are Thomas Sowell and Florence King. Miss King just threw us a real beauty in National Review. She asserts that her mother (an unreconstructed Southern Lady) disputed this ‘sensitivity’ about busting the ragheads during Ramadan, as follows: ‘That's the best time to get 'em—when they've got their faces in the rug and their asses in the air.’

In Vol. 6, No. 4 of Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries published in April 1998, Cooper wrote, “It appears that since the Nips were unable to defeat us in the field, they are going to try to do so at the conference table. We may lose this one, as long as we maintain the current sleaze camp in Washington. It's just another reason why we must change the administration.” He also added, “Did you see where some Nip punk recently attempted to attack a police officer in order to hijack the officer's service pistol? Upon his arrest he claimed that he just wanted to know what it was like to shoot a firearm. Now what on earth should we make of a social organization in which that sort of thing turns up!” Turning to the role of women in society, Cooper wrote, “Family member Pat Rogers tells us of a case in New York wherein a police officer correctly, justifiably, and expertly laid out a goblin on the street with his shotgun. The action had been building up for a few minutes, and there were several other police officers in the vicinity. Three of them were copchicks, who had to be taken off the line to recover their composure after having witnessed so ghastly an event. One of these girls obtained a medical discharge, and is now on a pension from the taxpayers because of what she saw in the line of duty for which she volunteered.” He went on to write, “A recent report from Africa informs us that a Bantu hunter of our acquaintance was recently set upon after dark by an armed robber. Our friend cut him down neatly and went on about his business. Naturally, I am not going to furnish any details about the nationality or locality of our friend. In cases like this, the less the authorities know, the better. Years ago in our Balsas expedition we were forcefully informed by our permit issuing authorities in Mexico City that if we had occasion to knock off a bandit, we were by no means to report the matter. Just get the body out of sight in the bushes and get on with your business.”

In Vol. 2, No. 15 of Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries published in December 1994, Cooper wrote, “Recently in the waiting room of an office in Prescott we heard a customer, looking at us, remark, ‘The man has a pistol.’ My response was, ‘Yea, we just won the election!’ I do not know if the customer got the point, but I did enjoy the exchange.” In January 1995, the Republican Party took control of the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time since 1954. Cooper also called Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first “Grand Wizard” of the Ku Klux Klan, “an amazing man.”

In Vol. 1, No. 5 of Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries published in August 1993, Cooper recommended his readers view the film “Waco: The Big Lie.” The film promotes several conspiracy theories related to the 1993 standoff between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and a sect of anti-government Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, including a false claim that agents of the United States government, rather than Branch Davidians, were responsible for the shooting deaths of four ATF agents. Cooper wrote, “This is the unexpurgated record of the atrocity at Waco, and while it does not have all the answers, it certainly poses all the questions … But the big one, of course, is why the United States government, in its majesty, saw fit to declare war upon a group of citizens guilty of no offense. The only defense that the feds have suggested up to now is that the whole thing is a hoax. When you look at the tape, see if you think that it is.” The Waco standoff began in February 1993 after ATF agents attempting to serve a valid search warrant on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas were met with gunfire, and ended 50 days later in another violent incident. Commenting on the dismissal of FBI Director William Sessions for financial improprieties, Cooper wrote, “Now we need the [head] of [Attorney General Janet] Reno … Note that [NRA Board Member] Senator Larry Craig of Idaho is hard at work on that one.” Additionally, Cooper related an anecdote from a friend about a police officer shooting a criminal suspect and added, “See how lucky Rodney King was to escape with his life?

Chris Cox (Executive Director)

In a November 15, 2023 op-ed for the Daily Caller, Cox wrote about the November 6 presidential election, stating, “As long as dedicated patriots continue to band together and fight as though freedom itself is on the line—because it is—we will defend the Second Amendment in [President Barack] Obama’s second term and save it for generations to come. For gun owners, the next four years won’t just be the fight of our lives, it will be a fight for the future of our nation. We’re ready to lead the charge.”

In a September 7, 2023 op-ed for the Daily Caller, Cox wrote, “So far this year, 369 people have been murdered in Chicago … [President Barack] Obama’s 2012 party platform makes it clear that if he wins re-election, he will work to bring the same, dangerous anti-gun policies that are destroying Chicago to cities and towns nationwide. For that reason, November’s election presents a clear choice between our Second Amendment freedoms and fundamental right to self-defense…and the murder and mayhem that Barack Obama helped bring to Chicago, but now wants us all to ignore.” The Democratic National Committee’s party platform states, “We recognize that the individual right to bear arms is an important part of the American tradition, and we will preserve Americans' Second Amendment right to own and use firearms. We believe that the right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation. We understand the terrible consequences of gun violence; it serves as a reminder that life is fragile, and our time here is limited and precious. We believe in an honest, open national conversation about firearms. We can focus on effective enforcement of existing laws, especially strengthening our background check system, and we can work together to enact commonsense improvements—like reinstating the assault weapons ban and closing the gun show loophole—so that guns do not fall into the hands of those irresponsible, law-breaking few." Most of the crime guns recovered in Chicago are originally bought in Illinois. According to a 2008 to 2012 study by the University of Chicago Crime Lab, 45% of Illinois’ crime guns come from one county within the state, Cook County. Chuck’s Gun Store, in Cook County, supplies approximately 20% of the crime guns in Illinois. Roseanna Ander, executive director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, said that the data “suggests a key strategy in keep guns off the street is for law enforcement agencies to target the local gun stores most likely to sell firearms to straw purchasers.”

In a July 2, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Cox wrote, “Today begins the most important 26-day period for our Second Amendment freedoms in recent history. That’s because today, representatives from many of the world’s socialist, tyrannical and dictatorial regimes will gather at United Nations headquarters in New York for a month-long meeting, in which they’ll put the finishing touches on an international Arms Trade Treaty that could seriously restrict your freedom to own, purchase and carry a firearm.” Cox was referring to a U.N. Small Arms Treaty which would set only international standards for the import/export of conventional weapons—leaving it to individual countries to “regulate internal transfers of arms and national ownership, including through national constitutional protections on private ownership.” Cox added, “You might think that something so obviously menacing to one of our enumerated fundamental rights would receive a strong rebuke from our top government leaders. But you’d be wrong. This is President Barack Obama’s vision for America, and we’re expected to just go along with it. In fact, a group of anti-gun members of the U.S. House of Representatives, led by U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), went so far as to circulate a letter last week to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, in which they ‘strongly urge the United States to take a leadership role in pushing for a strong, verifiable Arms Trade Treaty’ … Since when did it become fashionable for sitting members of Congress to lobby international thugs, tyrants and dictators against our own U.S. Constitution?”

In a June 28, 2012, interview with NRA News, Cox spoke about a vote in the House of Representatives to hold U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in criminal contempt for refusing to comply with a Congressional subpoena for documents related to the “Fast and Furious” gun trafficking investigation on the southwest border. Cox stated, “The truth is, we’ve talked a lot about our dislike of Eric Holder. There’s no surprise that we think there’s something there … We believe, and have every reason to believe, that this was all part of their agenda to undermine the Second Amendment … I can assure you that Eric Holder’s contempt for the Second Amendment is the only thing that probably is stronger than Congress’ contempt for Eric Holder … We called for Eric Holder’s resignation over a year ago … But the best way to deal with Eric Holder, the best way to deal with these problems, is to defeat this president in November and to get some new people in there that have a little bit of common sense, a little bit of law enforcement background, that is legitimate, and that won’t be used to pursue a political agenda.” A report released by the Department of Justice’s Inspector General on September 19, 2023 found that there is no evidence that “Fast and Furious” was part of a broader conspiracy to advance new gun regulations. The report also found that there is no evidence that Attorney General Eric Holder was aware of the tactics used in the investigation until after it was concluded in 2011.

In the May 2012 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, Cox wrote, “If you’re like me…you’re disgusted by what has come out of the White House in the last three years. It’s not just [President Barack] Obama’s false claim of supporting the Second Amendment, whether to win election in 2008…or to dupe voters in electoral battleground states today. It’s also the repetitive, arrogant disregard for legal and traditional limits on presidential power.” Cox concluded, stating, “Together our ballots will help decide whether…election day 2012 goes down in history as the day we reaffirmed our belief that America is different, and ended the failed Obama experiment once and for all.”

On April 14, 2012, in a speech at the NRA Convention in St. Louis, Cox stated, “Friends, I know why President [Barack] Obama pays so little attention to the law. He thinks he’s above the law … He seems to think he’s the king of all three branches. How’s that for arrogance, folks?” Later, Cox referred to a discussion President Obama had with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in which he told Medvedev he would have “more flexibility” to deal with contentious foreign policy issues, such as missile defense, following the November 2012 elections. Cox quipped, “In other words, ‘cut me some slack Dmitry. Once I con these annoying voters into reelecting me in November, I can do whatever I want.’” Cox then warned the audience, “The stakes of this year’s election couldn’t be higher … Freedom is what’s at stake and it’s what we’ll lose if we fail. Let us cling to our firearms…with every fiber of our being.”

In a September 7, 2023 op-ed for the Daily Caller, Cox wrote, “So far this year, 369 people have been murdered in Chicago … [President Barack] Obama’s 2012 party platform makes it clear that if he wins re-election, he will work to bring the same, dangerous anti-gun policies that are destroying Chicago to cities and towns nationwide. For that reason, November’s election presents a clear choice between our Second Amendment freedoms and fundamental right to self-defense…and the murder and mayhem that Barack Obama helped bring to Chicago, but now wants us all to ignore.” The Democratic National Committee’s party platform states, “We recognize that the individual right to bear arms is an important part of the American tradition, and we will preserve Americans' Second Amendment right to own and use firearms. We believe that the right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation. We understand the terrible consequences of gun violence; it serves as a reminder that life is fragile, and our time here is limited and precious. We believe in an honest, open national conversation about firearms. We can focus on effective enforcement of existing laws, especially strengthening our background check system, and we can work together to enact commonsense improvements—like reinstating the assault weapons ban and closing the gun show loophole—so that guns do not fall into the hands of those irresponsible, law-breaking few.” Most of the crime guns recovered in Chicago are originally bought in Illinois. According to a 2008 to 2012 study by the University of Chicago Crime Lab, 45% of Illinois’ crime guns come from one county within the state, Cook County. Chuck’s Gun Store, in Cook County, supplies approximately 20% of the crime guns in Illinois. Roseanna Ander, executive director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, said that the data “suggests a key strategy in keep guns off the street is for law enforcement agencies to target the local gun stores most likely to sell firearms to straw purchasers.”

In a July 2, 2023 op-ed for The Washington Times, Cox wrote, “Today begins the most important 26-day period for our Second Amendment freedoms in recent history. That’s because today, representatives from many of the world’s socialist, tyrannical and dictatorial regimes will gather at United Nations headquarters in New York for a month-long meeting, in which they’ll put the finishing touches on an international Arms Trade Treaty that could seriously restrict your freedom to own, purchase and carry a firearm.” Cox was referring to a U.N. Small Arms Treaty which would set only international standards for the import/export of conventional weapons—leaving it to individual countries to “regulate internal transfers of arms and national ownership, including through national constitutional protections on private ownership.” Cox added, “You might think that something so obviously menacing to one of our enumerated fundamental rights would receive a strong rebuke from our top government leaders. But you’d be wrong. This is President Barack Obama’s vision for America, and we’re expected to just go along with it. In fact, a group of anti-gun members of the U.S. House of Representatives, led by U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), went so far as to circulate a letter last week to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, in which they ‘strongly urge the United States to take a leadership role in pushing for a strong, verifiable Arms Trade Treaty’ … Since when did it become fashionable for sitting members of Congress to lobby international thugs, tyrants and dictators against our own U.S. Constitution?

In the May 2012 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, Cox wrote, “If you’re like me…you’re disgusted by what has come out of the White House in the last three years. It’s not just [President Barack] Obama’s false claim of supporting the Second Amendment, whether to win election in 2008…or to dupe voters in electoral battleground states today. It’s also the repetitive, arrogant disregard for legal and traditional limits on presidential power.” Cox concluded, stating, “Together our ballots will help decide whether…election day 2012 goes down in history as the day we reaffirmed our belief that America is different, and ended the failed Obama experiment once and for all.”

On April 14, 2012, in a speech at the NRA Convention in St. Louis, Cox stated, “Friends, I know why President [Barack] Obama pays so little attention to the law. He thinks he’s above the law … He seems to think he’s the king of all three branches. How’s that for arrogance, folks?” Later, Cox referred to a discussion President Obama had with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in which he told Medvedev he would have “more flexibility” to deal with contentious foreign policy issues, such as missile defense, following the November 2012 elections. Cox quipped, “In other words, ‘cut me some slack Dmitry. Once I con these annoying voters into reelecting me in November, I can do whatever I want.’” Cox then warned the audience, “The stakes of this year’s election couldn’t be higher … Freedom is what’s at stake and it’s what we’ll lose if we fail. Let us cling to our firearms…with every fiber of our being.”

On April 30, 2011, in a speech at the NRA Convention in Pittsburgh, Cox “revisit[ed] some words from [his] political dictionary.” The first of those words was “jack-ass,” which Cox attributed to HBO talk show host Bill Maher, stating, “We will never stop fighting for the Second Amendment or the Constitution which also protects his First Amendment right to be a complete jack-ass.” The second was “hypocrite,” which Cox attributed to filmmaker Spike Lee, who had criticized the NRA for their violent rhetoric following the attempted assassination of Gabby Giffords in Tuscon, Arizona. Cox noted that in May 1999 Lee stated that [Former NRA President] Charlton Heston should be shot. “It was Charlton Heston who opened up Hollywood so African Americans like you could become millionaires,” Cox said. “Instead of running your mouth, why don’t you just do the right thing and say, ‘Thank you Mr. Heston.'”

Turning to the topic of the United Nations, Cox warned, “At the United Nations, freedom-hating governments are working to eliminate firearms ownership around the world and here at home. You’ve seen it on our southern border. Narco-terrorist violence is being exploited. Corrupt government officials and gun ban groups are using Mexico’s problems as an excuse to ban guns. And if that’s not bad enough, Mexico just announced they want to sue American gun companies. Their drugs and violence are flowing across the border into our country, but they’re suin’ us? If anything, we should be suin’ them.” Cox was referring to a U.N. Small Arms Treaty which would set only international standards for the export of conventional weapons—leaving domestic laws regulating the possession of firearms untouched.

Cox went on: “But it’s not just attacks from abroad. Here at home, they’re worming their way into our children’s classrooms. Teaching that guns are evil, hunting is cruel, and the freedoms and traditions we cherish the most are wrong or outdated or to blame for all the world’s problems. You all know who’s funding it. Billionaire puppeteers like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and globalist banker George Soros. We all know they’re not goin’ away and neither’s their money. Folks, there’s a lot goin’ on, there’s a lot at stake, and we don’t have much time. So, I’ll say it without apology. We need your help. We need more members and we need more resources. Here’s why: President [Barack] Obama’s already launched his reelection effort. He kicked it off to get a lead on raisin’ money. They’re sayin’ he could be the first presidential candidate in history to spend more than a billion dollars … What do you lose if Barack Obama wins? Well, you tell me. What if he appoints just one more anti-gun justice to the U.S. Supreme Court and we go from one-vote victories to one-vote defeats for generations to come? What’s that cost? My friends, praying for the health of five Supreme Court justices is not a strategy you want to stake your freedom on. Because, once it’s lost, freedom can be almost impossible to reclaim.”

On April 30, 2011, in a speech at the NRA Convention in Pittsburgh, Cox “revisit[ed] some words from [his] political dictionary.” The first of those words was “jack-ass,” which Cox attributed to HBO talk show host Bill Maher, stating, “We will never stop fighting for the Second Amendment or the Constitution which also protects his First Amendment right to be a complete jack-ass.” The second was “hypocrite,” which Cox attributed to filmmaker Spike Lee, who had criticized the NRA for their violent rhetoric following the attempted assassination of Gabby Giffords in Tuscon, Arizona. Cox noted that in May 1999 Lee stated that [Former NRA President] Charlton Heston should be shot. “It was Charlton Heston who opened up Hollywood so African Americans like you could become millionaires,” Cox said. “Instead of running your mouth, why don’t you just do the right thing and say, ‘Thank you Mr. Heston.”

Turning to the topic of the United Nations, Cox warned, “At the United Nations, freedom-hating governments are working to eliminate firearms ownership around the world and here at home. You’ve seen it on our southern border. Narco-terrorist violence is being exploited. Corrupt government officials and gun ban groups are using Mexico’s problems as an excuse to ban guns. And if that’s not bad enough, Mexico just announced they want to sue American gun companies. Their drugs and violence are flowing across the border into our country, but they’re suin’ us? If anything, we should be suin’ them.” Cox was referring to a U.N. Small Arms Treaty which would set only international standards for the export of conventional weapons—leaving domestic laws regulating the possession of firearms untouched.

Cox went on: “But it’s not just attacks from abroad. Here at home, they’re worming their way into our children’s classrooms. Teaching that guns are evil, hunting is cruel, and the freedoms and traditions we cherish the most are wrong or outdated or to blame for all the world’s problems. You all know who’s funding it. Billionaire puppeteers like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and globalist banker George Soros. We all know they’re not goin’ away and neither’s their money. Folks, there’s a lot goin’ on, there’s a lot at stake, and we don’t have much time. So, I’ll say it without apology. We need your help. We need more members and we need more resources. Here’s why: President [Barack] Obama’s already launched his reelection effort. He kicked it off to get a lead on raisin’ money. They’re sayin’ he could be the first presidential candidate in history to spend more than a billion dollars … What do you lose if Barack Obama wins? Well, you tell me. What if he appoints just one more anti-gun justice to the U.S. Supreme Court and we go from one-vote victories to one-vote defeats for generations to come? What’s that cost? My friends, praying for the health of five Supreme Court justices is not a strategy you want to stake your freedom on. Because, once it’s lost, freedom can be almost impossible to reclaim.”

On May 15, 2023 in a speech at the NRA Convention in Charlotte, Cox asked the audience, “Ladies and gentlemen, did you ever have the memory of some event in your life sneak up on you out of nowhere, smack you in the face and make you cringe with regret because you wish you had done something different? Now, I’m not talking about college indiscretions. I’m talking about Election Day 2008 [when President Barack Obama was elected president]. I bet a lot of people look back on that day and wish they could turn back the clock.” He continued, stating, “Every pro-gun leader you elect and anti-gun politician you defeat means fewer bad laws and more good laws. Good laws that make us all safer and prove that we're right, the gun-haters are wrong, and they need to keep their hands off our safety and our freedom ... That’s important, because every time we reduce fees, extend the length of your permit, or expand where you can carry can mean the difference between life and death. Self-defense reform is real health care reform.” He warned, “Look at what these politicians are doing. To pay for things we didn't ask for, can't afford, and don't need...they're scrapping things we can't live without ... When all this hits the fan and the politicians want cheap, easy answers, guess whose guns they're gonna come after? Yours and mine.”

On May 15, 2023 in a speech at the NRA Convention in Charlotte, Cox asked the audience, “Ladies and gentlemen, did you ever have the memory of some event in your life sneak up on you out of nowhere, smack you in the face and make you cringe with regret because you wish you had done something different? Now, I’m not talking about college indiscretions. I’m talking about Election Day 2008 [when President Barack Obama was elected president]. I bet a lot of people look back on that day and wish they could turn back the clock.” He continued, stating, “Every pro-gun leader you elect and anti-gun politician you defeat means fewer bad laws and more good laws. Good laws that make us all safer and prove that we're right, the gun-haters are wrong, and they need to keep their hands off our safety and our freedom ... That’s important, because every time we reduce fees, extend the length of your permit, or expand where you can carry can mean the difference between life and death. Self-defense reform is real health care reform.” He warned, “Look at what these politicians are doing. To pay for things we didn't ask for, can't afford, and don't need...they're scrapping things we can't live without ... When all this hits the fan and the politicians want cheap, easy answers, guess whose guns they're gonna come after? Yours and mine.”

On May 16, 2009, in a speech at the NRA Convention in Phoenix, Cox stated, “The sanctity of the Second Amendment, all of our rights, all of our freedom, is in your hands. Freedom calls you to her defense now more than ever before because she's under attack like never before.” This was because of the appointments/confirmations of Rahm Emanuel as White House Chief-of-Staff, Eric Holder as U.S. Attorney General, and Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, Cox explained. “We all know what to expect from our opponents,” he said, “They exploit tragedies. But to be honest with you, I never thought they’d pick an international tragedy. And as you've seen— that's exactly what they're doing with Mexico ... It’s been estimated that 100,000 Mexican soldiers have deserted the military in recent years to go work for the cartels. This is Mexico's problem. But the media and anti-gun politicians want us to believe that one more American gun control law or some international agreement will turn these ruthless murderers into boy scouts. You have got to be kiddin' me! We need to find 'em, arrest em', and send em' with the rest of the terrorists to Guantanamo Bay. Oh yeah, I forgot, that would be too ‘cruel.’ We should welcome them with open arms into our neighborhoods.” Cox warned, “Friends, these threats are real. Americans are concerned, and they're buyin' guns. So let’s give credit where credit’s due: In these tough times, the Obama administration deserves credit for the only part of the economy that’s goin’ strong—gun sales.” Finally, Cox told a story that “sums up the sorry state of affairs in [Washington,] D.C.”: “It’s 2006. Melroy Cort [an Iraq War veteran who had both legs amputated] and his wife are driving from their home in Ohio to Maryland. They drive through Washington, D.C. to get there. Melroy has a valid Ohio [concealed handgun] permit and he's carrying his 9mm in the car for protection. While driving through D.C., they get a flat tire, and pull over to fix it. Concerned, he takes his gun from the car and puts it in his jacket. Someone sees it happen and dials 911. Within minutes, the police show up and arrest him ... Now let me tell you a little something about D.C. If neighbors call 911 about some crack deal in progress there’s a 50/50 chance they’ll even send someone. But when a Marine Corporal –confined to a wheelchair because of his service to our country—strays into D.C. with his legally owned firearm they can’t put him in jail fast enough. And that’s our nation’s capital for ya. If you’re a gun owner, they put you in jail. But if you’re Mayor, and get caught smoking crack, they put you on the City Council.” The latter reference was to former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, who went on to serve on the D.C. City Council.

On May 16, 2009, in a speech at the NRA Convention in Phoenix, Cox stated, “The sanctity of the Second Amendment, all of our rights, all of our freedom, is in your hands. Freedom calls you to her defense now more than ever before because she's under attack like never before.” This was because of the appointments/confirmations of Rahm Emanuel as White House Chief-of-Staff, Eric Holder as U.S. Attorney General, and Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, Cox explained. “We all know what to expect from our opponents,” he said, “They exploit tragedies. But to be honest with you, I never thought they’d pick an international tragedy. And as you've seen— that's exactly what they're doing with Mexico ... It’s been estimated that 100,000 Mexican soldiers have deserted the military in recent years to go work for the cartels. This is Mexico's problem. But the media and anti-gun politicians want us to believe that one more American gun control law or some international agreement will turn these ruthless murderers into boy scouts. You have got to be kiddin' me! We need to find 'em, arrest em', and send em' with the rest of the terrorists to Guantanamo Bay. Oh yeah, I forgot, that would be too ‘cruel.’ We should welcome them with open arms into our neighborhoods.” Cox warned, “Friends, these threats are real. Americans are concerned, and they're buyin' guns. So let’s give credit where credit’s due: In these tough times, the Obama administration deserves credit for the only part of the economy that’s goin’ strong—gun sales.” Finally, Cox told a story that “sums up the sorry state of affairs in [Washington,] D.C.”: “It’s 2006. Melroy Cort [an Iraq War veteran who had both legs amputated] and his wife are driving from their home in Ohio to Maryland. They drive through Washington, D.C. to get there. Melroy has a valid Ohio [concealed handgun] permit and he's carrying his 9mm in the car for protection. While driving through D.C., they get a flat tire, and pull over to fix it. Concerned, he takes his gun from the car and puts it in his jacket. Someone sees it happen and dials 911. Within minutes, the police show up and arrest him ... Now let me tell you a little something about D.C. If neighbors call 911 about some crack deal in progress there’s a 50/50 chance they’ll even send someone. But when a Marine Corporal –confined to a wheelchair because of his service to our country—strays into D.C. with his legally owned firearm they can’t put him in jail fast enough. And that’s our nation’s capital for ya. If you’re a gun owner, they put you in jail. But if you’re Mayor, and get caught smoking crack, they put you on the City Council.” The latter reference was to former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, who went on to serve on the D.C. City Council.

chris cox (Executive Director)

In a June 28, 2012, interview with NRA News, Cox spoke about a vote in the House of Representatives to hold U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in criminal contempt for refusing to comply with a Congressional subpoena for documents related to the “Fast and Furious” gun trafficking investigation on the southwest border. Cox stated, “The truth is, we’ve talked a lot about our dislike of Eric Holder. There’s no surprise that we think there’s something there … We believe, and have every reason to believe, that this was all part of their agenda to undermine the Second Amendment … I can assure you that Eric Holder’s contempt for the Second Amendment is the only thing that probably is stronger than Congress’ contempt for Eric Holder … We called for Eric Holder’s resignation over a year ago … But the best way to deal with Eric Holder, the best way to deal with these problems, is to defeat this president in November and to get some new people in there that have a little bit of common sense, a little bit of law enforcement background, that is legitimate, and that won’t be used to pursue a political agenda.” A report released by the Department of Justice’s Inspector General on September 19, 2023 found that there is no evidence that “Fast and Furious” was part of a broader conspiracy to advance new gun regulations. The report also found that there is no evidence that Attorney General Eric Holder was aware of the tactics used in the investigation until after it was concluded in 2011.

Larry Craig (Board Member)

On August 3, 2012, the Associated Press reported that Craig, who is being sued by the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) for allegedly misusing more than $200,000 in campaign funds for his legal defense following his 2007 arrest in a bathroom sex sting, seeks to fend off the charges by arguing that the incident was part of his official Senate business. Craig asserts that he was travelling between Idaho and the nation's capital for work and cites a Senate rule which include all charges for meals, lodging, hotel fans, cleaning, pressing of clothing—and bathrooms—as reimbursable per diem expenses. "Not only was the trip itself constitutionally required, but Senate rules sanction reimbursement for any cost relating to a senator's use of a bathroom while on official travel," wrote Craig’s lawyer in documents filed on August 2, 2012.

On June 11, 2012, Craig was sued by the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) for allegedly misusing more than $200,000 in campaign funds for his legal defense following his 2007 arrest in a bathroom sex sting. Craig had been accused of soliciting sex in a bathroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The FEC claims that Craig for U.S. Senate, the U.S. senator’s campaign account, paid at least $139,952 to the law firm Sutherland, Asbill and Brennan in Washington, D.C., and $77,032 to Kelly & Jacobson in Minnesota for legal services related to his guilty plea. The FEC stated in their complaint that Craig should be required to repay the misused funds and a fine of up to $6,500.

