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Advocacy group fights gun-owner political apathy, launching voter drives in some swing states

By
Victoria Churchill
Published Aug. 2, 2024, 3:14 p.m. ET

There’s just one shot to vote in the 2024 election, and a concealed carry advocacy group is making sure gun enthusiasts in swing states take it.

The US Concealed Carry Association for Saving Lives Action Fund has set their sights on apolitical gun owners, launch of a new “one-stop” online tool that helps potential voters register and make a plan to vote in November.

It’s part of a nationwide push to encourage gun owners to be more politically active. The online efforts are paired with an in-person grassroots push in critical swing states across the country, including Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The new push to register gun owners to voters is similar to an earlier initiative by Vote4America, which identified 10 million hunters and gun owners who are not registered to vote in critical swing states.
The new push to register gun owners to voters is similar to an earlier initiative by Vote4America, which identified 10 million hunters and gun owners who are not registered to vote in critical swing states. Courtesy of USCCA

“The Second Amendment is on the ballot in November – not only at the top of the ticket, but also in state and local elections,” USCCA-FSL Action Fund Executive Director Katie Pointer Baney said in a statement on Wednesday. “Responsible gun owners have an obligation to turn out in record numbers this cycle.”

“Whether you are a first-time voter looking to request a ballot, or verify your registration before heading to the polls or seeking your polling location, our Voter HQ has all the tools 2A advocates need in one place to make their voting plans more seamless than ever,” she added.

The new push to register gun owners to voters is similar to an earlier initiative by Vote4America, which identified 10 million hunters and gun owners who are not registered to vote in critical swing states this election cycle.

Vote4America estimated that roughly 515,277 hunters and gun owners in Pennsylvania and 338,884 in Wisconsin are not registered to vote, so mobilizing gun owners could prove influential in the critical swing states where every vote counts.

Pointer Baney said many gun owners are apathetic about politics, telling The Post that that “at the end of the day, many gun owners actually don’t subscribe to that political notion of gun ownership.”

The group launched a new "one-stop" online tool that helps potential voters register and made a plan to vote in November.
The group launched a new “one-stop” online tool that helps potential voters register and made a plan to vote in November. Courtesy of USCCA

“They likely are not highly political or highly divisive. Gun ownership is part of, you know, their communities at large,” she said. “It’s not it’s not this like political hot potato, the way I think many people, particularly inside the Beltway, view it.”

While she wants gun owners to vote, she told The Post she’s not necessarily trying to change their minds.

“I think our charge is really to say, ‘You’re right, we agree firearm ownership shouldn’t be a partisan or political issue, but at the end of the day, you have candidates and folks who don’t believe in your fundamental right to own a firearm,'” she said. “They don’t believe in your ability to carry it or to protect yourself or to protect your families, and so you need to get involved in both in order to protect that right.”

The issue of gun owners being politically apathetic was highlighted by Trump at the NRA’s annual meeting in Dallas this past May, when Trump said “gun owners must vote, we want a landslide.”

There are more than 1.5 million active License To Carry permits in the Keystone state as of July 1, according to Pennsylvania State Police. In Wisconsin, more than 76,000 concealed carry permits were issued or renewed last year alone, according to the state’s legislature.

Both states also have incumbent Democrats fighting to keep their US Senate seats – and both state’s electoral college votes are projected to be toss-ups, according to the Cook Political Report.

Sustained voter registration efforts over time have been show to have notable impacts on public policy outcomes.

For example, Florida Republicans gained the voter registration advantage in the former swing state in 2021, according to its Division of Elections. Governor Ron DeSantis signed the state’s constitutional carry bill into law in 2023 following the 2022 mid-term elections.