The uptick in violence, especially in Democratic-controlled urban areas, combined with calls to defund the police have placed the Second Amendment squarely on the ballot, leading to some surprising poll numbers.
A Politico/Morning Consult poll released earlier this month indicates that more than three-quarters of voters believe that crime is a major problem in the United States.
Only 17% said crime was a minor issue, and 2% said it was not a problem at all, while 88% agreed that violent crime was either increasing or remaining steady in their own cities.
Washington state has been one of those areas that has been hit with violent crime by Antifa and Black Lives Matter rioters, and Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat up for reelection, is finding herself in trouble.
Murray supported the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, stating that "As people have continued taking to the streets peacefully demanding the equal and just treatment of Black people in this country, I’ve been horrified by the violence I’ve seen carried out in the name of public safety."
However, that bill would have hamstrung police, and made their jobs more dangerous, according to Heritage Foundation legal fellow Zack Smith.
The bill was approved by the House but died in the Senate. It was reintroduced as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021.
Murray is also a proponent of increased gun control legislation, including a ban of AR-15-style sporting rifles and so-called "high capacity" magazines, which has earned her the endorsement of the Giffords PAC, a gun control advocacy group.
At the end of this term Murray will have represented her state for 30 years. But Washingtonians are starting believe 30 years are enough, and gun control is one of the reasons why.
To push back against soft-on-crime and hard-on-gun control, they’re starting to get licensed and armed in increasing numbers. The Washington Department of Licensing issued more than 21,000 concealed carry permits in September.
It’s also reflected in voter sentiment.
According to the latest Trafalgar Group poll, Murray leads her Republican challenger, Tiffany Smiley, by a mere 2.2 points — 48.7% for Murray versus 46.5% for Smiley.
And it’s even worse for Democrats in New York State.
After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Empire State’s 100-year-old concealed carry law, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, in concert with the state legislature, passed a new concealed carry law that is, if anything, even more restrictive.
This was done while the violent crime in New York City is out of control, all of which is working against the governor.
Trafalgar reports that Hochul leads her Republican challenger, U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, by 1.9 points — 44.5% to 425.6%.
Hochul works hand-in-glove with her attorney general. Letitia James. who’s also up for reelection. James is struggling even more, according to the same survey. She trails Michael Henry, her Republican challenger, by a full point — 45.4% versus 44.4%.
Add to this the hypocrisy displayed by ultra-liberal Democrats who spend hundreds of thousands of campaign dollars on private security while supporting efforts to decrease police funding and increase restrictive gun control measures that go after law-abiding citizens sticks in the craw of those same law-abiding citizens.
Cam Edwards, editor at Bearing Arms, a popular Second Amendment blog and news site, saw it all as a possible revolution at the polls on Nov. 8 — similar to the one we saw in Virginia last year.
"You can find similar stories all across the state," he said, "and if those ticked-off Second Amendment supporters show up in force at the polls, they could produce an Election Day surprise for anti-gun Democrats that would send shockwaves throughout the political establishment.”
Even the late vice president and Sen. Hubert Humphrey, a liberal Minnesota Democrat, recognized the need for a Second Amendment to keep an overreaching government in check.
"The right of citizens to bear arms is just one more guarantee against arbitrary government, one more safeguard against the tyranny which now appears remote in America, but which historically has proved to be always possible."
The tyranny that appeared so remote to Humphrey in the mid-20th century is now beginning to show its face.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.
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