I’ve been fortunate to meet a number of amazing people as a result of being part of the gun rights community. There are some people who I consider among my closest friends that I met through advocating for the Second Amendment and fighting against gun control.

While I cherish all of those friendships, one of the most delightful souls I’ve ever met is Cheryl Todd. In addition to being the owner of AZFirearms Auctions, Executive Producer & Co-Host of Gun Freedom Radio, and the chief instigator behind Polka Dots Are My Camo, she’s just generally an awesome person.

So when I came across something she penned for the Independent Women’s Forum, I just had to read it. And, sure enough, Cheryl knocked it out of the park when she compared gun control advocates to Disney villains.

One thing that kept coming to my mind is that the villain in every Disney story is seeking to, in some way, control others. The Evil Queen from Snow White wants to take the lives of those who simply want to enjoy the beauty of love, freedom, and happiness. The Wicked Sorcerer wants to enslave or kill those who are simply living their lives. Some of the villains are male, some are female, and others are dragons or even snakes.

Regardless of their form, the one thing they have in common is their desire to control and take something from someone doing them no harm. I couldn’t help but reflect on how I’ve felt this way at times as a Responsibly Armed Citizen who simply wants to protect and defend what I love.

The people who want to chip away at our freedom to keep and bear arms seek what feels like a similar type of control over your life and mine. Oftentimes it comes with a “pretty face” or dressed up in some fashion that makes it challenging to disagree. They call it “smart gun laws,” or “common sense gun control,” and tell you it is “for the children.”

In the world of Disney and fairytales, the antagonists and adversaries often cast their spells using cleverly worded phrases and rhetoric to trick well-meaning people into mindlessly nodding their heads in agreement. In the same way, those who attempt to restrict gun ownership are like modern-day pied-pipers, they siren call their way into the words that spew from the mouths of our favorite Hollywood actors and feisty young politicians. And those of us who haven’t fallen under the spell are oftentimes painted with the brush of being small-minded social outcasts who love our guns more than our children.

Go and read the whole thing because Cheryl includes a list of question that can and should be asked over and over again so as to “break the spell.”

Some might argue that it’s unfair to compare someone like Beto O’Rourke to the Evil Queen in Snow White and sure, I can agree that it is. The villains of Disney stories don’t lie to themselves that they’re really the good people in the story.

Anti-gunners probably do believe they’re the good guy in this debate, which is clear from the rhetoric they spew about what we truly care about, or how little we care about it, when we oppose gun control.

In truth, they’re the villains of the story. They’re not pushing for policies and ideas that would make our life better, but would seek to control us. They use words like freedom, but mangle it’s meaning so as to present an idea that can never be achieved.

I’m not going to say they’re bad people on the whole. Some really do mean well. The problem, though, is that good intentions are paving material for a road to a very hot place.