The Second Amendment is on the ballot in Texas and Michigan

The rapidly approaching midterm elections are a sobering reminder that the constitutional right to keep and bear arms cannot be taken for granted. Today, its future depends entirely on the willingness of Second Amendment supporters to participate in its defense.Voters in states like Texas and Michigan will bear a heavy share of that duty this November.In the Lone Star State, Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico has spent his time on the campaign trail presenting himself as a pragmatic centrist, while simultaneously backing some of the most restrictive gun control measures in the country. Besides confirming that bans on the nation’s most popular semi-automatic firearms and standard-capacity magazines remain “absolutely” on the table, Talarico supports mandatory storage laws and criminalization of private sales, as well as universal background checks that NSSF, the Firearm Industry Trade Association, claims would necessitate a national gun registry. In the state legislature, he also authored three bills (all of which failed) to prevent Texas residents from carrying under licenses issued by other states, require background checks to rent firearms at sport shooting ranges, and tighten requirements to obtain gun licenses.Then there is Michigan Senate candidate Abdul el Sayed, who has at least made no pretense about his views. Recently unearthed videos show el Sayed proposing to “tweak the Constitution” and “amend the amendment” to swap the right to bear arms for the right of government healthcare. He also argued that the Second Amendment protects no individual right to self-defense, suggesting instead that firearm ownership be restricted solely to government forces — all after previously calling to defund the police.If proud constitutional defenders, especially Second Amendment loyalists, stay home this cycle, these candidates with hostile views of American rights will help shift the balance of power in the Senate and bring anti-gun forces closer to the legislative majorities they seek.This is the enduring reality of our constitutional struggle. Second Amendment freedoms remain under assault, and preserving them requires dedicated citizens willing to defend them.We at the National Rifle Association saw as much two years ago in Ohio, where our grassroots mobilization helped Bernie Moreno unseat longtime anti-gun Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH). It was a hard-fought race, and the outcome underscored how much can depend on gun owners showing up to vote. But after losing in 2024, Brown, just like a bad penny, has returned and is running again to take his anti-Second Amendment views to Washington.That is precisely why we put the NRA Gun Bus on the road this fall. Over two months across 13 key battleground states, our team is traveling directly into local communities, stopping at gun shops, shooting ranges, and Saturday college football tailgates to sit down and talk face-to-face with everyday people. Pro-Second Amendment candidates are joining us along the route to talk with voters about how they intend to defend those rights in office.As we travel the country, we hear the same story from voters over and over again: they want to be able to protect their families. It does not matter whether they live in the inner cities or in rural America; citizens recognize that when seconds count, the police are minutes — or, in some parts of the country, hours — away. This type of delay can, and often does, have tragic outcomes, resulting in more and more people arming themselves to be their own first responders.But it’s not just lifelong Americans who recognize the importance of Second Amendment rights. Immigrants who have fled tyrannical countries also understand the importance of the right to keep and bear arms. While the NRA Gun Bus was in Pennsylvania, we met Daniel, a Venezuelan immigrant who told us about his lived experiences of what happens when tyrannical governments disarm their populations. These modern-day examples of the treachery that occurs when a citizenry is disarmed serve as a stark warning to all Americans of the importance of protecting our sacred constitutional rights.The fundamental right of people like Daniel to defend themselves and their families is exactly what’s on the line this election cycle. We’ve made tremendous progress protecting that right over the last two years, but anti-gun majorities in Washington or state capitals could undo those gains with the stroke of a pen. Keeping our constitutional liberties intact depends on gun owners turning out to vote.FEDERAL BAN ON HANDGUN SALES FOR YOUNG ADULTS CANNOT BE ENFORCED, DOJ FINDSCandidates like Talarico and el Sayed are counting on Second Amendment supporters staying home this November. We’re on the road with the Gun Bus to make sure that doesn’t happen, but our work only pays off if you cast your vote.Don’t leave your fundamental rights to chance. Get out, vote, and help us defend the Second Amendment. Otherwise, el Sayed and Talarico will make sure your constitutional protections come with new exceptions.John Commerford is the executive director of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action.