The GOP Adopts Pro-Freedom of Self-Defense Platform

As all parties do every four years as part of their national conventions,
this week, the Republican Party adopted its platform detailing
the general beliefs and policy positions of the party.

Included in the 2012 Republican platform is a strong statement of
support for the individual right to keep and bear arms, which goes
beyond a generic statement of support for the Second Amendment
and includes specific statements on key issues of concern to gun owners.

Here is the text on the Second Amendment included in the platform:

The Second Amendment: Our Right to Keep and Bear Arms

“We uphold the right of individuals to keep and bear arms,
a right which antedated the Constitution and was solemnly
confirmed by the Second Amendment. We acknowledge, support,
and defend the citizen's God-given right of self-defense.

We call for the protection of such fundamental individual rights
recognized in the Supreme Court's decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller
and McDonald v. Chicago affirming that right, and we recognize
the individual responsibility to safely use and store firearms.

This also includes the right to obtain and store ammunition without registration.
We support the fundamental right to self-defense wherever a citizen
has a legal right to be, and we support federal legislation that
expands the exercise of that right by allowing those with state-issued
carry licenses to carry firearms in any state that issues such licenses
to its own residents. Gun ownership is responsible citizenship,
enabling Americans to defend their homes and communities.

We condemn frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers and
oppose federal licensing or registration of gun owners. We oppose
legislation that is intended to restrict our Second Amendment rights
by limiting the capacity of clips or magazines or otherwise restoring
the ill-considered Clinton gun ban. We condemn the reckless actions
associated with the operation known as "Fast and Furious," conducted
by the Department of Justice, which resulted in the murder
of a U.S. Border Patrol Agent and others on both sides of the border.

We applaud the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in
holding the current Administration's Attorney General in contempt
of Congress for his refusal to cooperate with their investigation into
that debacle. We oppose the improper collection of firearms sales
information in the four southern border states, which was imposed
without congressional authority.”


The inclusion of specific issues, such as the right to self-defense, opposition
to the semi-auto ban, and support for interstate Right-to-Carry reciprocity
makes this the most pro-Second Amendment position ever included
in a major party platform. The NRA commends the GOP for taking a strong
and unambiguous stance in support of our fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms.