When Jeff Sessions announced he would once again run to represent Alabama in the U.S. Senate, it was widely assumed he would cruise to victory. After all, Sessions was running for the very Senate seat he had occupied for two decades. With recognition in Alabama, and a well-established political machine to back him up.
However, as the race drew closer and closer to the March 3rd Republican Primary, one political newcomer proved to be a growing thorn in the side of Jeff Sessions…
…Tommy Tuberville.
Tuberville is the former head football coach from Auburn University, and not a career politician, yet leading up to the primary election, Tuberville was only trailing Sessions by a few points.
And when the smoke cleared following the March primary, Tuberville had actually polled ahead, beating Sessions 33% to 31%.
Tuberville’s margin of victory in March was narrow enough to trigger a runoff that would inevitably be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the July 14th runoff finally arrived, Tuberville’s 2 point lead in the primary had grown to a blowout victory of 62% to 38%
What went wrong for Sessions?
While it’s easy to chalk Tuberville’s win up to Alabama’s love of football, the more than 20% margin of victory is far too great for that theory to hold water, especially in a state whose football loyalties are deeply divided between two college football powerhouses.
The fact of the matter is, Alabama voters were sick and tired of establishment politicians turning their back on the principles that the people of Alabama hold sacred.
Just one of the many skeletons in Jeff Sessions’ closet was his lengthy track record of supporting an anti-gun agenda.
Sessions’ anti-gun track record
Despite “earning” an endorsement and an “A+” rating from the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund, Jeff Sessions has a lengthy record of anti-gun actions both as a U.S. Senator, and as Attorney General of the United States.
Most notably, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions was the driving force behind the so-called “bump stock” ban.1
More dangerous than the ban itself was the precedent Jeff Sessions set by going around Congress and implementing his ban without a single vote, and over the vocal objections of gun owners nationwide.
In doing so, Sessions opened a Pandora’s Box for future presidents to ban virtually any firearm or firearm accessory.
In fact, rumors are already circulating that the ATF is looking to use the same tactic to unilaterally ban pistol braces, a common firearm accessory owned by hundreds of thousands of law-abiding gun owners. The ATF would presumably use Jeff Sessions’ precedent on bump stocks as a road map.
Sessions also used his power as Attorney General to round up law-abiding citizens and push them into the NICS gun registration system, starting with military veterans. 2
As a result, nearly 60,000 Airmen were added to the list of 250,000 veterans who were placed on the federal “no guns” list without due process.
Both of these Sessions-spearheaded gun control efforts came in the wake of deadly shootings, all to placate the mainstream media.
However, this wasn’t the first time Sessions surrendered to the pressure.
In fact, going back to 1999 as the U.S. Senator from Alabama, Jeff Sessions was one of the first lawmakers in Washington to try to broker a “deal” when President Clinton pushed for gun control. 3
Along with California’s Dianne Feinstein, Jeff Sessions sponsored and voted for gun control legislation to ban private firearm sales at gun shows, and standard capacity magazines.4,5
Additionally, when President Obama took office, Jeff Sessions voted to rubber stamp Attorney General Eric Holder, the corrupt Fast And Furious kingpin who smuggled weapons to Mexican drug cartels. 6
Finally, Jeff Sessions voted to confirm Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, setting in motion the chain of events that led to the UN “Small Arms” Treaty. 7
The pro-gun alternative to the establishment
As the Nation’s largest no-compromise gun rights organization, the National Association for Gun Rights immediately recognized the opportunity posed by the Alabama U.S. Senate race.
Dudley Brown, the Executive Director of the National Association for Gun Rights Political Action Committee, said:
“Despite being backed by the institutional gun lobby, Jeff Sessions had long been a traitor to gun owners. Incumbent Democrat Senator Doug Jones, whose gun control rap sheet includes championing ‘Red Flag’ Gun confiscation laws, 8 is extremely vulnerable in the deep red state of Alabama in the General Election, but only if a real pro-gun Republican is nominated to face Jones.”
