Elections have penalties, a time period all too acquainted in in the present day’s polarized political panorama. The stakes have by no means been larger for conservatives and law-abiding gun homeowners as we climate assault after assault on liberty and the flexibility to take private accountability for our security and that of our family members. With the gravity of the matter at hand and the importance of ramifications ought to we fail, we should ask if we’re actually doing our half to safe a brighter future for tomorrow.
George Allen Urmston, CEO of Battle Examined Tools (BTE), an Arizona-based protection, business and OEM producer of armored autos, firearms, elements and equipment requested himself this query and responded by creating Shoot The Vote, a corporation devoted to urging hunters, shooters and on a regular basis gun homeowners to get registered and vote to guard the Second Modification. Teaming up with American Majority Motion, the group gives assets that make the method simpler than ever, from registration and absentee supplies to poll monitoring and getting concerned to make sure others do the identical.
In The Starting
Urmston’s efforts to coach and become involved started earlier than his inception of Shoot The Vote. Talking with him, I get the impression that they took root lengthy earlier than. Along with BTE, he owns the North Phoenix retailer, Cave Creek Weapons, the place in the course of the 2020 Covid pandemic he skilled the industry-wide inflow of latest shooters and gun homeowners flocking to make their first firearms purchases. Urmston used this chance to coach clients about their Second Modification rights, offered them with voter registration supplies and even scheduled an teacher to show firearm security to new gun homeowners at no further price to them.
D–Day
Quick ahead to the eightieth anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 2024. Urmston, a longtime Trump household buddy, was talking with the forty fifth President when it was dropped at his consideration that a large number of hunters and gun homeowners merely don’t vote. Many are usually not even registered. Stunning as this would possibly sound, Urmston did his analysis and found but once more that the previous president is aware of what he’s speaking about. Based mostly on his analysis, Urmston uncovered quite a few states wherein hunters and gun homeowners have been, by their very own hand, not being represented on the poll field.
Talking with Urmston, he cited the next states, and the variety of hunters and gun homeowners not even registered to vote.
Arizona: 133,000
Georgia: 351,000
Michigan: 371,000
Missouri: 282,000
Montana: 52,000
Nevada: 60,000
North Carolina: 370,000
Pennsylvania: 515,000
Virginia: 277,000
Wisconson: 339,000
In his residence state of Arizona, Urmston found unsettling statistics that additional cemented his dedication to get extra concerned. In 2020, there have been 130,000 extra Republicans registered to vote within the state than Democrats, a quantity that ought to have swayed election outcomes regardless of sure “voting irregularities.” Urmston additionally discovered that over 350,000 registered Republicans didn’t vote within the state’s 2022 midterm elections, a lot of them hunters and gun homeowners, accounting for roughly 30% of the 1.1 million absentee ballots despatched out in Maricopa County
In gentle of the numbers, it’s pure to ask, “why?” The reply, nevertheless, is about what you’d count on on this local weather, with conservatives overwhelmingly citing an absence of belief within the authorities and an underlying feeling that their votes don’t depend. It’s no secret that many People query the integrity of elections lately, and definitely, occasions and “irregularities” have taken place that might give rise to such ideas and considerations.
The Response
In response to this, Shoot the Vote has organized assets and supplies geared toward making an impression by way of sheer numbers, with the intent to drive broad-based pro-2A victories. Their web site, shootthevote.org states, “A big portion of those that didn’t vote are gun homeowners, hunters, shooters. Don’t simply cry about them coming for our Second Modification. Do one thing about it.”
Shortly after the July thirteenth assassination try on former President and present Republican Presidential Nominee Donald J. Trump, Breitbart Information reported Trump’s feedback, stating that the assassination try in opposition to him didn’t alter his conviction in relation to the Second Modification. Trump has noticed that People use weapons for searching and sporting functions, however burdened the primary motive individuals want weapons is “for defense.” This sentiment was echoed by Urmston who conveyed that his private conversations with President Trump indicated an invigorated re-commitment to the Second Modification, one which we must always count on to see play out in his subsequent time period, ought to Trump and gun homeowners prevail.
In our dialog, Urmston makes clear {that a} motto he lives by is “Esse quam videri,” a Latin time period that means “To be, somewhat than to appear,” which strikes me as acceptable as I study extra about his efforts and motivations. His disposition embodies the spirit of the trustworthy and patriotic American working onerous to make a distinction for future generations. With deep respect for the sacrifices made for this nation, Urmston’s shootthevote.org states, “Your Grandfather didn’t sleep in a foxhole in a distant land clutching an image of your Grandmother so you’d give up your weapons.” I do know he’s proper about this, and I additionally know that we will do extra to coach and encourage People from all walks of life to embrace the freedoms that made this nation nice and can make it nice once more. Maybe Urmston mentioned it finest, “Collectively we will make the 2024 election too huge to rig.”