Cam Edwards (NRA News Radio Host)

On the October 18, 2023 broadcast of “Cam & Company,” Edwards spoke to George Kollitides, CEO of Remington Arms. Discussing the 2012 presidential election, Kollitides stated, “I think this will be the most important election of our lifetime. The next president is going to be in an incredibly powerful position to appoint [U.S.] Supreme Court justices. It’s one thing to legislate a gun ban. That can always be overturned by a future president, a future Congress, and Congress can fight it, of course, and hope they don’t get vetoed and overruled. We’ve had the benefit of a strict interpretist Supreme Court which has been conservative and really held up the core traditional values of our country. So, I don’t necessarily just worry about the next four years of an [Barack] Obama presidency, I worry about my kids and my grandkids futures, because if we change face of the Supreme Court, we’re looking at a thirty-plus-year uphill battle.” Edwards replied, “Absolutely right … We are likely to see, over the next four years, whoever is president have the opportunity to put one perhaps as many as three or four justices on the Supreme Court and that will impact our lives for decades to come … We really can’t afford a court that is going to be hostile to gun owners.” Kollitides continued, stating, “Not only will the Second Amendment be under attack if we go to a liberal non-strict-interpretative court, but it’ll be the entire American way of life. When we appoint liberal judges, they take it upon themselves not to interpret the laws but to legislate the laws and there’s a lot of liberal courts doing that. So, the appeal needs to be not just to gun owners, although that’s obviously critically important…but I think many of the things we think about, all of our freedoms will be at risk. You know the liberal courts and the liberal politicians believe they know what’s best for Americans. They’re gonna tell us when we have to get health care. They’re gonna tell us what time we have to get out of bed every day. They’re gonna tell us where we have to go to work. They’re gonna take our money and redistribute it. This is an issue that every American needs to be worried about.” After Kollitides finished speaking, Edwards replied, “Absolutely.”

On the October 2, 2023 broadcast of “Cam & Company,” Edwards spoke about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney signing an Assault Weapons Ban into law in 2004, when he was governor of Massachusetts. Edwards stated, “This was actually a bill that the Gun Owners Action League (GOAL) in Massachusetts supported. The quote unquote ‘assault weapons bill,’ or excuse me, the quote unquote ‘assault weapons ban,’ was already law in Massachusetts. It was already permanent in Massachusetts. This bill actually provided some relief to gun owners in the state of Massachusetts. It was portrayed and it has been portrayed in the media as Governor Romney signed a bill to ban quote unquote assault weapons in the state of Massachusetts. But that's not the case. This was a bill, as I said, that was supported by the state gun owners' organization in Massachusetts because it actually undid some of the damage of that original legislation.” In fact, as Governor Romney’s press release announcing the signing of "An Act Furthering Regulating Certain Weapons" stated, “Like the federal assault weapons ban, the state ban, put in place in 1998, was scheduled to expire in September [2004]. The new law ensures these deadly weapons, including AK-47s, UZIs and Mac-10 rifles, are permanently prohibited in Massachusetts no matter what happens on the federal level.” While GOAL supported reforms to Massachusett’s gun licensing scheme contained in the legislation, the group stated in a July 2, 2023 press release, “Although the Governor did make mention of being a ‘sportsman’ and the reforms in the bill that would help other sportsmen, he spun the bill as a ban. ‘Deadly assault weapons have no place in Massachusetts,’ Romney said. ‘These guns are not made for recreation or self-defense. They are instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people.’ When asked by a reporter if he supported the renewal of the federal ‘assault weapons’ ban and if he had spoken to the senators about it, Governor Romney replied that it was not really his job to lobby on federal legislation, but that he shared Senator [John] Kerry's and Senator [Ted] Kennedy's position on the issue!” Senator Kerry and Senator Kennedy supported renewing the federal assault weapons ban, which expired in September 2004.

On the May 22, 2023 broadcast of “Cam & Company,” Edwards spoke with National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR) adjunct fellow Horace Cooper. NCPRR was founded one day after the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) disbanded its Public Safety and Elections Task Force, which was responsible for model voter ID and “Stand Your Ground” legislation. NCPPR promotes the implementation of voter ID laws at the state level in order to “enhance integrity in voting.” On the show, Cooper claimed that voter fraud is “a real problem” and that “felons, illegal immigrants, or just people who are paid to show up...go from one voting site to the next and cast votes in the names of other people.” Edwards agreed with Cooper and displayed a graphic which claimed that newly enacted voter ID legislation in Virginia “will ensure that voters presenting themselves at the polls are who they say they are, and greatly reduce voter fraud.” Cooper expressed NCPPR’s preference for voter ID laws similar to those in Texas and South Carolina, stating that these laws contain “grade A voter ID requirements.” Those laws have been challenged in court by the Department of Justice over allegations that they disenfranchise minorities. Furthermore, research has shown that in-person voter fraud of the kind Cooper warns about is extremely rare in the United States. Finally, in 2010, Cooper, a former Department of Labor official, pled guilty to falsifying a document after he failed to report gifts worth thousands of dollars which he received from convicted Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

On the May 15, 2012, broadcast of “Cam & Company,” Edwards hosted conservative commentator and Pajamas Media contributor Bill Whittle to discuss “the demasculinization of men, the feminization of men, and the wimpification of men.” When Edwards asked Whittle whether the idea of a “strong man” owning a gun and hunting is obsolete, Whittle replied, “The great feminist line that just encapsulates this radical feminist philosophy in a nutshell is, they used to say, uh, you know, ‘women need men like a fish needs a bicycle.’ And there’s a lot of unhappy fish out there, if you haven’t been paying attention … I think in the case of the real out-there feminists, there’s something that really scares them about male strength.” Later in the broadcast, Edwards said, “One of the gun control groups, I think it’s the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, always says, you know, violence is never the answer. Well, Bill, I think that’s an absurd statement to make.” Whittle replied, laughing, “It is always the answer. This is the difference between liberals and conservatives. Liberals think that you can avoid violence, that violence can be bred out of the human animal. It’s not possible. What you can do is, is you can take a society where people are fundamentally good and convince them that defending themselves is somehow wrong and that does not mean that the rest of the world becomes civilized. It means that the savages kill all the good people. And this has happened all throughout history.” Finally, Whittle told Edwards, “One thing I am really genuinely disturbed about, you see this all over the place, are these kind of women butt-kickers in movies. Scarlett Johansson who is, you know, she's probably five foot four and maybe she weighs 110 pounds soaking wet taking down these 250 pound guys with karate chops and stuff … It's like bad things are going to happen if people think this is going to happen in the real world. Because number one, girls are going to get themselves badly hurt, and number two, when guys see movies about young girls, and young women doing all these physical moves in these wild kind of defense things, it takes away that fundamental inhibition that has been drilled into boys my age, and your age too, and that is you never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever hit a girl. Ever ever ever. When young boys go to movies and see girls doing all this butt-kicking and taking down all these guys, number one, girls think they are going to get away with that, there is not going to be an outcome where a 100 pound girl physically punches a 210 pound guy with a happy outcome for the girl. That's why you have guns.” Edwards replied, “Absolutely. Absolutely right.”

R. Lee Ermey (Board Member)

In the March 2012 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, Ermey was interviewed by NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox. Ermey told him, “Some things I’ve said have ended up on Keith Olbermann’s show and I consider that a badge of honor. When he gets upset about something, it makes me happy. When it comes to politics and religion, you can’t please everyone. The people on the wrong side of the fence need to do a little more research.” When asked about his role in the NRA’s “Trigger the Vote” campaign, Ermey stated, “We need to take this country back and do it right now. I fought for this country, and now I’m watching these protesters and politicians destroy this country, so I have to consider them my enemies–just politically of course.”

Sandy Froman (Board Member)

Prior to the November 2006 Congressional elections, Froman urged NRA members to vote for Republican candidates in a column in America’s 1st Freedom, writing, “Disaster is looming on Nov. 7, and I need your help to save our freedom. I’m not exaggerating. We are at the edge of a dangerous political precipice. If we stumble, we will fall back to a pre-1994 [Democratic] anti-Second Amendment Congress. If we fail to act, out of apathy or because we want someone else to do our job, we betray not only ourselves but our children and grandchildren. We betray our country and Founding Fathers. Every gain we’ve made for the Second Amendment could be reversed unless we win this critical election.” Froman also added, “We are at war. Our freedom is at stake. The Second Amendment is America’s original homeland security and you, my fellow NRA members, are at the heart of our national defense. But Pelosi and her fellow extremists, who are hoping to take control, oppose our national security efforts and oppose your Right to Keep and Bear Arms.” Democrats did gain control of the House during the 2006 elections, and were the majority party until the Republicans retook the House in 2010.

In a column in the August 2005 edition of America’s 1st Freedom, From an wrote, “Activist judges in some courtrooms have been ignoring—or in some cases rewriting—the Constitution as they push a radical agenda on the American people. The political left, unable to pass its extremist agenda at the ballot box and losing elections across the board, has turned to the courtroom to undermine our constitutional order, Bill of Rights and basic American institutions.”

Maria Heil (Board Member)

On September 29, 2012, Heil spoke at the 27th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference in Orlando, Florida on a panel entitled “The Most Dangerous Election of Our Lifetime.” Heil spoke about the November 2012 presidential election, stating, “I contend that this is the most dangerous election of our lifetime … Let’s talk about judges. I’ve got a thing to say about them: they’re getting old. The Supreme Court and the Circuit Court of Appeals … During the next presidential term, three of the Supremes will turn eighty. We’ve had Second Amendment victories on the Supreme Court by one vote. One vote. Can you imagine what [President Barack] Obama will do if he’s unchained, if he gets a second term? Appoint radicals to the Supreme Court. Can you imagine two more of [Justice Sonia] Sotomayor and ]Justice Elena] Kagen? Or possibly three more? What else is he gonna do, do you think? Executive Order the Small Arms Treaty … He’s gonna try to push having guns as a health issue. He’ll ban them through Obamacare. I have no doubt about it … What I would like to happen is, when we all wake up on November 7th, assuming we can actually go to sleep that Tuesday night, I want to hear that Americans have overwhelmingly chosen the pro-Second Amendment candidate, the one that’s always been proud to be an American. And I also want to hear that the American people have spoken loudly and clearly and have said, ‘Mr. Obama, you’re fired.’” Heil was referring to a U.N. Small Arms Treaty which would set only international standards for the import/export of conventional weapons—leaving it to individual countries to “regulate internal transfers of arms and national ownership, including through national constitutional protections on private ownership.”

On June 8, 2012, Heil spoke at a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) event in Chicago on a panel entitled “Defending Self-Defense: The Liberal’s Shadow War on the Second Amendment.” According to Heil, there isn’t just a “shadow war” on the Second Amendment. “There’s a shadow war on SUVs, too. ‘The SUV went off the road and killed people,’ not the truck,” she mocked. Heil added, “I’d…like to thank the American Conservative Union for holding CPAC Chicago here in Chicago in Obama’s state of residence. I know a lot of you who are Illinoisans cringe at that, but you know what? That’s OK, because Illinois is the birthplace of Ronald Reagan.” Heil also spoke about her roots in Illinois, stating, “I hope that it really makes some people in Oak Park cringe that one of their home-born people is on the NRA Board of Directors … And also with [Northern Illinois University], they’ve turned anti-gun, of course, because of the tragedy there. But I graduated from NIU. I hope that makes some of those people cringe as well.” The tragedy Heil was referring to was a 2008 mass shooting at the school in which a mentally ill student (who was a legal gun purchaser) shot and killed five students, wounding 21 others, before killing himself. Heil also told the following story: “When I was a kid in Oak Park, that’s actually when they started their anti-gun nonsense because I vividly remember as a kid the Sinclair station on, is it Austin, and the Eisenhower … My dad used to get the gas tank filled up there and I vividly remember one of the workers there, after some of this anti-gun stuff started, having a gun on his hip while he was pumping the gas. That stuck with me. I wasn’t pro- or anti- as a kid, I didn’t know anything, but that’s a vivid memory. That’s one thing that that gentleman did that stuck with me and now I’m a member of the NRA board of directors. You never know what kind of impact just a little bit is going to have.” Referring to the 2000 “so-called” Million Mom March on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., which was attended by approximately 750,000 people, Heil said, “Who would be against a bunch of moms wanting to protect their children? You know, that’s what they portray it. Well, they wanted to take away guns is their ultimate goal. And, you know, to counter that you would think of that young mother…just after New Year’s, she was a new widow and young baby. She had to use a gun to protect herself and she did everything she could to not do that, but in the end she had to use a gun to protect herself. The Million Moms would have disarmed her. They would have disarmed her.” In fact, there is nothing in the reform proposals advocated by the Million Mom March that would prevent law-abiding mothers from owning firearms. Heil also identified the following movies as “anti-gun”: “The Lorax,” “Lethal Weapon 3,” and “Lethal Weapon 4.” Finally, Heil warned, “You know and we know if the Second Amendment goes, the rest of everything else that we hold dear is going to go as well.”

Charlton Heston (Former President)

During a December 7, 2023 speech before the Free Congress Foundation, a controversial think tank that promotes the far-right’s viewpoint in “The Culture War,” Heston compared the perceived plight of white conservative Americans to “European Jews … The Nazis forced them to wear six-pointed yellow stars sewn on their chests as identity badges. It worked. So what color star will they pin on our coats? How will the self-styled elite tag us? There may not be a Gestapo officer on every street corner yet, but the influence on our culture is just as pervasive.” He went on to say, “Heaven help the God-fearing, law-abiding, Caucasian, middle class, Protestant, or even worse Evangelical Christian, Midwest, or Southern, or even worse rural, apparently straight, or even worse admittedly heterosexual, gun-owning or even worse NRA-card-carrying, average working stiff, or even worse male working stiff, because not only don't you count, you're a downright obstacle to social progress … The Constitution was handed down to guide us by a bunch of those wise old dead white guys who invented this country. Now, some flinch when I say that. Why? It's true...they were white guys. So were most of the guys who died in Lincoln's name opposing slavery in the 1860s. So why should I be ashamed of white guys? Why is ‘Hispanic pride’ or ‘black pride’ a good thing, while ‘white pride’ conjures up shaved heads and white hoods? Why was the Million Man March on Washington celebrated in the media as progress, while the Promise Keepers March on Washington was greeted with suspicion and ridicule? I'll tell you why: cultural warfare.” Heston also declared, “I find my blood pressure rising when Clinton's cultural shock troops participate in homosexual-rights fund-raisers but boycott gun rights fund-raisers...and then claim it's time to place homosexual men in tents with Boy Scouts, and suggest that sperm donor babies born into lesbian relationships are somehow better served and more loved … Mainstream America is depending on you counting on you to draw your sword and fight for them. These people have precious little time or resources to battle misguided Cinderella attitudes, the fringe propaganda of the homosexual coalition, the feminists who preach that it's a divine duty for women to hate men, [and] blacks who raise a militant fist with one hand while they seek preference with the other.” Heston’s speech is still featured on the website of white supremacist David Duke, who lauds the remarks by stating, “A few years ago I was astounded to read these courageous remarks by Charlton Heston. I am thankful to hear a man with such high esteem say essentially the same things for which I have been reviled by the liberal media. His words should be reproduced and put into the hands of every American.” Julian Bond, then-Board Chairman of the NAACP, reacted to the speech by saying, “Charlton Heston's civil rights credentials are seriously sullied by his bigoted and homophobic remarks and his attacks on racial minorities. The endorsement by white supremacist David Duke further threatens to erode the considerable respect many Americans felt toward Heston for his years-ago commitment to human rights.”

Roy Innis (Board Member)

On October 31, 2011, the Washington Post reported that Prosperity USA, a private charity run by two top aides to 2012 Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, gave $100,000 to Innis’ Congress of Racial Equality Organization (CORE) shortly before Cain spoke at CORE’s annual “Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Celebration” dinner. Speaking about Cain at the event, Innis said, “In this case we are even more pleased to bring the Tea Party people to our dinner as they have exemplified the spirit of Dr. King and are living the legacy that he helped establish in American politics.” Prosperity USA is facing scrutiny for a $37,372 donation to the Cain campaign that may have violated campaign finance laws (under federal law, non-profit charities are not allowed to donate to political campaigns).

On October 25, 2011, Innis described 2012 Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain as “an idea that was trying to be expressed for a long time by black America but was stifled by the left-wing establishment.”

Then-American Conservative Union Chairman David Keene presented Innis with the John M. Ashbrook Award at the 2010 Conservative Political Action Conference and said, “There is no living American I admire more than Roy Innis.” The award is named after one of the founders of the ACU who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 21 years as a Republican from Ohio. In his remarks, Innis warned of “a growing tyranny in our country” and said the candidates for the 2008 presidential election were “some of the most dangerous people to ever run for the presidency of the United States.” Speaking on the influence of CPAC, Innis said, “We have developed some skills. We are able to influence the Republican Party, and nudge it, and push it in certain directions. Let us teach those skills to our young brothers in the Tea Party.”

David Keene (Board Member)

On October 4, 2012, in a speech at a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) event in Colorado, Keene spoke about the 2012 presidential election, stating, “This is indeed an important election, a crucial election. We’ve said at the NRA that it may well be the most important election of our lifetime … There are…many reasons this President [Barack Obama] needs to be retired. There are many reasons why it’s so important that we elect conservatives to the Congress and the Senate this year … There’s the willingness of this administration, in unprecedented ways, to flout the laws and, indeed, the constitution of this country … If this president is reelected, he will have the opportunity to appoint one, two, maybe three justices of the United States Supreme Court. What will happen to the [District of Columbia v.] Heller decision, which ratifies the constitutional right of Americans as individuals to keep and bear, arms if he does that? It will vanish. What will happen to that decision and other decisions guaranteeing our rights, not just on Second Amendment grounds, but think recently of the attacks on the First Amendment by this administration? … Much of what our forbears fought for, much of what we inherited, many of the values that we share will vanish … Let’s face it, this is not about guns. It’s about freedom. The Second Amendment is crucial to the nature of this society … Americans know that it’s not just about guns, it’s about values. It’s about an America that the elites today wish was passé … It’s up to us to defend those values and defend those rights … We’ve got a strong ticket [in Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romeny and vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan] … We’ve got believers in our values.” Keene offered no examples of ways in which President Obama has restricted First Amendment free speech. Keene also referred to the Supreme Court’s 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, which held for the first time in U.S. history that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to firearm ownership for self defense in the home; striking down D.C.’s handgun ban.

In an October 4, 2023 interview with NRA News, Keene spoke about the administration of President Barack Obama, stating, “This is an administration that on many fronts and over many issues has committed many sins. Perhaps the worst, in a general sense, is their willingness to flaunt the law and the Constitution. You see it in little ways and in big ways. This is an administration where, if you don’t agree with them, if you don’t like President [Obama]’s position, then your rights are suspect anyway. They’re now doing it on the First Amendment, for Lord’s sake. They view the First Amendment and the Second Amendment in [the] very same way. These aren’t rights. These are privileges granted by government that can be restricted or taken away by government. So, now in the area of free speech, maybe you should only be free to say things that the Obama Administration agrees with or that our enemies agree with or that don’t offend anyone … This is perhaps the most institutionally dangerous tenancy that we’ve seen on the part of the administration—its willingness to flaunt the Constitution, ignore the law and then govern unilaterally through executive order and harassment of people they don’t like without any reference to what they should be doing in their proper role within a federal structure … This election is the most important of our lifetime because if this man is given four more years in the White House, he will do frontally what he’s been trying to do behind the scenes. Without the fear of having to face an electorate again, Barack Obama will come after the Second Amendment in many ways. There will be, if he’s reelected, a small arms treaty signed at the United Nations. He will have the opportunity to appoint one, two, three justices of the Supreme Court. Lord knows how many lower court judges. Combined, they can either restrict the [District of Columbia v.]Heller and McDonald [v. Chicago] decisions in such a way that they become meaningless or they can outright reverse them at the Supreme Court level. If that happens … America’s gun rights are at risk … If they have their way, those rights which you think are not only sacrosanct and which are sacrosanct, but which you think you’ll never lose could indeed be lost.” Keene offered no examples of ways in which President Obama is restricting freedom of speech. Keene also referred to a U.N. Small Arms Treaty which would set only international standards for the import/export of conventional weapons—leaving it to individual countries to “regulate internal transfers of arms and national ownership, including through national constitutional protections on private ownership.” Furthermore, such a treaty would require approval by two thirds of the U.S. Senate. Finally, Keene referred to the Heller and McDonald decisions. The Supreme Court, in District of Columbia v. Heller, held for the first time in U.S. history that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to firearm ownership for self defense in the home; striking down D.C.’s handgun ban. In McDonald v. Chicago, the Court held that the Second Amendment, as interpreted in Heller, applied to the states through the Due Process Clause.

On October 3, 2012, Keene made a stop in Great Falls, Montana to endorse Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Hill. Keene also stated, "If [President Barack Obama]’s reelected, the next time the UN considers a Small Arms Treaty, he will sign it.” The President’s goal is clear, he added: “To restrict and contract the number of people who engage in shooting sports that own firearms looking forward to the day when none of us have that right.” Keene was referring to a U.N. Small Arms Treaty which would set only international standards for the import/export of conventional weapons—leaving it to individual countries to “regulate internal transfers of arms and national ownership, including through national constitutional protections on private ownership.” Furthermore, such a treaty would require approval by two thirds of the U.S. Senate.

In the September 2012 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, Keene wrote, “Governor Mitt Romney is the Republican Party’s presidential nominee and the one man capable of denying President Barack Obama another four years in the White House … Gun owners in Massachusetts fared well under Romney … During his speech at NRA’s 2012 Annual Meetings, Romney, an NRA Life Member, championed the U.S. Constitution. Romney commended the NRA for calling for the resignation of Attorney General Eric Holder, who continued to be defiant before Congress’ demand for answers in the so-called ‘Fast and Furious’ scandal … The choice is clear: if President Obama wins a second term in November, he will go after America’s gun owners, our freedoms and the values we cherish.” Keene was referring to the discontinued “Fast and Furious” gun trafficking investigation on the southwest border and Attorney General Eric Holder’s failure to comply with a congressional subpoena for documents related to the operation. A report released by the Department of Justice’s Inspector General on September 19, 2023 found that there is no evidence that Attorney General Eric Holder was aware of the tactics used in the investigation until after it was concluded in 2011.

In an August 29, 2023 interview with the Washington Examiner, Keene stated, “[The NRA] sees [President Barack Obama] as the most anti-gun president in modern times … We're fearful of a second Obama administration. That's why for the last year we've been saying that the prime political goal of the National Rifle Association, this year, is to replace Barack Obama in the White House.” Keene admitted that “[Obama] has not accomplished very much in terms of his anti-gun agenda,” but chalked that up to Republican opposition in Congress. In the wake of mass shootings in Arizona, Colorado, Wisconsin and New York in 2011-2012, President Obama did not call for new gun violence prevention legislation. White House spokesman Jay Carney stated in an August 7, 2023 press briefing, “The President believes we have a violence challenge in this country, a violence problem that we need to address and come at from a variety of fronts, because it is not a problem that is just related to gun laws.”

In an August 27, 2023 interview with NRA News, Keene stated, “Don’t hesitate for a moment to realize that if [President Barack Obama] gets a second term, if he appoints people to the [U.S.] Supreme Court and to the lower courts, and if he has a chance by regulation and executive order or an opportunity to go back to the U.N. to get the gun treaty…he’ll do all these things and we’ll suffer." When asked what he thought of Vice President Joe Biden’s plan to attend the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, Keene replied, “Maybe nobody else will have him … This guy is a joke … I think [the convention] is very important because of what’s at stake. The fact is, that this is probably the most important election of our lifetime. It’s certainly true for believers in the Second Amendment and that makes this convention incredibly important because of the stakes.” Keene was referring to a U.N. Small Arms Treaty which would set only international standards for the import/export of conventional weapons—leaving it to individual countries to “regulate internal transfers of arms and national ownership, including through national constitutional protections on private ownership.”

In the August 2012 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, Keene wrote, “The hostility of most leftists in regard to the very notion that their fellow citizens might have a right to own firearms or to engage in the shooting sports is difficult for many of us to understand, until we realize it’s not just about guns. It’s about freedom and traditional American values … What they really object to goes far beyond firearm our ownership of firearms. They believe the traditional American individualist values that drove the nation’s founders to limit the power of government and protect our right to defend ourselves must give way to a new set of values that cedes governance to the state. In a very real sense, their hostility to firearms and the Second Amendment isn’t about guns or violence or crime; it’s about values. They see those who adhere to the values of the founders as a continuing threat to the new world they dream of creating.”

On June 8, 2012, Keene spoke at a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) event in Chicago on a panel entitled “President Obama’s Fast and Furious Disregard for the Rule of Law.” Keene stated, “The Obama administration has played loose with the rule of law since this president’s first day in office. Sadly, he and his principal advisors seem to me to come from a generation that sincerely believes that the ends in almost all circumstances justify the means. Thus they enforce laws that further their goals, they ignore those that do not. They interpret the laws and the Constitution itself in light of what they want them to say rather than either the intent of Congress or the words of the Founders. And when anyone, including the Supreme Court itself, disagrees, they go on the attack.” He added, “It goes far beyond gun questions. Consider their current assault on the various states’ attempts to protect the integrity of the democratic process itself. I think we’ll have some discussion of what’s going on in Florida right now where the Justice Department, without any basis that most experts can see, are trying to stop the state of Florida from purging non-citizens and the dead and others from their voting rolls prior to the next election on the ground that it’s unfair, I guess, to the dead and the non-eligible voters.” One week prior to Keene’s remarks, 67 Florida election supervisors stated they were going to stop removing names from county rolls because the state's data is flawed—and because the U.S. Department of Justice says the process violates federal voting laws.

Keene also criticized the administration's support for the "DISCLOSE Act," observing, "Consider the president's personal disdain for the democratic process. While spending more than any of his predecessors on fundraising and bragging that he's going to have a billion dollars in the upcoming campaign to bury his opponents, he publicly attacks his opponents because they spend money to get their message out to the public." The DISCLOSE Act would ban U.S. corporations controlled by foreign governments from influencing election outcomes through the use of campaign contributions; prevent Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) recipients from making political contributions; give shareholders, organization members, and the general public access to information regarding corporate and interest group campaign expenditures; and create transparency mechanisms for organizations with more than 500,000 members to publicly identify themselves in their political ads. The NRA has publicly opposed the “DISCLOSE Act.”

