(Editor’s note: This article was a submission from freelance writer Mike Doran)
Hillary Clinton implied that you are “wrong” to want to arm yourself after the terrorist attacks in San Bernadino, California.
The Democratic frontrunner answered a question at the last Democratic debate on the issue of gun control and the growing public opposition to passing more laws that restrict the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners.
“In the wake of the San Bernardino attack, you all emphasized gun control. But our latest poll shows that more Americans believe arming people, not stricter gun laws, is the best defense against terrorism. Are they wrong?” ABC moderator Martha Raddatz asked.
Clinton tried to dodge the question by talking about fighting terrorism overseas with “coalitions,” but to the credit of Raddatz, she prompted Clinton to answer the question directly.
“Guns in and of themselves, in my opinion, will not make Americans safer. We lose 33,000 people a year already to gun violence. Arming more people, to do what, is not the appropriate response to terrorism,” said Clinton.
The former Secretary of State continued by saying the best way to fight domestic terrorism is to create “much deeper, closer relations” and “coalitions in our country.”
“The first line of defense against radicalization is in the Muslim American community, people who we should be welcoming and working with,” Clinton said.
Clinton’s answer demonstrates either a deliberate mischaracterization or a deep misunderstanding of what armed America is. You see, there already is a coalition in our country dedicated to protecting American families, and it is made up of responsible fathers and mothers, sons and daughters who carry firearms for personal protection. They have become the last line of defense against radical Islam and those wishing to do our country harm.
And, as I’ve already pointed out, firearm homicides only account for 11,208 of the 33,636 total firearm deaths. The other two-thirds of gun deaths are suicides! The inference that we are losing 33,000 people a year to gun violence may be technically accurate — as suicide is a form of violence, that is self-directed violence — it is nonetheless misleading. 33,000 people each year aren’t being shot to death in the streets, as Joe Public might think after hearing Clinton’s response.
Semantics aside, the larger truth is plain for all to: Clinton does not believe in an armed America. She believes that the government will keep us safe. And anyone who has watched the news lately ought to know what a complete joke that is.