By: Chris Dorsey | Commentary, The Gazette
That oversight has shaped elections before, and it may do so again.
Donald Trump’s election demonstrated what happens when millions of Americans who view the Second Amendment as a fundamental constitutional liberty conclude that the future of that right is on the ballot. Many constituencies contributed to Trump’s victories, but few matched the discipline, organization, and intensity of gun owners.
The National Rifle Association, despite its well-publicized internal challenges in recent years, remains one of the most influential grassroots political organizations in the country. For decades, it built a political machine that educated members, graded candidates, mobilized volunteers, and reminded voters that elections determine far more than tax rates or foreign policy. They determine who appoints federal judges and Supreme Court justices, and those appointments shape constitutional law for generations.
That investment is paying dividends today. The Supreme Court’s willingness to hear new challenges to state restrictions on commonly owned semiautomatic rifles demonstrates how dramatically the constitutional landscape has changed in recent years. Whether those laws ultimately survive remains to be seen, but the fact that the Court is taking up these questions shows a judiciary that is applying far greater scrutiny to Second Amendment cases than many observers expected only a decade ago.
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