Trump’s “Second Amendment” Comment Backlash

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C. Audrey Harper, Writer

Donald J. Trump, the infamous Republican presidential nominee, recently spoke on gun control and the second amendment at a rally in North Carolina. Trump expressed that if Hillary Clinton were to be nominated president, she would nominate Supreme Court judges that would abolish the second amendment.

“If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people — maybe there is, I don’t know.” Trump said on August 9, 2016.

This is not the first time Trump has called for his supporters to be violent. In March of 2016, he called for his supporters to “hit back” at protesters at his rallies.

“I think someone’s that’s threatening people shouldn’t be running for office.” Suzie Glover, a Bob Jones sophomore said.

Trump has spoken numerously about the second amendment and the issue of gun control. In October of 2015, he stated that he does carry a gun occasionally. At that same debate, he calls gun-free zones a “catastrophe”.

“Just because he’s made so many offensive comments before, I don’t think he’s being serious in his assertions,” Morgan Kurowsky, a Bob Jones senior stated, “He was trying to rally support from the second amendment people and trying to validate the freedom to own or possess a gun.”

Hillary Clinton is an advocate for gun control, as many of the members of her party are.

Following the June 2016 Orlando shooting in June 2016, Clinton said “We know the gunman used a weapon of war to shoot down at least 50 innocent Americans, and we won’t even be able to get the Congress to prevent terrorists or people on the no-fly list from buying guns.”

However, some have come to Trump’s defense. Trump’s communications adviser, Jason Miller, said, “It’s called the power of unification – 2nd Amendment people have amazing spirit and are tremendously unified, which gives them great political power.”

Michaela Philip, Bob Jones junior, said “I don’t think he actually meant to shoot someone, but I do think this is an example of him speaking without thinking; which isn’t as big as homicide, but it’s still a big deal and something that should be addressed.”

Senator Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton’s running mate, has condemned Trump’s comment, along with other famous political figures, such as Patti Davis, Ronald and Nancy Reagan’s daughter.

“There isn’t going to be a consensus to resolve the gun control debate for a long time,” Morgan Kurowsky said. 

Trump believes the backlash from his comment is a distractor the media used against him. “Media desperate to distract from Clinton’s anti-2A stance. I said pro-2A citizens must organize and get out vote to save our Constitution!” Trump tweeted the same day he called for violence against Secretary Clinton.