Americans are turning their backs on New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) as they become increasingly acquainted with her hard-left brand of politics. From her economy-wrecking Green New Deal to the botched Amazon arrangement, Ocasio-Cortez has quickly established herself as a congressional problem child.
But if conservatives disliked Ocasio-Cortez before, Second Amendment advocates downright despise her now. On Thursday, the Democratic-socialist mocked an active shooter drill that took place in an Indiana school, arguing that this training was unnecessary compared to the draconian gun control laws she has in mind.
Gun grab
You know, instead of training children, teachers, houses of faith, & concertgoers to prep for being shot, we could just:
-Pass Universal Background checks (#HR8!)
-Disarm domestic abusers
-Mandate safe storage
-Ban bump stocks, semiautos, & high cap mags designed to kill people https://t.co/5SaLxEfYBT— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 22, 2019
Ocasio-Cortez, who often goes by “AOC,” would ban virtually every firearm on the market if she had her way. Either from pure ignorance or profound radicalism, the freshman congresswoman believes that the government should seize all “semiautos” from its citizens.
A semiautomatic weapon is one that reloads automatically but fires only one round at a time. This constitutes nearly every gun on the market, from handguns to hunting rifles.
With nearly every firearm banned under AOC’s master plan, there really isn’t a reason to impose stricter background checks or to prohibit high capacity magazines. As for bump stocks, the Trump administration banned the accessory in December; as of next Tuesday, bump stocks will be illegal.
2A is here to stay
By effectively banning modern firearms, Ocasio-Cortez would be further alienating a very vocal and united voting bloc who are extremely passionate about their gun rights. “[T]he passion of gun rights activists never dissipates,” explained Washington Post editor Robert Gebelhoff. “Political scientists have long noted that there is a distinct political identity grounded in a hyped-up constitutional right to a firearm, so much so that people who adopt that identity see any restriction on gun ownership as an affront to their individual freedom.”
“The people who adhere to this ideology have developed into a highly organized, highly motivated conservative base that reliably shows up in primary contests,” Gebelhoff continued, adding, “Any Republican who crosses this crowd risks a challenge from the right who will accuse them of selling out their Second Amendment rights.”
My cold, dead hands
AOC’s proposal looks suspiciously similar to a law passed this week in New Zealand following the shooting massacre of 50 Muslim worshipers during Friday afternoon prayers.
The island nation banned sales of “military-style” semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines on Thursday, leaving New Zealanders to fend for themselves with .22 caliber rifles, revolvers and pump-action shotguns.
New Zealand’s new gun laws are now virtually indistinguishable from other commonwealth countries, like Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. However, if Ocasio-Cortez thinks that Americans would be open to the same types of reforms, she is sorely mistaken.
“What [Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has] done is a very brave move, and it’s the kind of move that can only be done in a common-law country where guns are not a right. Guns are a real privilege. If there was a legal right like there is in the United States, this would be much more difficult,” explained International law Professor Alexander Gillespie of Waikato University.
Indeed, as 2A supporters like to remind Democrats who continue to question their Constitutional rights — if the government wants their firearms, they can pull them from their cold, dead hands.
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