There is no question that last year's election represented a significant victory for supporters of the Second Amendment and a defeat for those who want to limit our constitutional freedoms. The American people maintained pro-gun majorities in both the House and the Senate, elected a new president who believes in our God-given right to bear arms, and paved the way to protecting our freedoms before the Supreme Court. We're reminded, however, that there are still some in this country who believe the Second Amendment is for sale.

Despite our victories, it is more important than ever for the gun rights community to stand together.

After spending tens of millions of dollars in the 2016 election, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently announced he is spending at least another $25 million in the 2018 election cycle. Bloomberg has said that this influx of cash will be spent to prop up anti-gun candidates and attack those who stand up for the Second Amendment. This liberal billionaire and his rich friends are clearly undeterred by the repudiation of their agenda by voters last year and will continue to fund the fight against our freedoms.

The good news is that Americans with concealed carry permits are among the most engaged of citizens, who put a premium on protecting themselves, their families, and their communities. This is a group of diligent citizens we as a country should be grateful for, not targeting for the erosion of their right to self-defense.

This is also demographic that has jumped through the bureaucratic hoops in order to comply with the laws of their state and obtain a permit to carry their personal firearm with them in public. Fortunately, lawmakers in Congress are moving to streamline concealed carry permit requirements at the federal level, and make national reciprocity a reality. Currently, there is a patchwork of reciprocity policies throughout the country, with some states recognizing certain out of state permits, in addition to their own, but it is inconsistent and causes unnecessary confusion for gun owners.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., have introduced legislation that would allow concealed carry permits to be nationally recognized, giving gun owners the freedom to travel wherever they please without fear of being on the wrong side of the law. This legislation would allow anyone with a valid concealed carry permit to move freely from state to state without fear of being thrown into jail because their home state's permits aren't recognized elsewhere.

Yet, even though the 2018 elections are still far away Bloomberg and others who oppose the Second Amendment are determined to block these efforts and rollback our freedoms. Rights expressly written into the Constitution and granted by our Creator cannot be bought. There are approximately 14.5 million Americans who hold concealed carry permits, and they vote.

Spending $25 million to try to put anti-gun candidates into office is the same old political theater that everyday Americans are tired of watching. We have seen this show before, and voters will see this effort for what it truly is: efforts by the wealthy trying to make their personal opinion into public policy. At the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, we will continue to stand with all gun-rights supporters in opposing the efforts by Bloomberg and other anti-gun liberals and work together to protect our Constitutional freedoms.

Tim Schmidt (@TimUSCCA ) is the president and founder of the U.S. Concealed Carry Association.

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