The National Rifle Association said Wednesday it was concerned about "headwinds" facing pro-gun candidates in upcoming Senate elections but remains confident in its decision to support Donald Trump against Hillary Clinton in the presidential election.
After delivering his speech to the Republican National Convention, the head of the NRA’s lobbying arm, Chris Cox, said the gun rights group was concerned about the state of the upcoming Senate elections. "It’s changing," he said. "Some days are better. Some days are worse."
"There’s certainly a headwind that we face," he added.
Cox said he was specifically concerned about the race in Ohio and the kind of money expected to be spent against a key ally there.
"There are a lot of very challenging races and there’s a lot of money that is going to be spent against people like Rob Portman (R.)," he said. "Even in Ohio where people say it’s tough to be pro-gun, he’s been unapologetic in his support of the Second Amendment."
He added that, in addition to Ohio, the races in Wisconsin, Colorado, Nevada, and Florida are where the NRA plans to focus its efforts.
"These are states that aren’t just going to determine the control of the White House but are going to determine whether Mitch McConnell is majority leader or Chuck Schumer," Cox said. "Anyone who’s followed Second Amendment history knows that you couldn’t find a worse senator on the Second Amendment than Chuck Schumer."
"The prospect of Chuck Schumer being majority leader is one that ought to give pause to every freedom-loving American," he said.
The Supreme Court remained at the top of Cox’s list of reasons why the NRA decided to back Trump in the presidential election. He predicted in his RNC speech that the next president could appoint as many as four justices to the already shorthanded court.
"One of the most concerning things are the truthful statements, or at least we take her at her word, of Justice [Ruth Bader] Ginsburg, when she talks about a ‘future, wiser court’ coming back and overturning the Heller decision," he said. "You combine that with the fact that, by the time the next president is sworn in, three of the justices will be over the age of 80. There are already rumors that other justices are looking to retire. So, right now the balance of the court is at stake. This could be, not just one. It could be two or three or maybe even four Supreme Court picks that the next president gets to make."
Cox’s speech at the RNC focused on how the election is about the next 40 years, not just the next four.
"The decisions that will come down, not just on Second Amendment freedom, on other constitutional freedoms: freedom of religion, freedom of press, all of these things, are critical to the type of country we’re going to have and we’re going to live in for the next generation or two," he said.
Cox said that Trump’s NRA membership and concealed carry permit, his sons’ long-time involvement in hunting, and the list of judges he would appoint made him the most pro-gun candidate in recent memory. On the other hand, Cox said, Hillary Clinton’s claim that the Supreme Court was "wrong" when it affirmed that the Second Amendment protects a person’s right to own firearms in the landmark Heller case, showed she was one of the most anti-gun candidates in recent memory.
"It becomes very, very clear to the National Rifle Association that the choice is simple."
He added that Trump’s pick of Mike Pence as his vice presidential nominee was "icing on the cake."
"We’re confident that we’ve made not only the right decision but an easy decision," Cox said.
When asked if Trump’s unpredictable nature coupled with his implication that he may add other judges to his list at a later date concerned him, Cox said no.
"What I’m concerned about is Hillary Clinton because it’s not a question," he said. "I mean, people can wonder whether or not Donald Trump is going to be as conservative as he says he’s going to be or the judges are going to be as conservative. The one thing we know with 100 percent certainty is that Hillary Clinton will be an unmitigated disaster. Not only from a Supreme Court standpoint, but this is an individual who said the NRA, the largest and oldest civil rights organization in America represented by five million men and women who voluntarily join, are public enemy number one. That they’re like dealing with a terrorist organization. That’s how little she respects the rights of law-abiding gun owners. This is high stakes poker."
"If you care about individual freedoms, if you care about your right to own a firearm, the choice could not be more clear in this race," he added.
Cox promised more spending throughout the election to elect Trump and NRA-backed Senate candidates. The group has already spent more than $3 million, one million more than first announced on one nationally-televised anti-Clinton ad.
"We’re going to spend every dime that our members spend us," Cox said. "This is not an election where we hold money back."
"We’re going to raise as much money as we can and we’re going to spend as much money as we can, not because we want to but because we have to," he continued. "We have no choice. The stakes could not be higher. If we don’t win on this basic right to own a firearm, then all the other wonderful things that we do, all the great programs, all the youth hunting programs, are going to be meaningless. If we don’t have an individual right to own a firearm, nothing else is going to matter. This is a do or die election for people who care about this freedom."
Cox urged those concerned about gun rights to unite behind Donald Trump to defeat Hillary Clinton.
"When Hillary Clinton says she’s going to spend every minute of every day trying to pursue gun control, we take her at her word," he said. "The thought of Hillary Clinton nominating Supreme Court justices should give pause to every freedom-loving American."
"There were a lot of great candidates, but the race is over and now it’s time to rally," Cox said. "It’s time to work our tails off between now and November and make sure we have a country that’s recognizable for the next four to eight years."