At a second panel, entitled “Defending Self-Defense: The Liberal’s Shadow War on the Second Amendment.” Keene stated, “In 1968, the Johnson administration forced through what was known as the ‘Gun Control Act of 1968,’ a bill that Senator Edward Kennedy said was a good first step toward eliminating firearms in the United States. Richard Nixon’s attorney general, two years later, proposed a plan that would have eliminated the private ownership of handguns by 1983.” The Gun Control Act of 1968 was, in fact, the product of a compromise between the bill’s sponsors—including Senator Thomas Dodd—and the NRA, who supported the final version of the legislation. The Gun Control Act created a list of individuals prohibited from purchasing weapons; including, felons, drug abusers, and individuals adjudicated mentally defective. The law did not ban any firearms. In addition, Elliot Richardson, Nixon’s attorney general, never publicly proposed a plan to eliminate private handgun ownership. Keene added, “When it was decided that this new challenge faced us, the old board decided they wanted to move the organization to the Midwest and make it into a conservation group because they thought that politics was tacky… By 2000, the NRA’s influence was such that Bill Clinton would say that gun owners cost Al Gore the electoral vote of five states and the presidency of the United States and in a overt sense, at least, most Liberal politicians decided it was time to take guns off the table and do what Barack Obama is trying to do, which is to say, as he promised Sarah Brady, to proceed to deliver on his anti-gun promises, but to do so under the radar if possible because the electorate is not exactly friendly.”

Keene also spoke about the 2012 Wisconsin recall election of Governor Scott Walker, stating, “The NRA spent a lot of effort in Wisconsin targeting of different groups, but particularly targeting union members who are gun owners and hunters and in the recall election earlier this week I believe that Scott Walker in facing a recall generated by union bosses received more labor votes than he had when he ran for election in the first instance.”

Finally, Keene told the following story, “I was elected to the presidency of the National Rifle Association at our annual meeting in Pittsburgh a couple of years ago, and there was in attendance a member of the Supreme Court in the state of Pennsylvania who asked if I could stop in Harrisburg on my way home because he wanted to show me the Supreme Court chambers… He said the court would be in session, but I should stop and they would take me to the justices’ lounge and then they’d call a recess so they could take me on this tour. And I went there and they did indeed did call a recess and the justices came out and then the justice who’d invited me said, ‘Gentlemen, disrobe.’ And they opened their robes and five of them were carrying firearms, which is different from Illinois. And I said I understand that contempt of this court is a very serious offense.”

In a May 16, 2023 interview with NRA News, Keene discussed his May 15, 2023 editorial in the Washington Times in which he accused the administration of President Barack Obama of “calling out, investigating and doing their level best to demonize major Romney contributors.” Keene told hosts Cameron Gray and John Popp, “The Kennedys realized that, even then, as mean as they could be, that you couldn’t as president, or speaking for the president, pick out individual citizens and attack them because you had more power to demonize and destroy a life than almost anybody in the country. And it’s clear that that’s what the Obama campaign is trying to do.” Keene further accused the Obama Administration of “trying to stifle dissent, trying to shut up those who disagree with it, and then to bully people.” Keene accused the mainstream media of being complicit, stating that it was “unforgivable [for the media to have] taken this case and gone after the contributor [Iowa businessman Frank Vandersloot] … Politico may be able to smear you, and they’ve smeared almost everyone we know at one point or another. They have not a high regard for the truth.”

Keene defended the practice of blocking access to the identity of political donors, saying, “It was decided that in the name of campaign reform that while you couldn’t limit people’s speech by denying them the right to speak, that perhaps disclosure was the lesser of all evils, that everybody should know who was paying for the speech and all of that and that was sort of generally considered the lesser of evils by all parties involved. But what’s happened is that this disclosure has been taken by people as a way of taking the lists and then trying to intimidate the people who get involved by demonizing them and preventing other people from getting involved.” Keene also defended “voter security” legislation, comparing it to President Obama publicizing the names of PAC donors. He observed, “If [voter security] is a violation of anybody’s civil rights, what is the president of the United States and his campaign doing about the civil rights of those people who don’t support him? He would use anything in his power to deprive those folks of their right to have a voice in the most important democratic process that goes on in this country.”

During the course of the interview, Keene also claimed that President Barack Obama “went after the Catholic Church,” a reference to a January 2012 Obama Administration announcement that the health care reform law requires employers to provide health insurance which covers contraception for women free of charge. President Obama subsequently rejected an exemption for religiously affiliated private employers. Keene portrayed the Obama administration as out of touch with average Americans, saying, “He and his buddies, all of whom sort of come from the same place if you will, they don’t hold jobs, they never held jobs in the private sector, they’ve been in colleges or think tanks. They sit around and talk with each other and none of ‘em disagree with anything.”

Finally, Keene spoke fondly of former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms, who opposed the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the creation of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday. Keene bragged to NRA News, “Jesse had a been a friend of mine since before he was elected to public office.”

In a May 15, 2023 editorial for the Washington Times, Keene accused President Barack Obama of having a plan to “crucify” political opponents. He made specific reference to an Obama campaign blog that sought to foster transparency about donors to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s political action committee (PAC). “By calling out, investigating and doing their level best to demonize major Romney contributors, [President Obama and his “managers”] clearly are hoping to make others pause before opening their checkbooks to the former Massachusetts governor,” Keene wrote. “These threats are aimed… at the hundreds and perhaps thousands of potential Romney contributors who will slink away lest they, too, become targets of the Obama attack machine.” The previous evening, Idaho businessman and Romney finance co-chair Frank Vandersloot, who was listed on the blog, had made an additional donation of $100,000 to Romney’s PAC on the “Bill O’Reilly Show.” “I think the only response is to make another donation,” Vandersloot noted.

In the April 2012 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, Keene wrote about the 2012 presidential election, saying, “Everything we believe in is at risk this year.” He accused “[President Barack Obama] and his minions” of “operating under the radar right now,” warning, “If we don’t make every vote count this year, we are going to find ourselves targets of a government dedicated to stripping us of our rights. The future is in our hands and will be determined by what we do.”

In the January 2012 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, Keene accused President Barack Obama of “working overtime to gut the Second Amendment,” stating, “This is a president who has signaled to the international anti-gun community that the United Nations should go ahead with its plan to develop a treaty that could severely restrict or eliminate our Second Amendment rights.” He warned, “We are facing the most crucial election of our lifetimes in terms of the Second Amendment … The bottom line is that our rights are truly in danger. We cannot rely exclusively on the courts or even Congress to protect them. We are the final line of defense of the Second Amendment. We all have to be prepared to fight as never before.”

During the February 2012 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Keene awarded Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia’s Republican Attorney General, the “Defender of Freedom Award” on behalf of the American Conservative Union and the National Rifle Association. In his remarks, Keene described Cuccinelli as “a man who has never turned his back on his values, has never turned his back on his beliefs, and has never refused to stand up when principle demanded that he do so.” Cuccinelli thanked the NRA for the award, and remarked, “James Monroe voted against the U.S. Constitution because he didn’t think it was cautious enough with respect to federal power. Seems like he had a crystal ball, one might think. But that’s the role of states when the federal government oversteps its boundaries. And the worst example of course is the health care bill [The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act]…signed by the president on March 23, 2010. And about 34 minutes later, give or take, we filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia … We filed suit in the Eastern District of Virginia … Seventeen blocks to the east, 235 years to the day…Patrick Henry gave his ‘Give Me Liberty, Or Give Me Death’ speech … And that seemed very appropriate, given that that legislation represents one of the greatest legislative invasions of liberty in the lifetime of anyone in this room.” Turning to the topic of the environment, Cuccinelli said, “We sued the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency]—which I have taken to calling the Employment Prevention Agency, because they are so good at that—for their greenhouse gas endangerment finding ... And when the EPA said that the CO2 that you are exhaling right now, let’s all annoy [EPA Administrator] Lisa Jackson together [exhales loudly], ‘Hi, Lisa.’ When they passed that regulation in violation of the law they brought on enormous consequences … The only science behind that regulation is political science ... They relied on a U.N. associated scientist; we now know them as the ‘Climate-gate’ scientist.” He also added, “You all are familiar with the National Labor Relations Board’s assault on South Carolina and Boeing. Make no mistake about it, that is an assault on the right to work…the right to hold a job without being coerced into joining a union … We have never seen such an across the board assault on the rule of law by any administration in the lifetime of anyone in this room. It has never happened.”

Keene presented Roy Innis, the controversial director of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), with the John M. Ashbrook Award at the 2010 Conservative Political Action Conference and said, “There is no living American I admire more than Roy Innis.” The award is named after one of the founders of the ACU who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 21 years as a Republican from Ohio. In his remarks, Innis warned of “a growing tyranny in our country” and said the candidates for the 2008 presidential election were “some of the most dangerous people to ever run for the presidency of the United States.” Speaking on the influence of CPAC, Innis said, “We have developed some skills. We are able to influence the Republican Party, and nudge it, and push it in certain directions. Let us teach those skills to our young brothers in the Tea Party.”

In May 2005, Keene spoke at an ACU dinner celebrating and defending then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who was embroiled in a number of ethics scandals (DeLay has since been convicted of money laundering). NRA Board Member Cleta Mitchell served as M.C. for the event. Attendees at the event included DeLay himself, then-House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R – MO), then-RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman, NRA Board Members Grover Norquist and Governor Jim Gilmore (R – VA), and approximately 30 members of Congress. The NRA purchased a table at the dinner for $2,000. In an interview with NPR a day after the event, Keene announced that “conservatives will protect their own” and called ethics investigations against DeLay “an attack on the conservative agenda” and “each and every” one of the 800 attendees of the dinner.

Tom King (Board Member)

King posted an image of a bumper sticker on Facebook on July 7, 2023 that reads, “White Straight Republican Male. How else can I piss you off today?

On October 21, 2010, King posted a photo on his Facebook Wall reminding viewers to “Take out the trash” on Election Day 2010. Below the image he commented, “Just a friendly reminder.”

On September 3, 2023 King posted a photo to his Facebook Wall that depicts President Barack Obama saying, “The term ‘illegal aliens’ will no longer be allowed. Henceforth they will be referred to as ‘Undocumented Democrats’.” Below the photo, King commented, “For my friends in Arizona.” He was likely referring to the Obama administration’s legal challenge to a controversial immigration bill, SB 1070, that was signed into law in Arizona in April 2010.

Speculating about the upcoming November 2010 elections in December of 2009, King wrote, “Much like December 7, 2023 and September 11, 2023 Election Day November 2, 2023 may live in infamy but for very different reasons. Why? Because Election Day 2010 may be the day the United States of America dies. Currently the Country is on life support provided by concerned groups like the NRA, the Heritage Society, the American Conservative Union, Tea Party Groups and statewide Rifle & Pistol Associations like the NYSRPA.” King then explained that, “Our losses on Election Day 2008 were largely the result of George W. Bush being unjustly vilified in the media, his party and the electorate.” Finally, King added, “The holding action is about to come to an end we must put differences aside and unite as the patriots of the revolution did over 200 years ago. We must fight with the same conviction and energy to insure victory … Election Day 2010 is our bridge at Concord and it must be the vote that is heard around the world ... If we fail the end is near.”

George Kollitides (Nominating Committee Member)

On the October 18, 2023 broadcast of “Cam & Company,” Cam Edwards spoke to George Kollitides, CEO of Remington Arms. Discussing the upcoming 2012 presidential election, Kollitides stated, “I think this will be the most important election of our lifetime. The next president is going to be in an incredibly powerful position to appoint {U.S.] Supreme Court justices. It’s one thing to legislate a gun ban. That can always be overturned by a future president, a future Congress, and Congress can fight it, of course, and hope they don’t get vetoed and overruled. We’ve had the benefit of a strict interpretist Supreme Court which has been conservative and really held up the core traditional values of our country. So, I don’t necessarily just worry about the next four years of an Obama presidency, I worry about my kids’ and my grandkids’ futures, because if we change face of the Supreme Court, we’re looking at a 30-plus-year uphill battle … Not only will the Second Amendment be under attack if we go to a liberal non-strict-interpretative court, but it’ll be the entire American way of life. When we appoint liberal judges, they take it upon themselves not to interpret the laws but to legislate the laws and there’s a lot of liberal courts doing that. So, the appeal needs to be not just to gun owners, although that’s obviously critically important…but I think many of the things we think about, all of our freedoms will be at risk. You know the liberal courts and the liberal politicians believe they know what’s best for Americans. They’re gonna tell us when we have to get health care. They’re gonna tell us what time we have to get out of bed every day. They’re gonna tell us where we have to go to work. They’re gonna take our money and redistribute it. This is an issue that every American needs to be worried about.”

Wayne LaPierre (Executive Vice President and CEO)

In an October 8, 2023 op-ed for the Daily Caller, LaPierre wrote, “The tyrants and dictators at the United Nations will stop at nothing to register, ban and, eventually, confiscate firearms owned by law-abiding Americans like you and me … By signing the U.N. gun-ban treaty our government will be placing a ticking time bomb at every American gun owners’ front door … Despite the half-truths and outright lies coming from the Obama administration, the U.N. and its gun-ban allies in the media, the [Arms Trade Treaty] ATT would potentially create an international gun registration system that could eventually pave the way for the full-blown confiscation of firearms owned by American gun owners … The U.N.’s driving mission is to accumulate power at the expense of the sovereignity[sic] of individual nations and fundamental individual rights, and its gun-ban treaty proves it. After all, no human right known to mankind is more essential to a free and just society than the individual right of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their loved ones in the face of criminal violence. That’s why our Founding Fathers enshrined this freedom in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.” LaPierre was referring to a U.N. Small Arms Treaty that would set only international standards for the import/export of conventional weapons—leaving it to individual countries to “regulate internal transfers of arms and national ownership, including through national constitutional protections on private ownership.”

On January 22, 2013, in a speech at the Weatherby Foundation International Hunting and Conservation Awards in Reno, Nevada, LaPierre stated, “[President Barack] Obama wants to turn the idea of absolutism into a dirty word. Just another word for extremism. He wants you, all of you, and Americans throughout all of this country, to accept the idea of principles as he sees fit. It’s a way of redefining words so that common sense is turned upside down and that nobody knows the difference.” LaPierre was referring to President Obama’s second inaugural address, in which he stated, “We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate.” LaPierre also addressed President Obama’s January 2013 proposals to reduce gun violence, stating, “He wants to put every private, personal firearms transaction right under the thumb of the federal government. He wants to keep all of those names in a massive federal registry. There’s only two reasons for a federal list on gun owners: to either tax ‘em or take ‘em. That’s the only reasons. And anyone who says that’s excessive, President Obama says that’s an absolutist.” In fact, the Obama administration had never proposed the creation of a universal list of gun owners. “Absolutes do exist,” added LaPierre. “Words do have specific meaning in language and in law. It’s the basis of all civilization. Without those absolutes, without those protections, democracy decays into nothing more than two wolves and one lamb voting on, well, who to eat for lunch.”

In an October 17, 2023 interview with NRA News, LaPierre stated, "We’ll go to our graves mourning the freedoms we’ve lost in this country if we don’t step up between now and election time and make the difference in this election and make sure President [Barack] Obama’s defeated on election day."

On October 5, 2012, LaPierre announced the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund’s endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Fishersville, Virginia. LaPierre stated, “The dream is to save America and our freedom … You’re sure not free if you can’t defend yourself and everyone knows that. And I also know something else about ya. You’re not gonna surrender submit, succumb, or be marginalized. You’re ready to make a difference for freedom in this country. And we have to do that, because we’re standin’ on the edge of a [President Barack] Obama cliff with our freedom. If President Obama gets reelected, he’s gonna have one to three Supreme Court appointments and I guarantee you this, if that happens, one to three more [Justice Sonia] Sotomayors and [Justice Elena] Kagans and we can kiss our constitutional right to own a firearm in the United States goodbye, along with a lot of the rest of our freedoms. And we can’t let that happen … Does anybody trust an Obama Administration in the second term to be anywhere near negotiating with a club of governments called the United Nations on our freedom? Their gun plan is: Turn over your firearms and your protection to the government. The government will protect ya… That U.N. plan is about global agencies monitoring, surveillance, supervision, lists, all institutionalized within the bureaucracy of the United Nations … I guarantee this, if your glass breaks at 2:00 a.m. at night somewhere from some criminal, you all know that those baby blue helmets of the U.N. aren’t gonna be there to protect ya and neither is President Obama or [U.S. Attorney General] Eric Holder. What will protect ya is our freedom that we have here in the United States under the Second Amendment to the Constitution. And there’s not a government or authority on the planet that can match that if you’re ever in that situation.” LaPierre was referring to a U.N. Small Arms Treaty that would set only international standards for the import/export of conventional weapons—leaving it to individual countries to “regulate internal transfers of arms and national ownership, including through national constitutional protections on private ownership.” Finally, LaPierre added, “We’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg on what’s in store if President Obama is reelected … It’s the most dangerous election of our lifetime … All of our freedoms, all of our rights, all of our way of life, all of the Second Amendment is on the line.”

In the October 2012 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, LaPierre wrote, “Of all the threats to American liberty posed by the [President Barack] Obama administration, the most dangerous is the corruption of the U.S. Department of Justice where high-level misfeasance, malfeasance, and nonfeasance have become the norm. The U.S. Department of Justice is supposed to be a neutral guardian of the rule of law and protector of our national order. It is supposed to uphold the United States Constitution. Instead, under President Barack Obama’s Attorney General, Eric Holder, it has become the national enforcer of Chicago-style thuggery on the national scene … Under operation ‘Fast and Furious,’ Holder’s Justice Department has abetted federal felony gun-law violations and international gun running—resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Mexican nationals and the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in Arizona.” LaPierre was referring to the discontinued “Fast and Furious” gun trafficking investigation on the southwest border. A report released by the Department of Justice’s Inspector General on September 19, 2023 found that there is no evidence that Attorney General Eric Holder was aware of the tactics used in “Fast and Furious” until after it was concluded in 2011. LaPierre then turned to the topic of Voter ID legislation, stating, “But no clearer example exists of the deep corruption at Justice than its efforts to vacate state laws preventing election fraud … The Obama/Holder Justice Department is running a vote fraud protection racket by jamming the courts with lawsuits opposing state mandates that provide a simple solution to election cheating–Voter ID … Now connect the dots to another key assault on our freedom. Aligned with the Department of Homeland Security, Obama’s top federal law enforcement leaders are refusing to enforce immigration laws to stem the tide of hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens, potential illegal voters.” Voter ID laws in Texas, North Carolina, and Florida have been challenged in court by the Department of Justice over allegations that they disenfranchise minorities. In July of 2012, the DOJ began investigating Pennsylvania’s Voter ID law to determine whether it discriminates against minorities. Furthermore, research has shown that in-person voter fraud of the kind LaPierre warns about is extremely rare in the United States.

In the August 2012 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, LaPierre wrote, “For months I’ve warned you of the grave consequences our freedoms will face if [President Barack] Obama, his administration and its Capitol Hill enablers are reelected on Nov. 6 [2012] … Now Obama’s allies on Capitol Hill want to deny the right to political free speech to you, me and groups like the NRA completely and forever–even if they have to amend the U.S. Constitution.” LaPierre was referring to the “People’s Rights Amendment” introduced by Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) in response to the controversial Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. In Citizens United, the Court ruled that the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent political expenditures by corporations and unions. Rep. McGovern’s amendment to the U.S. Constitution would clarify the meaning of ‘people,’ ‘person’ or ‘citizen,’ defining them not as “corporations, limited liability companies, or other corporate entities established by the laws of any State, the United States, or any foreign state,” but as individual human beings. The amendment would also subject corporate entities to “such regulation as the people, through their elected State and Federal representatives, deem reasonable and are otherwise consistent with the powers of Congress and the States under this Constitution.”

In an NRA fundraising letter dated July 23, 2012, LaPierre wrote the following about the 2012 presidential election: “The night of November 6, 2012, you and I will lose more on the election battlefield than our nation has lost in any battle, anytime, anywhere. Or, we will win our greatest victory as NRA members and freedom-loving Americans … The future of your Second Amendment rights will be at stake. And nothing less than the future of our country and our freedom will be at stake.” Lapierre stated that Obama’s re-election would result in the “confiscation of our firearms” and potentially a “ban on semi-automatic weapons.” The letter was sent to NRA supporters just three days after a mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado. In that shooting, severely mentally ill gunman James Holmes killed 12 people and wounded 58 others in a span of two minutes. Holmes wore full body armor during the attack and was armed with three semiautomatic firearms. LaPierre made no mention whatsoever of the shooting in his letter.

In the July 2012 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, LaPierre wrote, “We have been enormously successful in restoring Second Amendment freedom to honest Americans. But those hard-earned victories are vulnerable so long as Barack Obama is president. Despite his claims to the contrary, the threats we face today are as real and dangerous as any we’ve face before … Americans have had enough of this administration’s elitist contempt for our freedoms and our way of life … We can’t wait. If we sit back and count on a victory in 2016, we will face four long years under an emboldened anti-gun president. With no more elections to worry about, Obama will finally be free to launch an open assault on the Second Amendment. Now is the time to stop that from happening. It’s up to each of us to ask ourselves one simple question every day from now until November: am I doing everything I can to win this election?”

On June 29, 2012, in a speech at the Western Conservative Summit in Denver, Colorado, LaPierre stated, “If you don’t remember anything else I say tonight, mark this down: this is the most dangerous election in our lifetimes ... It’s a fight for our country, it's a fight for our values, it's a fight for the freedoms we believe in, all of our Second Amendment liberty, all of the rights we’ve worked so hard to defend, all of what we know is good, and what we know is right about America. All of it could be lost if [President] Barack Obama is reelected ... The fight is on. Everything we believe in’s at stake and at risk ... Never has American freedom been more disregarded, denigrated, diminished, and often destroyed ... Almost every way you look at it, almost every aspect of American freedom is in some state of decline. Just think about it. Our right to speak out, our right to assemble, our right to practice our religion, our right to seek the kind of health care we want for our families, the economic freedom to earn and spend and save, to own our own homes, to buy the kind of food we want to feed our children, to raise and discipline our kids, even the simple right to fly the American flag. The increasing collapse of American freedom is becoming staggering. Because, by almost every measure, we are less free today than we were a short decade ago. President Obama? He won’t tell you that ... Never has honest leadership been so lacking as in the Barack Obama White House.” LaPierre also spoke about the discontinued “Fast and Furious” gun trafficking investigation on the southwest border and President Obama’s decision to invoke executive privilege over documents subpoenaed by Congress, stating, “I guarantee you that there’s somethin’ that stinks to high heaven in those papers in order for this administration to be willin’ to walk into this briar patch. Executive privilege really is the last gasp of a cover-up ... [Barack Obama] chose the Richard Nixon option to cover it up until after the coming election. No one died as a result of Watergate, yet several members of Nixon’s cabinet and staff went to prison ... Just like Nixon, this president has put his administration in the same state of vulnerability, at the edge of a federal penitentiary.” A report released by the Department of Justice’s Inspector General on September 19, 2023 found that there is no evidence that Attorney General Eric Holder was aware of the tactics used in “Fast and Furious” until after it was concluded in 2011.

In a June 28, 2023 interview with NRA News, LaPierre spoke about the “Fast and Furious” gun trafficking investigation on the southwest border and a vote in the House of Representatives to hold U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in criminal contempt for failure to comply with a congressional subpoena for documents related to the operation. NRA News co-host Ginny Simone asked LaPierre to respond to D.C. Delegate to the House of Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton’s assertion that the vote was partisan and motivated by NRA lobbying of legislators. LaPierre replied, “Well, that’s all a bunch of garbage to tell you the truth … I mean, all the enablers in the media that are trying to justify what went on here and refuse to ask any of the Watergate questions: who knew, when they knew, how high it goes … Watergate was a third-rate burglary. No one was killed.” A report released by the Department of Justice’s Inspector General on September 19, 2023 found that there is no evidence that Attorney General Eric Holder was aware of the tactics used in the investigation until after it was concluded in 2011.

In the June 2012 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, LaPierre warned, “American freedom as we know it is in jeopardy.” He wrote, “There is no greater freedom than the ability to own a firearm to protect yourself, your family, your community and your country. That freedom is the heart and soul of our nation. And that soul is at stake in this election … If [President Barack] Obama wins this year, he will wage an all-out assault on America’s heart and soul. This isn’t just the most important election of our lifetimes–it’s the most important election for our children’s, grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s lifetimes.”

In the May 2012 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, LaPierre wrote, “All our freedoms are on the line [in the 2012 presidential election].” He accused President Barack Obama of being connected to a political “web of Chicago thug[s],” and having spun a “web of lies…about [his] phony, claimed support of the Second Amendment.”

In his opening remarks at the 2012 NRA Convention in St. Louis on April 13, 2012, LaPierre warned, “If President Obama gets a second term, America as we know it will be on its way to being lost forever.”

On April 14, 2012, in his keynote speech at the NRA Convention in St. Louis, LaPierre stated, “we live in the most dangerous of times.” “We will never surrender our guns,” LaPierre declared. “The Second Amendment has never been more relevant as it is today. When all is said and done, we may have nothing left but our gun rights, but that’s the one right that gives us a fighting chance to reclaim freedoms lost.” LaPierre made almost no mention of the national controversy surrounding the killing of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin by concealed handgun permit holder George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida on February 26, 2012. The NRA was one of the authors of the “Stand Your Ground” law in Florida that significantly liberalized the use of lethal force in public. LaPierre spoke of the tragedy only to accuse the media of “sensational[izing]” it, claiming they “manufacture controversy for ratings.”

In the March 2012 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, LaPierre warned that if the NRA fails to end the “Barack Obama regime…the Right to Keep and Bear Arms could well perish in a Supreme Court heartbeat.” He added that an “Obama majority” on the Supreme Court would “rule that only the government has a right to guns, not individuals like you.” “We have time to stop the Obama juggernaut and to make history together,” LaPierre stated, “but we must start now—not only to save our guns but to save our heritage. The future of freedom in America depends on it.”

In the February 2012 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, LaPierre declared that the 2012 presidential election “could prove [to be] the most disastrous in the history of the country,” because President Barack Obama is “leading our country straight to…tyranny.” “It’s all or nothing,” LaPierre warned. “Either we defeat Barack Obama and retain all the benefits of our pro-gun victories over the last 30 years…or we lose this election and we lose it all.”

On February 10, 2012, during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), LaPierre warned listeners that “This is the most dangerous election in our lifetime … Our soul is at stake in this election. The campaign is a fight for our country, our values and the freedom we believe in.” LaPierre then detailed a “massive” conspiracy by the administration of President Barack Obama to “deceive voters and hide his true intentions to destroy the Second Amendment.” LaPierre then boasted, “We’ll spend and do whatever it takes to tell the truth the media ignores.”

