Hackett was a strong advocate for the Second Amendment, but nevertheless lost the endorsement of the National Rifle Association to Jean Schmidt. Hackett, a long-time NRA member and holder of a concealed carry permit, told "The Enquirer" "I don't know what I have to do. I've gone against the grain in the Democratic party. There isn't a bigger gun enthusiast than me." (A spokesman for the NRA said the endorsement was based on Schmidt's voting record in the Ohio House and that Hackett, having only served on a city council, did not have the voting record Schmidt did.) Schmidt also won the endorsements of the Fraternal Order of Police. The FOP's Keith Fangman criticized Hackett: "He has a track record of filing frivolous and malicious lawsuits against law enforcement officers in Clermont County," said Fangman because Hackett had represented a plaintiff in a suit against a Clermont County police officer. "That's what lawyers do," Hackett told "The Cincinnati Enquirer". "We're not in the business of filing lawsuits we know are frivolous or malicious."