U.S.A. –(AmmoLand.com)- Representative Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) is no friend of law-abiding gun owners. That much was pretty clear when he announced that he favored an Australia-style “buyback” of certain semi-automatic rifles. Well, on November 16, he went a bit further.
In a Tweet, he reiterated his support for an Australia-style ban he called for in a USA Today op-ed published in May. Then, when it was pointed out by a combat veteran that a confiscation law could potentially spark an armed uprising (there is historical precedent – look what happened when the British tried to confiscate guns from the colonists around Boston in 1775). The person who pointed that possibility out said, “You’re outta your [expletive] mind if you think I’ll give up my rights and give the gov all the power,” Swalwell responded with a stunning tweet.
“And it would be a short war my friend. The government has nukes,” Swalwell tweeted back. He very quickly drew tons of fire on Twitter for his comments. Even the NRA is piling on, noting, “This inflammatory and decisive rhetoric will inspire gun owners to fight harder to protect their rights.”
Before we go any further, it should go without saying that no rational or reasonable person wants to see a second civil war tear the United States apart. Such an event would be long, bitter, and catastrophic for not just the United States, but potentially the world. So, let’s dispense with the eagerness when we discuss such irresponsible fantasies.
But there are some things that do need to be taken away from this. First of all, what is most notable about Swalwell’s push for an Australia-style gun ban is the fact that there has been no pushback outside of Second Amendment supporters. Second, when he did get a lot of pushback, he started to claim he was just being sarcastic.
But don’t let the claims of sarcasm distract you from something very real: Anti-Second Amendment lawmakers and advocates are again openly calling for the confiscation of guns. I say again because Nelson “Pete” Shields famously called for a complete ban on handguns in the 1970s – even outlining his process, which included gradually adding restrictions. Then, of course, there is Dianne Feinstein’s “Mr. and Mrs. America, turn them in” comments on 60 Minutes.
For the record, rifles of all types, not just the modern sporting rifles, not just the AR-15, which is being turned into a “boogie rifle,” but ALL rifles are used in killings about 25 percent as often as knives, according to Justice Department data. People are also more likely to be clubbed to death or killed by someone using their bare hands than to be killed by ANY sort of rifle. That also holds true for shotguns, with an even greater disparity than rifles in 2017. The rarity of the misuse of long guns for killing isn’t just for last year, it’s been the case for years on end.
For all of Swalwell’s stupidity on this issue, though, this also was a potentially serious unforced error on the part of the person who called him out over the semi-auto ban. The facts and logic on this issue were more than enough to make Swalwell look like an idiot. Instead, he got the chance to paint Second Amendment supporters as insurrectionists. These are fights we can do without, especially when Bloomberg has the ability to drop millions in ad money.
It’s never enough to just fight hard for our rights, we must fight smart.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
I am locked and loaded and standing by quietly watching and waiting.
The Trump presidency is a reprieve only, this is true because all that has been put out about the Demo-Rats and the two tier justice system has been done extreme damage to our Republic is beating it down. The major problem is that no one has gone on trial or gone to jail which is really what is tearing our system apart. When Nixon and his boys got caught due process was served very quickly, with all of the Demo-Rats and the news media nobody is being charged and put on trial, so nobody under this two tear system they… Read more »
Fight Smart? Is being passive in response to citizen disarmament SMART??? THEY FEAR THE VIOLENCE OF BLACK LIVES MATTER! HOW MANY CITIES HAFTA BURN??? They outlaw our guns with impunity – (which has already happened in several states – no theoretical what-if that we are talking about here) – and the response from gunowners is always passive – SO THEY TAKE MORE WITHOUT FEAR – WITH SMUG IMPUNITY! They will never stop until total citizen disarmament is achieved – UNLESS THEY FEAR TAKING OUR GUNS! Mao Zedong said “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun” Like political… Read more »
When you really stop and think about it, he is making a case for civilians to own and possess their own nuclear weapons in order to counteract potentially a tyrannical government. Seriously doubt that he meant to do that though.
