Bill Carter
Carter's Country Outdoor Stores
Houston
May, 2002
Dear Members:
I am happy to report there is a lot of good news for firearms dealers and gun owners these days, and the new attitude of our industry spells bad news for state and national anti-gun forces.
In the early 1990’s, the gun prohibition groups, aided by Bill Clinton, set out to make guns seem like cigarettes — dirty, dangerous and banned, as they put it. But, since the election of President Bush, firearms are becoming even more mainstream.
The lawsuits that were filed against many of us were intended to divide the firearms industry. But, their strategy backfired because dealers and their customers saw where things were headed.
For many years, we, as storefront dealers, shied away from politics, hoping the NRA would protect us from the gun banners. But, we learned the hard way that we must fight our own battles alongside the NRA. When we did, the results were overwhelming – George W. Bush is President– we are no longer being criminalized by the BATF – and the FBI has been ordered to increase NICS response time to 90%.
Does all this mean we have won the war? Certainly not. Our work has just begun. We will lose all the ground we have gained very quickly if we relax our efforts now. That is why I urge you to send in your membership dues today. TGDA has accomplished a lot for gun dealers and owners. We need your continued support to carry on the work of protecting our firearms heritage.