Liberals in the US are beginning to embrace gun ownership now that Trump is President.
BBC News reported that liberal gun purchases may be rising, and liberal gun clubs are seeing a big boost in membership. Some liberals say they are buying guns to defend themselves against potential tyranny from the Trump administration.
Gwendolyn Patton, a member of Pink Pistols, a club for gay, lesbian and transgender gun owners, told the BBC, “There are people who have professed to carrying a gun now because Trump made them feel unsafe . . . I think their fears are groundless but I can’t make them not be afraid, so whatever they need to do to feel safer, I don’t have a problem as long as they do it responsibly.”
The change in attitude is a stark contrast to liberal views about gun ownership during the Obama years, when CNN host Piers Morgan scored high ratings calling for a ban on assault rifles.
In 2013, Piers Morgan asked Ben Shapiro, “Why do they need those weapons?”
Ben answered, “They need them for the prospective possibility of resistance to tyranny.”
Piers asked, “Where do you expect the tyranny to come from?”
Ben answered, “The tyranny would come from the government.”
Piers asked, “Barack Obama’s government?”
Yes, back then, it was almost impossible for liberals to imagine why anyone would be afraid of Barack Obama’s government.
But now that Donald Trump will be president, many people see him and his administration as tyrannical. So will liberals become more pro 2nd amendment?
For some people, the tyranny may not be so far fetched, as Trump said that he would deport 3 million undocumented immigrants after his inauguration.
Some liberals may wish to defend against this — perhaps even with a gun, or an AR-15 rifle. For some people, that might actually be a rational decision to make.
After Trump was elected, many rioters took to the streets in violent protests, shouting, “Not my president!”
It’s not hard to imagine that violent protests could continue to break out if the administration pursued extremely unpopular policies. But let’s remember that whether liberals, conservatives or libertarians own guns, it is their right, and it may help prevent against the threat of a tyrannical government.