TexasCHLforum.com

I spent last Tuesday through Saturday at the NRA committee meetings and the Board meeting in Arlington, VA. As always, it's means long days with a lot of work, but this time there was an air of urgency I haven't seen since I was elected to the Board in 2001. One of my sons commented recently that every four years I make the statement that "this is the most important election in the history of our country." I thought about it and realized we were both right. Over my six decades on this earth, Americans have become more polarized and at an increasing rate since the Vietnam War. But regardless of the differences between the candidates in prior elections, the future of the United States has never hinged so much on the outcome of a single Presidential election as it does now.

The NRA is focusing on the battleground states, so you won't see much money spent here in Texas, nor will Californians see much NRA activity. The NRA simply must put the money available into electing Romney and defeating Obama in those states that control the outcome of the election. But who wins the Presidency is only part of the equation, albeit a critical part. Taking control of the U.S. Senate away from the Democrats is absolutely crucial for a number of reasons, but especially for gun owners. Whoever lives in the White House for the next four years will likely be nominating at least two U.S. Supreme Court Justices and countless federal district court judges. Only the U.S. Senate gets to vote on confirmation of those nominees, so retaining control of the U.S. House of Representatives does not help on that front.

Money is critical and the timing of donations is even more critical. For that reason, I strongly encourage people to donate by going to the NRA-ILA webpage rather than sending a check. If this isn't possible, then by all means send a check! Every donation helps, so don't think that only large amounts make a difference. For example, the North Dakota Senate race is winnable by the Republican candidate and there are an estimated 50,000 people the NRA/ILA can reach and influence with a mailing. It costs about $25,000 to mail information to those 50,000 people, so if less than 10% of TexasCHLforum Members would donate $25 each, we could impact the North Dakota U.S. Senate race. (I hope a lot more than a mere 10% of our Members respond to this call!)

Please donate and please do it today, not tomorrow. Although "election day" is only 48 days away, early voting begins much earlier and, in some states, early voting accounts for 70% of all votes cast. This means we have very little time left to influence critical elections.

Chas.