Trump Addresses Congress: One Hundred Minutes and Not a Peep About the Second Amendment

Allow me to preface what I am about to say with a confession. I confess to being an unwavering and unapologetic defender of the founding principles in the Constitution of the United States. I confess to standing firm on those ideas that made this nation great and to being unforgiving towards those within our borders who stand in opposition to our freedom and liberty.  I confess that I hold these values above any allegiance to a party or politician, no matter who they are or what else they stand for. That is why I write about the President, a man I voted for three times, holding his feet to the fire. 

On Tuesday, March 4, President Trump addressed Congress and the nation in a speech themed "Renewal of the American Dream.” The President’s speech included highlights such as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson banging his gavel and firmly imploring Democrats to cease their petulance and maintain decorum, followed by his directive to the House Sergeant at Arms to remove Texas Democrat Al Green from chambers due to excessive heckling. I will admit to being entertained as it always seems to be an affair with President Trump, but I remind myself that the ill behavior within our government comes at a cost to all Americans and that many of these parasites are not working in our best interest as they swore but are instead playing out their own self-serving agendas on our dime. 

The substance of the speech covered a variety of topics, focusing on President Trump's second-term accomplishments thus far, his contributions to the US economy, a renewed push for Congressional border funding, and his plan to secure peace around the globe. I don’t mean to diminish the importance of any of these subjects, however, for a speech about renewing the American dream, a conspicuously absent mention of the Second Amendment gives me pause as I wonder where such a fundamental Constitutional guarantee falls within this administration’s priorities. I heard First Amendment accomplishments mentioned within eleven minutes of commencement, so naturally, I looked forward to hearing plans for the Second Amendment, which never materialized. 

Now, I know what you’re going to say, and yes, Pam Bondi will be providing her autopsy of the Second Amendment soon, given the 30-day executive order, and you can read all about that in my article, Trump Issues Executive Order: Protecting Second Amendment Rights – Where are we now? As I noted when writing that piece, I want to be wrong. I welcome it. However, the unwillingness to include or promise the restoration of American gun rights in a speech about the renewal of the American dream leaves me very discouraged. 

As I write this, Colorado is set to ban all magazine-fed semi-automatic firearms, New Jersey’s Bolshevik Governor Phil Murphy is proposing punitive taxes on guns and ammunition, Rhode Island, the Union’s oompa-loompa, is getting ready to ban most firearms under a deceptive definition of an assault weapon ban, and Massachusetts, California, and New York… I’ll leave it there before I give my editor a heart attack. I get it; the comrade states will do what comrade states do, but this is supposed to be the United States, where inalienable rights are guaranteed to all citizens. Under the Tenth Amendment, powers not granted to the federal government are reserved for states and the people. The Second Amendment falls under the purview of the federal government, and they are obligated to defend that right, especially against rouge states. 

Look, I’m happy that we’re getting rid of DEI and placing value on merit. I’m relieved at the recognition that we exist as men and women rather than the whims of our imaginations, although now I’ll have to stop identifying as an Apache helicopter when I’m asked. I’m thrilled that women will not have to face off against men in sports, and I’m certainly fine with the Gulf of America, but an empire without a solid foundation will crumble just as any structure, and the Constitution is America’s foundation. There is no such thing as “America First” if the country stands on unstable ground. 

It’s time to call in those promises made to American gun owners, of which there have been many.   For too many years, the Republican Party has paid lip service to the Second Amendment while gun rights have been eroded, not just on the state level but at the hands of federal agencies and activist judges. These betrayals cannot be reversed through some form of consolation prize or positive words spoken about our Bill of Rights. Winning back the White House is not the finish line in our fight for liberty as Americans. It is the starting line. 

Darwin Nercesian is a long-time gun rights advocate and shooter of targets far, far away. As the News Field Editor at Firearms News, Darwin writes about the Second Amendment, firearms, and related gear. Follow him on Instagram, X, and YouTube @DTOE_Official.

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