Brandon Herrera, the GOP’s official candidate for Texas’ twenty third Congressional District, has constructed one of the vital recognizable names within the on-line firearms group. Referred to as The AK Man, Herrera is a firearms producer, FFL holder, and social media fixture with hundreds of thousands of followers on X, YouTube, and Instagram. Now he’s taking his Second Modification advocacy to Washington.
President Trump just lately issued his endorsement: “Brandon will struggle laborious to Develop the Economic system, Lower Taxes and Laws…and Shield our all the time below siege Second Modification. Brandon Herrera has my Full and Whole Endorsement to be the following Consultant from Texas’ twenty third Congressional District — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN.”
The Second Modification Basis’s Investigative Journalism Undertaking sat down with Herrera for a wide-ranging interview overlaying his firearms background, the Safer Communities Act, the Tate Adamiak case, and what he plans to do in Congress. The total Q&A is under.
I’m a enterprise proprietor who lives in my district who was sad with my congressman. I’ve been a constitutional advocate and activist for years now. That is very completely different, however it’s the identical trigger I’ve been doing for a really very long time.
Pretty intimate. I’ve all the time been a firearms particular person. I’ve been a firearms producer for effectively over 10 years now, specializing within the AK platform however offering an extended record of different firearms and equipment builds.
It simply took over. I’ve used my comedy to entertain, however as my platform grew, my voice grew to become higher and I received the flexibility to discuss an extremely essential problem: The Second Modification.
The one ones who may come shut or possibly give me a run for my cash are Pat Harrigan from North Carolina or Andrew Clyde from Georgia. They each owned or personal FFLs and firearm manufacturing companies.
I’d like to at any time when attainable. I’d prefer to assume I’d be a useful resource if there are any questions or technical points, or if passing laws that almost all of the Second Modification crowd thinks is okay, however it may harm our gun rights. I would like pro-gun laws to remain solely pro-gun. I’d even be prepared to be a useful resource if anybody on both facet of the aisle desires extra info. Quite a lot of the anti-gun sentiment often comes from a scarcity of schooling.
There’s a majority of Democrats — however a couple of Republicans too — who voted to boost background checks the place they thought it will cease firearm deaths. It’s fully misguided. Have a look at the bipartisan Safer Communities Act. It was a bit of Democratic laws. It had Tony Gonzales, who I simply changed, and John Cornyn, who each fell into the lure of ‘widespread sense gun legal guidelines.’ There’s no commonsense factor in that invoice that might have modified a factor that might have affected the end result at Uvalde. They handed it to really feel good to make it look to their voters like they have been doing one thing.
It’s f—king bulls—t.
It will depend on what lens you utilize. In keeping with the ATF, which is my practical downside with this, he possessed demilled elements kits, and no regulation has modified since they have been imported. There was no change of regulation. They’d been beforehand authorized by the ATF, which led to this younger service member’s incarceration.
I disagree with the NFA essentially generally, however taking part in the satan’s advocate, as unconstitutional because the regulation could also be, to decide on to throw the guide at Tate is infamous even when he was a gang member. I’ve purchased a whole bunch of those kits over time. To throw the guide at Tate was abhorrent — flat out abuse of the regulation.
Clearly, I’m very grateful to the President for the endorsement. I believe now, whereas I could have some issues I don’t see eye to eye on with management up to now, all of us have the identical purpose for November, to maintain the Texas twenty third crimson.
We simply had a pair conferences about this particularly. Tony (Gonzalez) was in an Appropriations seat. Tony received it as a freshman. There’s an open seat on that committee. Maybe Judiciary in addition to Veterans’ Affairs. These are the three that come to the highest of my head.
It’s the largest district in all of Texas. I can go away my home in San Antonio and drive west for seven hours. It’s the largest border district in all the nation. It shares extra border with Mexico than some other district. We actually have been Floor Zero for Biden’s border disaster. It’s essential for me and my district to verify the border stays safe.
As a result of I imagine the common American is radically overtaxed. Authorities is a horrible steward of our cash. They’re not solely stealing our cash however stealing the worth of our cash.
I believe it’s a multi-level system — mixed arms. There’s the federal degree, after all. For states, some states are getting worse, however a couple of are getting higher. The third aspect is the judiciary. That’s the place now we have the potential to get probably the most strain carried out. The Supreme Court docket is just nearly as good because the instances they take. There’s no excuse for them to not take these things. We got here extremely near having suppressors and short-barreled rifles faraway from the NFA. I by no means thought I’d see that in my lifetime
I’ve my on-line viewers, however plenty of it’s going out and speaking. I’ve 27 counties in my district, and I’ve visited all of them. You really exit and speak to them. I hardly ever go away a room with out having a very good expertise.
I’ve a donation hyperlink, however sadly, due to the scandal Tony (Gonzalez) was in, whereas this can be a secure Republican seat, it wouldn’t shock me if the Democrats drop a couple of million to attempt to take it. Up to now, I’ve personally put in additional than a half-million {dollars}.
Sadly, plenty of occasions individuals decelerate on their gun-buying once they’re not afraid of shedding their rights. We noticed panic shopping for below the Democrats. That’s scary. It’s good that we’re ready the place we’re not afraid of that, and it’s good we don’t have to fret about it. If gun sellers undergo, it’s momentary. I would like to have a sluggish shopping for season relatively than a panic purchase as a result of rights are being stripped away from us.
Properly, I didn’t initially run as a result of I needed to be in Congress. Frankly, I initially ran as a result of I didn’t like Tony’s voting file. He was weak on the Second Modification, however nobody within the race may beat him. I assessed my skill to fundraise and whether or not I believed I may give it a very good run. Final cycle, as a complete newcomer, I took him to a runoff and misplaced by solely 400 votes. He hoped he may get higher. He actually didn’t. I’m only a enterprise proprietor within the district, however I used to be capable of rally the grassroots sufficient that we have been capable of take down a Goliath. That must be reassuring to everybody on the market.
It’s been hilarious. They’re like ‘look, this man is a radical.’ They went laborious for that proper out of the gate. It hasn’t affected our numbers in any respect.
The large factor is that it’s essential simply to indicate up. We have to do a greater job exhibiting up. If each single gun proprietor confirmed as much as each single election, we’d have a supermajority. We have to rally our base and get on the market. We even have a accountability to write down good laws to do the job for the individuals who put us there. It’s a two-sided accountability.




