In the January 2012 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, LaPierre declared, “The emerging autocracy of President Barack Obama presents the gravest danger to our individual liberty in our lifetimes … The Second Amendment and our national character as we know it are at stake in the coming elections.” He accused the Obama Administration of being “engaged in a conspiracy of public deception intended to…excise the Second Amendment” from the Constitution. “The nation cannot survive another four years of Obama’s arrogant one-man rule,” LaPierre wrote.

Under LaPierre’s leadership, the National Rifle Association has frequently promoted gun confiscation conspiracy theories surrounding the administration of President Barack Obama and/or a treaty being considered by the United Nations to curb illegal, international sales of small arms. In a November 3, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, LaPierre wrote, “The Obama administration … hatched a political conspiracy to deceive Americans and hide its true agenda to dismantle the Second Amendment and our freedom. By delaying its anti-gun legislative agenda, it’s tried to dupe gun owners into believing our fundamental freedom is safe. The political calculation of the White House is clear: Deceive the voters and get re-elected at all costs and then, with no more elections to worry about, get busy dismantling the Second Amendment and destroying American freedom forever … Mr. Obama…is responsible for his administration’s efforts to support a United Nations treaty that could severely restrict or effectively ban civilian ownership of firearms worldwide.” In fact, since assuming office, President Obama has not advocated for any gun control measures, instead signing legislation to allow firearms in national parks and on Amtrak trains. Furthermore, the UN has no power to alter American gun laws. Any UN treaty that called for changes in U.S. gun laws would have to be ratified by a 2/3 vote of the U.S. Senate.

In October 2011, LaPierre told Newsmax.TV, “Our job is to protect the Second Amendment and that means that every gun owner, every Second Amendment supporter needs to do everything they can to make sure that President Obama does not get a second term so that he can destroy the Second Amendment. And that's what's going to happen if he gets a second term. And I want to leave no doubt about that. This is the most dangerous election in our lifetime for the Second Amendment freedom that American citizens have. A second term by President Obama will break the back of that freedom in this country.”

Under LaPierre’s leadership, the National Rifle Association has frequently promoted a gun confiscation conspiracy theory concerning the administration of President Barack Obama. On September 23, 2011, LaPierre addressed the Florida Conservative Political Action Conference and told those in attendance, “The fight for 2012 is a fight for our country, our values, and our freedom. And if NRA has anything to say about it, President Barack Obama won’t get a second term … Our freedom is at risk in this election like never before … The president will offer the Second Amendment lip service and hit the campaign trail saying he’s actually been good for the Second Amendment, but it’s a big, fat, stinkin’ lie, just like all the other lies that have come out of this corrupt administration. It’s all part of a massive Obama conspiracy to deceive voters and hide his true intentions to destroy the Second Amendment in our country … Before the president was even sworn into office, they met and they hatched a conspiracy of public deception to try to guarantee his re-election in 2012 … We see the president’s strategy crystal clear: Get re-elected and with no more elections to worry about, get busy dismantling and destroy our firearms freedom. Erase the Second Amendment from the Bill of Rights and exorcise it from the U.S. Constitution. That’s their agenda … President Obama and his cohorts, yeah they’re going to deny their conspiracy to fool gun owners. Some of the Liberal media, they’re probably already blogging about it. But we don’t care, because as far as we’re concerned, the lying, conniving Obama crowd can kiss our Constitution.” In fact, since assuming office, President Obama has not advocated for any gun control measures, instead signing legislation to allow firearms in national parks and on Amtrak trains.

Karl Malone (Board Member)

In 2003, Malone donated $4,000 to the presidential campaign of Republican George Bush and $2,000 to Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). The next year he donated $4,000 to the Republican National Committee.

Cleta Mitchell (Board Member)

Mitchell served as an “attack attorney” for many Tea Party Congressional candidates during the 2010 elections, including Sharron Angle, Christine O’Donnell and Joe Miller. She has suggested that the Democratic Party’s “tricks” include widespread engagement in voter fraud. Mitchell famously wrote a fundraising letter on behalf of Angle where she accused Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of attempting to steal the election. Mitchell also accused the Democratic party of stealing the 2002 South Dakota senate election, where Senator Tim Johnson was victorious over Senator John Thune. Both Angle and Miller have been involved in high-profile controversies surrounding guns and the Second Amendment.

In 2006, Mitchell appeared on MSNBC to defend a number of Republicans embroiled in ethical scandals. Of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Mitchell said, “Those allegations, the indictment against Tom DeLay, were completely politically motivated.” She then bet public relations strategist Cliff Schecter dinner that DeLay would not go to jail. In January 2011, DeLay was sentenced to three years in prison for money laundering.

In May 2005, Mitchell served as the Master of Ceremonies at an ACU event honoring U.S. Representative Tom Delay (R-TX), who was embroiled in ethics investigations (and has since been convicted of money laundering). After telling those in attendance that she and other conservatives “love” DeLay, Mitchell claimed he was under investigation only because he is “effective.” She also declared, “The tribute is a statement to him: You're not alone. We'll stand by you. And it's to say to people in this town: If you pick a fight with him, you've got us to contend with.

Grover Norquist (Board Member)

In an interview with conservative activist Bob Price filmed during the NRA’s annual convention on May 3-5, 2013, Norquist referred to efforts to strengthen gun laws in the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, stating,
“How many people are these Leftists willing to kill—kill—with policies that for decades we’ve known are counterproductive? And that’s pretty gruesome. That’s pretty cold. Those guys are letting kids die, knowingly. This is not a mistake. This is not, you know, like they haven’t read the books, ‘More Guns Less Crime.’ It’s not like they don’t know the statistics, they do know the statistics. They don’t care. They don’t care.” “More Gun, Less Crime” is a book written by Fox News commentator John Lott, whose research has been discredited by the National Academy of Sciences. Norquist also said of the President: “
If you’re Obama, and you’re out there exploiting these murders, for political purposes, you really have to step back. If you believe for a second that these laws he wants to pass would reduce crime, which they wouldn’t, he should have done something in 2009 and 2010 where he had super-majorities of Democrats in the House and Senate. I mean not only he didn’t do it, he didn’t even try. He doesn’t care. He’s just using the issue for politics. He didn’t care in 2009. He didn’t care in 2010. He doesn’t care now. And he also in the back of his mind knows that it has nothing to do with reducing crime and everything to do with increasing government control.” (GOP Ties)

In a July 21, 2023 interview with the Hill, Norquist addressed calls by President Barack Obama to restore tax rates for the top 1% of American earners to the levels they were at prior to the administration of President George W. Bush. Norquist stated, “Last time Republicans won the House [in the 2010 elections] and [were] a little strengthened in the Senate and Obama folded completely. We’re going to be stronger this time than after last time; our hostages are the 20 Democrats up in ’14. We’ll send them either piece by piece or one at a time over to the White House to negotiate.”

In a June 15, 2023 speech at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual summit, Norquist stated, “The left is not made up of friends and allies; the left is made up of competing parasites … Our job is to stop feeding them so that they turn on the guy next to them and start chewing on their ankles so that when we meet them in two and four years in the next election, there are fewer of them and they’re shorter.”

In a June 13, 2023 interview on C-SPAN, Norquist responded to former Florida governor Jeb Bush’s comment at a June 1, 2023 House Budget Committee hearing that that he hadn't signed Norquist’s “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” because he wasn't one to “outsource your principles and convictions to people.” Norquist’s pledge calls for elected officials to "oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rate for individuals and business; and to oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing the tax rate.” Norquist responded to Bush’s comments by saying, “When Jeb Bush comes in from out of town like some yokel off the bus and gets hurled into the middle of this and starts quoting Democratic senators who are lying, it puts him in an awkward position.” Norquist also addressed Bush’s June 11, 2023 comment that former President Ronald Reagan and his father, former President George H. W. Bush, would have a “http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/norquist-describes-jeb-bush-as-a-yokel-off-the-bus--20120613hard time” finding a place in the current Republican Party. Norquist stated, “That's the meme, the story line, the narrative that Obama is trying to drive … Today, the modern Republican Party is the party that Reagan created.”

In a May 19, 2023 interview with The Hill, Norquist commented on legislation designed to penalize Americans who renounce their citizenship in order to evade taxes, comparing it to a departure tax the Nazis imposed on Jews seeking to flee Germany before World War II. Norquist stated, “I think [the legislation’s sponsor, Democratic Senator Chuck] Schumer can probably find the legislation to do this. It existed in Germany in the 1930s and Rhodesia in the ’70s and in South Africa as well. He probably just plagiarized it and translated it from the original German.” Senator Schumer is Jewish. Norquist remarked that the communist East German government after World War II implemented a similar plan as well, stating, “The East Germans had the position that if you wanted to leave the country you had to pay them back for all the wonderful Communist education they gave you K through 12. Schumer’s effort has a really distinguished history.”

In a May 8, 2023 speech before the Economic Club of Annapolis, Norquist called President Barack Obama a “European-style socialist” and a Democratic-controlled government the “road to serfdom.”

In a February 28, 2023 interview with the Daily Show’s Samantha Bee, Norquist claimed to have come up with the idea for the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge" (in which elected officials promise to "oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rate for individuals and business; and to oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates”) at age 12. He stated, “Some things are simple. At 12, basically the thought was this, if one of the party’s would brand itself as the party that wouldn’t raise taxes, that that I thought would be a way for the Republican Party to succeed … The goal is to make it easier for people, they know what they’re going to get … If you want to know who you’re voting for, it’s helpful if there’s some sort of brand identification … One party wants to raise your taxes, one won’t. It makes it easier for you to choose.”

During a February 2012 speech at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Norquist told the crowd, “Three years ago, a new crew came into Washington: [President Barack] Obama, [Senator Majority Leader Harry] Reid, [Former House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi. And they had a different vision. Their vision of the road to serfdom … Their plan was to turn us irrevocably into something between France and Greece and, on a bad day, Chicago … The left is not made up of friends and allies. It is made up by competing parasites.” He also stated, “All we have to do is replace Obama. ... We are not auditioning for ‘fearless leader.’ We don't need a president to tell us in what direction to go. We know what direction to go. We want the [U.S. Representative Paul] Ryan budget. ... We just need a president to sign this stuff. We don't need someone to think it up or design it. The leadership now for the modern conservative movement for the next 20 years will be coming out of the House and the Senate. Pick a Republican with enough working digits to handle a pen to become president of the United States. This is a change for Republicans: The House and Senate doing the work with the president signing bills. His job is to be captain of the team, to sign the legislation that has already been prepared." Ryan’s budget plan, “The Path to Prosperity,” would add $3.127 trillion to the deficit during the decade spanning 2013 to 2022, according to a table on page 88 of the plan. In its March 2012 projections, the Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan agency, estimated that if “current laws generally remain unchanged,” the federal government would incur deficits totaling $2.887 trillion from 2013 to 2022 under Ryan’s budget plan.

During a February 2012 appearance on The Daily Show Norquist stated that there was no scenario under which he would advocate for any tax increase. Norquist went on to claim that he came up with the idea for his “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” —which calls on lawmakers to swear to never vote for any legislation that would raises taxes—in 1968 when he was 12 years old, stating, “At 12, basically the thought was this: If one of the parties would brand itself as the party that wouldn’t raise taxes, that I thought would be a way for the Republican party to succeed.”

In a January 26, 2023 interview with National Journal, Norquist was asked about the prospect of President Barack Obama winning a second term. Referring to tax cuts passed under the presidential administration of George W. Bush, which disproportionately benefit the wealthy, Norquist said, “Obama can sit there and let all the tax [cuts] lapse, and then the Republicans will have enough votes in the Senate in 2014 to impeach.”

In a November 9, 2023 article in Rolling Stone, David Stockman, President Ronald Reagan’s budget director from 1981 to 1985, described Norquist as a “fiscal terrorist” for his role in the debt ceiling crisis of 2011. Norquist was able to veto any resolution to the crisis that raised the marginal tax rate because nearly every Republican member of Congress was a signatory to his Americans for Tax Reform organization’s pledge to never raise taxes. Former Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY), co-chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, also criticized Norquist, calling him “a good guy with a very bad idea" who “should be examined into.” Simpson went on to ask, “Where does he get his money? ... Who is he slave to? ... How does he terrify people?” Paul O’Neill, who served as Treasury Secretary in the administration of Republican George W. Bush, also commented on the debt ceiling debacle, stating, “Congress was willing to cause severe economic damage to the entire population simply because they were slaves to an idiot's idea of how the world works.”

In November 2011, Norquist told Rolling StoneIt’s a different Republican Party now. The modern Republican Party” would no sooner recognize a politician who advocated for tax increases than the “Democratic Party would recognize [segregation proponent] George Wallace.”

On August 17, 2011, Norquist commented on the “Super Congress”—a joint Congressional committee tasked with reducing U.S. debt—in the New York Times, saying, “The Republicans are serious budget reformers; the lady from Washington [Democrat Senator Patty Murray] doesn’t do budgets.” All six Republican panel members of the joint committee are signatories to Norquist’s no-tax pledge (when the panel membership was announced, Norquist Tweeted, “Your wallet is safe”). Pro-choice organization Emily's List released a statement criticizing Norquist's comments, which stated: “Not content dictating the legislative actions of the Republicans he controls, Norquist is now lobbing sexist insults at the Democrats who dare to stand up to his ideological extremism. Senator Murray is second in line for the leadership on the Senate Budget Committee and a co-chair of the Debt Super Committee. Also, she raised a family. So if Norquist thinks the ‘lady from Washington’ doesn’t know how to budget, he’s even more out of touch with America than we thought (and we thought he was pretty out of touch). Ever met an American mom, Grover? Women do, in fact, ‘do budgets.’”

In 2011, Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform organization lobbied on a number of issues before Congress. Among the many conservative bills supported by Norquist’s organization were:

Commenting on the fiscal crisis of 2008 that occurred at the end of the presidency of George W. Bush, former Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee said, “The wreckage was left by Dick Cheney, Grover Norquist and the gang. This was their doing.”

In 2006, the Associated Press reported that Norquist—who visited the White House 97 times between 2001 and 2006—helped arrange meetings for clients of corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff with officials in the administration of George W. Bush. At the same time, Norquist was soliciting donations from these clients for his group Americans for Tax Reform. When the Bush administration tried to seal records of visitors to the White House, Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Karen Finney said, “By trying to extend a special privilege typically reserved for U.S. government employees to protect their Abramoff cronies like Grover Norquist…the Bush administration showed just how willing they are to manipulate the law to hide the truth and protect their political interests.”

Between 1991 and 2004, Norquist donated over $15,000 to Republican political candidates and conservative PACs . He did not donate any money to Democrats during this time.

In a February 2001 article for The American Spectator, Norquist wrote, “[President George W.] Bush now has the incentive to level the playing field by stripping the Democrats of their ill-gotten gains. To do that he'll have to shake the Democrats' five pillars.” Norquist identified these five pillars as; “labor unions,” “taxpayer funded lobbies,” “greedy trial lawyers,” Big City political machines,” and “voter fraud.” Labor unions, Norquist explained, use money from government contracts and give “political kickbacks to Democrats.” He also complained that “funding earmarked to promote hunting and outdoor sports has been redirected to animal rights groups.” Trial lawyers need to be targeted, Norquist explained, because “in some states trial lawyers give more to Democrats than union leaders do.” Norquist proposed tort reform, which would deprive trial lawyers of “billions of dollars from American consumers,” as a solution. Norquist asserted that mayors and precinct workers who handle federal funds to help the poor comprise a Democratic machine to “deliver the votes in Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and St. Louis.” Finally, Norquist stated, “The whole 36-day circus in Florida was designed to give the local politicians in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties a chance to manufacture or find enough Gore votes, or lose or damage enough Bush votes, to overcome Bush's margin. Although the effort failed, it is estimated that 5,000 felons, mostly Democrats, voted illegally in Florida, and we may never know how many illegal aliens voted.” He is referring to the voter recount in Florida during the 2000 presidential election. The results of that recount were controversial and several irregularities are thought to have favored George W. Bush, including, the "butterfly ballot," which produced an unexpectedly large number of votes for third-party candidate Patrick Buchanan, and a purge of over 54,000 citizens from the Florida voting rolls, of whom 54% were African-Americans.

In 1997, Norquist founded Janus-Merritt Strategies, a lobbying firm, along with David Safavian. Safavian was later convicted on felony obstruction of justice charges in relation to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. The Janus-Merritt clientele included:

In 1995, in the wake of the Republican takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives, Norquist, then- House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (who has since been convicted of money laundering), and Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff founded The K Street Project. The goal of the project was to facilitate the hiring of Republicans at top lobbying firms and then reward the firms by offering access to influential GOP officials. The explicit “pay-to-play” nature of the project is now illegal, however, in 2003 Republican lobbyists held 33 of the 36 top-level lobbying positions in Washington. During the midst of the project, Norquist told journalist Elizabeth Drew, “There should be as many Democrats working on K Street representing corporate America as there are Republicans working in organized labor—and that number is close to zero.” Norquist credited Abramoff—who was later convicted of mail fraud and conspiracy charges in a far-reaching political scandal—with “instigating the whole [K Street] project.”

According to The Nation magazine, “During the second half of the 1980s, Norquist detoured from his tax work to engage in a series of safaris to far-off battlegrounds in support of anti-Soviet guerrilla armies, visiting war zones from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to southern Africa. Working alongside Col. Oliver North's freelance support network for the Nicaraguan contras and other Reagan Doctrine-allied insurgencies, Norquist promoted U.S. support for groups like Mozambique's RENAMO and Jonas Savimbi's UNITA in Angola, both of which were backed by South Africa's apartheid regime (Norquist represented UNITA as a registered lobbyist in the early 1990s).” In June 1985, Norquist—with the help of (now convicted) Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff—organized a “conference of worldwide insurgent leaders called the Democracy International.” The conference was located in Angolan territory held by UNITA. Attendees included mujahedeen from Afghanistan.

Norquist made regular visits to UNITA controlled territory during the 1980s. Although now a legitimate political party in Angola, the United States Department of Homeland Security has characterized UNITA from 1998 until the killing of Savimbi in 2002 by Angolan government forces as a terrorist organization. During this time period, Human Rights Watch described UNITA as “a rebel group led by Jonas Savimbi, [that] killed, abducted, and terrorized civilians with impunity.” The United States Institute of Peace wrote, “Savimbi is indeed responsible for a litany of crimes against humanity.” UNITA employed child soldiers throughout the Angolan Civil War, including during the time that Norquist was a registered lobbyist for the organization. Norquist ties to Savimbi were close, and he admitted to ghostwriting a number of op-eds for Savimbi during the 1980s promoting UNITA’s war against Soviet-backed MPLA. He even wore a UNITA issued uniform while visiting Angola, but admitting to taking it off when fighting broke out.

Norquist also supported RENAMO, an insurgent group accused of killing over 1,000,000 civilians in Mozambique. After Norquist visited RENAMO-held territory in 1987, he wrote a report praising RENAMO for calling for free elections and the free practice of religion, while falsely accusing RENAMO’s opponents of anti-Semitism. Norquist even met with President Ronald Reagan and urged him to support RENAMO, but the administration declined to aid RENAMO’s cause because of the group’s human rights record.

Chuck Norris (Celebrity Spokesperson)

In a January 2, 2024 op-ed for Townhall, Norris wrote about the November 2012 presidential election, stating, “Will the next four years of [President Barack] Obama intensify the secular progressive assault against our republic and your freedoms? Without a doubt!” He also gave advice to Republicans, stating, “You don't fight and win unconventional wars with conventional weapons; that's why we lost in November … What Washington wrote to the Continental Army before the Battle of Long Island should be inscribed on every patriot's wall now, given November's defeat: ‘The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their Houses, and Farms, are to be pillaged and destroyed … We have therefore to resolve to conquer or die.’ As we walk into 2013, Gena and I have been asking again how we can best be used in the fight for God and country and seeking in particular how the God of our Founding Fathers would have us respond to November's political mudslide. We believe we know. And part of it means altering our strategies and approach as Washington did. I'll say this much: If you don't see Navy SEALs on the battlefield, don't assume for a moment that they're absent from the battle. They merely have gone stealth, underground (or underwater!), cloaked and engaged in covert measures and unconventional methods of warfare. Washington's words should be reread at the turn of this new year, especially by anyone who feels that the end is imminent.”

On November 1, 2012, Norris endorsed Judge Roy Moore for chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and released a radio ad with his wife, Gena. In the ad, Norris states, “America is at a tipping point and we must act. We need true patriots to get us out of the mess we're in. I know Judge Moore, and he is a true patriot.” Gena stated, “He has fought the ACLU [American Civil Liberties Union] and liberal judges to preserve our rights and freedoms … He knows our liberty is given by God, not government.” In 2003, Judge Roy Moore was removed from the office of chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court for refusing to abide by a federal court order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the lobby of a state judicial building.

In an October 31, 2023 op-ed for Newsbusters, Norris wrote, “[President Barack] Obama can spin a fact, and even though it's wrong or untrue, we almost believe it. Then he sends his minions out to spin the same fact, hoping that if we hear it enough times, we finally will believe it. The attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, is a prime example. Even though Obama knew—from the moment of the assault—that it was a terrorist attack, he didn't let the American people know. We recently learned a drone was recording the attack in real time, and our president was watching from the Situation Room. It is clear that he chose to deceive the American people deliberately, saying it was a mob protest and blaming it on a video that nobody had seen.” Norris was referring to an attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya on September 11, 2012, in which Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed. On September 12, 2012, one day after the attack, President Obama spoke about the incident, saying, “No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for." Furthermore, in an October 24, 2023 article, CBS reported that an audio feed of the attack—not a video—was being monitored live by Charlene Lamb , the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Programs in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security at the State Department, not President Obama.

In an October 9, 2023 op-ed for Newsbusters, Norris stated, “On Oct. 7, 1780, American patriots prevailed against loyalists in the Carolinas and won their first Southern battle. The Battle of Kings Mountain is a victory not often highlighted today but was a critical win nonetheless. It shows the importance of patriots everywhere persevering in every battle against adversarial forces—even against those born on American soil. The cable network History documented how a loyalist militia under Maj. Patrick Ferguson, largely made up of South Carolina frontiersmen, was defeated by a patriot militia under Col. William Campbell at the Battle of Kings Mountain in North Carolina near the South Carolina border. Ferguson warned the patriots to lay down their arms or watch the loyalists ‘lay waste’ to their country ‘with fire and sword.’ But 1,000 patriot militiamen…courageously confronted Ferguson's loyalists, who were positioned on the rocky ridge of Kings Mountain. Losing the upper hand to what he called the ‘band of banditti,’ Ferguson tried to intimidate the patriots by sending a wall of loyalists blitzing down the mountain, but they were cut down in a hail of patriot bullets … Feels a lot like how we patriots are often outnumbered in modern cultural and political wars and elections, doesn't it? Surrounded by bands of adversaries born on American soil? Gone are the days when patriots…led attacks against loyalist posts during the Revolutionary War. But present today are many other great patriots, aside from the one in the presidential race—such as Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn.; Rep. Allen West, R-Fla.; Rafael Edward ‘Ted’ Cruz, R-Texas; Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo.; Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, ‘Joe the Plumber,’ R-Ohio; and Judge Roy Moore, R-Ala.—who are fighting worthy battles in state election arenas at this very moment … We patriots, Christian and otherwise, must not allow that to happen Nov. 6, 2012! It's time for patriots everywhere to rally together again and take back America. As patriots did in the battle on Kings Mountain, we must take a stand in local and national elections and wage war again for our republic.”

In a September 25, 2023 op-ed for Townhall, Norris wrote, “Sometimes, as the saying goes, the truth really is stranger than fiction. There may have been some wild plotlines on ‘Walker, Texas Ranger,’ but there was nothing that compares to the scandal surrounding ‘Fast and Furious’—the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives operation that resulted in the loss of a distinguished Border Patrol agent, Brian Terry. The congressional investigation into "Fast and Furious" has been going on for more than a year, but it was stonewalled by Attorney General Eric Holder, who instead opened an internal investigation by the Department of Justice's inspector general … ‘Fast and Furious’ involved the ‘walking’ of guns into Mexico—an artful term for gun smuggling that was clearly illegal but nonetheless encouraged … There may be deeper motives for allowing these guns to walk into Mexico that remain unaccounted for. Is it possible that allowing an infusion of firearms to go into Mexico was intended to provoke an explosion of gun violence, thus prompting domestic politicians to call for sweeping new restrictions on our rights? The report is silent on this count … The inspector general's report is a chilling indictment of a collapse in leadership at the highest levels of federal law enforcement. There may be 14 staffers who take the fall, but it's clear that their politically appointed superiors were either asleep at the switch or willing to jeopardize public safety to push an agenda that remains undisclosed. Can anyone possibly need any more reasons to register to vote? The bottom line is that the American people deserve answers that go well beyond the inspector general's report. Congress needs to proceed with a comprehensive investigation, and it must have the unfettered cooperation and access that the Department of Justice thus far has withheld. And Justice is clearly in need of new leadership. Let's give it to them.” The DOJ Inspector General’s report released on September 19, 2012, which Norris refers to—though critical of officials in Washington, D.C. [the report recommended potential sanctions for 14 government employees]—stated that Attorney General Eric Holder had no advance knowledge of the tactics and risks involved in the “Fast and Furious” operation until after it was concluded in 2011.

In a September 16, 2023 op-ed for WND, Norris wrote, “Last time I checked, Americans were responsible for making our own laws. We do not invite foreign nations to have a say in how we govern ourselves within our own borders. Yet if you follow what’s been going on with the United Nations this year, you would know the U.S. came perilously close to having other countries dictate our gun laws. And the fight isn’t over yet. The United Nations has been debating an ‘Arms Trade Treaty’ for nearly a decade now. While the treaty is ostensibly focused on military arms, it has long been clear that the majority of U.N. delegates consider our personal firearms to be crying out for international regulation as well. The focus of the treaty would demand that governments regulate the sale and possession of firearms worldwide–all of them, including yours and mine … This summer, the debate reached a fever pitch during a month-long marathon negotiation session in July. The goal was to disgorge a treaty in time for the Obama administration to sign it before Election Day … The treaty was actually intended as a mechanism to submit our unique Second Amendment guarantees to international inspection–and condemnation … What can we do? We can ensure that we have a president who will not support the treaty, and a U.S. Senate that will not ratify the treaty it. That’s not a one-time commitment. Remember, once a treaty is enacted, it can be picked up at any time by a president and Senate … Throughout my life I’ve been committed to preserving our freedom from threats, both foreign and domestic. This proposed U.N. global gun-control treaty may not be an ‘invasion’ in the classic sense of the word but believe me, over time it represents the potential for encroachment of the greatest kind. Protect your rights by registering to vote today!” In reality, the U.N. Small Arms Treaty would set only international standards for the import/export of conventional weapons—leaving it to individual countries to “regulate internal transfers of arms and national ownership, including through national constitutional protections on private ownership.”

