5 Things You Can Do To Fight Gun Control In 2022

December 29, 2021 By Mark Chesnut

With 2021 soon on its way out and 2022 barreling toward us at breakneck speed, now is a time many American begin considering New Year’s resolutions. I’m talking about those big promises many of us make but fewer keep—often about losing weight or accomplishing some equally difficult task by sheer willpower that we hope will magically appear.

While not a resolution person myself, I do take some time to consider the state of our country each December, specifically our Second Amendment-protected right to keep and bear arms. And as this year comes to a close, I have arrived at the same conclusion as many years past: There are many—both politicians and activists groups—who would like nothing more than to see our rights diminished or even destroyed during our next trip around the sun.

With that evident, it’s time to ask ourselves what we are going to do in 2022 to ensure that we still retain those rights somewhat intact when next December rolls around. Here are five things we can all do to fight the anti-gun nuts in 2022 and protect our rights. While not suggested New Year’s resolutions, if we all participate they will go a long way toward protecting our liberties.

1. Join A Pro-2A Group And Contribute

While many are leery of the various groups fighting to protect our Second Amendment rights, there’s little doubt that there is strength in numbers. And the millions of brand new gun owners who just joined our ranks in the past few years need to understand this, too. Face it, you don’t personally have a lot of influence on Capitol Hill, except with maybe one Congressman and possibly a couple of U.S. Senators. But when you band together with hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of like-minded individuals, you can have a real impact on the fate of both anti-gun measures and pro-freedom bills.

You don’t have to agree completely with everything about a particular 2A group to be a valued member and help influence legislation and the 2A debate. My advice is to find a group you agree with on most things and throw your wholehearted support behind them, whether a national or state organization. If you’re already a member, consider upgrading your membership category or sending in additional donations. Here’s the point: Don’t sit this important debate out thinking you can save the Second Amendment all by yourself. Be a part of something bigger that will ensure freedom for generations to come.

2. Become a Social Media 2A Advocate

That being said, there are many ways you can have an influence on the firearms debate on your own. You can make calls and send emails to officials at all levels when you are particularly interested in some freedom-related issue they are addressing.

Additionally, one of the best ways to help shape the debate is to become a 2A advocate on social media. This can be as simple as sharing posts about gun rights on your Facebook timeline or Twitter feed, to as complicated as having your own blog about freedom issues that you write on a regular basis and share via social media. Some of the most impactful things I’ve read on the 2A issue over the past several years have been in Facebook posts by individuals simply speaking their hearts about their love for American liberty. You can do the same—even without vicious arguments—and you can change people’s hearts and minds a little at a time if you do it correctly.

3. Practice your 2A Rights

A right not practiced is a right lost. If you’re an advocate of the right to keep and bear arms, you should be doing just that on a regular basis. Practicing a right not only entrenches it in your psyche, it influences others who see you practicing your rights on a daily basis.

Practicing your 2A rights also means practicing with your firearms and other gear. We all know constant practice and repetitive training is important to keeping and bearing arms in a safe and effective manner. Make 2022 the year that you take those special training courses you’ve been putting off for one reason or another. It could make all the difference to you, your family and others.

4. Take Five New People Shooting

The future of any activity—and any liberty—is ensuring that future generations are able to participate in those activities and enjoy those rights. As most are aware, several million Americans bought a new gun for the first time in 2020 and 2021. However, it’s likely many of those guns have sat dormant since then because their owners simply have no idea how to get started.

That’s where we come in. All of us know that it is our responsibility to introduce non-shooters and non-gun owners to the safe practice of our Second Amendment rights. However, we often find a variety of reasons why our next trip to the range isn’t the right trip to take along a newbie. If all Firearms News readers would take five new people shooting in 2022, it would be instrumental in introducing a new generation of gun owners to the safe practice of an essential liberty. In the end, it might even turn them into 2A advocates who join the fight for our freedom.

5. Get Involved In The Critical Mid-Term Elections

We don’t have to like it, but we do have to admit that our elected officials tend to have more power than the Founding Fathers envisioned. Consequently, it’s important to have representatives at all levels who respect the Second Amendment and who respect law-abiding American gun owners.

Next year is a critical election year, both at the federal level and in some states. Every U.S. Congress seat is up for grabs, along with many U.S. Senate seats, and we must make sure to turn the federal majority back to the pro-2A side of the equation. The recent gubernatorial victory by Republicans in Virginia has many expecting Republicans to retake the majority in both the U.S. House and Senate in November 2022, but that won’t happen simply by wishing. Not only must gun owners be sure and get to the polls during these critical elections, but they should find other ways to support candidates who believe the same way they do about essential liberties.

While not resolutions, these suggestions are certainly food for thought for those who want to protect our country and our way of life as free Americans. Happy New Year to all!

Freelance writer and editor Mark Chesnut is the owner/editorial director at Red Setter Communications LLC. An avid hunter, shooter and political observer, he has been covering Second Amendment issues and politics on a near-daily basis for the past 20 years.