Speaking at an NRA event in 2012, Joni Ernst sounded less like someone who'd be a Republican nominee for U.S. Senate two years later than like someone about to move to a militia compound in the hills:
“I have a beautiful little Smith & Wesson, 9 millimeter, and it goes with me virtually everywhere,” Ernst said at the NRA and Iowa Firearms Coalition Second Amendment Rally in Searsboro, Iowa. “But I do believe in the right to carry, and I believe in the right to defend myself and my family -- whether it’s from an intruder, or whether it’s from the government, should they decide that my rights are no longer important.”
Yeah, I don't think that little 9 millimeter is going to do you a whole lot of good against the government, however beautiful it may be. The government has somewhat larger guns, see. And a member of your family is more likely to be shot by that gun than defended against an intruder by the gun, FYI.
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In theory, running for office is a healthier way to address that fear that one's rights will be taken. But this is Joni Ernst we're talking about. It's not altogether comforting to have someone running for Senate because they see the alternative as going down in a hail of bullets should the government decide to strengthen background checks for gun buyers, while at the same time opposing little things like women's reproductive rights and the federal minimum wage.