NRA Endorses Donald Trump, Skewers Hillary Clinton, And Voices Support To ‘Get Rid Of Gun-Free’ Zones
There’s more good news for Donald Trump in the way of endorsements. The National Rifle Association (NRA) announced its support of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
According to Fox News, the NRA endorsed Donald Trump Friday, just ahead of Trump’s address to the NRA-ILA (Insititute for Legislative Action) Leadership forum held in Louisville, Kentucky.
National Rifle Association Executive Director Chris Cox announced the endorsement as he introduced Trump before he spoke.
“I’m officially announcing the NRA’s endorsement of Donald Trump for president,” Cox said.
The #NRA is proud to endorse @realDonaldTrump #NRAAM pic.twitter.com/7pm5vZ4OT0
— NRA (@NRA) May 20, 2016
While the timing of the NRA’s endorsement of Trump seems late in the game, the report reveals that it’s quite contrary to the organization’s normal pattern in presidential politics. The group is actually backing a presidential candidate earlier than it has in other years. For instance, the NRA didn’t endorse GOP nominee Mitt Romney until October, 2012.
Officials say the difference this election year is the excitement Trump attracts among NRA members. There was a notable lack of that for Romney — and for Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) in the 2008 election.
The NRA has fired off tweets, many of which are calling on Hillary Clinton to disarm her bodyguards and urging voters to consider what it would mean to their Second Amendment rights if she elects judges to the Supreme Court. The group’s tweets are highlights from Trump’s speech in Louisville on Friday.
“@HillaryClinton is not equipped to be President of the United States. -D.T. #NRAAM,” one tweet read.
If @HillaryClinton gets to appoint judges, she will try to abolish the #2A -D.T. #NRAAM
— NRA (@NRA) May 20, 2016
Hillary’s bodyguards should immediately disarm…and see how she feels -D.T. #NRAAM
— NRA (@NRA) May 20, 2016
The NRA is making their stance clear today as election season peaks. It hit on all cylinders on what makes the Second Amendment a precious right in the U.S.
A few tweets mention strengthening the military, making it “bigger, better, stronger,” and the fighting words that “no one is going to push us around.”
A bolder message still posted on Twitter reads, “We’re getting rid of gun-free zones.”
CNN reports that Donald Trump calls the NRA’s endorsement a “fantastic honor.”
Trump reiterates the tweet that the NRA echoed above, saying that Clinton “wants to abolish the Second Amendment.” He said that it’s “not going to happen” and that “we’re going to preserve it, we’re going to cherish it.”
An endless stream of messages on the NRA’s account shows that the group is firmly behind Trump.
Hillary Clinton’s anti-gun position has pro-gun advocates ready to fight hard. Another post by the NRA continues that if the Democratic presidential candidate could, she would “ban every gun, destroy every magazine.”
Donald Trump has been accused of feeding off an anger in voters who despise the direction this nation is heading. Several are pushing back at the threat of stricter gun control and a president who acts on executive orders in an attempt to change laws related to firearms. Responsible gun owners take offense at legislative proposals because they view them as steps to essentially revoke the Second Amendment.
Trump said he believes Clinton wants to ultimately abolish the Second Amendment by appointing Supreme Court judges. The Republican nominee went on to say that both Bill and Hillary Clinton are hypocrites for using armed security guards.
CNN’s report reminded readers that Trump supported some gun control measures back in the 1990s when he backed the ban of assault weapons and agreed to longer periods on the purchase of guns.
[AP Photo/Jae C. Hong]
