Opinion

Tombstone, Arizona – Have you talked politics recently with everyone in your circle of influence, especially your family and particularly the women in your life?

It’s important that every GunVoter be proactive in talking with their spouse, family, and friends about the current elections.

(Early voting has already begun in many places.)[And YES you should vote early!]

It’s even more important when that spouse, family member, or friend is a woman because there is a wide division between the way men and women are planning to vote this year. Right now polls show that male voters are leaning toward Trump and the pro-gun Republicans by a split of as much as 60/40, while female voters are leaning toward Harris and Democrats by a split of about 56/34.

That divide gets even wider when looking at only single women and probably even wider when comparing gun-owner households. Significantly, women tend to be more likely to vote than men – which could be a whole separate article – and many have been energized by the very convoluted (and frankly dishonest) debate over abortion.

The reason these numbers should concern GunVoters is simple: The women in your life, the women with whom you have the most credibility and possible influence, are potentially on the verge of negating your vote and helping the most vociferously anti-gun presidential candidate in history win the White House, along with helping the party of gun control obtain or maintain majorities in Congress and state legislatures.

Obviously, it’s important to talk with everyone you know about the importance of voting and the importance of stopping the endless Democratic campaign against our rights – especially your gun-owning friends who might not bother to vote. However, with the stark divide between men and women in this election, and particularly the tendency of men to avoid talking with women about politics, it’s important to address the issues specifically.

I’m reminded of a campaign that I participated in back in the 1980s in Maryland, where women voters, and specifically the wives of GunVoters, swung an election for the opposition.
It was an off-year election with little of much interest on the ballot besides a draconian gun control proposal. Experts were stunned by the heavy turnout that year and universally attributed the high voter turnout numbers directly to the gun control question, particularly among opponents of the measure. Yet in the end, the measure passed, leaving us all pretty confused.

Careful examination of voting records and exit polling results finally answered the question for us. While our get-out-the-vote effort was extremely successful, eclipsing all expectations and outperforming the proponents of the bad bill.

GunVoters failed in one critical area: Our guys neglected to talk with their wives about the ballot issue.

Many GunVoter wives went to the polls with their husbands. Had their husbands not gone to vote, many of these women wouldn’t have bothered, as their past voting history indicated. But since their husbands were going, they went along, and once they got into the voting booth, many of them voted for the gun control proposal. Exit polling indicated that they didn’t know much about the issue but had voted for the measure because it “sounded reasonable.”

Their votes, when added to the votes of the actual gun control supporters, made the difference that cost us that election.

Let me be clear, as the politicians like to say: I am not suggesting that husbands and wives must be in lockstep or that men should dictate how to vote to the women in their lives. I’m just saying that for a whole lot of women, gun rights are not something they think a lot about, and they often have limited knowledge of the subject. That being the reality, it’s important that GunVoters (both men and women) make it a point to talk with the women close to them to be sure they understand why we think this matters.

Many Americans, including many gun owners, are frustrated with their limited choices this year. A lot of GunVoters don’t like Trump because he called for restrictions on bump stocks and a couple of other idiotic gun control schemes at times during his presidency. That’s absolutely true and something to be concerned about, but it’s also important to note that he was, to a large degree, following the guidance of the NRA at the time. That’s one of the reasons I decided to run for a seat on the NRA Board of Directors: to make sure that sort of thing doesn’t happen again. This year, Trump has pledged to be the most pro-gun president in history if he’s reelected, and we have made changes within the NRA to help make sure he keeps that promise. Of course, we can’t trust him always to get things right, just as we can’t trust most politicians, but at least he’s trying to earn our votes, and we have tools available to help hold him to his word. Most importantly, though, a vote for Trump is a vote against Kamala Harris. That’s not true with a vote for a third-party candidate or no vote at all.

Kamala Harris would be a disaster in the White House. We’ve already seen this over the past four years.

She has called for banning certain guns and accessories and for mandatory confiscation of those banned items. In California, she advocated for “Safe Storage” laws for firearm owners and suggested that police should be able to walk into our homes to make sure we’re storing our guns “safely.” Meanwhile, she says she owns “a Glock” and will use it to defend her home. But only if said intruder makes it past the dozen heavily armed Secret Service Agents that constantly surround her – and it’s a safe bet that her agents are the A-Team, not the part-timers that fell apart during the attempt on Trump’s life in Pennsylvania. She declares that she and Tim Walz are gun owners and aren’t going to take away anyone’s guns, then in the same breath, says she will pass an “assault weapon” ban.

