NRA Endorses Trump for Reelection, Thanks President for Protection of Second Amendment

NRA Endorses Trump for Reelection, Thanks President for Protection of Second Amendment
President Donald Trump departs the White House in Washington on July 15, 2020. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)
Mimi Nguyen Ly
7/17/2020
Updated:
7/17/2020

The National Rifle Associaton (NRA) is endorsing President Donald Trump’s reelection, with its political action committee praising the president’s actions to defend the Second Amendment.

In the letter to Trump on Wednesday, the NRA’s Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) said that Trump has “done more than any president to protect the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.”

The NRA, which advocates for the rights of gun owners and has about 5 million members nationwide, had previously endorsed Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
“You promised to defend the Second Amendment and stand tall for the constitutional freedoms in which our members believe. You have delivered on your promise in extraordinary ways,” read the letter (pdf), signed by Wayne LaPierre, the group’s executive vice president and CEO, and Jason Ouimet, the executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) and the chairman of the NRA-PVF.

The NRA-PVF said that the president has—after having promised to appoint judges who would uphold Americans’ constitutional rights—appointed a “record-setting” number of judges who respect the Second Amendment, which has helped to “ensure the freedom of generations of Americans.”

The group also noted how Trump had “confronted” to COVID-19-related orders that had declared gun stores as non-essential.

“You rushed to protect America’s families and freedom by declaring firearms and ammunition retailers to be ‘critical infrastructure,’” the group said of Trump’s move to counter the orders. “This prompted states to reopen gun stores that had been forcibly closed—affirming our shared belief that Second Amendment rights are non-negotiable.”

The letter goes on to praise the president for his support of the nation’s outdoor heritage, which includes hunting and recreational shooting.

“You have protected the rights of hunters and sportsmen across the nation—and ensured their traditions can be shared with future generations,” the letter said.

“On behalf of our millions of members, we thank you for your continued support of the Second Amendment and all of the constitutional freedoms in which we believe.

“We are proud to support you and the promise of your second term.”

On the same day, Trump received a letter of endorsement from the National Association of Police Organizations, a police lobbying group that represents some 241,000 members. Trump thanked the group in a social media post and said that he will “ALWAYS back the men and women in blue.”