Swalwell is a disgusting bottomfeeder and should resign. He’s also honest. All the gun grabbing left feels the same way as he does. Never forget that they HATE us. They don’t hate guns. They hate US. It is about control, not gun control. We are in their way and they hate that.
he got the chance to paint Second Amendment supporters as insurrectionists. He forgets, or wilfully ignores, one clear FACT: government IS nothing more , nothing less than, WE THE PEOPLE. He considers himself to be “other”. Fine. let him. HE is the insurrectionist, not we who will keep our arms. HE is the one flying in the face of the meaning and intent of that Constitution he has sworn to uphold, defend, protect. He is solidly in the camp of the tyrant, made of the same stuff as King Goerge Three of old was. His kind can also be run… Read more »
Tionico, that is a very good post. That is one of the problems the left gets to define the narrative and all conservatives do is react politely.
You wrote, “no rational or reasonable person wants to see a second civil war…”. I would like to make three points. First: there has never been a civil war in this country. A civil war occurs when various entities vie for control of a single government (don’t believe me? Look at every other civil war in history). By secession the South had no intent or desire to overcome the Federal government. Second: If you haven’t noticed, there are more than a hundred people in this country who have become completely irrational and unreasonable to the point of near insanity during… Read more »
@2WarAbnVet, So what is your plan. How do we win?
Wild Bill asked, @2WarAbnVet, So what is your plan. How do we win? The left has spent decades working to radicalize and emasculate American youth (see: Congressional Record–Appendix, pp. A34-A35, January 10, 1963 Current Communist Goals … found here …https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/watchwomanonthewall/2011/04/the-45-communist-goals-as-read-into-the-congressional-record-1963.html). Those who have resisted this indoctrination, and held fast to the Constitution, have a distinct advantage in any confrontation with those who decry “toxic masculinity”. Need we even note the subject of guns? Who has and knows how to use then as opposed to those who fear them? As far as the nuc;ear power of government, I recall that Romanian… Read more »
not only do people not understand the definition of civil war they don’t understand that the communist revolution has already taken place. the communists have spent the last seventy five years doing just that. The left has the courts, MSM, rino and neocon allies, MIC, the schools K-12, the universities and the big tech companies.
Civil war is coming and it’s gonna start in commifornia!! Hopefully this ass clown and rest of demorat politicians will be first to go
I would love for that sonofabitch to come to my street and try to infringe our 2A rights.
If and when the time comes, he will be one of the first arrested, tried, by his pres and hung from the nearest tree. He has either forgotten his history or he is a product of .common core. He should be reminded about what happened at Concord on Lexington Green when a British General tried to do the same thing to American Patriots. This man is either an idiot or is just stupid.
@GreenMtnBoy; 100% WHY the 2nd Amendment is there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What do you need weapons of war for?….War.
It is why 2A exists.
The real problem is that so many-even NRA members don’t know that weapons of war-“arms”- are PRECISELY what the 2nd Amendment protects! The point of it is that “we, the people” must retain the means to keep control over the government or we will be suffering the same kind of oppression the colonists did. Power absolutely corrupts!
And these are the morons half of the people want governing the House of Representatives? When the Civil War the progressives have started turns bloody, it will be over sooner than the last one. The question is, will the United States be taken over by China because of this stupidity by the left?
@David Castor, The US will not be taken over by any other nation because there is a rifleman behind every blade of grass, and we are going to win. The easiest scenario is getting the libtards to engage in armed revolt while there is a conservative administration.
The worst scenario is a libtard administration bringing about a revolution by ignoring the Constitution, and using their trigger pulling employees to deny us our Second Amendment Rights.
In either senario, whomever kills the biggest, will be the government.
I find your second scenario to be the more likely. The communists will resume power at some point – this is inevitable. Even if Trump does his absolute best and intentions become reality, he cannot stay past January of 2025. There is also an irritatingly high probability that he’ll only make it to January of 2021. Either way, we got only a temporary reprieve when he won the presidency. And I think you’re exactly correct that the government will rack up the highest body count in either scenario. If it’s a conservative government going after militant communists (but I repeat… Read more »
@Mike, actually, it is LTC, but yes … see you at formation, brother. I’ll be the one in the parking lot directing traffic.
I want to make the following observations, 87% of the US Military consistently votes Conservative, the 13% who do not are mainly within the officer ranks and graduates of Liberal Education Systems, and yes West Point, Annapolis, the Air Force Academy, and the Coast Guard Academy have all been infiltrated by Civilian Liberals therefore I am including them with the Liberal Education System. Officers only give the orders the enlisted carry them out, there are more enlisted personnel then there are officers. Honestly who is going to force a Company of Infantry, or Armor to open fire on Citizens who… Read more »
I think he just gave you a peak into the real thoughts of those in power and the rich and famous. This very well could be the wake-up call (especially for us veterans that fought or served to make and keep and make this country home of the brave and land of the free) to we the citizenry. To have an elected official even contemplate, let alone make a public statement as this ( use nuke on American citizens) should be immediate grounds for impeachment and removal from office.
