It is often difficult to determine whether anti-gun progressives are genuinely ignorant or if they assume their audience is, especially when it comes to understanding what fascism is.
Unfortunately, it could be a combination of both.
Recently, Florida Representative Maxwell Frost made a perplexing statement on the issue of permitless carry in the state.
During a conversation with Joy Reid on MSNBC, he labeled the proposed legislation as “fascism.”
This seems to be the first word that came to mind when the subject was brought up.
Reid asked the Congressman about Florida’s move towards allowing its residents to carry firearms without a permit, similar to laws in other states such as Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, and others.
In response, Frost stated: “What we’re seeing in Florida is scary and I’m blunt about it. It’s fascism. We have a governor who is inappropriately abusing his power to scapegoat vulnerable communities and pass an agenda based on messaging so he can run for president. He’s more interested in running for president than running our state. This permitless carry bill, this is any gun, anywhere, anytime, no permit.”
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It’s important to note that the legislation does not mean people can carry “any gun, anywhere, anytime, no permit.”
Convicted felons and others are still not allowed to carry firearms, and certain areas will be designated as off-limits for carrying weapons, just like in other states with permitless carry.
Frost’s comments are nothing more than an attempt at fearmongering.
If he had taken the time to do some research on the topic, he would know that allowing private citizens the right to own firearms is not a hallmark of fascism.
In fact, the opposite is true.
During the Weimar Republic in Germany, citizens were required to register their firearms, giving the government control over who was armed and who wasn’t. When the Nazis gained power, they used this registry to disarm political opponents and restrict the rights of those in vulnerable communities.
Frost’s remarks about scapegoating “vulnerable communities” are also misguided. In reality, racial minorities are more likely to be the victims of gun violence.
Preventing these individuals from legally bearing arms makes them more vulnerable, which is why many view gun restrictions as racist.
Despite the misguided views of the anti-gun lobby, public opinion is beginning to shift against them. They appear to push fear that the government officials and the elite should be armed, but this viewpoint is no longer widely accepted.
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