Every time there’s been a high-profile shooting in the U.S., Democrats have rushed to promote gun control and blame Republicans for the deaths because Republicans oppose gun control. Here are three examples: AOC, Elizabeth Warren, and Jimmy Kimmel.
In 2019, after terrible shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, here is are what they said:
After Mitch McConnell tweeted his condolences, AOC attacked him on Twitter:
The House passed HR8, a Bipartisan Background Checks Act, *5 months ago* and the Senate has yet to vote on it. It was one of our 1st major priorities after ending the gov shutdown. You’ve been sitting on it since February giving bogus excuses. Care to explain the people why?
Elizabeth Warren, who was running for president at the time, released a plan to restrict gun rights.
Jimmy Kimmel said on TV:
Our leaders in one party in particular are offering not much more than their thoughts and prayers. … Too many people are being shot with high-powered weapons, I think we can agree on that. … The senate majority leader, this evil, soulless, old creep won’t even allow the Senate to vote on background checks.
Another example. After a shooting in Buffalo, AOC attacked Mark Zuckerberg for the spread of white supremacy and tweeted:
White supremacy has cost countless lives from El Paso to Mother Emanuel and now Buffalo. Our hearts break for the victims. And we demand accountability for those in Congress and in social media that perpetrate this deadly ideology.
Warren retorted to the normal gun control playbook:
I’m heartbroken for the Buffalo community. We must condemn racist domestic terrorist attacks. This horrific tragedy is not an isolated incident. Violent domestic extremism motivated by hate is an urgent threat, and exacerbated by weak gun laws. Congress must act.
After the Uvalde school shooting, AOC attacked Republicans saying that “There is no such thing as being ‘pro-life’ while supporting laws that let children be shot in their schools, elders in grocery stores, worshippers in their houses of faith, survivors by abusers, or anyone in a crowded place.” She also attacked Ted Cruz, tweeting, “Aren’t you slated to headline a speaking gig for the NRA in three days – in Houston, no less? You can do more than pray. Faith without works is dead.”
Warren tweeted:
It’s heartbreaking and sickening how routine mass shootings have become in America. Fourteen babies and a teacher. My heart goes out to all the families in Uvalde, Texas, whose lives were shattered. The Senate must pass gun safety legislation and protect our children.
Kimmel, in an emotional video, pleaded for gun control and attacked Republicans again for opposing gun control, that they’d rather “sweep this under the rug.” He also said:
Gun-control laws work, by the way. We know this. 26 years ago, Scotland had a school shooting that killed 16 kids and a teacher and the government responded by enacting gun-control legislation and there hasn’t been a school shooting in Scotland since then. In 1996, in Australia, a mass shooting killed 35 people. They passed gun legislation. They haven’t had one since. This is the only country where this keeps happening.
After a shooting at a drag queen show in Colorado Springs, Colorado representative Lauren Boebert tweeted an unequivocal condemnation of the act. AOC responded:
.@laurenboebert you have played a major role in elevating anti-LGBT+ hate rhetoric and anti-trans lies while spending your time in Congress blocking even the most common sense gun safety laws. You don’t get to “thoughts and prayers” your way out of this. Look inward and change.
Warren again advocated for gun control:
My heart goes out to everyone who lost friends and loved ones in Colorado Springs. I’ll keep pushing for common-sense gun safety reform and working to build a future where every LGBTQ+ person is safe and has the freedom to thrive.
Which brings us to what happened this month. A young left-wing radical assassinated the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson. Thompson was an innocent man, a father, and a husband. You would think that Democrats would go back to attacking Republicans for stopping gun control laws. Instead, here’s what happened.
AOC told a reporter:
This is not to say that an act of violence is justified, but I think for anyone who is confused or shocked or appalled, they need to understand that people interpret and feel and experience denied claims as an act of violence against them.
Which is to say, she justified violence. Not because she didn’t like the victim. In all likelihood, they had never met. AOC knew nothing about Thompson. She knew nothing about UnitedHealthcare and its practices. AOC doesn’t like the idea of Brian Thompson. She hates that healthcare CEOs exist, and she is fine with them being assassinated.
Same as Warren. She said that “violence is never the answer.” But then she said,
This is a warning that if you push people hard enough, they lose faith in the ability of their government to make change, lose faith in the ability of the people who are providing the health care to make change, and start to take matters into their own hands in ways that will ultimately be a threat to everyone.
A warning! A warning means that it will be repeated if not taken seriously. Her first sentence was that violence is never the answer, but it is quite obvious from the rest of her statement that she thinks that, actually, assassinations are a legitimate political tool.
Maybe the worst reaction was from Kimmel. No crocodile tears this time. No plea for gun control. Rather, a good night for comedy! He talked about how his producers are obsessed with how cute the assassin is and called that monster “America’s most unseemly new sex symbol.” He read their text messages live about how much they love the murderer, and how they want to become a “prison bride.”
Now, I employ young people. I’d never employ someone if I ever thought that they’d endorse assassination. I’d definitely fire them if I found out that they did. But above all, what I would never do is make light of the killing of an innocent man, however much I might not like his business practices.
These are bad people. They are all about the rule of law and gun control when they don’t like the person who is breaking the law. Suddenly, they don’t care about gun control when they can use lawlessness as a threat against rich people they don’t like.
Note: the opinions expressed herein are those of Chuck Warren only and not his co-host Sam Stone or Breaking Battlegrounds’ staff.