The time has come for We The People to converge on these corrupt liberal socialist progressive marxist democrats and physically throw them out of office. Trump can’t oust all the traitors by himself…voting isn’t working as it too has been corrupted. The Dems no longer recognize our 2nd Amendment and the dems believe the Constituion only applies to themselves.and they skirt around any laws POTUS Trump has at his hands. Neither is our US Constitution and Bill of Rights going to protect us much longer. Why? Because the marxist/socialists, masquerading as “democrats” have so deeply imbedded themselves in key government… Read more »
The proper response is I believe that you are planning to kill me, and my fellow Americans, with nuclear weapons. I hope that there will not be a war, but if there is, it must be a short one … for him.
No, he’s pushing buttons to get a nasty response that the democrats can jump on for gun control – all part of a shitbag plan.
No! He isn’t that smart. Statements like this are typical of what comes out of pretty boy’s mouth. He is not intentionally playing the roll of a troll. He is just a bigger ass than his brain Congressman Adam Schift.
QUIT SAYING HE IS STUPID! He is NOT! He is deadly dangerous–not stupid! I agree with Jim in this string.
I agree he is not stupid. He is not ignorant. Think of the Saul Alinsky Rules For Radicals approach. Keep hammering and people will gradually accept your point of view. That’s what the left is doing. Just keep pushing, hammering, nagging – whatever you want to call it. It’s working. People who really don’t care about the Second
Amendment one way or the other are being influenced, slowly but surely. Guns are the new cigarettes.
Wonder why they won’t post anybody’s comments as usual ?????
Ok it’s funny no one has asked if I wanted to give up my guns or how I felt about gun control how bout you guys anybody ask you wondering why.
FEAR the ‘stupid ones’ with POWER…..
Swallowswell, should think twice about his Nuke statement… ever hear of the OATH KEEPERS asshole ?
Thanks, Harold. Fine point you make. We must fight the fight with intelligence, not belligerance. To do otherwise only strengthens the opposition’s case. No more cussing, threats, ad hominem attacks. Fight with facts, conviction and inclusion. Beat them at their own game.
This really is one stupid Mexifornian.. Even stupider than the Pillose, Fiensteer, & BrownButt
One does not have to be intelligent to be elected to office. That’s proven true on a daily basis. And it’s not ignorance about guns, it’s all topics. All you need to get elected is to have deep pocketed backers, be well spoken and in most cases offer the most free stuff. Sad part is that most of the supporters of guys like this are just as ignorant as he is and hang on every word spoken as gospel
To whit,Ocasional Cortex,yet N. Y. elected her as their new representative to congress.
Another idiot from California….. ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ Mexifornia azz clown.
Swallowell could drop a nuke is his dependsAnd I wouldn’t give a shit and you can Beto on that
Just another dumb fucking communist (since he is a democrat). In another world he was a NAZI. Too bad he does not suffer a really bad accident so we are rid of his dangerous thoughts and potential actions given enough time. This cockroach reminds me of another Californian state senator–Lee, who was as crazy assed as this punk about our Second Amendment rights–right until he finally got caught bringing machine guns, RPGs and other goodies into the gangs and others in his state of California. He is serving his time out in Federal prison. This new jackass also actually implied… Read more »
It took weeks for the smile to get off my face when that prick went down. Who says there’s no God?
The title of the article is not hyperbole. Suffer a bit through some of what this congressman has to say, not just tweet. His intellect is quite limited.
NY Sen, Kirsten Gillebrand is another. I understand she has a law degree but it shows that a higher education does not make you an intellectual, as most on the Left seem to think. Too stupid to know what they don’t know
Totally agree. There are a few others out there who also have great “degrees” but are so knee-jerk in what they demand that they make zero logic and use no common sense.
Representative Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) is one of the Tyrants the founders warned of and thus the reason for the second amendment.
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ)
This M/F is the reason the 2nd Amendment was written.
This clown should be charged with treason. He took an oath to uphold the constitution. But no one brings it up. Any vet or active duty member took the same oath and has not been relieved of that oath. They would be on the side of the constitution with us. Do you think that they would use nukes to kill their families, I think not. Just my 2 cents.