From a gun rights perspective, there’s no question that Kamala Harris is a much greater threat to our rights than Trump is, so on that basis alone, I would vote for Trump just to keep Harris out of the White House. But I also remember the four years that Mr. Trump has already served as President. Almost four years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, our economy was stronger, our world was at peace, and our enemies were cautious and quiet. Sure, there were things I wasn’t happy about, but I haven’t the slightest doubt that had Trump lost and Hillary Clinton been elected, things would have been much, much worse.

I’ve never been a big Trump fan. Perhaps it’s part of my native Texan distrust for anyone and anything coming out of New York City, but in many ways, I was very happy with the actual policies and initiatives that were enacted during the Trump presidency.

My late father, Neal Knox used to say, “Pay no attention to what they say, watch what they do!”

Dad’s comment usually referred to a pandering politician who would say soothing words, but would dodge when the time came for action. Trump reverses the game. I disliked much of what he said (and says) – the bluster and superlatives – but what he did earned my support for 2024.

At the same time, I have been amazed by the blind hatred and constant efforts to undermine and demonize everything that President Trump said or did. It was clear to me that the media and other Democratic operatives were overwhelmed with their hatred of the man, and we’ve seen that continue ever since, culminating in the bogus criminal charges, prosecutions, and convictions lodged against him.

This has been the ugliest, most dishonest political campaign season I’ve ever witnessed, and while both sides are guilty of exaggerating and taking things out of context, the Democrats and the Harris campaign have brought that dishonesty to a whole new level.

Donald Trump is not a racist, sexist, xenophobic threat to democracy.

• His position on abortion is much more moderate than most Republicans and right in line with the views of the majority of Americans.
• He has no plans to mess with Social Security, and he has no plans for a massive tax increase on the middle class.
• Nor does he have any association with Project 2025.

Those are all blatant lies being parroted by the Democrats and the stenographer media.

This is absolutely the most important election I have seen in my 64 years on this earth. It is not just for the presidency but for every other position on the ballot.

Joe Biden’s presidency has been an absolute disaster on every front, while he’s received the full-throated support of the media. He ordered the disastrous abandonment of Afghanistan, enacted policies that sent inflation through the roof, allowed the illegal migration of millions of people from around the world – including hardened criminals and known terrorists – emboldened our enemies, abandoned our allies, crippled our economy, and cost us all in numerous ways.

Kamala Harris represents a continuation of that disaster, still with the full support of the media. She claims to have plans to lift up the middle class, lower taxes, make housing affordable again, and make abortion a fundamental right. But where have those plans been for the past four years? Either she allowed the Biden disaster to go on while keeping her marvelous, mystical solutions hidden from Joe and her Democratic friends in Congress, or she’s just lying. There is no third option.

Voting matters. Having informed and thoughtful voters matters. You have influence over a circle of people. That circle might be small, or it might be huge, but it exists, and it can make a difference. Be sure that everyone within your circle of influence knows your positions on the election and why you hold those positions. Make sure that your spouse, adult children, friends, co-workers, shooting and hunting buddies (especially those who might want to be out deer hunting on Election Day), and everyone you know, is prepared to vote with knowledge and confidence. And make sure you cast your own ballot, whether early or on Election Day.

The future of the republic really is on the ballot this year. If you don’t stand up now, you might not be able to stand up later. Get out and Vote!

Read Related: Who Is Really To Blame For The ATF Bump Stock Ban Rule?

About Jeff Knox:

Jeff Knox is a dedicated political activist and the director of The Firearms Coalition, following in the footsteps of his father, Neal Knox. In 2024, Jeff was elected to the NRA Board of Directors, underscoring his lifelong commitment to protecting the Second Amendment. The Knox family has played a pivotal role in the ongoing struggle for gun rights, a legacy documented in the book Neal Knox – The Gun Rights War, authored by Jeff’s brother, Chris Knox.

Founded by Neal Knox in 1984, The Firearms Coalition is a network of individual Second Amendment activists, clubs, and civil rights organizations. The Coalition supports grassroots efforts by providing education, analysis of current issues, and a historical perspective on the gun rights movement. For more information, visit www.FirearmsCoalition.org.