United States – -(AmmoLand.com)-There is nothing more predictable than the fact that anti-Second Amendment extremists will race to the nearest microphone to exploit a shooting at a school like the one at Oxford High School in Michigan recently.
Nor is it a surprise when someone like Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) unleashes slanders aimed at Second Amendment supporters that would, in a past age, lead those smeared to seek recourse via the code duello. It must mean that a tragic event happened on a day ending with the letter Y. Furthermore, he is seeking to exploit the unimaginable and incomprehensible grief of the families of the victims.
First of all, let’s make one thing clear: Murphy’s desired agenda that he seeks to have enacted is nothing less than the infliction of injustice on tens of millions of Americans by punishing them via the infringement of their Second Amendment for a series of horrific crimes and/or acts of madness they did not commit.
Second of all, what must also be clear is that when Second Amendment supporters exercise their First Amendment rights to oppose efforts like those from Chris Murphy, they are doing nothing wrong. Murphy’s sick insinuation that those who oppose his anti-Second Amendment extremism endorse school shootings is something that belongs in the ashheap of history.
It is quite telling that the many people who condemned Donald Trump for a lack of civility or violating “norms and standards” have been silent about slanders like those from Murphy. If anything, those like Dan Gross, who purport to seek “common ground” when discussing Second Amendment issues, have been silent about the slanders.
Gross talked a good game this past spring in his open letter and in his speech in November 2019, I’ll admit. But where are the actions to back the talk? It’s been eight-plus months since the open letter. It’s been two years since the speech. Again, where is the action?
Murphy’s smear is also a chance for Doctor Oz, who announced his Senate candidacy, to show he means what he said as well. There is understandable skepticism of his support for the Second Amendment, given past comments, and he can alleviate concerns by slamming Murphy’s slander.
Ultimately, though, there is only one way to guarantee that the slander will abate to some degree: It needs to become politically toxic. Second Amendment supporters need to work hard to esnure the defeat of anti-Second Amendment extremists at the federal, state, and local levels via the ballot box as soon as possible. In fact, in a way, we can even make the case we are standing for civility and decency.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
