Gaylon, Thanks to the action of tens of thousands of National Association for Gun Rights’ members, New Jersey gun owner Brian Aitken was able to spend Christmas with his family. But for a long time, this story looked like it would have a grim ending . . . Mr. Aitken was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison in New Jersey for never actually committing a crime. After moving from Colorado, Aitken was careful to follow every absurd gun law in New Jersey to a “T”. His efforts were in vain as he was promptly imprisoned for violating those same laws after a judge threw out most of the evidence proving Aitken’s innocence. In a prompt response, I launched a series of e-mails asking National Association for Gun Rights members to sign a petition demanding New Jersey Governor Chris Christie pardon and release Mr. Aitken. National Association for Gun Rights’ members answered the call and unleashed an avalanche of real political pressure. Volunteers on the ground in New Jersey personally delivered more than 25,000 petitions to Governor Christie’s office. As Senator Everett Dirkson once said "when I feel the heat, I see the light." And pro-gun Americans lit the fire that forced a spotlight of attention on Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey. It's tough for any politician not to notice that many signatures. And the Monday after delivery, Mr. Aitken's sentence was fully commuted and he was released from prison to spend the holidays with his family. You read that correctly: Governor Christie felt the pressure of Second Amendment supporters like you and freed Brian Aitken from prison. That's the kind of fight you can expect as a member of the National Association for Gun Rights. Unfortunately, it wasn't a full pardon, and that's why I am still keeping my eye on Republican Governor Chris Christie. Governor Christie shows all the signs of a man who could one day attempt to secure the Republican nomination for President (or even a Vice-President slot), and you and I must get him on the record as saying that the gun laws in places like New Jersey are a slap in the face to its citizens. Simply commuting the sentence of an innocent man isn't enough by itself. Political insiders are keenly aware of how much the votes of Second Amendment supporters can make a difference in a national election. But people like Governor Christie have spent their political careers in places like New Jersey where they've tried to play both sides of the fence. In fact, as you can see below, while running for the state legislature, one of Governor Christie's key proposals was to uphold a New Jersey gun ban: He needs to be aware of the fact that the rest of this country will not tolerate offenses to our Constitutional liberties. Nor will they allow Gestapo-style kangaroo courts where law-abiding citizens go to prison with stiffer sentences than drug dealers and rapists for exercising their basic freedoms. Members and activists from the National Association for Gun Rights drove this point home by holding Governor Christie's feet to the fire with petitions from across the country. He now has to contend with the simple fact that, in less than a week, members and supporters of the National Association for Gun Rights were able to blast out 25,000 petition signatures as well as print them and deliver them directly to his office. Applying political pressure does make a difference, especially when the pressure is crate after crate of petitions dumped on a governor's desk. And Mr. Aitken spent his Christmas with his family instead of behind bars. If you want to get involved in the next battle for the Second Amendment, stay connected and look for alerts from the National Association for Gun Rights.    For Freedom,       Dudley Brown    Executive Director P.S. Click here to help the National Association for Gun Rights continue to fight for people like Brian Aitken by making a donation.