Today, the amendments to the Senate gun control bill, both pro- and anti-gun rights, were defeated in votes that had several Senators crossing the aisle to side with the other party.  While the fight at the federal level is not over by a long shot, this is a good start.  Harry Reid’s procedural vote in favor of the Mancin-Toomey ‘compromise’ means that it can be resurrected, so we need to make sure our Senators know to keep the pressure up.  We need to reach out to the Senators who stood with us and let them know that we won’t forget.  They are sure to be berated and attacked by those who prefer that men be herd animals.  We also need to reach out to those who betrayed us and make sure they know that we also won’t forget them, because we need to convince them of the error of their ways before we vote them out of office.

President Obama immediately trotted out former Representative Gabbie Giffords and several members of Newtown families to act as backdrops and meat puppets for his stern looks and disapproving remarks about the Senate’s actions.  He asserts that today “was a pretty shameful day for Washington”.  He would know better if he’d bothered to show up more often during his own abbreviated career in the Senate.

We can be happy with this victory, but we need to remember to not stop fighting.  Even as the corpse of federal gun control continues to run around the farm-yard after decapitation, the anti-rights crowd continues its efforts at the state level.  Colorado, New York, and Connecticut have tightened their laws, and many legislators in other states have introduced anti-rights legislation.  We need to continue to support groups like the NRA, SAF, and GOA, but we also need to get behind our state and local pro-gun rights groups.  Victories in the Senate will be meaningless if the back door of state restrictions is left wide open.

So, celebrate, but keep your eyes on the horizon.  Reid and Feinstein aren’t done yet, and further fights are inevitable.  We need to watch that we do not embolden the anti-rights groups with trash-talking or, heaven forbid, another horrific incident.  The less ammunition we give the other side, the easier these battles will be.  Remember to be gracious to those who support us, persuasive to those who waver, and merciless to those who oppose us, but also remember that we are all Americans and human beings, and deserve a modicum of respect.