Republicans, for as long as I can remember, have reflexively invoked their undying regard for the Constitution and its strict interpretation, while, with a high degree of certitude, claim to know the precise intentions of its authors. However, in recent times, some proponents of gun rights have interpreted the 2nd Amendment to uphold the right of citizenry to arm themselves in opposition to a tyrannical government, i.e., to use force to achieve political change in such instances in which the desired outcome is not achieved through the ballot box. For example, a 2010 Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate seat in Nevada floated the idea that the public would bring down an out-of-control Congress with “Second Amendment remedies.”
That was then and this is now.
- We have a tyrannical government (Trump Administration) that is hostile to the majority of Americans and acts in contravention of the Constitution of the United States.
- We have a president who has violated and continues to violate the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution of the United States by leveraging his position and authority to enrich himself and his family.
- We have a president who has compromised national security as a result of his interactions, i.e., personal deal-making, with Russian leadership and oligarchy, and has willfully neglected to acknowledge, or attempt to mitigate, election interference that contributed to his own electoral victory.
- We have a Republican-controlled Senate which does not uphold its duty to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.
- We have a politically-appointed Attorney General that appears to represent Donald J. Trump and not the people of the United States.
Funny, but we don’t hear much about “Second Amendment remedies” these days.