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No First Amendment without Second: Ramaswamy
He received the endorsement of the Buckeye Firearms Association during the event
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Malvika Choudhary - Wed, 15, Apr 2026
- 16:26 EDT
- 23
Vivek Ramaswamy at the event / X/ @VivekGRamaswamy
Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy argued that gun rights are essential to protecting free speech and other constitutional freedoms during a campaign event in Obetz, Ohio, placing the issue at the center of his 2026 run.
Speaking at an event hosted by Vance Outdoors, Ramaswamy said the Second Amendment “was actually the one amendment that secured all of the other ones,” arguing it is not about “hobbyism” or recreation but “something that defines who we are as a people.”
Also Read: Gun rights group backs Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio race
There would have never been a First Amendment, without the Second Amendment. Tonight I explained why. pic.twitter.com/Ugde932E5L
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) April 15, 2026
“It is the amendment that puts the teeth into all of the other ones,” he said, adding, “The First Amendment came first for a reason… But there is no First Amendment without the Second Amendment.”
He reinforced the argument by citing constitutional provisions from Iran and China guaranteeing freedoms such as protection from unlawful detention and infringement of liberties but said those rights are routinely violated.
“Why are they able to do that?” he asked, adding that those systems lack the Second Amendment, which he called “the one protection that we have that they don’t.”
Tying the argument to his campaign, Ramaswamy stressed that he is running to make Ohio “the top state in the country to raise a young family,” improve education, and defend the values enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
The remarks come as his campaign gains backing from gun rights groups, including the Buckeye Firearms Association, which announced its endorsement at the event, and the National Rifle Association’s Political Victory Fund.
Honored to receive the endorsement today from the Buckeye Firearms Association, representing gun owners across Ohio. We will always stand for the Second Amendment. pic.twitter.com/sOykjGnOqd
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) April 15, 2026
On his democratic opponent, Amy Acton, the state’s former health director during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ramaswamy said at the event, “Ohio can’t afford to trust Amy Acton again. She owes our state an apology.”
He said pandemic-era school closures deepened inequality, noting that Cincinnati public schools were shut for nearly two years while his private alma mater was closed for fewer than five days. “Those kids… will never get those two years of their education back,” he said.
“I have no patience for those who will preach about inequality while creating the very conditions for that inequality,” he added, also accusing authorities of shutting down small businesses “without any basis.”
Ramaswamy compared such decisions to arbitrary rule, saying, “If I don’t like what you do, I’m going to ban what you do because I have the power to do it,” adding Ohio “cannot afford to make that mistake again” and calling the moment “a time for choosing.”
The Ohio gubernatorial election is scheduled for Nov. 3.
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