Four years ago I wrote that the issues for the coming election were clear. For 2020, the choice is even clearer. The intent of our Second Amendment was clearly stated by our founding fathers who well understood tyranny. Today there is no need for interpretation by Supreme Court justices. Other than ousting Donald Trump, the number one item on the Democrat agenda will be gun control. They want all semiautomatics including shotguns – not just handguns and rifles with large round detachable magazines.

As gun owners, we need to be aware of the liberal left’s multifaceted plans to take away our guns. Don’t think it can’t happen. Take a look at what has happened in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.

Hunting is a primary target of the antigun movement. Even in South Dakota with our strong hunting culture hunter numbers are in decline while our overall population grows. At this same time animal rights advocate numbers are growing, and these folks are passionate. Different seasons are being lost one by one.

The gun control people want to see all gun transactions become a matter of federal record. This would include passing a deer rifle to a grandchild. They also want to abolish guns shows on the grounds that guns are too easily accessible at gun shows. This is not the case. Federal Firearms dealers make up the majority of vendors at a gun show. They must run every firearms transaction through the feds before turning over the firearm. They must also do the required paperwork.

Gun shows are in rapid decline. In the name of political correctness, some municipalities have buckled under pressure and outlawed gun shows. Other venues are becoming uneasy about renting gun show space. Fargo has lost theirs, and our Mitchell show was on the ropes until recently. I admire and compliment Brookings, Pierre, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Watertown, and Yankton on their gun shows.

The media, including major television networks and newspapers, have sided with the liberal left. ABC, CBS, and NBC television are very subtly feeding us a liberal agenda. On CBS’s “Bull” a few weeks ago, a character remarked that it was easy to buy a gun. The “Bluebloods” program suggested that marijuana be legalized. These networks not only refuse to give President Trump positive credit where credit is due, they paint a negative picture of every move he makes.

Personally, I see our president as being egotistical and sometimes rude. I don’t condone his extra-marital affairs. However, he is pro Second Amendment, and I will support him for that. He also recognizes the threat posed by the Chinese. Every Responsible American should read The Hundred-Year Marathon by Michael Pillsbury. It is neither liberal nor conservative. The president has an obligation to investigate corruption on both sides of the isle. Regarding Hunter Biden, can you imagine the outcry if Donald Trump, Jr. had an $83,000 a month job in an ally country where he didn’t even know the language?

On the flip side of the coin we have Fox News. Their journalist commentators including Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham are pro Second Amendment. They lean to the right as far as ABC, CBS, and NBC lean left. I do feel that when it comes purely to news, Brett Baier and Brit Hume of Fox give us as close to the truth as we will get. I certainly don’t like it when my liberal friends make fun of me for watching Fox News. Unfortunately, the majority of Americans have lost faith in our major media when it comes to truthful news.

Getting back to gun control, the National Rifle Association, of which I am a life member, claims Americans defend themselves with guns two million times a year. I believe this number is conservative, but I’ll admit I’m biased. I wouldn’t be alive today if I didn’t have a Smith & Wesson .357 magnum under the front seat of my car back in 1961. The horrendous acts of the mentally ill who gun down innocent people are tragic indeed, but they don’t outweigh the self-defense factor. Granted, we must do a better job of keeping guns out of the hands of deviates. Just how we do that I don’t know.

See you next week when I get back to South Dakota hunting and fishing. In the meantime, plan to attend the Mitchell Gun Show on March 14-15.