Election of Doug Jones poses the biggest threat to the Second Amendment in Alabama history

Portland … Seattle … Chicago … New York City.

Scenes of rioting, looting, lawlessness and utter chaos in these once-great American cities have become commonplace on television news channels over the past several months.

Liberal Democrat mayors like Bill DeBlasio, Lori Lightfoot and Ted Wheeler have ceded control to mob rule, and Alabamians are joining millions across the country in asking when the violence will be brought to an end.

At the same time, these leftist politicians and many in the Hollywood elite are working to take away your Second Amendment gun rights while they remain safely protected behind heavily-armed security details.

Because the violent protesters, looters and rioters have no regard for human life or property, the ability to own a firearm if you choose is more important than ever before.

But when it comes to the issue of gun control, interim U.S. Senator Doug Jones chooses to stand with his fellow liberals like Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rather than with the Alabama citizens he swore an oath to serve.

Those of us who embrace gun ownership for home protection, hunting, sport shooting and other reasons understand that Jones’ election to a full term poses perhaps the biggest threat to our rights in the history of our state, and there is ample evidence to prove that fact.

After receiving the National Rifle Association’s lowest possible rating on the group’s annual congressional scorecard, Jones attacked the NRA and accused it of holding “extreme positions” on firearms-related issues.

When members of the Alabama legislature introduced a bill to provide certain public school teachers with law enforcement firearms training and certification as a deterrent against school shootings, Jones called the proposal “the dumbest idea I have ever heard.”

And Jones has greedily raked in thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from far-left gun control groups and committed activists who are opposed to firearms possession.

At the same time, his advertisements have included photos and videos of a flannel-clad Jones awkwardly carrying a shotgun while stomping through the woods in an attempt to portray him as an outdoor enthusiast.

Ask yourself what kind of true outdoorsman receives the NRA’s lowest rating alongside the most strident, anti-gun fanatics in the U.S. Congress.

Similarly, Jones’s record of voting to confirm conservative federal judges who will interpret the Second Amendment as our founding fathers intended has fallen short time and again, and he has cast his lot, instead, with those who celebrate Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the patron saint justice who is worthy of worship.

He famously opposed the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh and supported Senate liberals like Kamala Harris as they subjected the judge and his family to unprecedented levels of falsehoods, conjecture and character assassination.

In 2017, Jones also admitted to the Washington Post that he would have voted against Justice Neil Gorsuch had he been serving in the Senate at the time.

Coach Tommy Tuberville, on the other hand, will fight tooth and nail to protect the Second Amendment, and he will stand in the breach against liberal Democrats who attempt to grab out guns.

Unlike Doug Jones, Tuberville is a true and dedicated sportsman, and guns have been a part of his life since his father, a World War II veteran who drove a tank across Europe with General George Patton, first introduced him to hunting. Since that time, he has hunted for quail in the Wiregrass, shot white-tailed deer in Jackson County, and stalked prey on the large tract of hunting land that he owns in East Alabama.

Tuberville understands that gun ownership is a time-honored tradition in Alabama, and it is one that most who live here hold dear. Whether you want to possess a firearm for hunting or to protect your family when an intruder comes kicking at your door, Tuberville will stand strong for your right

It has often been said that the 2020 election is the most important in our lifetime, and that is no overstatement.

We are not just choosing between Tommy Tuberville and Doug Jones, but also between two distinct directions our nation will take – pro-gun vs. anti-gun, pro-life vs. abortion, American excellence vs. globalism, law and order vs. mob rule, conservatism vs. liberalism, and the list goes on.

It is time for Alabamians to have a U.S. Senator who represents our conservative values, not liberal New York and California values, when it comes to gun rights and other issues.

I urge all Alabamians to join me in voting for Coach Tommy Tuberville, a proven winner and staunch defender of the Second Amendment, in the November 3 general election.

Clay Scofield is a Republican in the Alabama Senate representing District 9, which includes portions of Blount County, DeKalb County, Madison County and Marshall County.