In a September 9, 2023 op-ed for World Net Daily, Norris wrote, “Fewer than 60 days remain before Election Day. I don’t need to tell you how important this election is to the future of our country. The stakes are high, and that’s why I proudly serve as honorary chairman of Trigger the Vote, the NRA’s nonpartisan campaign to register voters who support the Second Amendment. As a proud gun owner and defender of our Constitution, I am working within the system to make sure my voice is heard in Washington … There’s a storm brewing on the horizon. Those who want to restrict our freedom have not surrendered. In truth, they are counting on this election to make their move. They are playing the long game, looking down the road to a day when one or more vacancies on the Supreme Court could upset the current balance. The Heller and McDonald decisions were decided by razor-thin, 5-4 majorities in the Supreme Court. Those who want to overturn these decisions are betting on at least one of the five Supreme Court justices to retire or otherwise leave service during the next four years. Some pundits have suggested that the number of Supreme Court vacancies filled by the next president could be as many as three … Our freedoms hang in the balance by the thin gossamer thread of a single vote. If that vote turns, the victories we worked so hard to solidify could be reversed … We need to make sure we have a president whose nominees for any court – including the Supreme Court–will support the original meaning of our Constitution.” The Supreme Court, in District of Columbia v. Heller, held for the first time in U.S. history that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to firearm ownership for self defense in the home; striking down D.C.’s handgun ban. In McDonald v. Chicago, the Court held that the Second Amendment, as interpreted in Heller, applied to the states through the Due Process Clause.

On September 1, 2012, Norris published a video to his YouTube channel in which he and his wife, Gena, issued a “dire warning” for America. He stated, “We are here to talk about a growing concern we all share. If we look to history, our great country and freedom are under attack. We’re at a tipping point and quite possibly our country as we know it may be lost forever if we don’t change the course our country is headed.” Gena stated, “With our country at a crossroads, Chuck and I have asked ourselves what we can be doing to support this great country we are blessed to live in and how we can encourage our like minded brothers and sisters to unite and let their voices be heard. It is estimated that in the 2008 election, 30 million evangelical Christians stayed home on voting day and [President Barack] Obama won the election by 10 million votes.” Norris continued, “We know you love your freedom as much as Gena and I do, and it is because of that that we can no longer sit quietly or stand on the side lines and watch our country go the way of socialism or something much worse … As Edmund Burke said, ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men and women do nothing.’ Our great President Ronald Reagan said, ‘Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream, it must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” Gena stated, “President Reagan went on to say that ‘You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this last best hope for man on earth or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness.” Norris continued, stating, “Please stand with us. Let’s unite for God and country and may God continue to bless the United States of America.” The quote mentioned by Norris, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,” is often attributed to Edmund Burke (who is often cited as the philosophical founder of modern Conservatism), but there is no evidence to indicate he ever said it.

In an August 19, 2023 op-ed for World Net Daily, Norris wrote, “Though America’s founders and framers of our Constitution built a framework that encouraged the freedom of religion, they trusted in God, the Creator, or Providence, to help, protect and provide for our new nation and the lives of its citizens. From our founding documents to their congressional deliberations and legislation, they advocated the role of religion and God in all they did, including intermingling their own Christian faith in their political convictions and choices. Our founders believed our republic was intended only for a moral and religious people, and that leaders of this nation should stand and fight for the same … When New York churches can no longer meet in public school settings, a federal court orders a Rhode Island public school to remove a prayer banner that has been posted for over five decades (and it complies), the federal government mandates Catholic institutions to cover abortion-inducing drugs, contraceptives and sterilization (at no cost to the patient), the U.S. Air Force removes ‘God’ from the motto of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, the National Park Service omits the words ‘Laus Deo’ (Latin, 'Praise be to God') from a Washington Monument capstone replica, atheists continue to contest 'under God' in our Pledge of Allegiance, town councils can’t pray to start their meetings, evangelical pillars like Franklin Graham are subdued by gotcha-gangs in the mainstream media and cultural icons like football superstar Tim Tebow can’t even bow in silent prayer without criticism, etc., you can be assured that religious liberty (and Christianity, in particular) is under assault by secular progressives across America. And leading the national charge is none other than our own president, Barack Obama.” The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution explicitly prohibited the government from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.”

In a July 31, 2023 op-ed for Townhall, Norris compared President Barack Obama’s statements in a July 17 speech in Roanoke, Virginia to ones by Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. Norris wrote, “President Barack Obama's recent business-related comments in Virginia (‘If you've got a business—you didn't build that; somebody else made that happen’) sounded more communistic than capitalistic … To Obama, government is your business partner; government is your savior; government is your hero; government is the economic caped crusader who swoops down like the Dark Knight to save your soul, sales and pocketbook … [His statements] represent, at the very least, his preferred philosophy for a European type of socialism.” President Obama stated in his Roanoke speech, “There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me—because they want to give something back. They know they didn’t – look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something–there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there. If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business – you didn’t build that.”

During a November 2009 appearance on Fox News, when Norris was asked by host Sean Hannity about running for political office, he responded, “I’d be sitting here with my opponent debating, and then he would start attacking my character. And I’d jump over there and choke him unconscious.” When Hannity told Norris, “You have more control than that,” Norris responded, “I don’t. I don’t. I don’t. That’s the problem, I have a thin skin. And it was really tough in the film world. And believe me, in the political world I’d be killing half the people.” He concluded that the only way to get anything done in Washington would be to “choke out all the Democrats.”

In a September 28, 2023 op-ed for WorldNetDaily, Norris wrote. “If there is any minority in the coastal states that is being discriminated against and actively suppressed, it is conservatives, and worst of all are religious conservatives – and everyone knows it … In a so-called age of tolerance, it amazes me just how intolerant some are of those who stand for traditional values. For example, if I stand against California’s memorializing of the Harvey Milk Day or stand for their constitutional amendment of Proposition 8 to safeguard heterosexual purity in marriage, ... I’m considered by many as intolerant and a bigot.” Harvey Milk Day celebrates the memory of gay activist and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Harvey Milk who was assassinated in 1978 by a political rival. Norris also named actor Mel Gibson as someone who has “stood for conservative values.” Gibson has been a controversial figure since a recording of an anti-Semitic rant during his 2006 DUI arrest appeared in the media.

In an August 10, 2023 op-ed for WorldNetDaily about the extra-marital affair of Democratic politician John Edwards, Norris wrote, “I myself have experienced it, as I wrote about in the chapter ‘A sin that became a blessing’ in my autobiography, ‘Against All Odds,’ in which I discuss an adulterous one-night stand in the early ’60s that resulted in my wonderful daughter, Dina.” In “Against All Odds,” Norris described several dates he and his friend went on with two sisters, despite the fact that Norris was married at the time. According to Norris, “One night Johanna and I went to a drive-in movie alone, and we engaged in sexual intercourse, right there in the car.” Norris went on to harshly criticize Edwards for his affair, writing, “Enduring public humiliation is not the only price a political leader should pay for improprieties; I think they should be disciplined, suspended, if not disposed from areas of future public service. The consequence of corruption should also be increased restrictions, if not a banning from certain areas of public service. If one cannot properly handle their private affairs, can we truly expect them to handle political ones?” In another column published in February 2007, Norris encouraged Newt Gingrich—who participated in multiple extra-marital affairs—to run for president “because despite personal past shortcomings, I believe Newt is a Republican as they used to be and, even more, meets the criteria established by men of old.”

Oliver North (Board Member)

In a March 4, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, North wrote, “The U.S. House of Representatives has joined the race for D.C. dunce. On Feb. 28, the House passed the Senate’s version of the Obama administration’s expanded Violence Against Women Act. Left-leaning pundits proclaim that the new law will somehow provide additional protections for American-Indian women, homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people and immigrants. In short, you are covered by this ‘new protection’ as long as you can prove you are not a heterosexual white male … While we’re passing new laws to protect women, we’re putting them into U.S. military ground combat units. Perhaps fear of prosecution will prevent enemy combatants from raping our female soldiers and Marines on the battlefield.” North also spoke about Secretary of State John Kerry, stating, “Mr. Kerry also is showing his independence from the White House. When Nobel laureate Barack Obama travels overseas, he prefers to bow to foreign potentates and apologize for America. Instead of apologizing in foreign capitals, Mr. Kerry prefers to insult us … The German kids also laughed and applauded Mr. Kerry for saying, ‘In America, you have a right to be stupid.’ He should know. In the immortal words of Forrest Gump: ‘Stupid is as stupid does.’” President Obama has bowed to several foreign dignitaries during the course of his presidency, including the Saudi King, the Emperor of Japan, and the Queen of England, as a customary gesture of respect upon greeting them.

On the December 18, 2023 broadcast of the Glenn Beck Radio Program, North spoke to Joe Pags about President Barack Obama’s administration, stating “We’re in deep trouble in America … The background of all of this is a condition of governance today which is bereft of moral leadership. It is absent of any vision for America other than leading from behind and acquiescing to a global perspective that somehow the United Nations is gonna solve our problems if we simply surrender our sovereignty, our independence and our ability to defend ourselves.” North was referring to a U.N. Small Arms Treaty that would set only international standards for the import/export of conventional weapons—leaving it to individual countries to “regulate internal transfers of arms and national ownership, including through national constitutional protections on private ownership.” Pags asked North, “How is it that we’ve gotten to that point in this country that the government thinks we work for them and not the other way around?” North replied, “This, I think, relates a lot to what just transpired up in Connecticut and what we’ve now seen with these killings. Over the course of the last fifty years, basically two and a half generations, this country has walked away from its founding principles. We’ve said, we’re not gonna allow prayer in schools. Role models that I grew up with, to give you an example my dad was a soldier. Two wars, Korea and World War II. Every one of my male teachers was either a veteran of World War II, or Korea, or both. These were people I looked up to … Where are those guys and people today? Are parents taking the kids to Sunday school or church? Are they taking them and showing them the positive, adult, male role models in life?” North was referring to the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut in which 20 first-grade students and six adults were shot and killed. Pags asked North, “I think we’ve got too many single parent households. I don’t know how we got here. Is government to blame for that at all, or have we as a society rolled over and said, ‘Forget it. We don’t have to worry about the old value system’? North replied, “Well, I think to an extent both are true. First of all, the idea of no-fault divorce became very, very attractive back in the 60s. The idea that we’re not gonna allow prayer or God to be mentioned in schools. We’ve all talked about the War on Christmas the last couple of years but, it’s not just Christmas. It’s the entire Judeo-Christian framework of our country.”

In a November 1, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, North wrote, “When Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman sat down to draft the Declaration of Independence, they began with a ‘Bill of Particulars’ against King George III. They accused the monarch of ‘repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.’ Now, 236 years later, ‘We the People’ are about to decide whom we should hire as our chief executive and commander in chief. It’s an appropriate time to review the grievances of our Founding Fathers—and examine the offenses committed by our present head of state”:

  • “HE has redefined Marriage and enacted Rules and Regulations abridging the religious Liberties and Freedom of Conscience protected by the First Amendment of our Constitution by requiring church-affiliated Institutions to provide Insurance Coverage for Contraception and Abortions under Obamacare.” Though President Barack Obama has stated publicly that he supports same-sex marriage, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as that between a man and a woman, remains law. Furthermore, while the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act does require religiously affiliated institutions to provide insurance coverage for contraception, it did not in any way alter existing, strict federal restrictions on the funding of abortion.
  • “HE has bowed to foreign Potentates, begged our Adversaries for Space and Time until after the Election, and apologized for the Blood and Treasure expended by brave Americans in offering Others the Hope of Freedom.” President Obama has bowed to several foreign dignitaries during the course of his presidency, including the Saudi King, the Emperor of Japan, and the Queen of England, as a customary gesture of respect upon greeting them. North’s “Space and Time” reference is in regards to a discussion President Obama had with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in which he told Medvedev he would have “more flexibility” to deal with contentious foreign policy issues, such as missile defense, following the November 2012 elections. North was also likely referring to speeches President Barack Obama gave in 2009. “Blood and Treasure” might reference a speech in Strasbourg, France on April 3, 2009, in which President Obama stated, “America Has Shown Arrogance.” Additionally, in President Obama’s address to the Summit of the Americas opening ceremony in the Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on April 17, 2009, he stated, “While the United States has done much to promote peace and prosperity in the hemisphere, we have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms. But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership.”
  • “HE declared an act of Terrorism at Fort Hood, Texas, to be workplace Violence… [and] failed to dispatch military Force to save Americans in Harm’s way in Benghazi.” North was referring to a mass shooting at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009. In that shooting, Nidal Hassan, an Army psychiatrist killed 12 people and wounded 30 others. The Department of Defense classified the shooting as “workplace violence.” He was also referring to an attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya on September 11, 2012. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the attack. Congressional hearings revealed that the State Department was aware of, and rejected, several requests for increased security in Benghazi; however, Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the U.S. House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security stated on October 9, 2023 that House Republicans had consciously voted to reduce the funds allocated to the State Department for embassy security since winning the majority in 2010. When asked if he had voted to reduce funding for embassy security, Chaffetz stated, “Absolutely. Look we have to make priorities and choices in this country. We have…15,000 contractors in Iraq. We have more than 6,000 contractors, a private army there, for President Obama, in Baghdad. And we’re talking about can we get two dozen or so people into Libya to help protect our forces. When you’re in tough economic times, you have to make difficult choices. You have to prioritize things.”

In a September 27, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, North wrote to Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney some of the things U.S. Armed Services members would like to hear from him at the first presidential debate, stating, “I proffer a few lines you may want to use in the upcoming debates. Full disclosure here: These aren't my ideas. This is what the brightest and bravest of this generation now in uniform hope to hear from our next president:”

  • “If you make me your commander in chief, I will bow to God Almighty—but never to a foreign potentate.” North was likely referring to President Barack Obama bowing to several foreign dignitaries during the course of his presidency, including the Saudi King, the Emperor of Japan, and the Queen of England.
  • “I never will apologize for the blood and treasure our country has sacrificed in offering others the hope of freedom.” North was likely referring to speeches President Barack Obama gave in 2009. For example, in a speech in Strasbourg, France, April 3, 2009, President Obama stated, “America has shown arrogance.” In President Obama’s address to the Summit of the Americas opening ceremony in the Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on April 17, 2009, he stated, “While the United States has done much to promote peace and prosperity in the hemisphere, we have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms. But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership.”
  • “I never will call an act of terrorism ‘workplace violence.’” North was referring to a mass shooting at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009. In that shooting, Nidal Hassan, an Army psychiatrist killed 12 people and wounded 30 others. The Defense Department classified the shooting as “workplace violence.”
  • “I never will announce an arbitrary deadline for withdrawing from battle and give advantage to our adversaries.” North was referring to President Barack Obama’s June 22, 2011, announcement that he would withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by 2014 as Afghan security forces replace them.
  • “I won't beg the Russians –or anyone else—for more ‘space,’ saying I can be more ‘flexible’ after an election.” North was referring to a discussion President Obama had with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in which he told Medvedev he would have “more flexibility” to deal with contentious foreign policy issues, such as missile defense, following the November 2012 elections.
  • “Though I am committed to reducing the size and cost of the federal government, I will insist that Congress provide funds necessary to deter aggression, keep America's military No. 1 in the world and keep faith with all who have served and who now look—often in vain—for a good job.” North was likely referring to President Obama’s plan to cut $487 billion in planned military spending by 2022. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called the cuts acceptable and because of budget restraints, inevitable.

In an August 14, 2023 interview with Newsmax, North stated that the killing of American soldiers by our Afghan allies “is the bitter harvest of [President] Barack Obama’s decision to announce withdrawal.” In North’s words, “Even though it was announced over a year ago, what you’re seeing is the rush to the exits. The need to increase the number of recruits for the Afghan National Security Forces, meaning the Army and the police, their intelligence services, has gone up dramatically. The ability to screen them as they’re coming in and vet out those who might be terrorists is almost gone. So the end result is the terrorists now know if they’re going to kill an infidel, you’ve only got a short window in which to get it done. You’re going to see a whole lot more of this. It’s become the number-one killer of Americans, replacing the IED as the most lethal part of this war, and it’s all because an announcement was made telling everybody, the enemy included, when we were leaving.” When asked if radical Islam was still a threat to American citizens, North replied, “Well you certainly wouldn’t know it by the way this White House and the State Department are acting, but yes, it is. [Some Americans] think the War on Terror is won just because bin Laden is dead and oh, by the way, Barack Obama did it. The fact is radical Islam will continue to be a major threat to American interests and our citizens, and another attack like 9/11 or the embassy attacks back in the 90s under the Clinton administration are entirely likely unless America does more to make sure that radical Islam does not get a toehold in places where they can train for those kinds of activities.” On June 22, 2011, President Obama announced that he would withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by 2014 as Afghan security forces replace them.

In a July 28, 2023 op-ed for Townhall, North wrote, “When Alexander the Great died at the age of 32 in 323 B.C., his once unbeatable army began a 2,900-mile withdrawal from India and headed home to Macedonia. As they retreated, the empire they had created collapsed behind them. To prevent pursuit, Alexander's royal cavalry and infantry dealt viciously with all internal dissent, destroyed cities and burned bridges. The Russians employed a similar scorched-earth tactic against Napoleon in 1812, as did the Red Army when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. It's a maneuver now being employed both domestically and internationally by [President] Barack Obama.” North also addressed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ “Fast and Furious” gun trafficking investigation on the southwest border, stating, “[In Mexico] nearly 50,000 people have been killed in drug-fueled violence since 2006. With narco-terrorism now spreading to neighboring Guatemala and Honduras, the [Obama administration] decided to allow thousands of firearms to flow across the U.S. border to drug cartels in the ill-conceived "Fast and Furious" operation. The result: more dead Mexicans, at least one dead American Border Patrol agent and Attorney General Eric Holder held in contempt of Congress [for failure to comply with a congressional subpoena].” A report released by the Department of Justice’s Inspector General on September 19, 2023 found that there is no evidence that Attorney General Eric Holder was aware of the tactics used in "Fast and Furious" until after it was concluded in 2011.

In October 2011, North phoned into America’s Radio News to criticize a decision by the Obama administration to recall all troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. North said, “This administration was committed to doing away with America’s military force, basically, years ago. They are now carrying that out.” He also claimed that the “the people who are most glad of this [withdrawing from Iraq] aren’t going to be Americas soldiers, sailors, airmen, or marines. Its gonna be the Iranians.” When the interviewer began to ask, “You say this administration has failed foreign policies, but they got [Osama] bin Laden, they got [Muammar] Ghaddafi, they’re doing what most Americans want which is getting out of Iraq,” North interrupted, “The unmanned aerial vehicles—which our colleagues in the media mistakenly call ‘drones’—were bought under the budget provided by George W. Bush. They’ve more than quadrupled the numbers of them available. As you’ve noticed, most of the action is now taking place with special operations troops who were recruited and funded by the Bush Administration.” When asked whether President Obama could take any credit for using the drone program “to great effect,” North stated, “[The President] is taking some of the advice provided by the military commanders on the battlefield, using assets that were not available during the Bush Administration. But they had the foresight to go ahead and start building these things, paying for them, and recruiting the people—I’m talking specifically now about the special operators—who could go on the ground and validate that the target was the real thing.” North also called the United States intervention in Libya a failure because of the Obama Administration’s decision to not send American combat troops into Libya.

At a March 1993 Republican fundraising dinner attended by 250 people, North delivered remarks pretending to be a homosexual caller to the White House. North joked that he had tried to call President Bill Clinton, but the switchboard didn’t put him through until he adopted an exaggerated, effeminate lisp. When North was asked to apologize for his remarks by the Fairfax Lesbian and Gay Citizens Association, he responded, “If it angered some subset, that’s their problem.”

oliver North (Board Member)

In a January 11, 2024 op-ed for Townhall, North wrote about Vice President Joe Biden’s announcement two days earlier that President Barack Obama would consider the use of executive orders/action as a means to combat gun violence. North stated, “Those words –‘executive orders, executive action’—used in conjunction with constitutionally protected rights and liberties, ought to alarm us all.” During his first term in office, President Obama issued fewer executive orders than any president since Grover Cleveland. North continued, writing, “Hard evidence of public support for new restrictions on firearms ownership by law-abiding citizens is hard to find.” In fact, numerous national polls found overwhelming public support for new firearms regulations in the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012, in which 20 children and 6 adults were killed. One public opinion poll conducted by the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in January 2013 found that 89% of all Americans and 74% of NRA members supported requiring a background check on all gun sales. It also found that 77% of Americans support banning the sale of semi-automatic weapons and 76% support banning the sale of large-capacity ammunition magazines holding more than 10 bullets.

Ted Nugent (Board Member)

At the NRA’s Great American Outdoor Show on February 5, 2014, Nugent proclaimed that President Barack Obama is “an avowed racist who claimed because Trayvon Martin was black…a gangster and an attacker and a doper, that he could have been his son." Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teenager, was killed by concealed handgun permit holder George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida on February 26, 2012. Martin was returning home from a convenience store with snacks immediately prior to the shooting. Zimmerman was ultimately acquitted of murder charges under Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law.

In a January 17, 2024 interview with Guns.com at the 2014 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show), Nugent spoke about President Barack Obama, stating, “I have obviously failed to galvanize and prod, if not shame, enough Americans to be ever vigilant, not to let a Chicago communist-raised, communist-educated, communist-nurtured subhuman mongrel like the ACORN community organizer gangster Barack Hussein Obama to weasel his way into the top office of authority in the United States of America.” Furthermore, he described President Obama as a “chimpanzee.” Nugent also spoke about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, stating, "Our politicians check their scrotum in at the door. Even Hillary, but obviously she has spare scrotums.” Nugent also stated, “The gun debate is about good people having the individual right from God, guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, to stop evil people. If you find fault with that you’re on the side of the evil people. Duh.”

In an October 14, 2023 interview on Gater 98.7, a Florida radio station, Nugent blamed President Obama for the record rate of veteran suicides, stating, “[W]hen you've got leadership that is the enemy of America, you've got the heroes of the U.S. military committing suicide at record numbers because their Commander-in-Chief is the enemy of the country. I mean it's so ugly right now, you got a bunch of pimps, whores and welfare brats running our government.” Nugent also spoke about the government shutdown, which began on October 1, 2023 when Congress failed to pass legislation funding government operations and agencies. Nugent made recommendations to fix the situation, stating, “I would love to see America run like the Nugent household. You get up early, you maximize your productivity, you be the best that you can be, you live within your means, you save for a rainy day and you don't be some gluttonous, slovenly, criminal, wasteful paycheck fire-torching bastard like most of the people in politics today … I celebrate that they're shut down because Fedzilla is a bloated monster. I would recommend and I think an honest review of the federal government would conclude the same that I have, and other thinking, caring people who understand the U.S. Constitution and how to run a household or how to run a business. That for every federal employee, let's put it this way, for every 5,000 federal employees, I could hire one person to do a better job. It is so wasteful. It's engineered obsolescence, it's engineered redundancy. The whole battle cry of the federal government is waste, corruption, fraud, abuse of power. So I'm glad it's shutdown … You can't run a family like that, you can't run a business like that. But Fedzilla is convinced they can operate with impunity. And I have a message for [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid and the President, ‘Eat me!’"

In an October 9, 2023 interview with the Associated Press, Nugent described President Barack Obama as a "monster in the White House" who "wouldn't qualify to drive my tour bus."

On September 17, Nugent tweeted, “Liberal democrats are soulless slavedriving scam artists bribing voters.”

In an August 13, 2023 radio interview on “The Mike Huckabee Show,” Nugent spoke about his hunting dog Gonzo, stating, “We literally hunt anywhere between 250 and 300 days a year. And you think Gonzo is good on ducks, you should see him on squirrels and doves and rabbits and woodcock and grouse. He really is a mystical, wonderful hunting dog.” Huckabee replied, “Well, maybe we ought to turn him loose on some Democrats and see if he can hunt them, too.” Nugent then stated, “Well, there’s a lot of varmints out there. I think he would do good pointing to varmints and then we could vote them out of office. What do you say?”

In a July 31, 2023 op-ed for World Net Daily, Nugent endorsed the conspiracy theory that President Barack Obama’s birth certificate is a forgery, stating, “More of us believe in the American hero Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s thorough investigation into your phony birth certificate and phony history than the phony media’s smoke and mirrors.” In July 2012, Joseph Arpaio, a controversial Arizona sheriff, announced that a "Cold Case Posse" under his direction determined that Obama's "long-form birth certificate was manufactured electronically and that it did not originate in a paper format as claimed by the White House." The "Cold Case Posse" reportedly attempted to uncover evidence that Obama was born in Kenya.

In the same editorial, Nugent said to President Obama, “[W]ith all due respect, your holy phoniness, who can’t see the terminal phoniness of wasting more tax dollars with more phony charges against George Zimmerman in defiance of your own FBI investigation and the same exhaustive evidence that proved his obvious innocence to the jury of his peers and everyone paying attention who was not blinded by your phony racism?” On July 13, 2013, George Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter after shooting and killing unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida on February 26, 2012. After the trial, the U.S. Justice Department began investigating whether to file civil rights charges against Zimmerman.

Finally, Nugent suggested that Nidal Malik Hassan, the man responsible for a 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, is President Obama’s “Allah Ahkbar buddy.” Hassan allegedly yelled "Allahu akbar!” which means “God is Great” in Arabic, before opening fire.

On March 26, 2013, Nugent appeared on right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ radio show. Jones has accused the U.S. government of being involved in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. On the show, Nugent compared a video in which actor/comedian Jim Carrey criticized the NRA to what the Nazis did during the Holocaust, stating, “In Nuremberg 1938, we got there late, but when we finally got there we made those subhuman, Nazi, brown-shirt punks walk through Auschwitz and look [at] what they caused. Look what they did and this Jim Carrey moment is a mirror that we can show somebody, hopefully soon, that these people enhance crime, they encourage crime, they facilitate and guarantee more innocent dead citizens.” (Religion)

In February 2013, Nugent appeared on right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ radio show. Jones has accused the U.S. government of being involved in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Nugent said, “Alex, you're doing God's work … What you're celebrating, and what you are sharing with the radio listeners out there is indisputable, it's irrefutable, and I got to thank you because it's so late in coming that those of us with the balls and the inside view of the criminality of this government right now, the unprecedented abuse of power and corruption and fraud and deceit by the Chicago gangster scammer ACORN-in-Chief [President Barack Obama] is so diabolical that I just wanted to say thank you from the trenches.” Nugent was making reference to ACORN, a community activist organization and its affiliate, Project Vote. After the 2008 election, the John McCain (R-AZ) campaign accused the group of perpetrating “massive voter fraud.” Neither ACORN nor its employees have ever been found guilty of—or even charged with—casting fraudulent votes. Several ACORN canvassers have been found guilty of faking registration forms. The evidence shows that the canvassers faked the forms to get paid for work they didn’t do, not to stuff ballot boxes. A report by the Congressional Research Service, the nonpartisan public policy research arm of the U.S. Congress, stated that there were no instances of individuals who were allegedly registered to vote improperly by ACORN or its employees and who were reported "attempting to vote at the polls."

