When the post-mortems come in (Part II). . .

. . . on this election cycle, here's something else that we'll want to consider:

Spurred on by President Obama's debate pledge to push for an assault weapons ban and possibly limits on handgun ownership, the National Rifle Association is ending the presidential campaign season with its most "targeted" election effort in its 141 years.

NRA officials told Secrets that they've expanded their campaign against Obama in some cases by over 500-times what the Second Amendment lobby did in the 2010 elections that brought the conservative Tea Party to Washington. An official said the effort was on par with what the NRA did in 2000 when George W. Bush edged Al Gore in the Electoral College in part because of an unexpected GOP swing in gun states.

While early into his administration Obama didn't seem a threat to gun-owners, thus making it difficult to assail the president on gun issues, the president over the past year has hinted support for restrictions and during a debate with GOP challenger Mitt Romney for the first time fully endorsed a renewed assault weapons ban and even raised the spectre of handgun controls.

That spurred a new round of online advertising by the NRA and increased efforts on the ground to warn gun owners that a second Obama term would see limits on weapons ownership and a potentially more liberal Supreme Court should Obama get another chance to appoint a justice.

It's easy to forget the NRA is out there, especially when recent Supreme Court decisions have been largely favorable on Second Amendment considerations. The NRA does not forget that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.