What Now?

Yep, it's time for the annual New Year's crystal ball gazing block party, where we launch semi-informed guesses as well as *WAGs about 2018, and offer plans that have the same chances of success as a .30-30 does of hitting a deer at 600 yards, no matter how hard you pull the trigger.

Nevertheless ... Here we go.

2018 will be the year the Democrats take back control of Congress. Or ... it is the year Republicans continue riding the Trump four-wheeler, off-road, mud buggy, bone-jarring, cross-road rally that keeps them uncomfortable but speaks to a huge number of American voters. Take your pick.

The gun ban industry will continue to demand, as they have for the last five decades, that gun owners "compromise" by giving up only some of their rights instead of walking away from the Second Amendment completely. News flash for the banners: Ain't. Gonna. Happen. We're stronger than ever. We have SCOTUS going (kind of) our way. One more Trump selection should put us in a position to solidify the Heller and McDonald decisions which have been ignored and even gutted by many lower courts. There's a different mood evident in gun circles, and it's saying that we will not compromise on our rights.

Driving that new mood are new gun owners. Tens of millions of new gun owners. Young people. Women. Mothers. Grandmothers. Folks with carry permits for whom "gun carrier" has become their self-identify. Being a gun carrier is not what they do. It's who they are.

Next important step is to get all of them, and all of us, active with gun rights groups. Face it. Few of us are going to contact our elected reps about every gun issue. Gun rights groups do. And they also take action in the courts. Membership in the Second Amendment Foundation and the NRA is cheap insurance. For less than the cost of filling the tank on your F150, you make a difference.

Guns. There will be new calibers introduced. Take-down rifles and rifles with folding stocks will be hot. More 10mm pistols will be offered. At least a dozen people will call Gun Talk Radio and say, "Hey, Tom. I finally bought a real gun

belt. Hey! That really makes a difference!" Duh. Just do it, okay?

Ivanka Trump begins the move to become the first woman President. Those on the left who dream of a woman president lose their minds. That's just a bonus.

Ammunition prices start rising.

Gun folks will realize that the hearing protection act may take several years to pass, and they will start buying suppressors again. When they do, they'll see that the waiting periods have dropped significantly.

Those who tried to buy tons of ammo when it wasn't available and was expensive will continue to not buy ammo now, when it is cheap. They'll learn. Or not.

The gun ban Astroturf groups created by Billionaire Michael Bloomberg still won't have many members, but -- using his money -- they will run candidates, and that's a serious issue. Bloomberg continues in 2018 to fund ballot referendums, place activists in key states, and to push the gun ban agenda. He is the most immediate threat to gun rights.

Shooting ranges will pop up like mushrooms after a summer rain. Modern, clean, inviting places to shoot bring in people -- especially women.

Shooters, hunters, collectors, competitors and Second Amendment supports (some of whom don't even own guns) will find new paths for activism. The first step is ... taking the first step. We each can do more. Here's an idea. If ever NRA member bought someone a membership, we would double the number of members. Q: What could the NRA do if it had ... oh, ten million members? A: Anything it wanted.

New Year's Resolution? Sure. Some are obvious, and we all have promised to do these before, right? Shoot more. Take people shooting. Take up reloading. Become a certified firearms instructor. Attend a shooting class, or a self-defense firearms class, or maybe even make that long dreamed-of trip to one of the top shooting schools. Buy that pistol, revolver, shotgun, or rifle you've been looking at. (Prices are not going to get lower, and I suspect they will climb a bit in '18.

Here's a serious one. You know that we had a house fire last June. We were lucky. Hardly any contents were lost, though the smoke and water damage pretty much destroyed the interior of the house. Before the end of January, please make a detailed inventory of your guns, your scopes, your accessories, etc. You can write it down or you can just do it in a video -- with your phone! Store the record in the cloud -- not a physical copy in your home. Have pictures, or video, with a description, the model, the serial number, and any details you can think of. If you never need it, that's great. If you do need it and you have it, that's even better.

My personal request for each of you is simple and easy. Please join the NRA or the Second Amendment Foundation. If your membership has expired, it's time to renew. If you are already a member, buy a membership for a friend or relative. Numbers are everything, and we face a number of innovative challenges, mostly funded by the blowhard billionaire Bloomberg. He's super wealthy, but there are no real numbers of people backing his gun-ban movement. He can and does, however, buy elections. As he seeds local and state offices with his selected anti-gun rights proponents, we could easily see a slow movement to further erode the Second Amendment. We ... you and me ... and the only thing that can stop this.

Have a Happy New Year. ~ Tom

*Wild Ass Guesses

Tom Gresham
Author, outdoorsman, gun rights activist, and firearms enthusiast for more than five decades, Tom Gresham hosts Tom Gresham's Gun Talk, the first nationally-syndicated radio show about guns and the shooting sports, and is also the producer and co-host of the Guns & Gear, GunVenture and First Person Defender television series.

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