In a November 21, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent wrote, “In yet another never-ending series of terminal ding-dong moves, members of the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union went on strike and drove Hostess out of business, providing one more stinking example of how labor unions can no longer have their cake and it eat it, too … Labor unions are bad for business. With just these four short opening paragraphs, the allergic-to-logic, empty Twinkie heads of anti-capitalism liberals are surely spinning ‘round and ‘round. They will ignorantly shriek that big business is greedy and needs more government regulation, that businesses have all kinds of obligations to their employees, that labor unions are still needed and that liberals know what is best for the economy … Unemployed long enough, even liberals with noggins full of economic balderdash put there by comedians Jon Stewart and Bill Maher, and liberal college instructors who have never owned or managed a business will begin to understand that anti-business, pro-union liberalism doesn’t pay the rent. Ding-dong that.” Hostess, the maker of Twinkies and Ding-Dongs, filed for bankruptcy in January 2012. On November 9, 2012, Hostess employees went on strike after the company imposed a contract cutting worker’s wages by 8 percent and benefits by 27 percent to 32 percent. In mid-November 2012, the company began selling its factories and assets. Hostess also began laying off its 18,500 workers.

In a November 15, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent wrote, “What our nation may not be strong enough to survive is four more years of [President Barack] Obama and his Big Wrecking Crew government liberal jihad, which has wreaked havoc on all of America. Our major cities, run for decades by corrupt Democratic regimes, are broke, rusting wrecks full of unemployed scavengers … The president dares to articulate the Republican talking points while his entrenched political programs, ideologies and policies always have been and always will be designed to create dependence on Fedzilla and transform America into something resembling the toilet-bowl nation of Cuba and every other socialist hell zone known to mankind. Insanity is personified. America is tipping over a financial ledge of which I suspect many of those who voted for the president have no basic understanding or appreciation. All they are interested in is more free candy from Uncle Sugar Daddy … The denial curse of liberalism sure comes in handy when hiding from the truth, thereby accelerating disaster. Dopey is as dopey does. Toke on that, Bill Maher. While I’m just a humble love-song composer and deer slayer, I’m smart enough to know we are not going to borrow and spend our way to prosperity while also increasing the gluttonous obesity tantrum of Fedzilla. Mouth-breathing Obama supporters, and obviously Mr. Obama himself, don’t understand this. They are comfortably dumb about basic economics.”

In a November 8, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent wrote about the reelection of President Barack Obama, stating, “We have fallen far and fast. Instead of electing a serious-minded, proven professional, America went once again with a guy whose most impressive qualification is that of a questionable ‘Chicago’ community organizer. I don’t mean Chicago in a geographic sense. President John F. Kennedy would have been appalled … We have decayed into a nation of gluttonous, soulless pigs who feast on whatever Fedzilla provides by taking from one group of Americans (the producers) and giving to others (the takers) who haven’t earned it and don’t deserve it … The pigs have come home to wallow in the mud of the Washington swamp, and we have a group of professional political punks—master scam artists—who are all too happy to shovel more slop while advocating that the producers should be punished further by raising their taxes and restricting entrepreneurs with business-wrecking overregulation … I’m not nearly as surprised with the outcome of the presidential election as I’m disheartened and disgusted that my fellow Americans can be this woefully uninformed, easily manipulated and thunderously ignorant. I’ve got a rotting fence post smarter than these mouth breathers. If you voted for [President Barack] Obama, you are thunderously dumb and incredibly naïve … Thanks for nothing, numbskulls.”

In the early hours of the morning following Election Day 2012, Nugent tweeted the following:

  • “Pimps whores & welfare brats & their soulless supporters hav [sic] a president to destroy America”
  • “So [President Barack] Obama still demands the hardest workers provide for the nonwotkers [sic]. Shared opportunitiesmy ass.”
  • “What subhuman varmint believes others must pay for their obesity booze cellphones birthcontrol abortions & lives.”
  • “Goodluk [sic] America u just voted for economic & spiritual suicide. Soulless fools.”
  • “So 4 SCOTUS idiots dont believe in self defense. Pure evil.” Nugent was referring to Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Justices Breyer and Ginsburg dissented in District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago. In Heller, the Court held for the first time in U.S. history that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to firearm ownership for self defense in the home; thereby striking down D.C.’s handgun ban. In McDonald v. Chicago, the Court held that the Second Amendment, as interpreted in Heller, applied to the states through the Due Process Clause. Justice Sotomayor joined the dissent in McDonald. Justice Kagan has indicated that she also disagrees with the Court’s decisions in Heller and McDonald.
  • “I cry tears of blood for The Last Best Place & the warriors who died for this tragedy.”

In an October 30, 2023 interview with the Washington Times, Nugent spoke about social welfare programs, stating, “We are all heartbroken that the Herculean work ethic that…made America The Last Best Place has dwindled considerably since the big lies of The New Deal and The Great Society succeeded in brainwashing a segment of our country to believe Fedzilla would provide for anyone who decided, for whatever reason, to not be productive.” President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal was responsible for creating the Social Security Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Housing Administration, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society was responsible for the creation of Medicare and Medicaid, and a variety of other anti-poverty programs. These programs drastically reduced the rate of poverty nationally. Nugent also spoke about his hometown of Detroit, Michigan, stating, “It is so very true that my birth city of Detroit was the cleanest, most neighborly, positive-energy, work-ethic epicenter of planet earth when I was born there in 1948, right on through to the 1960s. Enter the liberal death wish of Mayor Coleman Young and a tsunami of negative, anti-productivity policies by liberal Democrats that put a voodoo curse on our beloved Motor City. When you train and reward people to scam, cheat and refuse to be productive, there is only one direction that society can go: straight down the toilet. It is truly a heartbreaker. Some wonderful people are still to be found back home, but they are outnumbered by the pimps, whores and welfare brats that have made bloodsucking a lifestyle. And now we have a president who is doing everything he can to take the whole country down that same path. Truly amazing.”

On October 26, 2012, Nugent tweeted, “The Obama gang turned their soulless slimy backs on Americans in Benghazi. Criminal corruption & abuse of power.” Nugent was referring to an attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya on September 11, 2012. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the attack. Congressional hearings revealed that the State Department was aware of, and rejected, several requests for increased security in Benghazi. In addition, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives reduced funding for embassy security. Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), chairman of the U.S. House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, when asked why Republicans took this step, stated, “Look, we have to make priorities and choices in this country. We have…15,000 contractors in Iraq. We have more than 6,000 contractors, a private army there, for President Obama, in Baghdad. And we’re talking about can we get two dozen or so people into Libya to help protect our forces. When you’re in tough economic times, you have to make difficult choices. You have to prioritize things.”

On October 17, 2012, Nugent tweeted, “Apparently soulless liberals & zombie democrats dont care that their president lies thru his teeth. Go Mitt [Romney].”

On October 16, 2012, Nugent tweeted, “ [President Barack] Obama is the ultimate Saul Alinsky & Cloward/Piven smoke&mirrors liar from hell. God help America.” Saul Alinsky was a community organizer and writer in the mid-20th century. In 1971, he wrote a book called “Rules for Radicals” which described his theory and methods of organizing. Richard Cloward and Frances Piven were sociologists and political activists. They outlined a political strategy in 1966 that called for overloading the U.S. public welfare system in order to precipitate a crisis that would lead to a replacement of the welfare system with a national system of "guaranteed annual income and thus an end to poverty." President Barack Obama has never publicly mentioned Saul Alinsky, Richard Cloward or Frances Piven nor, has he supported a guaranteed annual income in place of welfare.

On October 10, 2012, Nugent tweeted, “Yeah thats it-The FtHood massacre was a workplace act of violence Yeah, thats the ticket Goodcall gang Obama lying enemies of America. damnU.” Nugent was referring to a mass shooting at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009. In that shooting, Nidal Hassan, an Army psychiatrist, killed 12 people and wounded 30 others after legally purchasing a handgun and ammunition. The Department of Defense classified the shooting as “workplace violence.”

On October 10, 2012, Nugent tweeted, “How soulless must the [President Barack] Obama gang be to refuse basic security for Americans around the world on 9-11. Criminal complicity to murder treason.” Nugent was referring to an attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya on September 11, 2012. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the attack. Congressional hearings revealed that the State Department was aware of, and rejected, several requests for increased security in Benghazi. In addition, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives reduced funding for embassy security. Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), chairman of the U.S. House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, when asked why Republicans took this step, stated, “Look, we have to make priorities and choices in this country. We have…15,000 contractors in Iraq. We have more than 6,000 contractors, a private army there, for President Obama, in Baghdad. And we’re talking about can we get two dozen or so people into Libya to help protect our forces. When you’re in tough economic times, you have to make difficult choices. You have to prioritize things.”

In an October 8, 2023 radio interview with Rusty Humphries, Nugent stated, “You know why you love my greasy soulful black soul music? You know why you love it so much? Because on all my Gibson guitars, I have illegally imported Indian fretboads. That's one thing I demand from Gibson is that if they are going to make me a guitar they will use illegally imported wood so that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife has a conniption fit every time I play." Nugent was referring to several U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department raids on the guitar maker Gibson for importing endangered wood. Nugent told Humphries that one of his new songs was about how, “The whole word sucks, but America still sucks less and if we don’t get these gangsters out of the White House we’re gonna suck ourselves to death … [Government is] so out of control now, the new normal is offensive, vulgar, obscene, and anti-American at the hands of a community organizer who is intentionally dismantling the greatest quality of life in the history of mankind.” When asked what he thought of polls that showed President Barack Obama holding a slight lead over Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Nugent replied, “Well, when you read those kind of manipulated and dishonest polls it actually does increase confidence [in Mitt Romney] because the leftist media is so addicted to dishonesty and misrepresentation and manipulation … I believe there’s more of us than the bloodsuckers that [President] Barack Obama and his gangsters have bought and paid for and if that offends somebody who is listening to Rusty Humphries and Ted Nugent, you need to get a clue because this president has bought his votes by offering something from the productive Americans to the non-productive Americans … If you look at the average voter for Barack Obama, he’s either receiving something from the taxpayer or he’s an elected official or government employee that is being overpaid.” Turning to the topic of his family, Nugent stated, “We shoot pretty much every day. I shoot every day … Unarmed citizens are slaves so we take our shooting very seriously.”

In an October 7, 2023 interview on Armed America Radio, Nugent stated, “Regardless of your ideology, this guy, this President Barack Obama clearly is intentionally dismantling the greatest quality of life in the history of the world. His policies are anti-American. His polices and his czars and his administration are anti-American, anti-quality of life, anti-freedom, anti-liberty, and anti-being the best that you can be. Every word, deed, and action by Obama is against the very spirit of rugged individualism, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution … This guy, this Barack Obama is a Mao Zedong wannabe. Everything he stands for, all of his policies, all of his smoke and mirrors, his mastery of deception and deceit and outright lying, is so Mao Zedong. In fact a lot of his czars, a lot of Barack Obama's czars, will look right in the camera and say, ‘Yeah, I'm a communist and I like it’ … The President of the United States, the Commander in Chief, which is supposed to be respected by the heroes of our U.S. military; Barack Obama goes to the Vietnam memorial wall in Washington where 58,000 American patriots and heroes and warriors gave their lives fighting communism. When he is not at the wall pretending to show tribute to these warriors, he's implementing communism. The very system that these warriors died fighting against … And for Americans to accept that the Commander in Chief is implementing communist policies while feigning respect for heroes who fought communism is one of the most vile, repugnant, obscene gestures in the history of American politics.” Nugent, by his own account, evaded being drafted for the Vietnam War in the 1970s by taking controlled substances and smearing his body with feces before a fitness exam.

In an October 4, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent wrote, “Not so amazing, but the backbone of the Democratic Party, the ones buying the most lottery tickets, are the ones who can least afford it. Duh. If these mouth-breathers promise not to vote, the GOP should buy them a lottery ticket. That would be cheaper than trying to reach them with political ads. The Democrats are once again playing class warfare. Jacking the poor and downtrodden against wealthy Americans is a core Democratic political strategy … The message the Democrats send to their base is that wealthy Americans are to be despised, maligned and punished. The Democratic Party will never admit that wealthy Americans might just be smarter, have a greater tolerance for risk and a stronger work ethic than supporters who carp about how the system is rigged against them and seek a fantasy of ‘shared opportunity.’ Show me where life is fair and I will vote for President Obama. The only things rigged against these comfortably dumb Americans is the image staring back in the mirror and the Democratic Party, which has intentionally enslaved and victimized them for decades … To demonize wealthy people is to spit in the face of the American dream. You might want to note that there is no demonization of the wealthy from Republicans, only Democrats.”

On October 4, 2012, Nugent tweeted, “The presidential looking self made American [Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney] bitchslaps the clueless community disorganizer [President Barack Obama] upside the head with crowbars of truth & logic.” Nugent was referring to the first presidential debate in Denver, Colorado on October 3, 2012.

In an October 2, 2023 radio interview on 101 KXL, a Portland, Oregon news radio station, Nugent stated, “[Michigan] turned into a liberal cesspool of slovenliness and gluttony and just entrenched irresponsibility…the opposite of what I grew up in Michigan … Positive spirit and entrepreneurial work ethic…is still alive and well in Michigan, it’s just been overwhelmed by the pimps and the whores and the welfare brats.” Nugent continued, stating, “I couldn’t be more proud, in 2012, hippies and communists hate me. They hate me, which means I’m really really a good person.” When asked what he would do if President Barack Obama won the election in November 2012, Nugent replied, “I’ve saluted too many flag-draped coffins to give up. I’ve spent too much time with U.S. Marines with no legs and Army heroes with no arms and Navy and Air Force and Coast Guard and National Guard guys who have given up everything to give up … If Barack Obama gets back in, I’ll just turn up the heat and fight to demand the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and that ‘We the People’ get more engaged and take this country back from these criminals. Barack Obama and [U.S. Attorney General] Eric Holder and [U.S. Secretary of State] Hillary Clinton and [U.S. Treasury Secretary] Tim Geithner and other czars, they’re all America-hating punks. They hate this country. They hate freedom. They hate excellence. They hate entrepreneurialism. They hate genuine effort. They think there’s somehow some kind of fairness available where people who don’t try as hard somehow benefit the same way as people that try really hard. That’s just buffoonery. That’s just a Karl Marx [author of the ‘Communist Manifesto’], [Former Leader of Communist China] Mao Tse-tung insult.” Nugent, by his own account, evaded being drafted for the Vietnam War in the 1970s by taking controlled substances and smearing his body with feces before a fitness exam.

In an October 1, 2023 radio interview on KMOX, a St. Louis news radio station, Nugent spoke about the November 2012 presidential campaign, stating, “[Republican vice presidential candidate] Paul [Ryan] is a great man … He is really a keeper. He’s one of the best of the best and I really believe that what [Republican presidential candidate] Mitt Romney has learned over the years really makes him better than just a good man, he’s now a great man. He would be such a vast improvement over this current criminal administration and the policies that clearly are against the American way and against being the best that you can be. So, Mitt Romney picked the right guy. Paul Ryan’s a real blood-brother, man … Bow-hunting really is the most difficult thing in the world, as far as a self-imposed challenge goes … There’s a real higher level of awareness that one attains, that one has to aspire to and Paul Ryan has achieved that. He’s a dedicated, very successful bow-hunter. And that higher level of awareness that drives your higher level of awareness on every level of life is what has made [Paul Ryan] a great representative, a great U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights representative of ‘We the People’ of Wisconsin. So, what he can do in America, I think we have seen with [Wisconsin Governor] Scott Walker, Tommy Thompson, the past governor and hopefully U.S. Senate from Wisconsin and with Paul Ryan as Congressman. I mean, Wisconsin went from a suburb of the hash-bash hippie hell of Madison to being a really accountable, living within their means, balancing their budget, and getting rid of the fat and the waste in Wisconsin.” Governor Scott Walker did not balance Wisconsin’s budget. In a letter sent by Mike Huebsch, Walker’s Administration Secretary, to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in December 2011, Huebsch stated that Wisconsin would have an “undisclosed deficit” from January, 2012 through June, 2013. Nugent then explained why he thought polls showed some swing states leaning towards President Barack Obama in the election, stating, “When you buy votes, when you buy entire societal blocks with handouts and with promises that clearly can’t be kept. But this president, President Obama and his gang, they have literally smoke and mirrored their way into this artificial reign of terror. Unfortunately, the terror isn’t artificial. And so the people that support Barack Obama and this current corruption, the current abuse in the U.S. government, it’s because they’re getting something out of it.” Nugent told the radio host, Mark Reardon, “There’s a bunch of us, like you and me and people that work really hard and get up early and put their heart and soul into being the most productive asset they can to their fellow man … Barack Obama’s voter block, either you’re a liability or you believe people can intentionally put themselves in the position of a liability. So, that’s why Mitt Romney’s 47 percent statement is statistically irrefutable.” Nugent referred to controversial comments Mitt Romney made at a private fundraiser earlier this year. Romney stated, “There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it—that that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. ... These are people who pay no income tax. ... [M]y job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives." Nugent continued, stating, “This President [Barack Obama] has bought the gay vote, overall, just basically speaking, obviously there’s a bunch of smart gay people out there that ain’t buyin’ this crap. He’s bought the black vote, event though there’s a bunch of really smart, independent, rugged individuals in the black community. And the female vote with this lie that we’re somehow gonna take away their health care because we won’t buy them contraception. I mean, every aspect of Barack Obama’s campaign would be laughable if it was just a movie.” Nugent was referring to a January 2012 Obama Administration announcement that the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” requires employers to provide health insurance which covers contraception for women free of charge.

In an October 1, 2023 interview with Big Hollywood, Nugent stated, “[President] Barack Obama hates America. Barack Obama hates freedom. Barack Obama's voting record, his upbringing, his education, his words, his actions, his misdeeds, all reek of everything anti-American, anti-Constitution, anti-Bill of Rights. The latter of which is most deviously manifested in his voting record against the individual right to keep and bear arms … America faces doom if we re-elect Barack Obama to the presidency. It is a dire, dangerous forecast for freedom … If he wins in November he won't have to kowtow, he won't have to placate anybody anymore. He will be able to go for the jugular, and that includes the jugular of the Second Amendment. He will begin again what he did in Illinois as a gangster politician and go against gun rights, he will tax ammunition, he will ban certain types of bullets, and he will ban certain types of firearms. His goal is Attorney General Eric Holder's goal: namely, to brainwash Americans into believing that guns are bad and that the Second Amendment does not mean individuals have the right to keep and bear arms. Barack Obama is a smoke-and-mirrors scam artist who has convinced people he believes one and one equals two, while he shoves three-and-a-half down your throat … In November 2012, we are voting for [Republican presidential candidate Mitt] Romney/[Republican vice presidential candidate Paul]Ryan because we are voting for the very soul of America. If Barack Obama is elected again, this country is done." Nugent was referring to a speech Eric Holder, then-U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, gave to the Woman’s National Democratic Club on gun violence in 1995. Holder stated, “We want to have…an informational campaign to change the hearts and minds of people in Washington, D.C. and particularly young people. They are saturated in the media and entertainment, or by the entertainment industry, with violence. And I think too many of our young people, in particular our young men, are fascinated with violence, and in particular fascinated with guns. What we need to do is change the way in which people think about guns, especially young people, and make it something that’s not cool, that it’s not acceptable, it’s not hip to carry a gun anymore, in the way in which we changed our attitudes about cigarettes. When I was growing up, people smoked all the time…but over time we changed the way people thought about smoking…and that’s what I think we need to do with guns, really change the way people think about them … This is not going to be something that’s very easy to do, because we are, quite frankly, fighting something that appears every day on television, on the radio, in our popular music, in movies that these kids are exposed to … We need to get really innovative, really creative things that are gonna grab the attention of these kids and change, as I said, the way in which they think about guns … I have asked the school board to make a part of every day some kind of anti-violence, anti-gun message. Every day, every school, at every level. One thing I think is clear with young people, and adults as well, is that we just have to be repetitive about this … We need to do this every day of the week and just really brainwash people into thinking about guns in a vastly different way.”

On September 27, 2012, Nugent tweeted, “Who could possibly not admit that [President Barack] Obama & the dem[ocrat]s are slavedrivers creating a sheeplike subclass of bloodsuckers. buy the vote buy the vote.”

In a September 27, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent wrote, “[Republican presidential candidate]Mitt Romney hit the bull’s-eye with his comments regarding the 47 percent of Americans who do not have any skin in the game as it pertains to paying federal income tax. Facts are facts … As I’ve written before, for at least the past 50 years the Democratic Party has intentionally engineered a class of political ‘victims’ who have been bamboozled into being dependent on the federal government for their subsistence, including food, housing and now health care. They get this without paying any federal income taxes, and that’s wrong. Something for nothing is always a scam. This is how you buy votes, plain and simple … Alternatively, the majority of federal income taxes are paid by the top wage earners, the very group of individuals the Democrats and President Obama constantly demonize and want to punish by raising their taxes even higher. This is what’s called ‘fair’ in this bizzarro world. Those who pay nothing can continue to pay nothing, and those who pay all will pay more … The Democratic Party exists because it promotes the creation of dependence on Fedzilla. They have intentionally created the real political victims, many of whom have been victimized by the Democrats for decades … Through the creation of the Nanny State, the Democrats have destroyed lives, families and entire communities, and convinced some Americans that they can’t achieve anything without Fedzilla’s help. They have their own soulless Declaration of Dependence. That’s downright pathetic. While creating this voting bloc of handcrafted victims, the Democrats have also waged an artful campaign to paint Republicans as a group of arrogant, greedy rich people. Some Democrats like Vice President Joseph R. Biden take their venom-filled lies about the GOP even a step lower … He’s a race-baiting yarn-spinner. He should be made to wear a dunce hat and stand in the corner for the remainder of the campaign … No able-bodied American should get anything for free while doing nothing to earn it. Put a rake, shovel, paint brush or broom in their hands. That will instill some pride back in their lives that the Democrats have worked double-time to make extinct … What Fedzilla has done to individuals and businesses is not a victimless crime. It’s killing America.” Nugent was referring to controversial comments Mitt Romney made at a private fundraiser in May 2012. Romney stated, “There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it –that that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. ... These are people who pay no income tax. ... [M]y job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

On September 5, 2012, Nugent tweeted, “The [Democratic National Committee] ‘leaders’ are not just Godless they are pathetically soulless antiAmericandismantlers.”

In a September 1, 2023 interview with Patriot Update, Nugent stated, “The Fourth Amendment is trampled on all the time … Do you know that game wardens, who I adore and have great respect for, they’re heroes of law enforcement – most of them—law enforcement agents of Game Department can come into your house without a search warrant, without just cause. Maybe cause they don’t like you. Maybe you’re the wrong color. Maybe they don’t agree with your politics. Maybe they don’t like your music. It doesn’t matter the reason. A law enforcement official of Game Departments of the United States of America do not respect and are not limited by the Fourth Amendment … They don’t need just cause. They don’t need a search warrant. They can cut the lock on your gate–while you’re home or you’re not home. They can break into your freezer and examine the meat and see if it’s legal. On a hunch. On a rumor. Or just on a bad day … So that’s offensive on all levels but there’s also some other jack-booted Gestapo maneuvers going on these days like the Gibson raids … While we’re sitting here, my email’s going [noise] blowing up with stories of heartbreak: where a teenager, who’s never broke the law in his life, who’s never been in trouble with the law in his life, his family [is] law-abiding, their family has been bankrupted because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife thugs, the same ones that raided Gibson … Just the examples would gag you … When Governor [and Republican presidential nominee Mitt] Romney becomes Commander-in-Chief, I pray to God, along with a great Vice President, Paul Ryan … have got to look into these violations of civil rights and basic human rights at the hands of agencies gone mad … Vote Romney and Paul Ryan as president.” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is subject to the requirements of the Fourth Amendment; however, some statutes give U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents authority to conduct warrantless searches. Nugent was referring to several U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department raids on the guitar maker Gibson for importing endangered wood.

Turning to the topic of sexual assault of minors, Nugent stated, “We’ve got to create community review boards for judges who keep letting child rapists out, when that judge knows if that child rapist is let out on the streets, he will rape again. And our court systems answer to that is to register them? To know where they live? In a neighborhood instead of a cage, instead of jail?” In 1978, Nugent began a relationship with seventeen-year-old Hawaii native Pele Massa. Due to the age difference they could not marry so Nugent joined Massa’s parents in signing documents to make himself her legal guardian. In 1998 interview with VH1, Nugent spoke about his “weakness for young women.”

In part two of the interview with Patriot Update, Nugent stated, “I hold the most important office on earth, ‘We the People.’ I am a we the people activist on behalf of my family, my neighborhood, my state, my country, and mostly that soldier in a box who died fighting for the U.S. Constitution. We all owe [that soldier] to make sure our elected officials abide by that document that he gave the ultimate sacrifice for.” Nugent evaded being drafted for the Vietnam War in the 1970s. Nugent then spoke about Kasim Reed, the Mayor of Atlanta, stating, “Me and old Kasim go way back. Kasim condemned me recently on one of the news shows … I love when the brown-shirts hate people saving Jews. Anyhow, the idiots and the America-haters hate me. That proves I’m doing God’s work because the devil is upset.” Regarding The Badger State, Nugent said, “Wisconsin is the guiding force and light for what America should be doing, between Scott Walker as Governor, Paul Ryan as Congressman, and now the Senator Tommy Thompson. America should go the way of Wisconsin because Wisconsin turned into a lump of liberal snot hair, just embarrassing. Everything was wrong with it and then come from the debris came Scott Walker.” Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, whom Nugent refers to, appeared on “Meet the Press” and was asked about a comment Vice President Joe Biden made to a crowd in Danville, Virginia. Biden stated, “Every Republican’s voted for [the House GOP budget]. Look at what they value and look at their budget and what they’re proposing. Romney…said in the first hundred days he’s going to let the big banks once again write their own rules, ‘unchain Wall Street.’ They’re going to put y’all back in chains.” Reed replied, “When Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan stands up to Rush Limbaugh…when they’re disparaging a Georgetown law student or stands up to Ted Nugent, really stands up to anybody or stands up to Donald Trump, then I’ll be willing to have a conversation about a comment that the vice president made.”

