How’s everyone doing this morning? Everyone having a good time in Tennessee? I am too and it’s great to be home. Now let me ask y’all another question: Anyone here from Arkansas? Colorado or Iowa? How about Louisiana? North Carolina? Or West Virginia? Well, you all deserve a BIG thank you because you elected pro-gun senators and gave Harry Reid a demotion! You also gave Michael Bloomberg, that nanny state billionaire, a “Chuck Norris” roundhouse kick to the head! So THANK YOU for that one, too. Think about what we were up against — a multi-billionaire willing to spend his personal fortune, supported by a national news media willing to spread lies, all to elect a Congress willing to destroy our freedom. But across the country, you stood up and said NO — not on our watch! You voted freedom first and over 90 percent of NRA’s endorsed candidates won. So thank you! But apparently President Obama was watching SportsCenter and not the election results because he sure didn’t get the message, did he? He says he’s got a phone and a pen and he’ll just go around Congress and do whatever he damn-well pleases. We saw it just last month when he tried to ban rifle ammunition. We know what he really wanted to do. He wanted to ban our guns. But he couldn’t get that done so he tried to ban our ammo instead. Let’s be clear — this wasn’t only about green-tip ammo for your AR-15. They came up with an entire “framework” so they could ban ALL centerfire ammunition — .223, .270, .30-06, you name it. So the NRA got to work — which means YOU got to work. You sent hundreds of thousands of comments to ATF. You rallied support from a majority of the House and Senate. And you backed them off — for now. This was an important victory, but you and I know this fight isn’t over because our opponents never give up. They know they can’t overturn the Heller and McDonald decisions — yet — so they want to use regulations, fees and red tape to make it so difficult that gun owners just give up. Some may fall for that, but you don’t. You stand and fight. Joining the NRA’s grassroots army proves it. You’ve made a personal investment in the restoration of freedom. And we’ve come a long way. In 1987, 11 states recognized some form of right to carry. Today, it’s all 50. That’s an extraordinary achievement. And while plenty of groups try to take credit, it’s not because of them. It’s because of you. 2 In state after state, you engaged in the fight and put your elected officials on notice. You wanted your right to carry restored and YOU GOT IT BACK! Every step of the way, our opponents screamed hysterically that violence would skyrocket if we let law-abiding people carry guns. Well, guess what? They were wrong again. Instead of going up, violent crime has fallen to its lowest level in 40 years. You made America SAFER by making America FREER! Now it’s time for Congress to step up. Good people deserve a fighting chance against criminals from coast to coast. That’s why Congress needs to pass national Right-to-Carry reciprocity NOW! Friends, it’s up to us. We have to fight to protect our rights because our opponents are richer, more organized and more dishonest than ever before. They’ll literally say anything to make you think your rights are safe. And when I say anything, I mean ANYTHING. Just look at this: [VIDEO OF OBAMA/BIDEN/BLOOMBERG/SCHUMER/ ETC., SAYING THEY SUPPORT THE SECOND AMENDMENT] Well, I guess we can all just go home … our work’s done, right? No. 3 You know, they’re about as trustworthy as Mexican tap water. And they both leave you feeling the same way. This would all be funny if it weren’t so dangerous and dishonest. My parents are here today, and they’ve always told me to remember who you are, where you come from and always tell the truth. That’s good advice, but it’s lost on our opponents. Just look at Michael Bloomberg. The world’s 13th-richest man isn’t satisfied telling us what to eat and drink. He’s using his $36 billion fortune to tell us how to live. Let’s look at some of the things he’s said: “If you want to have a gun in your house … I think you’re pretty stupid.” “I do think there are certain times we should infringe on your freedom.” “You don’t know what you care about … you need someone to make those decisions for you.” You need someone to make those decisions FOR you. What’s so outrageous is that he’s serious. Here’s just a partial list of what Bloomberg tried to ban or regulate when he was mayor of New York City: baby formula, carbon, sodas, sodium, Styrofoam, loud headphones, trans fats, tanning salons and, of course, guns. 4 But let’s be clear — Bloomberg doesn’t oppose these things for himself, he just opposes them for YOU. He flies to Bermuda on his private jet while telling you to reduce your carbon footprint. He pours extra salt on his steak while telling you to stick to tofu. And he hires armed security while telling you that if you keep a gun at home, you’re stupid. Bloomberg deserves an award for “hypocrite of the year.” But you know what he got instead? A leadership award for public service. Do you know who gave him that award? The Clinton Global Initiative. Yep, Bill and Hillary. Hillary Clinton … she’s back. Hillary Clinton will announce tomorrow that she’s running for president. When it comes to attacking our Second Amendment freedoms, you can bet she’ll make Barack Obama look like an amateur. Obama won’t admit that he wants to register guns, but Hillary’s proud to support it. The only reason to register guns is to tax ‘em or take ‘em — and there’s no doubt “Her Royal Highness” would love to do both! Hillary’s probably sent Obama emails about it, but I guess we’ll never know. But what we do know is that we’ll get more gun bans, more ammo bans and more anti-gun Supreme Court justices. 