Do you support the Second Amendment? Well, left-wing San Francisco city officials think you’re a terrorist, apparently. If only you were just a felon, then they’d call you a “justice-involved individual.”
Local leaders made headlines when they recently passed an official resolution branding the National Rifle Association, the country’s largest grassroots Second Amendment advocacy organization, a “terrorist organization.” The San Francisco board passed the measure, which said “The National Rifle Association spreads propaganda that misinforms and aims to deceive the public about the dangers of gun violence. The NRA exists to spread disinformation, and knowingly puts guns into the hands of those who would harm and terrorize us.”
This wasn’t just harsh words, though. The resolution also said “the City and County of San Francisco should take every reasonable step to limit those entities who do business with the City and County of San Francisco from doing business with this domestic terrorist organization.” Essentially, the local government called for the blacklisting of an advocacy organization it disagrees with.
San Francisco’s entire stunt is a vicious smear, and it’s full of lies.
For instance, the resolution, in addition to calling the NRA “terrorists,” says that it “musters its considerable wealth and organizational strength to … incite gun owners to acts of violence.” This is blatantly false, ridiculous, and despicable. As far as I’m aware, no mass shooting has ever been carried out by a member of the NRA, let alone at the organization’s urging. In fact, concealed carry permit holders are among the most law-abiding people in the country.
Regardless, the NRA only advocates for the rights of peaceful, law-abiding Americans to own firearms for self-defense. It in no way condones violence, let alone incites it.
Thankfully, the NRA is fighting back. The organization filed suit against San Francisco, alleging that the city is violating their First Amendment rights and engaging in viewpoint discrimination. It appears they have a strong case, at least according to National Review Senior Writer and lawyer David French.
Here’s what French wrote:
San Francisco’s action represents a dangerous, unconstitutional escalation of a debate that is already extraordinarily fraught and divisive. By labeling law-abiding political opponents criminal and enforcing state sanctions on that basis, San Francisco is taking the path of the banana republic. It’s blasting apart “norms” and violating fundamental American values even as many of its citizens no doubt fret about authoritarianism on the right.
French is right. It’s perfectly fine to criticize the NRA’s practices, or disagree with their views on matters of gun control. But the state-sanctioned smearing of political opponents as ‘terrorists’ is something we must never accept.
