by John Boch

Note:  This is not an endorsement for either candidate.  Federal tax laws prevent Guns Save Life from endorsing specific candidates for elective office. 

Mike Flynn

Mike Flynn was at Guns Save Life’s Peoria monthly meeting Thursday evening, joining about eighty gun rights supporters in a celebration of the ideals promoted by our nation’s Founding Fathers.

He’s not your average political candidate.

He described this race between himself and State Senator Darin LaHood for Illinois’ 18th Congressional District as one a battle in the culture war we as Americans are facing today.

“Make no mistake about it,” he said to emphasize the point.  He noted that the media isn’t biased in their reporting, but instead willfully manipulating the news of the day to fit their agenda.  And, he noted, their agenda isn’t one that celebrates the ideals that have made America great, but instead subverts those rights and values.

Flynn noted that he’s supported and helped a number of people to successfully run for office during his time with Breitbart, where he worked alongside Andrew Breitbart to make the conservative news outlet what it is today.  He explained why he has been disappointed every time with their actions once in office, and he believes it’s because when they got into office, they began looking at the job as a career instead of a short period of service.

He pointed to what he described as the largest gulf he’s ever seen between politicians and the people who sent them, especially in this past six weeks.  A whole bunch of newly elected and re-elected Republicans were sent to Washington on a host of promises and commitments that got them elected just a few short months ago.  Americans even gave the Republicans control of the Senate, but instead of getting the change that was promised by these newly elected Republicans, we’ve just gotten more of the same.  In fact, we got passage of the Obamatrade legislation – legislation whose contents were classified as secret before it was passed and signed into law.  “We’ve had enough of the ‘pass it to find out what’s in it’ already,” Flynn quipped, to applause from the audience.

Flynn has little love for the Establishment Republicans.  He recalled that both he and Andrew Breitbart received calls from Republican leadership asking them to back down on ACORN shortly before Flynn and Breitbart brought down that corrupt, anti-American organization funded with taxpayer dollars.  Why?  “Because ACORN is good for fundraising and getting out the vote for us,” Flynn recollected.

He did mention his unwavering position in support of the true, original meaning of the Second Amendment.  He recalled back to a recent debate where he was asked if America needs universal background checks and strengthened mental health checks following the Charleston massacre.  “How would those have prevented what happened in Charleston?” he says he asked the moderator.  When they moderator shrugged his shoulders, he said, “Then why do we need legislation?”

I believe that without exception, Mr. Flynn is the favorite of conservatives in our culture today.   Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit fame, Jim Hoft of Gateway Pundit, Mark Levine, PJ Media, Dana Loesch, and the list goes on and on.  While Mr. Flynn is their overwhelmingly preferred candidate, they don’t get to vote in this election.  You do.  That’s why, if you’re in Illinois’ 18th Congressional District, you need to vote next Tuesday.

Darin LaHood

Darin LaHood, the front-runner for the race, was at GSL’s Peoria meeting last month, as well as the Sangamon County Rifle Association meeting in Springfield.  He too delivered a well-articulated presentation, touting his self-described conservative credentials and A-rating from the NRA.  In fact, LaHood’s been endorsed by the legislative wings of both the NRA and the ISRA in this race.

Guns Save Life has no such separate political arm at this time, however if we did, our endorsement would certainly be the same and here’s why: Those endorsements are earned by showing dedicated support to the Second Amendment in a political setting. The endorsements aren’t for who is “most” conservative or their feelings on other issues that pro-gun people often feel passionate about.  They are solely based upon a candidate’s support for gun rights, and a proven record of an incumbent beats all the promises in the world by a challenger.

Darin LaHood has got a nearly flawless (and some political insiders in Springfield – especially the anti-gun contingent – might dispute the “nearly” qualifier of that description) record of supporting gun rights both privately and publicly in his words and actions in the Illinois General Assembly.

I don’t want to write something that will be used against him by anti-gunners down the road in a future election race as Guns Save Life is well-read by folks on both sides of the gun issue.  Suffice it to say that like most things, friends come in qualities:  there are really good friends who will loan you their time, money or possessions, really good friends that will help you move or stand with you at your wedding, and really good friends that will bury things.  Darin’s one of the latter for those of us advocating for gun rights politics.

And I assume Mike Flynn would be as well, but the difference is that Darin LaHood has a proven record in a political setting.  Mr. Flynn does not.  That’s the big reason LaHood got those endorsements.

Add into that the loyalty factor:  If we, as the gun rights community, aren’t going to remain loyal in tough elections to elected representatives who have been loyal to us, then why should they be loyal to us on future tough votes?

On other issues, Darin LaHood isn’t his father.  He’s a great deal more conservative and made that clear in his presentation to the group last month.  While he didn’t talk about the culture war in America today, LaHood did note that we are in a fight out there and we need people willing to go to bat for the Second Amendment aggressively, as he has proudly done in Springfield as a State Senator for the last four-plus years.  LaHood has been a leader on gun rights, not just a reliable “pro-gun” vote.

LaHood also has the support of the establishment Republican party.  To many, that right there is reason enough to be suspicious of his position on a host of issues, mostly outside of gun rights.

I share a deep dislike of the “establishment” Republicans, most among them people like John Boehner (he probably wouldn’t like how I pronounce his last name, but I’m equally sure it wouldn’t have been the first time he’s heard that pronunciation) and Mitch McConnell.   I’m not sure I’m a big fan of giving cryin’ John another “establishment” Republican, but LaHood hasn’t been elected and we can hope that if elected, he’ll be a good man, and not a “yes man” for the people who sent him to Washington.

In this race, when it comes to guns, it’s a win-win for gun owners between these two men.

We at Guns Save Life don’t care who you vote for if you’re in Illinois’ 18th Congressional District, but we want you to vote for someone.  We encourage you to go out and vote next Tuesday, July 7th.