With the Alabama U.S. Senate race presenting a clear target of opportunity for the pro-gun grassroots, all that was missing was a conservative alternative to Sessions and Jones.
This is where Tommy Tuberville enters the plot.
At the start of the 2020 election season, Tuberville was a political unknown, but he quickly made a bold move that many ambitious politicians don’t have the backbone to do; he filled out his National Association for Gun Rights Candidate Survey 100% pro-gun.
In doing so, Tuberville signed his name in ink pledging to oppose all gun controls, including “Red Flag” Gun Confiscation and bans on so-called “Assault Weapons.
He also pledged to oppose the United Nations’ “Small Arms Treaty” and to champion pro-gun legislation such as the SHUSH Act, which fully removes firearms suppressors from regulation under the National Firearms Act of 1934 and Gun Control Act of 1968.
Sadly, Tuberville’s pledge is not the norm in America, even for supposedly pro-gun politicians.
All too often, politicians are unwilling to pledge their opposition to gun control in writing.
Why would they?
In the event they are forced by party leadership to compromise on their values, such a pledge could be weaponized against them come election season.
Unfortunately, most ambitious politicians refuse to go on the record against the specific gun control measures they are likely to face once in office.
Fortunately for Alabama gun owners, Tommy Tuberville is not like “most politicians.”
Tuberville’s bold 100% pro-gun promise to Alabama voters was the last piece of the puzzle the National Association for Gun Rights PAC needed to defeat perennial gun grabber Jeff Sessions.
As soon as Tuberville emerged as the pro-gun candidate who could defeat Sessions and Doug Jones, the National Association for Gun Rights PAC sprang into action.
Delivering letters, postcards, emails, Facebook ads, and even text messages to as many pro-gun Alabama voters as possible, NAGR-PAC worked round the clock to expose Jeff Sessions for the gun grabber that he is, and to help push Coach Tuberville across the finish line.
Now, with a dominating victory in the runoff under his belt, Tommy Tuberville is in prime position to unseat gun-grabbing Senator Doug Jones in the November 3rd General Election.
We won’t get fooled again.
The downfall of Jeff Sessions should send a message to politicians from coast to coast.
Gun owners are paying attention to your anti-gun votes, and will hold you accountable come election season.
“Touting pro-Second Amendment rhetoric on your campaign website and bragging about you’re A+ ratings from the establishment gun lobby does not nullify actual anti-gun actions,” said Dudley Brown.
It is not enough for Republicans to be simply less anti-gun than the Democrats.
For any politician to earn the vote of pro-gun Americans, they must to be a 100% no-compromise supporter of the Second Amendment. The first step is to sign on the dotted line your absolute guarantee that you will never vote for gun control. The next step is to keep that promise.
Now more than ever, the establishment gun lobby needs to lead, follow, or get out of the way.
Continuing to endorse candidates who routinely vote anti-gun simply because they are in good with your “Gucci-loafered lobbyists” only hurts our fight to restore the Second Amendment.
References:
1= Department of Justice Press Release “AG Sessions Announces Regulation Effectively Banning Bump Stocks” 3/23/2018;
2 = Department of Justice Release 1/22/17: “AG Jeff Sessions Directs FBI and ATF to Conduct a Comprehensive Review of the NICS Background Check System”;
3= 106th Congress. S.254. 1999-2000. See also Roll Call Vote #140;
4 = 106th Congress. S.254. S. Amdt. 344. See also Roll Call Vote #118;
5 =106th Congress. S.254. Title V, Section 702. 1999-2000;
6 = Roll Call Vote 111th Congress- 1st session. Feb 2, 2009;
7 = Roll Call Vote 111th Congress- 1st session. Jan 21, 2009;
8= Alabama Senator Doug Jones Wants Background Checks, Changes after Mass Shootings. WAAY 31.
