News

back arrow iconBack to News

October 2, 2020

Katie Pavlich Gives Election Insights to NSSF PAC Virtual Town Hall


By Matt Manda

Katie Pavlich, Townhall.com editor, frequent Fox News contributor and avid Second Amendment supporter, joined NSSF’s Larry Keane and nearly 100 NSSF Political Action Committee (PAC) contributors in a Virtual Town Hall. Pavlich gave her insights leading up to Election Day, less than five weeks away. Pavlich explained there are several crucial Second Amendment inflection points ahead of Nov. 3, including the U.S. Senate confirmation hearings for President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett and whether the Senate will remain in a pro-Second Amendment majority. The consequences to the firearm industry and Second Amendment-supporting Americans are dire.

Pavlich gave participants hopeful words on what the future may hold for the Second Amendment on Election Day and beyond.

“I always try to paint a sobering picture because I want to deal in reality,” Pavlich said. “But I do feel like we are in a very good place in this fight. As we all know, this is a fight that never ends. It will constantly and forever be ongoing, and we just have to hold the line. We’re all in this fight together and it’s fun to be in the fight.”

Supreme Court

Keane began by asking Pavlich about the timeliness of the Supreme Court nomination and Senate confirmation process. President Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett and if confirmed many believe she’ll solidify a shift to originalism in the Court, particularly if a Second Amendment-related case is heard. Pavlich agreed and spoke to the importance of protecting that freedom.

“As someone in the media, you have all these journalists who believe in the First Amendment right and I always say, ‘Well my First Amendment right depends on my Second Amendment rights.’”

Pavlich offered praise for Judge Barrett’s nomination, noting she’s the right woman for the job.

“I think it will be a wonderful thing because she is someone who believes in reading and interpreting the Constitution as written,” Pavlich explained. “She doesn’t believe in making up law from the bench. And she has a very broad interpretation of the Second Amendment.”

Judge Barrett is already meeting with senators and the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing is set to begin Oct. 12.

Senate Gun Rights

The possibility of “Senate Majority Leader Schumer” doesn’t bode well for the firearm industry and underscores the importance of Republicans continuing to hold the majority after the election. Pavlich wrote in The Hill of Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s problematic Second Amendment track record. Without Senate stopping power, the industry faces serious headwinds under a possible Biden administration.

“So just given the platforms that have been put forward by Joe Biden, you know making Beto O’Rourke his gun control czar,…and given Kamala Harris’s tendency to use government power in inappropriate ways for her own personal political preferences, I would be very worried,” Pavlich told NSSF PAC supporters on the call. “They want to shut the entire industry down.”

Other noted antigun priorities of the Biden-Harris ticket and gun control advocates in the Senate, repealing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act that protects the industry from frivolous lawsuits and dynamiting the Senate filibuster to bulldoze through gun control.

Keane reminded viewers gun control groups turn to never-ending litigation when their policies can’t get enacted.

“We’ll just see a new tidal wave of lawsuits,” Keane said. “And it will be designed to, as it was before, force the industry to either go bankrupt or force the industry to capitulate through settlements. It’s essentially legislation through litigation.” 

Law Enforcement: Reallocating Means Defunding

Pavlich addressed the additional concern should Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) become Senate Majority Leader that he would continue the push to further defund police. A historic surge in firearm purchases began early in 2020 with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Americans became concerned for their safety as governors enforced shutdowns and law enforcement was stretched thin. Criminals were released from jails and committed violent crimes again. Riots, looting and violence escalated as Americans watched as calls to “defund the police” further grew.

Pavlich spotlighted a tweet by Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) requesting donations for bail. Those donations helped to release murder and sex crimes suspects. The Biden-Harris ticket won’t say “defund” but talks reallocating money from the police. Pavlich summed it up, “Reallocating is defunding.”

“People are seeing that and realizing that they are going to be their own, their first defense,” she said. “People are really starting to think about what that could mean for them and their families. The Second Amendment is the only thing that I have left.”

Second Amendment Politics Is Local

Keane asked how the industry can best ensure Second Amendment supporters and first-time gun buyers become more gun-issue voters. Pavlich spoke of how oftentimes it’s the local anti-Second Amendment regulations, passed by city councils and municipalities, that grab citizens’ attention. Speaking with these individuals and helping recruit them to be Second Amendment voters has a real impact.

“I was getting text messages from people who were not gun owners, saying ‘Where do I go to buy a gun? How do I get through this process?’…And I would say try to get those people involved.”

NSSF’s #GUNVOTE® initiative is an industry effort to do just that. With less than five weeks before elections, the #GUNVOTE campaign provides resources to register and educate Second Amendment-supporters and gun owners ahead of Nov. 3 so they don’t risk their rights at the ballot box.

You may also be interested in:

https://www.nssf.org/scotus-vacancy-reinforces-importance-of-gunvote/

Share This Article

Tags: Katie Pavlich NSSF PAC Town Hall

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