5 There’s no limit to the destruction of individual freedom she’d cause with four or eight years in office. Think about it: Hillary Clinton as President of the United States until 2025. Scared yet? But as big a threat as Hillary could be, let’s not forget how dangerous Obama will be over the next 650 days. We know he’s willing to do anything to dismantle this freedom. And at a recent town hall meeting, he took dishonesty to a whole new level. Please watch: [VIDEO OF OBAMA: “OUR HOMICIDE RATES ARE SO MUCH HIGHER THAN OTHER INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES … I MEAN BY LIKE A MILE.”] Folks, the President of the United States knows that’s a lie. Russia’s murder rate is more than double ours. Mexico’s murder rate is more than four times ours. And Brazil’s murder rate is almost five times ours. But the president never lets the facts get in the way of a good story. So he didn’t stop there. Please watch: [VIDEO OF OBAMA: “YOU CAN GO INTO SOME NEIGHBORHOODS AND IT IS EASIER FOR YOU TO BUY A FIREARM THAN A BOOK, THERE ARE NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE IT’S EASIER FOR YOU TO BUY A HANDGUN AND CLIPS THAN IT IS FOR YOU TO BUY A FRESH VEGETABLE.”] 6 That’s right, it’s easier to buy a handgun than a fresh vegetable! And you DO get to keep your doctor under Obamacare! And this IS the most open and transparent administration in history! And you might not have known this, but Obama was the first man to walk on the moon! We know it’s true, because Brian Williams was there with him! Roll the next one: [VIDEO OF OBAMA: “PEOPLE JUST SAY WELL, WE SHOULD HAVE FIREARMS IN KINDERGARTEN AND WE SHOULD HAVE MACHINE GUNS IN BARS. YOU THINK I’M EXAGGERATING — I MEAN, YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THESE LAWS THAT COME UP.”] Machine guns in bars? Mr. President, the closest thing we have to that in America is your hometown of Chicago. You know what Obama’s beloved newspaper, The Washington Post, had to say about his claims? It said, “The gun debate should not be poisoned by exaggerated claims or false statistics.” In other words, poisoned by lies. Folks, Obama says he’s not going anywhere for the next 650 days. Well we have news for the president — NEITHER ARE WE! We’re millions of average, honest Americans. We’re moms and dads who want to live in safe neighborhoods and send our kids to safe schools. We’re Republicans, Democrats, Independents and none of the above. 7 We’re every color, creed, faith and occupation. We’re Americans from every walk of life. We’re defined by our diversity, but we’re united by our belief in the Second Amendment that keeps our families safe and our country free. Friends, I’d like to share a couple stories this morning to show you the face of who we are, why we fight and what’s at stake. Last September, an Islamic jihadist posted photos of Taliban fighters and Osama bin Laden on his Facebook page. He filled his mind with hate and plotted out how he was going to act on it. He went inside a local factory, took a large knife from under his coat and cut off the head of a 54-year-old grandmother. Several people tried to stop him. They threw books and chairs and tried to kick him, but it didn’t do much good. The murderer then slashed the face of another innocent woman. As he drew back his knife to cut off her head, he was stopped. How? By a man with a firearm. Now you might think this happened somewhere in the Middle East — maybe Egypt or Saudi Arabia — and that the man who saved the day was a guard or a soldier. But friends, this story didn’t happen in the Middle East. It happened in the Middle West of America. It happened in Moore, Oklahoma. 8 And the hero in this story is a food company executive and a fellow NRA member. His name is Mark Vaughan and we are proud to have him with us today. Mark, please stand up and accept our thanks. Thank you! As the county sheriff said afterwards, Mark’s actions that day saved lives. That’s who we are. We’re the ones who run to the fight — not away from it. We defend the defenseless. Even more importantly, we train good people to defend themselves and we protect their God-given right to do it! But in far too many places, that right is still being denied. Put yourself in this person’s shoes for a minute. You play by the rules. You don’t buy things you can’t afford or live beyond your means. You work hard, but you still struggle. As much as you try, you can't afford to live in a nice neighborhood. No, you live in the projects. Your neighborhood is overrun with drug dealers and gang members. Too often, you hear people shouting — fighting over drug deals gone bad, followed by gunfire. You don’t feel safe in your own home. But what can you do? The police aren’t there when you need them — in fact, they don’t really like to come around. 9 A few years ago, you heard the Supreme Court say that you can keep a gun in your home to defend yourself. But it seems like that only applies to other people — rich people — because your housing authority says they’ll throw you out on the streets if you do it. You feel hopeless, so what do you do? I can tell you what one courageous woman did. Please watch: [VIDEO ABOUT JOSEPHINE BYRD STORY] Friends, Josephine Byrd is with us today. Josephine, would you please stand and accept our thanks? All Josephine wanted to do is exercise the most basic of all human rights — the right to defend yourself. Whenever that right is under attack, liberty and justice are on the brink of destruction. That’s why we fight for liberty and justice for all! We are the largest and oldest civil rights organization in America. We’re proud, honest and patriotic. We’re the good guys! We are Mark Vaughan and we are Josephine Byrd. We will always stand and fight for what’s right. So stand up! Stand up if you refuse to be treated like a subject! Stand up to the lying politicians, national media and elitist billionaires! 10 Stand up right now and send this message to all of ‘em! YOUR lives are not more valuable than OURS! You’ve got no right, no authority and no business trying to cheat us out of our freedoms! If you want to try, come and take ‘em! If you want a fight, you’ve got one! We’ll fight you in the courts. We’ll fight you in the legislatures. And we’ll fight you on Election Day! We are the National Rifle Association of America — we fight to defend freedom and we’re here to take our country BACK! Thank you very much! God bless you and this great organization! 11
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