A top podcaster said the armed protesters who stormed the Michigan capital in late April overreacted to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s efforts to extend a state of emergency during the coronavirus pandemic.
In an interview with comedian Michael Yo, Rogan said being a proud Second Amendment supporter doesn’t mean he likes the idea of people walking around with guns when participating in a political protest.
“You can hate on people that they’re so f—ing dumb they bring guns to the governor’s house,” Rogan said. “That is ridiculous, like what are you doing? Are you trying to take over the governor? Like, what are you doing? Why are you bringing guns? Are you expecting a war? Are you going hunting?”
“It’s a stupid thing to protest with guns,” Rogan said. “One of the nice things about this country is that we can protest. That’s a nice thing, it’s beautiful, it’s important. This is one of the things that’s been infringed upon by this whole lockdown thing where people are being told they’re not allowed to assemble. It’s a gigantic part of who we are, the ability to assemble, the ability to protest. But, I don’t think that’s just what they’re doing. When you’re showing up with guns, you’re letting them know that you’re ready to take over. You’re ready to do something. You might shoot somebody. If you’re threatened, you might use these guns. It’s like, OK, you’re escalating way past where we’re at.”
On April 30, a couple of hundred protesters, some of who carried guns, attempted to break into the floor of the Michigan House where lawmakers, some of who wore bulletproof vests, debated an extension of the coronavirus state of emergency.
They decided to oppose Whitmer’s request for a 28-day extension. But Whitmer used her executive privilege to extend the state of emergency (against the wishes of Republican lawmakers who want to reopen the state’s economy) so that the state’s shelter-in-place guidelines could remain in place, prompting the GOP-led legislature to seek legal recourse.
The former Fear Factor host interviews a diverse range of political, cultural, and sporting icons on his podcast, which boasts tens of millions of downloads per month. Rogan, who has vocally supported gun rights on his podcast in the past, said that although he supports the Second Amendment, he does not trust “dumb” people who openly carry firearms in spaces of commerce.
“I’m a pro-Second Amendment man, I believe in it, I think it’s important, but there’s a lot of dumb motherf—ers out there,” Rogan said. “And they get to have guns too. I mean, I support that in a lot of ways. I have to support that if I support the Second Amendment. But at a certain point in time you got to go, ‘Why the f— are you bringing a gun to Sam’s Club? Why do you have an AK around your waist when you’re walking through the aisles looking for toilet paper?'”