In an August 31, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent wrote, “[President Barack] Obama’s kamikaze borrow-and-spend policies, his addiction to job-killing regulations and his Marxist desire to punish producers with higher taxes have created the perfect job-killing storm. That plan is working out well for the president if you examine his real agenda.” He also offered advice, stating, “Fedzilla should do is to get out of the way of the free market as much as possible, but power-hungry bureaucrats rarely let that happen. These are the same clueless clowns who, if given the chance, would go down into the pits of a NASCAR race and tell the pit crew how to tune engines based on pompous presumptuousness. No thanks, clowns. Have you met my monkey wrench? Fedzillacrats should be forced to sign a pledge that they will spend 100 days studying the impact on the economy for every piece of proposed legislation. The Chamber of Commerce, Club for Growth, Americans for Prosperity, Americans for Tax Reform, and Steve Forbes should be consulted before any changes. The U.S. tax code needs to be tossed into a giant wood chipper. Then toss in every anti-business regulation, starting first with Obamacare. This will jump-start the economy.” The Chamber of Commerce, Club for Growth, Americans for Prosperity and Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) are conservative organizations. Fellow NRA board member Grover Norquist is the president of ATR. Steve Forbes is the editor-in-chief of the conservative Forbes magazine. He was also twice a Republican nominee for president.

In an August 29, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent wrote, “The root of evil is not the want of money, but rather a government that thinks it knows better than free-thinking individuals how best to provide for our well-being. Socialists like [President Barack Obama] use the law and courts to force their failed big-government ideas on those of us still helplessly drunk on freedom, rugged individualism and liberty. You know, the American way. Socialists argue that fairness is the goal. For their version of fairness to occur, socialists must take the earnings and wealth from one person who earned it and give it to another who has not. Karl Marx would be proud of Mr. Obama. We would be wise to remember when then-Sen. Barack Obama was campaigning for the presidency and told Joe the Plumber, “I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.” Those are the words of a socialist who learned his lessons well from his socialist upbringing and on the streets of Chicago as a community organizer … Socialists are punks who think they are smarter than ordinary Americans and that ordinary Americans are so dumb they need to be managed by Fedzillacrats in Washington. These punks are smug, arrogant and wrong … Join me at the dead-end brick wall of freedom and liberty. Let’s ring the Liberty Bell once again. Educate and remind all the people you know every day that if they’re not registered to vote and they fail to vote Romney-Ryan, the socialists win. And the shining city upon a hill comes tumbling down.”

On August 29, 2012, Nugent tweeted, “The less than perfect GOP has a near perfect message/platform where the Dems reek of soulless dependency [e]xcuse mongering & bloodsucking WTF.”

On August 25, 2012, at a concert in Fort Worth, Texas, Nugent stated, “I vow that I will use our freedom to get these dirty [expletives] out of the White House. The president is a bad man. The vice president is a bad man. They’re all bad people. If you don’t get that, you’re a dead [expletive]. If you don’t get that, get out of Texas. Move to Illinois … It’s time to celebrate the taking back of America in 2012 … The whole word sucks, America just sucks less.” While holding up a machine gun, Nugent said to the crowd, “All the skinny girls get a free machine gun tonight. The big girls can load them.” Turning to another topic, Nugent stated,“This is an illegal Gibson guitar, the game warden told me it was illegal. They’re soulless [expletives]. Those spineless, soulless pieces of [expletive] from the Wildlife Agency should take me down now, because all of my Gibsons are made of dangerous species. This one is made of platypus! My audience will beat them within an inch of their lives. Is that illegal? [Expletive], it’s just entertainment!” Nugent was referring to previous U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department raids on Gibson for importing endangered wood.

In an August 24, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent addressed requests by President Barack Obama’s campaign that Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney release five additional years of his tax returns. Nugent wrote, “As usual, the Democrats have nothing worthy of their own to promote, so they are going after Mitt Romney to release more of his tax records. My advice to Mr. Romney is to tell the Democrats to pound sand … What the Democrats want to do is to play class warfare, pit rich against poor. Playing class warfare is all the proof you need to know that the Democratic Party despises successful people such as Mr. Romney. The Democrats abhor success. They would rather Americans be beholden to Fedzilla for food stamps and other government programs than go out and become tremendously successful on their own. The Democrats hate success because they know success ultimately breeds success. The more successful Americans are, the less power and influence the Democrats can have over them, which means the less political power the Democrats can wield. That’s not a good thing for socialists and other big-government addicts and dependents. The “man” keeping down the people is not a successful person such as Mr. Romney, but rather the Democratic Party, which buys their votes by enslaving its supporters with government programs and checks, funded with the tax dollars that people like Mr. Romney have paid … With the sizable and legal pile of money Mr. Romney is reported to have made and banked, my hope is that he has legally hid as much of it as possible from Fedzilla. I would much rather Mr. Romney have his money than surrender it to Uncle Sham, who burns through our hard-earned tax dollars with impunity … Should Mr. Romney release his records, let’s wait and see if [President Barack Obama] then releases all his academic records, complete health records and other documents. How about it, Mr. President?”

On August 10, 2012, in an interview with Newsmax, Nugent stated, “Everybody dead in Aurora was unarmed and helpless. Everybody dead in Milwaukee was unarmed and helpless. Everyone dead at Virginia Tech was unarmed and helpless. How dare President [Barack Obama] or [Congresswoman] Nancy Pelosi, or [New York City Mayor Michael] Bloomberg want more of that? [Republican presidential candidate] Mitt Romney made the terrible mistake of banning a certain type of firearm in the past — what they call assault weapons, which is not what they are. But he has seen the light. I spoke with him at length. I am convinced in my absolutist Second Amendment heart and soul that Mitt Romney will never even consider any more infringements on guns, ammo, fire power, access of guns ever again for Americans. He’s learned his lesson. Compared to Barack Obama and his team, Mitt Romney is indeed Michael the Archangel. He is a knight in shining armor for individual rights to self-defense.” Nugent also spoke about a proposed small arms treaty at the United Nations, stating, “When they talk about reducing unnecessary violence by eliminating small arms in the hands of citizens around the world, they’re talking about the same thing that Hitler talked about: Disarm the populace so you can control them at your every whim.” In reality, the treaty would set only international standards for the import/export of conventional weapons—leaving it to individual countries to “regulate internal transfers of arms and national ownership, including through national constitutional protections on private ownership.”

On August 7, 2012, at a concert in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nugent told the crowd that he and his band members spend months each year performing. “The rest of the year, I just kill shit,” Nugent added. He also spoke about President Barack Obama, stating, "I wanna get rid of the dirty cocksuckers in the White House! If there's justice, Barack Obama will end up being a communal worker in Cuba!” Finally, Nugent stated, "The only thing missing in this world is more dead fucking assholes!"

On August 7, 2012, Nugent Tweeted, “what kind of subhuman demon would actually want more gunfreezones proven to be THE slaughterzones wasserman schultz holder lunatic fringers.” Nugent was making reference to U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D – FL) and Attorney General Eric Holder. There is no data to demonstrate that a majority—or even a significant minority—of the approximately 34 gun homicides that occur in the U.S. each day occur in “gun-free zones.”

On August 6, 2012, Nugent Tweeted, “Its official-democrats are addicted to flying over the cukoos nest at all costs, hell with truth logic honesty or anything good for America.”

In an August 6, 2023 interview with the New Times Broward-Palm Beach, Nugent was asked what rock bands would represent President Barack Obama and the Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney. Nugent responded, “Out and out politicians are anathema to rock-n-roll, so I hesitate to attempt to connect the two. But on important issues, I am saddened to admit that Obama represents everything bad about humanity and Romney pretty much all that is good. It is really that stark.” Nugent, also asked about gun rights and knife rights, stated, “The right to self-defense is secondary to the pure righteous instinct to self-defense. Historically, monster freedom crushing tyrants, kings, emperors, despots, and evil slavedrivers denied mankind of such basic God-given rights, and this sacred experiment in self-government is based on refusing to give any of them up ever again … If a man is forced to be unarmed and helpless, you are at the mercy of evil, and that simply does not compute to conscientious, thinking people, so we stand and fight.”

In an August 6, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent called Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid a “punch-drunk senator” making “buffoonish comments this goofy blurt being just the latest.” Nugent was referring to a statement Reid made to reporters on July 31, 2023 claiming that Romney hadn't paid taxes for ten years. Nugent commented, “This is a typical left-wing, Saul Alinsky playbook ploy: denigrate, besmirch, lie, deceive, then try to slip away under the cover of darkness.” Saul Alinsky was a community organizer and writer in the mid-20th century. In 1971, he wrote a book called “Rules for Radicals” which describes his theory and methods of organizing. Nugent also wrote about President Barack Obama’s administration, stating, “The Obama team will continue to embarrassingly play the hateful race card, the vile class-warfare card, and every other divide-and-conquer card they can think of. Now that they have backed themselves into a corner with their failed policies and agenda, they will resort to yet more desperate political ploys … Smoke, mirrors, lying, cheating and trumped-up character assassinations are the Chicago way. Let’s be smarter than four years ago when we got exactly what we deserved—a die-hard leftist amateur community organizer with no productive experience except being a political street hustler.”

In an August 2, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent wrote about proposed reforms in the wake of a mass shooting that occurred at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado on July 20, 2012. In that shooting, severely mentally ill gunman James Holmes killed 12 people and wounded 58 others. Nugent commented, “According to the kind, caring and considerate left, you have every right to be a crazy druggie and roam the streets with no means of support. Heck, they even help nut-jobs occupy Wall Street and beyond. Surely, the unarmed and helpless will someday bring peace to the world, end world hunger and Rodney King’s dream of everyone getting along will become a reality. No wonder they call it dope. Years ago the left clamored that mental institutions violated the rights of those with mental illnesses. The American Civil Liberties Union even sued on their behalf. The result was the doors of the cuckoo nests were flung open and the patients stumbled out. Now they are everywhere. You can’t visit any city in America without encountering dirty people who are severely mentally impaired roaming the streets. Pushing shopping carts, mumbling to themselves, sleeping under bridges or in parks and basically being a nuisance, they ultimately endanger themselves. Most are not violent, just certifiably crazy by anyone’s standards. The real discussion that needs to occur in America is how we finally throw off the shackles of political correctness, quit worrying about ‘feelings’ and simply restrict the rights of psychotics by making it easier to lock them up for their safety and the safety of others. Advocating additional gun laws and gun-free zones is crazy. Crazy talk like that can get you killed.” Rodney King was an African-American construction worker who was beaten by Los Angeles police officers during a traffic stop in 1991. Four police officers from the LAPD who took part in the incident were later tried. Three of them were acquitted, and the jury failed to reach a verdict regarding the fourth. The acquittals are generally considered to have triggered the 1992 Los Angeles riots, in which 53 people were killed, and over 2,000 injured. During the riots, King appeared on television and asked, "Can we all get along?"

On July 26, 2012, at a campaign event for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin, Nugent stated, “[Thompson] knows the right to keep and bear arms can only mean one thing. 'Keep’ means it's mine, you can't have it! I got a couple on me right now, and they're loaded.” Nugent also spoke about President Barack Obama, stating, “We are on the fast track to the end of the American dream with this corrupt, power-abusing criminal machine in the White House right now. Things are bad, people ... The president of the United States is a Chicago gangster who knows every criminal trick in the book; it's why he's the president of the United States.”

In a July 5, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent wrote, “I’m beginning to wonder if it would have been best had the South won the Civil War.” Nugent’s editorial addressed the "traitor vote" of “turncoat” Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts in the case of National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius. Roberts wrote the majority opinion in a 5-4 ruling that upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Nugent claimed that “Chief Justice Roberts squandered the opportunity to restore judicial, financial and legislative sanity to a government that by any sane person’s standards is insane and addicted to centralized federal control of our lives … Our professional political punks in Washington can mandate any tax-penalty they choose. For example, if you don’t buy an Obama-approved green energy automobile, our Fedzillacrats could tax us for refusing to do so … Obamacare will now join Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid as another unaffordable, unsustainable, runaway, unaccountable social program. Our entitlement programs have bankrupted America. We have dug a financial crater so deep that many doubt we can ever climb out of." He also suggested that President Barack Obama invite Roberts “over for dinner, give him a ride on Air Force One and apologize for not voting for him during his confirmation hearings. It’s the least the community-organizer- in-chief can do for the turncoat chief justice who saved the president’s socialist health care program.” Finally, Nugent wrote, “Limited government is dead. The smothering era of socialism is here.”

At a June 29, 2023 concert in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Nugent told the crowd, “The way that a--hole in the White House hates me, I must be perfect.” He also stated that if concert goers wanted to help out the military, this November they should “vote the constitution-violating pieces of s--t out of the White House … We’re either independent or dependent pieces of s--t.”

In a June 29, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent praised a 14-year-old boy from Phoenix, Arizona who shot and nearly killed an intruder who broke into his home and pulled a gun on him while he was watching his three younger siblings. Nugent wrote, “Today I’m screaming with joy. A young man saved himself and his three young siblings by using his father’s gun to blow a hole in the maggot, who probably is a paroled punk with an arrest record 3 feet long … We should honor the actions of this young man by training an army of other young people how to use guns so, God forbid, if they are ever in a similar situation to this Phoenix teenager, they, too, will blow holes in maggots. You want a safe, prosperous America? The first thing we need to do is remove evil instead of releasing it time and time again to prey on law-abiding Americans … Smile, America. Good conquered evil in spite of the liberal anti-freedom agenda.”

In a June 22, 2023 radio interview on KMOX, a St. Louis news radio station, Nugent told the host, Mark Reardon, “You notice, I just get up in the morning, I go to work, and idiots blow up. I don’t try to make idiots blow up. I just do the right thing, state the truth and celebrate logic and idiots go berserk. I’ve never been more proud of myself in my life.” When Reardon asked Nugent about threatening remarks he made against President Barack Obama and Democrats at the 2012 NRA Convention, Nugent replied, “Like I said, I just get up in the morning and I go to work and I make the national news because I dare to celebrate self-evident truths and, more importantly in 2012, more importantly now than ever, because remember there’ve been more criminals in our government right now, to spotlight the cockroaches. There are more cockroaches, more criminals, more corrupt power abusing punks in our government right now. And if you don’t get that, move to Canada. It’s just unbelievable. So I, as a ‘We the people’ guy, obligated by the heroes of the military who sacrificed so I can have these First Amendment freedoms, I’m gonna use my First Amendment freedoms and I’m gonna identify that the number one cop in this country is a felon … [U.S. Attorney General] Eric Holder is the enemy. Obama is the enemy. [Secretary of the Treasury Tim] Geithner is the enemy … I stand by every word I said.” Nugent also spoke about the “soulless, spineless weenies” at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, stating that he was charged with illegally shooting, killing and transporting a black bear for “dar[ing] to stand up for my Second Amendment rights.” He signed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors and agreed to a $10,000 fine and a two-year probation. Nugent then turned his attention to female Democrats in the House of Representatives, stating, “The [U.S. Congresswoman Debbie] Wasserman-Schultz and the [U.S. Congresswoman] Sheila Jackson-Lees, by the way, have you ever watched all of my haters talk? Each and every one of my critics is an absolute subhuman buffoon. If you watch the way they speak and the little spittle forming in the corners of their mouths, these are entrenched, addicted haters of freedom. Which is why they hate me. They’re on record to quote and worship Mao Tse-tung.” In fact, neither Congresswoman has quoted Mao Tse-tung. Nugent also added, “I love killing game with guns. I have my own Ted Nugent ammo coming out so, I’m gonna do a lot more gun hunting.” When asked when the ammo was coming out, Nugent replied, “That should be on every vegetarian store’s shelf by mid-July.” When Reardon remarked on Nugent’s endorsement of the 2012 Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, Nugent replied, “My conversation with Mitt Romney convinced me…he will get this Mao Tse-tung gang out of the destructo-derby suicide mission that Barack Obama’s steering this country.”

In a June 21, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent wrote, “Regretfully, there are Americans who actually want to maintain President [Barack] Obama’s socialist course that will lead to our ultimate destruction, just as it has for every other country that embraced this form of government control. Socialism restricts. Freedom rocks. It’s 'We the people,' not 'We the sheeple' … Boil it down to its core, and the upcoming election is simple: Do you want more freedom or less freedom? It isn’t any more complicated than that … The president wants to continue growing the federal government, continue borrowing and spending at record levels, and he wants to advance a socialist agenda. This is a recipe for disaster.”

In a June 13, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent offered presidential candidate Mitt Romney advice on attracting the Latino vote. He stated, “The key to attracting Latino voters is to appeal to their sense of independence and to inform them the GOP believes in the power of the individual, not Fedzilla whose track record is one of dependence and destruction.” Nugent continued, stating, “Mr. Romney should continue to press for education reform, and remind Latino voters that education is vital to success. He should illustrate the importance that Americans of Asia-Pacific descent place on education and how fast their children move into the middle class. It doesn’t have to be an Asian thing … Mr. Romney should also hammer away at the welfare state that Democrats have largely created and continue to support. He should tell Latinos the welfare state is fiscally unsustainable and creates dependence instead of independence. Mr. Romney has little to lose by illustrating how Fedzilla has wreaked untold havoc on black America.”

At a June 9, 2023 performance at the Republic of Texas Biker Rally in Austin, Texas, Nugent told the audience, “There's an American Dream. There's no French dream. There's no Cuban dream. There's no Spanish dream. Is there a Mexican dream, except 'Get the f--k out of Mexico?’ I can't blame you." He then asked the “Republic of Texas Motherf--kers" if they were "ready to dance with Uncle Ted." Nugent explained that his collection of Gibson guitars, which were displayed at the performance, was meant to be a message to the federal government, which is "infested with f--king criminals.” He continued, “Any pussies from the [U.S.] Fish and Wildlife out there, you want to take my guitars? F--k you!” Nugent was referring to several U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department raids on Gibson for importing endangered wood. Finally, Nugent gave a shout-out to the "NRA gun nut motherf--kers out there … Put a f--king gun in your hand, Texas, stormtroopers [are] coming … They, unfortunately, are the real enemies right now. We're gonna fix it in November, aren't we boys and girls?"

In a June 5, 2023 radio interview on WJBC, a central Illinois station, Nugent stated, “The whole world sucks, America sucks less. But we’re catching up because we have a president who will quote the founder of communism and recommends that the government redistributes people’s earnings. Then he’ll visit the Vietnam Memorial Wall and lie claiming that he wants to thank 58,000 dead American soldiers and Airmen and Marines and Seamen while he quotes the man they fought against.”

In a May 22, 2023 editorial for Human Events, Nugent wrote, “If it were not for this crazy out of control corrupt government, my life would literally be perfect…the enemies of America infesting our government have got to go.” Nugent assured readers that he is doing his part to make that happen, stating, “I fight with all my might and resources on a daily, if not hourly basis to spotlight the cockroaches everywhere I go, and it is getting scarier and more dangerous all the time to speak out in America like I do.” He praised Texas politicians, such as Governor Rick Perry, but warned, “We also have America hating Obama clones like [Congresswoman] Sheila Jackson Lee who represent all that is wrong with America and Texas.”

In a May 15, 2023 editorial for the Washington Times, Nugent lamented “California’s financial nightmare (and the nation’s)” which he attributed to “a terminal addiction to bloated and expensive government completely out of control, with zero accountability.” He announced “Liberalism has failed around the world, and it has failed here, too. Big government has been a big bust. Yet, for liberals, the solution is even bigger government.”

In an April 23, 2023 editorial for the Washington Times, Nugent made several observations about the “War on Poverty,” stating, “Poor people are poor because they make poor decisions. That’s the root cause of poverty … Poor people will quit being poor when our government quits enabling, bribing, training and rewarding them to be poor.” Nugent went on to claim that “condemn[ing]” Americans to a life of poverty “is one of the driving political platforms of the Democratic Party.”

In an October 9, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent wrote, “In a world strangled by the curse of politically correct denial, dopey liberals in media and academia have brainwashed a strange subspecies of beings into accepting and embracing the pathetic condition of being unarmed and helpless. The slaughter rages on in gun-free zones around the world. Shame. Here’s a lifesaving alert to the dependent masses: Unarmed and helpless is unarmed and helpless. The evil guys running amok here, there and everywhere appreciate you very much, for they are assured in your gun-free zones that you are incapable of doing a darned thing when they decide to eat you alive, beat you to death, rape, rob, assault, torture and do with you as they wish, for you, my poor pathetic sheep, have chosen to be unarmed and helpless. To bow before evil is as soulless as soulless gets. No thank you. Those of us who dearly appreciate the precious gift of life follow our powerful instincts for self-preservation and have made it a priority to be ready to defend ourselves. Those on the lunatic fringe can squawk and moan all they want; the rest of us need no interpretation of ‘keep and bear.’ ‘Keep’ means it’s mine, and you can’t have it, and ‘bear’ means one thing and one thing only: I have one or two on me, and they’re loaded. Drive safely … For the brainwashed cult of denial drooling in the shadow of a gun-hating media and White House: With all this unprecedented increase in guns and ammo in American citizens’ hands, the use of guns in crime is at an all-time low.”

During a live interview at the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting on April 14, 2012, Nugent called the administration of President Barack Obama “vile,” “evil,” and “America-hating.” He also stated, “If Barack Obama becomes the president in November again, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year.” Continuing on the topic of the 2012 presidential elections, Nugent added, “We need to ride into that battlefield and chop [Democrats'] heads off in November. Any questions?” In the wake of Nugent’s comments, a spokesperson for the Secret Service confirmed that he had been placed under investigation. The campaign of GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney—who sought and received Nugent’s endorsement—released a statement saying, “Divisive language is offensive no matter what side of the political aisle it comes from. Mitt Romney believes everyone needs to be civil.”

In a March 5, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent wrote, “Just as the homosexual community has co-opted the word ‘gay,’ various leftists, socialists and Marxists have co-opted the word ‘progressive.’ Words mean things. If you read the definition of ‘progressive,’ conservatives and the Tea Party are the real progressive force in America, as we are the ones advocating substantive upgrade, improvement and reforms in the stinky, status-quo swamps of Washington … As President Reagan would surely have said, Mr. Obama and his left-wing cohorts are not the solution, they are the problem. Alternatively, the real progressives, the Tea Party, advocate a more fiscally responsible federal government and a government that stays in its constitutional lane that was very carefully spelled out by our Founding Fathers.”

On February 20, 2012, Nugent wrote an op-ed for the Washington Times criticizing MSNBC for firing conservative pundit Pat Buchanan. Buchanan, who has a long history of bigoted statements against minorities, was suspended and then released from the network after he appeared on a white-nationalist radio program to promote his book (which featured a chapter entitled, “The End of White America”). In defending Buchanan, Nugent claimed he “was fired by MSNBC for doing nothing more than voicing his rock-solid conservative thoughts on the otherwise failing network.” He went on to write, “The real message of the left is intolerance, zealotry, bigotry and hate. The left has no use for the First Amendment or the rest of the Constitution unless it fits their multicultural, euro-socialist agenda, which is failing all across Europe and everywhere it is practiced.”

In a January 30, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent praised Republican presidential contenders Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich, writing, “I am impressed with each of them for a variety of reasons and adamantly believe that any one of them would be monstrously superior to President Obama, who has charted a course for the destruction of America as we know it.”

In a January 23, 2024 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent wrote, “The real reason [2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt] Romney is being pressured to release his tax returns is because his fellow GOP presidential candidates, his hateful critics and crazy Demoncrats live to wage class warfare against him for being successful. This is so very wrong. We should respect a person’s financial privacy and celebrate any American who succeeds … There is this toxic, anti-American idea that has surfaced that financial success is something that should be questioned, maligned and condemned and is somehow malicious. This is dangerous and dumb. The Occupy idiots who condemn and blame Wall Street for America’s stagnant economy are simpletons. Let’s hope these morons just keep getting stoned and forget to vote in November.” The release of Romney’s tax returns led to the disclosure that he earns most of his multi-million dollar income in capital gains and placed millions of dollars in offshore investments in an account located in the tax haven Cayman Islands.

In a January 9, 2024 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent wrote, “Diversity is America’s greatest strength, according to the left and its socialist, Marxist, commie cohorts and co-conspirators running rampant across the country. If you listen carefully to these America-hating, social-engineering liberals, virtually all behavior, conduct, morals and beliefs make America stronger. This, of course, is toxic, brain-dead logic that leaves ordinary Americans shaking and scratching their heads in confusion and disgust. We recognize bull dung when we hear, see and smell it, and we have no desire whatsoever to embrace it … The left is forcing its version of diversity throughout our society and culture. According to the left and its acolytes, we are supposed to respect people who refuse to respect Old Glory or learn English, look for a job or put forth the effort to do an honest day’s work. We are supposed to respect all cultures, values, laws and religions—even when they have proved throughout history to be dangerous and diametrically opposed to our American way of life, customs, laws and traditions. It will be a cold day in hell before I embrace voodoolike religions and unclean stone-age cultures that retard progress instead of advancing it. The real issue is that by forcing diversity and multicultural nonsense in our workplaces, schools and government agencies on people who still cherish common sense and traditional American values, we’re ripping the nation apart.” Nugent went on to claim that Attorney General Eric Holder’s statement that some critics of President Obama are motivated by race is “the ultimate act of racism.” He continued, “I respect diverse people who respect and cherish basic American customs, traditions, goodwill and values. I have no respect for left-wingers who employ intimidation to make multiculturalism or diversity mandatory as the law of the land. The diversity punks believe in racial set-asides and preferences. You won’t ever solve discrimination by engaging in reverse discrimination. Maybe a racist like Jesse Jackson or Mr. Holder believes in reverse discrimination, but ordinary Americans do not. We are much too focused and intelligent to buy into such Jabberwocky. Real diversity, real change, real progress is accomplished by promoting and embracing Western culture, values and traditions, which is what made America great and created the greatest quality of life ever. Weakening this proven methodology under the artful guise of diversity, multiculturalism and political correctness is every bit as insidious a threat to America as are voodoo-inspired terrorist punks.”

In a December 14, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent wrote, “At least the Three Stooges were hilarious. The Occupy [Wall Street] stooges are much different, though they certainly qualify for classic numskull stooges nonetheless. They are dirty, political punks. I seriously doubt the majority of them could identify five reasons why they are protesting. No one else in the country can. You don’t need to search the Internet far to read story after story of the Occupy stooges committing crimes, fighting the cops, destroying personal property, stinking the place up and engaging in other noble expressions of First Amendment rights. I find that beautiful—priceless, actually. Only human cockroaches spotlight themselves … What America is witnessing is the Democratic Party on parade. I say let the parade of simple stooges continue. Let them continue to demand something for nothing, try and close down streets, fight with the cops, live in filth, dance like Timothy Leary zombies. It’s beautiful. It’s so Democratic Party. Let working hard, playing hard mom-and-pop America witness the Democratic Party in all its shameless, numskull and dirty glory. As the party clowns work tirelessly to falsely paint conservatives as heartless, cold, evil, sexist and racist, I say conservatives should do whatever we can to encourage the Occupy stooges to stay on course, painting themselves for what they are. While I don’t condone violence, watching the cops pounce on and pepper-spray a few Occupy stooges and then drag the dirtballs off to jail in shackles is good for my conservative soul and gold for my sense of humor. Everyone needs at least one hearty laugh every day … What America is witnessing by watching the Occupy clown brigades is the future of America if the Democratic Party is in control.”

