Sen. Robin Webb

Guest Contributor

FRANKFORT, Ky. – More than 70,000 men, women and children will arrive in Louisville over the next few days to celebrate one of our country's greatest freedoms – the Second Amendment of the Constitution.

It has been the cornerstone of our nation since our forefathers beat back the British at Concord Bridge. Rising against unspeakable odds, men led by giants named Washington, Jefferson and Adams helped found a country on the principle that all men are created equal and that their right to keep and bear arms should never be infringed. It is in that spirit and with great pride that I welcome the tens of thousands who support that right to the great Bluegrass State.

The weekend will truly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We will hear from the nation’s top political voices and a presidential nominee at NRA-ILA’s Leadership Forum. You can explore 500,000 square feet of the finest in shooting, hunting and outdoor gear at the Kentucky Exposition Center. There will be workshops and seminars, a Youth Day filled with programs created especially for our children, and a Saturday night celebration featuring country music superstar Toby Keith. The timing couldn’t be better.

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Today, we are at a crossroad. Facing terrorist attacks at home and abroad, it has never been more important that we embrace our Second Amendment right as the God-given freedom it is. That’s why it is difficult to understand how gun control groups can spend considerable time and tens of millions of dollars on an agenda aimed at destroying that freedom. Probably because neither the agenda nor money belongs to them – it belongs to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

From his million-dollar apartment in the New York City skyline, the man who once tried to tell us what to eat and what to drink is trying to tell us how to defend our families and homes. I love my family. I love the home we created, the church we attend and the communities that make our nation a beacon of liberty to the civilized world. I love them all too much to leave their security to chance. But Mr. Bloomberg has a better plan – one that would leave us at the mercy of those who would do us harm.

He has the audacity to call one of his groups “Every Town for Gun Safety” – a group that has never taught a soul how to handle a gun safely. Not like the NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program, which has taught more than 28 million children to “Stop! Don’t touch! Run away! Tell a grown-up!” if they ever come across a gun. Not like the hundreds of thousands of NRA classes that make safety the foundation of every lesson. That he would rather forget.

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Just like he wants us to forget that gun ownership is at an all-time high while the violent crime rate has dropped to a historic low. Forget studies by the National Academy of Sciences and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that found no evidence that “gun control” legislation reduces crime. Forget the NRA has more than 125,000 certified instructors teaching more 1 million people how to safely and responsibly use a firearm every year. Forget that criminals, by definition, do not follow the law. Forget all that and give up your right, your security and your ability to protect your family and home.

I, for one, can never forget. As a woman, gun owner, hunter, shooter, mother and legislator, I have heard too many stories and seen too many tragedies to know that the words of Wayne LaPierre have never been more true: "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy (or gal) with a gun."

This weekend we celebrate our most basic of freedoms. Like a 4th of July in May, there promises to be fireworks and festivities for all who support our God-given right to keep and bear arms. Join us. Join the NRA – freedom’s safest place. Welcome to Kentucky!

Sen. Robin Webb is a mother and practicing lawyer who represents the 18th Senatorial District. She is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, a founder and co-chair of the Kentucky Sportsmen’s Caucus and the president of the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucus.