Michael Bloomberg just declared open season on the Second Amendment and disrespected a hero.
Yes, the billionaire-turned-Democratic 2020 presidential candidate has campaigned to restrict gun rights for years, pouring millions into his anti-gun advocacy. But Bloomberg just made it explicitly clear that he wants to disarm law-abiding Americans completely — he holds contempt for those who exercise their right to self-defense — through his tone-deaf response to the recent Texas church shooting.
The Dec. 29 shooting at West Freeway Church of Christ was a nightmare scene after an armed gunman disrupted a church ceremony and shot several worshippers. Thankfully, volunteer security guard and church member Jack Wilson was armed and killed the shooter within seconds. As National Review’s Kyle Smith explained, “What Wilson did was extremely unusual (he is a civilian security guard who ended what could have been an extended massacre), extremely difficult (he hit the shooter in the head with a pistol from a distance of 50 feet, a marksman’s feat), and extremely heroic (he stood up to a gunman to save the lives of others).”
This man is a hero, and his actions undoubtedly saved lives.
As I wrote at the time, the shooting showed that “defensive gun use is not a myth” and that “after how this heroic act unfolded, we should all thank God that this is the case.” Bloomberg reached the opposite conclusion. He apparently wishes Wilson had been unarmed and thus unable to defend his fellow congregants.
At an event in Alabama this week, Bloomberg said as much:
Michael Bloomberg on the Texas church hero:
“It’s the job of law enforcement to carry guns that kill. We just can’t let the average American have guns in a crowded place…gun control saves lives…”pic.twitter.com/qt7nDRvKxz
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) January 3, 2020
Wow. There’s so much idiocy here that I don’t know where to start.
Let’s think through the logical implications of what Bloomberg is saying. A recently passed Texas law explicitly granted law-abiding citizens with proper permits the ability to carry concealed firearms inside a house of worship. Presumably, Bloomberg does not think people like Wilson should be permitted to do so. Instead, he says we should just rely on the police.
Well, this shooting would have played out much, much worse in that hypothetical scenario. The killer, of course, doesn’t care what law Bloomberg and his pals pass, so he would have stormed in with a gun regardless. But Wilson wouldn’t have been armed. Assuming the police are minutes away, and considering that the gunman shot two people in just a few seconds before being taken down, it’s likely that several dozen people would have been shot before police arrived.
This is the outcome Bloomberg basically just said he would prefer. And by saying that only police should have guns, Bloomberg is no longer hiding behind calls for so-called universal background checks or assault weapon bans — he’s openly calling for the repeal of the Second Amendment. If we needed another reminder why we should never elect this wannabe tyrant as our president, well, he just handed us one.
