Now, as a matter of course, I disagree with gun control groups on pretty much everything. Anything that we do happen to agree on is a matter of accident, rather than much else.
So it’s unsurprising that I’d take issue with something they’d say. After all, that’s…well, that’s kind of what we’re here for.
Because we disagree, I try to differentiate between matters of opinion and matters of fact. They’re welcome to their opinions, even if they’re misguided. What they’re not entitled to, however, are their own facts.
Yet a recent move by them goes even beyond that.
August was a dark month in American history when it comes to gun violence, at least according to some people.
In order to ramp up support for stricter gun laws, gun control organizations and one congresswoman marked the anniversaries of gun violence in America.
The problem is, they’re rewriting history — all the examples they mention are defensive gun incidents.
On August 25 the Brady Gun Control group recognized the two-year anniversary of the death of two rioters in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
“2 years ago today, a teen armed with an AR-15 traveled to #Kenosha, WI, and murdered Joseph Rosenbaum + Anthony Huber, and injured Gaige Grosskreutz at a protest against the police shooting of #JacobBlake, the organization tweeted.
“We must #BanAssaultWeapons to prevent senseless violence like this.”
Except, none of that is factually correct.
As the above-linked article notes, Kyle Rittenhouse didn’t transport the gun to Wisconsin. It was already in the state.
Additionally, there were no murders.
What the gun control crowd can’t seem to grasp, however, is that if Rittenhouse hadn’t had that AR-15, there would have been a murder. Kyle Rittenhouse would likely have been killed.
See, the people they’re holding up as martyrs, in addition to being convicted felons, were also attacking Rittenhouse. Joseph Rosenbaum was forcibly trying to take Rittenhouse’s weapon away from him after he and a mob chased the teen to a car lot.
Rittenhouse fired in self-defense.
Anthony Huber attacked Rittenhouse with a skateboard–a deadly weapon when used in such a manner–forcing Rittenhouse to fire in self-defense.
Then Jacob Blake pulled a gun on Rittenhouse and was shot, again in self-defense.
This isn’t even just my own take on the events of that night. This was the finding of a court of law. Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all counts during a very high-profile trial.
Now, I don’t expect gun control groups to celebrate what happened. I don’t expect them to view it through the same lens we do. That’s not what they do, and I get that.
But they don’t get to make up their own reality of what happened that night, particularly when we know good and well that ain’t what happened. Even the courts have said that’s not what happened.
They could have just refused to acknowledge it; pretend it didn’t happen. They could have just let the whole thing evaporate and hope people would soon forget that Kyle Rittenhouse showed them that people use guns to protect themselves and that AR-15s are incredibly useful in protecting themselves from a rampaging mob.
Truth be told, that would have worked, too. It’s not like the media would have pushed things.
Instead, they do this, and now we’re going to talk about it.
Frankly, while I try–and often fail–to assume my opponents are arguing from a good faith position but that’s getting harder and harder. Now, though, I’m having to wonder if they’re intentionally lying about what happened or if they’re delusional enough to actually believe it.
Honestly, it could go either way at this point and neither would surprise me.
