What an NRA Endorsement Tells You About A Candidate

     Dear Friends,
     It is easy to dismiss an NRA endorsement of a candidate as being just limited to how they stand on the 2nd Amendment.  While that is the sole issue that concerns America's original Civil Rights organization, it actually is a good proxy for understanding where a candidate stands on the role of government.  In this election, the NRA has been asking you to "Vote Freedom First."  With their grades and endorsements, the NRA is letting voters know whether a current or aspiring legislator fully supports the liberties given to us in the 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution, or if they believe it is good to refine, modify, limit or even deny them to us.
     Over the last 221 years, the freedoms that the founders of our nation have bequeathed to us have been changed and even denied based on what were thought at the time to be "rational reasons based on (then) current needs."  As we have added to our experience as the freest nation in the history of mankind, we have made mistakes, learned from many of them and applied remedies.  Slavery, the denial of the vote to women and the internment of citizens based on their national heritage are just a few examples. What the NRA does is stand as a bulwark against efforts to "interpret" the right to keep and bear arms against currently fashionable impulses that could result in a similarly egregious denial of liberty.  Candidates who fully support the 2nd Amendment in both word and deed show that they understand the original intent of the founders. They demonstrate that they believe "all men are created equal." Anything less is reason enough to deny a candidate the opportunity to enjoy the privilege and great responsibility of representing us, "We the People."  Take a look at the NRA's grades and endorsements to get some insights on how candidates value freedom. In the 2010 election, they have endorsed Richard Burr for Senate and Renee Ellmers for Congress representing the 2nd District.  The NRA Political Victory Fund web site also has a comprehensive list of candidate grades and endorsements for the North Carolina Senate and House.
Voters need to indeed Vote Freedom First.  Voters need to remember that on Tuesday.
     Sincerely yours,
     Tom Goffe