News

back arrow iconBack to News

September 29, 2020

U.S. Rep. Crenshaw Builds Texas Bench to Buffer Against Bloomberg’s Bid for Gun Control


By Larry Keane

Billionaire and failed Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg thought it would be easy to drop millions into Texas to buy more congressional seats for gun control. He underestimated Texans’ love for their Second Amendment and U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) is leading the charge to block his gun-grabbing efforts. He’s bringing a few friends to the fight too.

In a new joint campaign ad, the former Navy SEAL “recruits” a few fellow veterans looking to oust incumbent Democrats on Nov. 3. Bloomberg spent millions to flip the Virginia state legislature in 2019 to pass more gun control, and believing he can tip the scales in other states he’s already pledged more than one hundred million this election cycle for more, including Texas.

Rep. Crenshaw has other plans and his recruits have serious Second Amendment bona fides. 

Leading the Pack

Rep. Crenshaw served as a Navy SEAL for 10 years, including five tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He put his life on the line to protect the Constitution, even being injured by an improvised explosive device (IED). After standing up for the Second Amendment and opposing an expanded background check bill in the House of Representatives, Rep. Crenshaw’s reasoning caught the ire of Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In a back-and-forth with AOC, he offered a lesson in Texas commonsense.

“Situations like this story are why we protect the Second Amendment,” Rep. Crenshaw noted on Twitter, “Side note: With universal background checks, I wouldn’t be able to let my friends borrow my handgun when they travel alone like this. We would make felons out of people just for defending themselves.”

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez tweeted back, “You are a member of Congress. Why are you ‘lending’ guns to people unsupervised who can’t pass a basic background check? The people you’re giving a gun to have likely abused their spouse or have a violent criminal record, & you may not know it. Why on earth would you do that?”

Crenshaw wasn’t standing for the character smear on gun owners.

“Just so I’m clear: you think my friends are domestic abusers/criminals?” he asked her on Twitter. “Seriously that’s your argument? That they can’t pass a background check? Wrong. People lend guns to friends, esp if they don’t own a gun, for self-defense and hunting purposes. This is America outside NYC.”

The staunch Second Amendment supporter is hoping a few Lone Star state congressional candidates can cross the finish line and help backstop against more gun control like those pushed by Bloomberg.

The Recruits

The new ad includes five congressional candidates with strong Second Amendment stances, including three more veterans.

Wesley Hunt is running in the 7th Congressional District in Houston. He graduated West Point and is a former Army helicopter pilot. His strong support for gun rights earned him the endorsement of President Donald Trump, who tweeted, “.@WesleyHuntTX is running for Congress in the Great State of Texas. He will help us accomplish our America First policies. Wesley is strong on Crime, the Border, our 2nd Amendment, Trade, Military and Vets. Wesley has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”

Next up is August Pfluger, a former Air Force F-22 Raptor pilot and former National Security Council advisor. Pfluger is running in the 11th Congressional District near San Angelo and makes his support of the Second Amendment unquestionable, explaining on his campaign website, “I will defend the Second Amendment and support the right of all law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms for the protection of themselves and their families.”

Tony Gonzales, a former Navy Master Chief Petty Officer, joins the growing supergroup as the candidate from Texas’s 23rd Congressional District. This is currently held by retiring Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) and Gonzalez is trying to keep the seat in Second Amendment-friendly hands, promoting his credentials for supporting the rights of Americans to purchase and possess firearms.

So far in 2020, more than 13.8 million background checks have been run for firearm purchases and nearly 40 percent have been for women. Those are Americans that former Irving, Texas mayor Beth Van Duyne who’s running in the 24th Congressional District can relate to. Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety is attacking Van Duyne if that’s an indication, and her Second Amendment stance secured the support of fellow Texan Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

Rep. Crenshaw and his recruits come upon Genevieve Collins, a candidate in Texas’s 32nd Congressional District. Collins herself has a Second Amendment ad that is must-watch where she declares she will always stand up and fight for our Second Amendment rights.

Rep. Crenshaw and his recruits still have five weeks to go until the election. But as Bloomberg continues his spending spree ahead of November, and Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) leading the most antigun presidential ticket in modern history, the Second Amendment is under attack. NSSF launched the #GUNOTE campaign to register, educate and activate gun rights voters so they don’t risk their rights at the ballot box.

You may also be interested in:

https://www.nssf.org/bloomberg-drops-100-million-of-sofa-change-for-florida-gun-control/

https://www.nssf.org/u-s-house-republican-leader-gives-election-insights-to-firearm-industry/

Share This Article

Tags: 2020 election gun rights Rep. Crenshaw

Categories: BP Item, Featured, Government Relations, Top Stories