After blaming President Barack Obama for all of the nation’s economic woes in a September 30, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent stated, “Quite honestly, I couldn’t blame young people if they began to riot in the streets. I don’t want to see that, but I could understand it ... The president will try to con young people again into believing that he and his fantasy-driven socialist policies will somehow magically create an environment where the economy will improve and jobs will reappear … Young Americans looking to start their lives are learning some cold, hard lessons. Things could get ugly, and I wouldn’t blame them if they began fighting in the streets. The conditions are perfect.”

Nugent authored a September 27, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times to take issue with comments that actor Morgan Freeman made about the Tea Party movement. Nugent wrote, “If Mr. Freeman could further remove his racist blinders and study the historical condition of black America, he would find the black community was vibrant and strong 60 years ago. This is not the case today. Instead of leaping to ugly and unfounded charges of racism, Mr. Freeman should ask some fundamental questions about what has happened to black America and who is responsible for the destruction. The real architects of the destruction of black America are Democratic Party members who have lied to and manipulated black Americans into believing that the federal government is the answer to improving their condition when, in reality, it is the destroyer of black America. One has to wonder if Mr. Freeman could admit this obvious conclusion.”

In an August 18, 2023 interview with conservative talk radio host Vicki McKenna, Nugent said the following:

  • Nugent called himself the “funniest black man in America.”
  • “You have a warrior [in Wisconsin] now. Scott Walker, the [Republican] governor of Wisconsin, is a warrior. He is a great man. He is upgrading the quality of life in Wisconsin—bringing accountability, pragmatism, and rugged individualism back to the forefront of a great state.”
  • “There’s a lunatic fringe. There’s always been a lunatic fringe. Unfortunately and heartbreakingly, the lunatic fringe now has a president. The lunatic fringe has given the green light to corruption, fraud, deceit, lying, the abuse of power the likes of which I’ve never seen… Let’s be perfectly honest—we have a president of the United States of America who was raised by communists that hate America. Went to a church regularly—well, they call it a church, I call it a voodoo cave. They went to a voodoo church where they preached hate for America, where it was racist worse than the Ku Klux Klan. Are you kidding me? This guy is the president of the United States?”
  • “America has the dumbest, fattest, most disconnected, slovenly children in the world thanks to the [National Education Association (NEA)]. NEA, unions, no thank you. Move to Canada. They already have policies that reward slovenliness up there.”
  • “Let me tell you who the goons are, who the lunatic fringe is: Eric Holder, Tim Geithner, Hillary Clinton, who side with the goons, the savages, the rapists, the murderers of the U.N.”
  • “By voting in [Republican] Scott Walker as Governor of Wisconsin you just said thank you to the family of a dead soldier.”

In a July 18, 2023 op-ed for the Washington Times, Nugent wrote that the Democratic Party is the “modern-day slave master” of low-income Americans, and the Republican Party “wants to liberate them.”

ted Nugent (Board Member)

In a January 13, 2024 radio interview with conservative radio host Aaron Klein, Nugent addressed a gun violence prevention task force created by President Barack Obama in the wake of a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 first-graders and six adults were killed. Nugent stated, “Well, you’re asking for quite an adventure delving into the psychotic behavior of the President … A person who lives by logic and studies history and tries to implement the lessons learned by history cannot begin to rationally explain the conduct of this President or his attorney general or this administration … It is psychotic, it is crazy, it's illogical. I believe it's clearly and dangerously anti-American, anti-humanity … [President] Obama’s dream already exists, and those are called gun-free zones, and that is where the most innocent lives are lost. What kind of monster would want more of these? Because if you ask for more gun-free zones, if you further disarm innocent Americans, you are literally engineering slaughters.” Despite Nugent’s claims, one study found that only one-third of mass shootings (in which four or more innocents are killed) occurring between January 2009 and January 2013 occurred in “gun-free zones.”

In a January 8, 2024 interview on the Peter Schiff radio show, Nugent stated, “I drive the left batty. My mere existence causes them much and anguish so I couldn’t be more proud … We could go on and on about the virtual insanity of this Democrat, leftist, socialist liberal cult of denial … I’ve spent too much time with the heroes of the military, and especially the heart-wrenching moments where we salute flag-draped coffins, who have died because they sacrificed everything for the U.S. Constitution and what it stands for. It’s as simple as that. And we have a government so out of control, so corrupt, so abusive of power and so unjust and illogical and anti-American in their every thought and action that I am dedicated more and more patriots across this country to show respect for these heroes of the military that sacrificed everything for the Constitution while our government offends the Constitution that they’ve taken an oath and avowed to.” Nugent, by his own account, avoided being drafted for the Vietnam War in the 1970s by taking controlled substances and smearing his body with feces before a fitness exam. In the interview, Nugent added, “The importance of focusing on the right to keep and bear arms really is the deciding factor in America versus the rest of the world. If the people in power, [New York Mayor] Michael Bloomberg, [House Minority Leader] Nancy Pelosi, [Senator] Dianne Feinstein, [Attorney General] Eric Holder, when the people in power are dedicated to flagrantly, blatantly, unflinchingly, to force American citizens into unarmed helplessness and that’s their agenda, the Pelosis and the Eric Holders and the [President] Barack Obamas of the world, they don’t wanna save lives. They don’t care about reducing crime. They are absolutely obsessed with their hatred for firearms and the freedom that goes with it … It is gun-free zones, it is [Senator] Barbara Boxer’s dream, it is Dianne Feinstein’s and Barack Obama’s dream called the gun-free zone where the most innocent lives are slaughtered every time … Unarmed and helpless is an irresponsible and suicidal condition. If you believe that being unarmed and helpless is a desirable condition, then quite honestly, you have no soul. You must not respect the gift of life. You must not care about your family’s life.” Despite Nugent’s claims, one study found that only one-third of mass shootings (in which four or more innocents are killed) occurring between January 2009 and January 2013 occurred in “gun-free zones.”

In a January 4, 2024 radio interview on the Rusty Humphries show, Nugent spoke about the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut in which 20 first-grade students and six adults were killed. Nugent stated, “We must all finally demand that we ban the environment where all these violent attacks and murders take place, and Rusty, they always take place in gun-free zones. What kind of mongrel would want more gun-free zones.” Humphries replied, “Well, it appears to be the entire Democratic Party.” Nugent then remarked, “That would be the mongrels, yes.” Despite Nugent’s claims, one study found that only one-third of mass shootings (in which four or more innocents are killed) occurring between January 2009 and January 2013 occurred in “gun-free zones.”

In a January 3, 2024 radio interview on KMOX, a St. Louis radio station, Nugent spoke about the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut in which 20 first-graders and 6 adults were killed. He stated, “Anyone who would think that by increasing the environment, increasing the circumstances by which these horrific slaughters have taken place, 100% of the time. Gun-free zones are where these slaughters occur. What kind of mongrel—[New York] Mayor [Mike] Bloomberg—what kind of subhuman punk—[California Senator] Dianne Feinstein—would dare request more gun-free zones?” Despite Nugent’s claims, one study found that only one-third of mass shootings (in which four or more innocents are killed) occurring between January 2009 and January 2013 occurred in “gun-free zones.” Radio host Mark Reardon asked Nugent to respond to claims that individuals do not need semi-automatic assault weapons to hunt. Nugent replied, “You’d literally have to have traded your soul and your brain in for a sunbaked turd to make that kind of statement.”

Johnny Nugent (Board Member)

Johnny Nugent has served in the Indiana State Senate since 1978 and is a former Republican Majority Floor Leader.

Jim Porter (President)

Jim Porter (First Vice President)

On June 9, 2012, in a speech at the Wallkill Rod and Gun Club in New York, Porter stated, “NRA was started 1871 right here in New York state. It was started by some Yankee generals who didn’t like the way my Southern boys had the ability to shoot in what we call the ‘War of Northern Aggression.’ Now y’all might call it the Civil War, but we call it the ‘War of Northern Aggression’ down south. But that was the very reason that they started the National Rifle Association, was to teach and train the civilian in the use of the standard military firearm and I am one who still feel very strongly that that is one of our greatest charges that we can have today, is to train the civilian in the use of the standard military firearm so when they have to fight for their country, they’re ready to do it. Also, when they’re ready to fight tyranny, they’re ready to do it. Also, when they’re ready to fight tyranny, they have the wherewithal and the weapons to do it. I charge you ladies and gentlemen that that is a very important charge for all of us to take up. It’s a sacred duty for all of us to maintain. We’ve received it from our ancestors. You think about the War of Independence. You think about Valley Forge … And they defeated the most powerful military force known to that time in civilization. Citizen soldiers, people who had a sense of freedom. People who were willing to fight and die for that sense and freedom. And it’s still true today.”

Tracing the history of the NRA, Porter added, “You know, the NRA was just a glorified shooting club up until about 1968. At that time, Thomas Dodd, father of Chris Dodd, was a Senator, and Stuart Symington, and some other Senators, got together and they tried to ban all firearm ownership. And we were able to craft a compromise.” The legislation to which Porter is referring to, the Gun Control Act of 1968, never included any provision to ban firearm ownership. Senator Dodd and other supporters did reach a compromise with the NRA prior to the bill’s passage, but provisions that were lost in that compromise included federal licensing of gun owners, federal registration of gun and ammunition sales, and a complete ban on mail-order and interstate gun and ammunition sales.

Addressing the administration of President Barack Obama, Porter stated, “I get so sick and tired of all these people with this fake president that we got who wants to say, ‘Well, you know he hadn’t done anything bad for gun owners.’ I say, let me tell you something bad that he’s done. His entire administration is anti-gun, anti-freedom, anti-Second Amendment.” Porter accused U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder of being “rabidly un-American” and involved with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in “trying to kill the Second Amendment at the United Nations.” He explained, “Right in the United Nations today, they have an initiative that would make it illegal for individuals all over the world to own firearms. And that’s what they’re passing. And that’s what this administration is supporting.” In truth, the U.N. Small Arms Treaty to which Porter is referring would set only international standards for the export of conventional weapons—leaving domestic laws regulating the possession of firearms untouched.

Finally, Porter warned, “The whole authority and the power of that administration is to disarm each and every one of us sitting here.” “The President of the United States—Let me tell you the danger of re-electing this man,” he told his audience, explaining that one vote at the Supreme Court “stood between freedom and tyranny” in the Second Amendment cases of District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago. The Court, in Heller, held for the first time in U.S. history that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to firearm ownership for self defense in the home; striking down D.C.’s handgun ban. In McDonald, the Court held that the Second Amendment, as interpreted in Heller, applied to the States through the Due Process Clause.

In a May 1, 2023 interview with NRA News at the NRA Convention in Pittsburgh, Porter told host Cam Edwards, “I get a little antsy when we’re in there at the actual meeting. I want to get out and go to the store and play with all the toys like everybody else,” referring to the firearms displays in the convention’s exhibit hall. When Edwards asked him to address some of the “threats facing gun owners” Porter replied, “We’re still being treated like second class citizens by the United States government. And we’re going to make a concerted effort to really put some teeth into these legal victories that we’ve had. We still get nickel and dimed on some of these legal issues, and there’s no excuse in it … Now the trend is, with our enemies when they go into court, and the United States government’s position is this, is that the right to keep and bear arms is merely to keep a pistol for self defense in your home. I mean, you know, how silly is that? But, each and every road block they throw up in front of us, we’re going to knock it down and we’re going to more aggressively go after these impediments put up in front of us … There’s a small minority of people who happen to be governing now that are not for anyone possessing or having firearms other than themselves and it’s really an elitist type of viewpoint. But, we’re going to be more aggressive in bringing home these legal victories in Heller and McDonald to the rank and file member and to the everyday citizen in this country.” The Supreme Court, in District of Columbia v. Heller, held for the first time in U.S. history that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to firearm ownership for self defense in the home. In McDonald v. Chicago, the Court held that the Second Amendment, as interpreted in Heller, applied to the States through the Due Process Clause.

Jay Printz (Board Member)

Printz is a member of a number of Facebook groups that feature racist, misogynistic and/or violent imagery:

In September 2011, Printz posted a photo. for his Facebook profile picture that depicts the barrel of a revolver facing the viewer. The caption on the image reads: "Liberals: This is the only view you need to see."

In September 2011, Printz posted a photo for his Facebook profile picture that depicts the barrel of a revolver facing the viewer. The caption on the image reads: "Liberals: This is the only view you need to see." View the screen captures..

On January 16, 2010, Printz wrote a blog for the American Daughter Media Center and suggested that a states’ rights argument could be used to invalidate the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. Printz wrote, “The only way the Dems can [implement health care reform] is to drag out the constitutional challenges until Obama, in a second term as president, may have a chance to replace two conservative Supreme Court justices with liberals. The American public must deny Obama a second term, and the certain destruction of states’ rights.”

Three days after U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) died of brain cancer on August 25, 2009, Printz posted a photo on his Facebook Wall of a hearse driving off a bridge, captioned “Kennedy Funeral.” Below the image, Printz commented, “This is shown with the same amount of respect that the senator had for Mary Jo Kopechne.” On the day that Printz posted the photo, Kennedy was lying in repose at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.

On June 29, 2023 Printz posted a photo on Facebook that depicts George W. Bush and Dick Cheney using the waterboarding torture technique on then-Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. Below the image, Printz commented, “I had a dream last night!!

On June 23, 2009, Printz posted an image on Facebook that reads, “Liberalism is a mental disease.”

On November 8, 2008, Printz posted an image of a tombstone on his American Daughter Media Center blog. The inscription on the tombstone indicates that America died on November 4, 2008—the day that Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. The cause of death was listed as “suicide.”

On a November 5, 2008, the day after Barack Obama was elected president of the United States, Printz authored a blog for the American Daughter Media Center. The blog promoted a conspiracy theory that President Obama would implement a massive gun confiscation scheme. Printz wrote, “Well, my friends, it looks like we had better put in a good supply of powder and lead!!!!” and posted an image that stated, “When they come for your guns…give them your bullets!

In a September 6, 2023 blog for the American Daughter Media Center entitled, “Fraternal Order of Police Endorses McCain!” Printz wrote, “Just to let you all know, there’s a thin blue line behind McCain.”

Printz contributed a July 8, 2023 blog to the American Daughter Media Center win which he praised a t-shirt that read, “The difference between [then-Democratic presidential candidate Barack] Obama and [Al Qaeda leader] Osama [bin Laden] is just a little B.S.” The shirt, which featured a picture of Barack Obama in a turban, made a play on the similarity between the spelling of Obama and Osama.

In a November 1, 2023 blog on the American Daughter Media Center, Printz called U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) a “worthless piece of human debris.”

Todd Rathner (Board Member)

On October 8, 2012, Rathner tweeted, “#RomneyCampaignin3Words Gonna Whip Obama #ObamaCampaignin3Words Ouch My Ass‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬!” Rathner was referring to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama.

On September 25, 2012, Rathner tweeted “[Senate Majority Leader]@HarryReid is a disgusting human. How dare he attack [Republican presidential nominee] @MittRomney on #Mormonism. Reid is a disgrace. Proves #Dems will do anything to win.” Rathner was referring to a comment Harry Reid, a Mormon, made in September 2012 in which he agreed with a blogger who accused GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney of having "sullied" Mormonism with comments made in a hidden camera video. At a private fundraiser in May 2012, Romney was recorded saying, “There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it—that that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. ... These are people who pay no income tax. ... [M]y job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

On August 3, 2012, Rathner tweeted, “@davidaxelrod When are you gonna tell your crook of a boss to release his college transcripts, fast and furious documents, & his birth cert?” David Axelrod is the senior strategist for President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign. A report released by the Department of Justice’s Inspector General on September 19, 2023 found that there is no evidence that Attorney General Eric Holder was aware of the tactics used in “Fast and Furious” until after it was concluded in 2011.

On August 2, 2012, Rathner tweeted, “#HarryReid is a dirt bag shill for [President Barack] #Obama, hopefully he has only a few more months as [Senate] majority leader.”

On July 22, 2012, Rathner tweeted, “A society in which life has been so cheapened a sicko can shoot up a movie theatre & the President keeps on fundraising #LiberalsBuiltThat.” Rathner was referring to a mass shooting that had occurred in Aurora, Colorado two days earlier. In that shooting, severely mentally ill gunman James Holmes killed 12 people and wounded 58 others. Holmes wore full body armor during the attack and was armed with two handguns, a shotgun, and an AR-15 assault rifle with a 100-round drum magazine. All of this equipment was legally purchased.

On June 5, 2012, Rathner Tweeted, “[Wisconsin Governor Scott] Walker is gonna smack down the unions in the Wisconsin recall election tonight. Public sector unions should be against the law.” He Tweeted again later that day, “Scott Walker and Republicans win in what looks like a landslide in Wisconsin Recall handing the unions their greedy heads on a plate!”

On the eve of the November 2, 2023 congressional elections, Rathner tweeted, “Just hours till our "Hopey, Changey" experiement [sic] with socialism is over, I can almost hear the Constitution sighing with relief,” and, “I wonder how the ‘Astro Turf’ is gonna feel when [then-House Speaker] Nancy [Pelosi], [Senate Majority Leader] Harry [Reid], and BHO [President Barack Hussein Obama] land smack in the middle of it tomorrow.” Rathner was defending Tea Party organizations that had been accused of being “astroturf” (i.e., corporate-backed interests) rather than true grassroots groups. Hope and change were two persistent themes of Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.

Kayne Robinson (Executive Director of NRA General Operations Division)

Commenting on the 2000 presidential election, Robinson promoted the candidacy of Republican George W. Bush, stating, “If we win, we'll have a Supreme Court that will back us to the hilt. If we win, we'll have a president … where we work out of their office. Unbelievably friendly relations.”

Wayne Anthony Ross (Board Member)

During Ross’ 2009 confirmation hearings for the position of Alaska Attorney General, a woman testified that Ross made sexist comments at an Alaska Women and Children in Crisis panel discussion. Ross reportedly said that domestic violence was on the rise because the equal rights movement had emasculated men. He also opined that many allegations of domestic abuse are fabricated. Former Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Richard Burton called for Ross to withdraw his nomination and wrote a letter saying that Ross “speak[s] and act[s] like the kind of bully I met many times when responding to domestic violence calls—some of the most dangerous situations police officers are often in.”

The Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) strongly opposed Ross’ nomination as attorney general because he had actively advocated against giving native Alaskans a preference in using certain bodies of waters for subsistence fishing (over those who fish for sport). AFN Co-Chairman Tim Towarak said then-Governor Sarah Palin’s nomination of Ross was equivalent to “rubbing our face on the ground, saying, 'Here, take this.’”

In April 2008, Ross emailed then-Governor Sarah Palin to ask for “a personal favor.” Ross wanted the governor to get Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to issue a permit to a construction company owned by his friend, Rex Close. DNR had initially denied the permit because of environmental concerns (Close wanted to place an asphalt plant in the flood plain of a river). Palin had Randall Ruaro, her special assistant, look into the matter. Shortly thereafter, the Department of Transportation (DOT) helped Close appeal the permit denial. DOT officials told Palin’s staff that they were “very confident” the appeal would be successful. Palin told a staffer that she “really couldn't follow all that Ross was requesting help on” but had her staff work to assist him nonetheless.

Tom Selleck (Board Member)

Selleck endorsed the Republican presidential candidate, U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), in 2008

John Sigler (Board Member)

On August 27, 2012, in an interview with NRA News, Sigler stated, “The [Republican Party] platform is going to be much different than you’ve ever seen in the past. There’s an entirely new section in the platform that’s never been there before. It’s called ‘Restoring Constitutional Government.’ And it’s not just the Second Amendment, it’s the Ninth Amendment, it’s the First Amendment, it’s all about restoring constitutional government. Of course [President] Barack Obama and [U.S. Attorney General] Eric Holder have been thumbing their noses at the constitution for the last four years. And for someone who claims to have been a constitutional law professor God save us from what [President Obama] might have been telling his students, because he doesn’t get it. The Second Amendment is alive and well in the platform. In fact, this is the strongest Second Amendment platform that I can ever remember … I think we’ve gotten just about everything in the platform, not just in this section but in other sections, that we can hope for … Let’s begin with the first line of the Second Amendment section, it says, ‘We uphold the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, a right which antedated the Constitution and was solemnly confirmed by the Second Amendment. We acknowledge, support, and defend the law-abiding citizen's God-given right of self-defense.’ And it goes on from there. It is a very, very strong statement that the Republican Party recognizes not just what we said in [D.C . v.] Heller and McDonald [v. Chicago] but that which we’ve always been saying here at the NRA and that is that without the Second Amendment there wouldn’t be a First [Amendment], without the Second Amendment we wouldn’t have the freedoms that we have today.” When asked what Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney needed to do in his convention speech, Sigler replied, “I think Governor Romney can and will explain to the American people his dream for the American future which is different from the [President Barack] Obama nightmare we’ve been living through … There is a vast difference between Mitt Romney’s vision of American and Barack Obama’s vision of America.” When asked if vice presidential picks matter, Sigler responded, “Oh, I think it matters a lot … Anybody who’s willing to stand up on the stump and make part of his speech that he’s a proud Roman Catholic deer hunter, man after my own heart … I think [Romney’s] choice of Paul Ryan, Congressman Ryan, is very, very loud testimony that he understands, that he gets it, that he understands that the Second Amendment is in fact the First Amendment when it comes to protecting the rights of the American people and our form of government … [President Barack Obama] and his administration have been a disaster for the United States and we cannot afford four more years of Barack Obama. We cannot afford not to win this election … This [Republican] Party is united behind the concept that Barack Obama has destroyed the American dream and turned it into an American nightmare and its time to return to the American dream and that Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney are the people to do it.” Sigler referred to two cases; District of Columbia v . Heller and McDonald v. Chicago. The Court, in Heller, held for the first time in U.S. history that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to firearm ownership for self defense in the home; striking down the District of Columbia’s handgun ban. In McDonald, the Court held that the Second Amendment, as interpreted in Heller, applied to the states through the Due Process Clause.

On November 8, 2023 Sigler, in his capacity as chair of the Delaware GOP, issued a statement about the “Occupy Wall Street” protests, which address increasing income disparity in America. Sigler was unhappy that the city of Wilmington, Delaware granted permits to protestors, writing, “I am very disappointed, but not surprised, that the City of Wilmington has allowed this so-called ‘occupation’ to go forward.” Additionally, Sigler claimed that the Occupy protest movement is tied to “selected radical and extremist causes, and certain left-wing organizations of questionable credentials.”

On September 25, 2011, Sigler attended and spoke at a “Take Back Our State Event” hosted by controversial Delaware radio personality Bill Colley. Three days before the event, Colley published an op-ed on the WGMD website—which was cross-posted on the hate website Aryan Nation—in which he compared death penalty opponents to “the liberal women of another generation who believed crawling into bed with exotic peoples was mission work. It wasn’t necessarily because you believed in equality; it was because it was the liberal version of White Man’s Burden. Heck, Dr. Stanley Ann Dunham [President Barack Obama’s mother] traveled the globe linking up with ‘savages’ and civilizing them in the sack! Her efforts even created a President of the United States.” He added, “I’m exhausted with the lists of hyphenated Americans and the people insisting they deserve a reparations payment because 200 years ago, 300 years ago, 400 years ago a guy who looked like me was mean to someone who looked like them. Where does it end? You want a reparations cheque? Fine, we’ll issue it in the form of airline tickets. We’ll send you off to a peaceful ancestral home. Much of the planet remains a lawless killing ground. You won’t even have juries and appeals. Some night when you’re sleeping a fellow looking a lot like you will creep across the compound and hack you to bits with a machete. Why? Because some warlord promised an extra ration of bush meat or some jewels or first dibs on the surviving 8 year old female children and it’s the law in most corners of the world.” Colley also Tweeted that African-Americans would be lynched and homosexuals would be burned at the event. The Delaware Liberal wrote that Sigler’s attendance—in his capacity as the chair of Delaware GOP—gave an air of legitimacy to a “racist” event.

On August 25, 2012, in an interview for Delaware Online, Sigler stated, “A supermajority of Democrats in the [Delaware] House and Senate have made it very difficult in some of those races for any Republican, or any person, to logically believe they could win.” He also accused the General Assembly’s Democratic leadership of using the legislative redistricting process that followed the 2010 U.S. Census to pad registration numbers in their incumbent districts, stating, “That’s called gerrymandering. I would be very concerned if a Republican candidate came to me and said ‘I can win in that district despite 70 percent registration against me.’”

Linda Walker (Board Member)

Clayton Williams (Golden Ring of Freedom Member)

On March 24, 1990, while campaigning as a Republican to be Governor of Texas, Williams compared bad weather to rape, telling ranch hands, campaign workers and reporters gathered around a campfire, ''If it's inevitable, just relax and enjoy it.''

Rep. Don Young

On April 18, 2014, Young spoke during a luncheon with the Associated General Contractors of Alaska in Fairbanks. He told those in attendance that President Barack Obama’s “philosophies aim to make the U.S. a ‘third-rate nation,’ bound by wealth distribution and rule-making by unelected bureaucrats.”

Rep. Don Young (Board Member)

On April 13, 2009, Young signed an insurrectionist “Letter of Declaration” at an “Open Carry” event in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Declaration, drafted by Francis “Shaeffer” Cox of the Second Amendment Task Force/Alaska Peacemakers Militia, stated, “Let it be known that we, the people of Alaska, stand in recognition of the true principle that whenever a government abandons the purpose for which we have created it and even becomes hostile towards that which it was once a defender of, it is no longer a fit steward of the political power that is inherent in the people and lent to this government with strict conditions. These conditions are clearly defined in the United States Constitution and understood by the common man. Furthermore, to the extent that our government violates these conditions, they nullify their own authority, at which point it is our right and duty, not as subjects but as sovereign Americans, to entrust this power to new stewards who will not depart from the laws we have given them. This being the case, let it be known that should our government seek to further tax, restrict or register firearms or otherwise impose on the right that shall not be infringed, thus impairing our ability to exercise the God-given right to self-defense which precedes all human legislation and is superior to it, that the duty of us good and faithful people will not be to obey them but to alter or abolish them and institute new government laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form as to us shall seem most likely to effect our safety and happiness.” Cox and four other members of the group were arrested on March 10, 2023 on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and kidnapping. The group had stockpiled firearms and munitions and was planning to kill Alaska state troopers and a federal judge.

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