United States Concealed Carry Association Launches New Political Group
The nation’s largest concealed-carry group is getting more involved in the political realm.
The United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) launched a new non-profit arm last week. The U.S. Concealed Carry For Saving Lives Action Fund (USCCA-FSL Action Fund) plans to advocate against gun control at all levels of government across the country. It is a 501(C)(4) headed by Katie Pointer Baney, which she said would focus primarily on training gun owners in how to improve their political activism.
“At USCCA, we always tell our members that it’s their personal responsibility to be trained, that being a gun owner is a huge responsibility. I think the same applies to being an American citizen,” Baney told The Reload in an exclusive interview. “We’re blessed to live in this country, but there are individual civic responsibilities that we need gun owners to step up and take hold of.”
The launch comes at a time when the gun-rights movement is more fractured than it has been in decades. The National Rifle Association (NRA) remains the largest gun group but faces mounting financial and legal troubles stemming from a corruption scandal reaching the top levels of leadership. Groups like the Second Amendment Foundation and Firearms Policy Coalition have grown as the NRA has receded, but none come close to matching the scope or $400 million size the NRA achieved before accusations of financial impropriety broke into the open four years ago.
It also comes as gun-control groups are ascendant in the White House. President Joe Biden, a staunch gun-control advocate, will use the White House Rose Garden to announce a new executive office later today enshrining a special position in the administration for the gun-control movement. He has also consistently pushed the boundaries of his power through executive actions aimed at banning “ghost guns,” guns equipped with pistol braces, and more strictly regulating private gun sales.
USCCA is one of the few gun groups with the potential to rival the NRA’s size and national influence if the gun-rights behemoth is unable to right its ship. They operate an annual expo that draws tens of thousands of attendees, a nationwide gun safety training program, and a popular magazine. Of course, the core of the group is the “concealed carry insurance” it sells that provides members with funds for a lawyer if they’re involved in a self-defense shooting.
Read the full story written by Stephen Gutowski on The Reload here.