Long-Term Threats to Second Amendment Warrant Attention ASAP

Second Amendment supporters won a massive victory with New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen – that is undeniable. But what is equally undeniable is the fact some serious, long-term threats have emerged – and Second Amendment supporters need to address them immediately.

For the past few years, anti-Second Amendment extremists have been targeting the means by which we defend out rights. Whether it was Andrew Cuomo and Letitia James going after the National Rifle Association, efforts to pass so-called “campaign reform” schemes, financial deplatforming and other corporate efforts at gun control, including the actions of Kirkland & Ellis, our ability to defend our rights – and the gains we made in securing them is under assault.

The attacks by James and Cuomo can eventually be addressed in court. Ditto for “campaign reform” schemes. Unless, of course, anti-Second Amendment extremists are able to pack the Supreme Court (and lower federal courts). But the threats from government pale to the long-term threats posed from the private sector.

Unlike government at any level – be it federal, state, or local – corporations have a lot more freedom to act against our Second Amendment rights. Like us, they can boycott, divest, and even sanction. The threats have already come from anti-Second Amendment extremists.

What good is the NYSRPA v. Bruen standard if no attorneys are willing to take the case for fear of professional repercussions? In essence, unless Second Amendment supporters can reorient to find ways to influence the biggest corporations and law firms, our rights could be a dead letter for future generations.

The fight against financial deplatforming is no less crucial. If your local FFL or a gun manufacturer can’t access financial services, the Second Amendment is dead. Oh, the legal right to own a gun would be there, but the Second Amendment does not prohibit corporate actions. Salesforce or similar companies can implement their own policies. So can banks, insurance companies, and other financial institutions unless we start acting today.

The corporate cubicles and boardrooms will be just as crucial for our Second Amendment rights as the electoral and legislative arenas have been since 1934. These companies can destroy our rights – and leave Second Amendment supporters with little recourse.

It took nearly seven decades to overturn U.S. v. Miller with the Heller decision, and that took a lot of effort to elect Presidents to appoint the right Supreme Court justices and Senators to cast the votes for confirmation. Corporate CEOs can make the decision to financially deplatform FFLs, gun manufacturers, and Second Amendment advocacy organizations in seven minutes or less, to say nothing of boycotting law firms like Clement & Murphy for daring to take on Second Amendment cases.

These days, Second Amendment supporters must not only defeat anti-Second Amendment extremists via the ballot box at the federal, state, and local levels. They also must defeat them in the boardrooms of corporate America as well.