"As a candidate in 2016, I promised you that I would save your Second Amendment from absolute obliteration — that's where it was going — and as your president, that's exactly what I did," Trump told the annual National Rifle Association convention in a speech that aired live on Newsmax. "We saved our Second Amendment, and we're going to save it for a long time to come.

"It's under siege, but we're gonna save it for a long time to come — forever as far as I'm concerned, forever.

"So I was proud to be the most pro-gun pro-Second Amendment president you've ever had in the White House. I think that's been acknowledged. And, with your support in 2024, I will be your loyal friend and fearless champion once again as the 47th president of the United States."

Trump made the keynote address in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the tone of a 2024 campaign speech.

"No one will lay a finger on your firearms — just as took place for four years when I was your president," Trump said. "I will uphold those glorious words: Shall not be infringed.

"You know those words."

Trump vowed to unwind President Joe Biden's "war" on the Second Amendment, along with open borders, foreign policy failures, massive crime waves, and justice being weaponized against the political opposition.

"We're going to have a big, big, successful election coming up; we're going to take back that beautiful, gorgeous White House," Trump continued. "On day 1 of my new term, I will stop Joe Biden's war on lawful gun owners.

"It's a war. What they're doing is crazy. So many things."

Trump condemned Biden's unconditional withdrawal in Afghanistan that left American service members dead and allowed the Taliban to quickly retake the country after the longest continuously running war in American history, leaving billions in guns, weaponry, and equipment behind.

"We left it all behind like a bunch of fools; we're led by stupid people," Trump said. "And let me tell you, we've never been in such danger. I believe it's the most dangerous time in the history of our country because of the power of weaponry, and I'm not talking about rifles.

"Now, you know what I'm talking about, the N word. Can't use the N word; two N words you can't use. You can't use that the nuclear word."

Domestically, Trump vowed to protect Americans in the crime-ridden streets in Democrat-run cities, along with "dismantling the deep state."

"As president, I will end the weaponization of our government, including the ATF, the FBI, and the DOJ — they're weaponized in our country," Trump said. "I will dismantle and destroy the deep state—– we've made a big progress — and that includes the gun-grabbing bureaucrats who are persecuting gun owners and manufacturers every single day.

"People are getting persecuted by these left-wing maniacs. No longer will government target the left's political enemies. Instead, we will once again target violent criminals. I want to go after the criminals. These are mentally deranged or bad people. And we have to go after them. And stop worrying about somebody that will never hurt anybody with a gun — just wants the gun for protection or whatever.

"We will get them behind bars, and we will keep them behind bars."

Trump was adamant it is criminals who do not follow laws who are to blame for violence.

"But let's be very clear: The issue is not too many guns; the issue is too many thugs, hoodlums, and savage criminals on our street," Trump said. "That's really what the issue is.

"Instead of getting these dangerous killers into jail, we have radical DAs and attorney generals, prosecutors all across this country, subverting the law to attack conservative people, and religious people, evangelicals, Christians."

The abuse of power and not enforcing the law is the worst in Democrat-run cities, Trump warned.

"All of our Democrat-run cities are being absolutely ruined and destroyed, as we sit here and talk there being ruined," he said. "I will order the ATF to stop bullying gun-store owners and wanting to shut them down for paperwork errors and instead go after drug dealers, human traffickers, and criminal cartels, which is what they should be going after."

Trump also noted to NRA members that they have a common enemy in New York Attorney General Letitia James, who campaigned to get Trump and dismantle the NRA.

"The very same raging radical left lunatic attorney general that is coming after me in New York state is also waging war on the NRA, shamefully trying to destroy this legendary organization that's been an American institution since 1871," Trump said.

In a rare moment of peace with a campaign rival, Trump asked the NRA members to go easy on Mike Pence.

"I hope you gave Pence a good, warm approval," Trump said, joking about the news reports of his former vice president getting booed. "Because, no, because he is a nice man, if you want to really know the truth. He is. He's a good man.

"And I heard it was very rough. It's a big news story. You've made news today. I don't know what you did, but you made news today with the introduction you gave."

Source: Newsmax