On Sunday, I published a piece where I talked about why guns like the AR-15 are essential to liberty. Even if you accept that a certain amount of gun control is good, if you still think an armed populace is an essential bulwark against tyranny, an assault weapon ban is dumb.
And the "we support the Second Amendment but..." crowd pays lip service to the basic concept, while trying to restrict literally everything.
However, with Saturday having been Independence Day, it was a good day to step back and enjoy freedom. Especially since it was the 250th.
But what did they do instead?
With more than 125 Americans dying every day from gun violence, we know our government is failing to keep us safe.
— GIFFORDS (@GIFFORDS_org) July 4, 2026
As we mark 250 years of America, we urge our leaders to pass the gun safety laws that will make our country a safer place for all.https://t.co/f8Q6Oo9hYS
More Europeans die from a lack of air conditioning, apparently, but do go on.
Now, let's understand this whole "failing to keep us safe" thing is a failing that the government was never actually meant to attempt.
But it's a trend with anything or anyone named Giffords, apparently.
250 years ago, America was founded on a promise of freedom and safety.
— Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) July 4, 2026
For victims, survivors, and the millions of Americans who live in fear, our government is not upholding its end of the deal.
Today, like so many Americans across the country, I’m working to build a future… https://t.co/I1zmIQNrPp
America was never founded on a promise of safety. You cannot have both the promise of freedom and the promise of safety. The two are antithetical to one another.
Understand that while there are some areas of safety that the government might be able to handle well enough--food and drugs, for example--the reality is that for us to have actual freedom, we have to be free to do things that some people will disapprove of. From a safety standpoint, a government trying to preserve that safety would ban things like hang gliding, BASE jumping, cave diving, and a host of other things that are perfectly legal for a person to do right now, but have a significant risk attached to them.
People can do them because they're free. Freedom means being able to do things that might not be smart, wise, or whatever else.
Further, Gabby needs to understand something else about "freedom and safety." My safety is better guaranteed because of my freedom to own a firearm than it would be without it. I don't exactly live in a peaceful town, and I've had other people in my gun sights twice in my life, which is twice more than most gun owners will ever see. I'm damn glad I didn't have to pull the trigger either time, but I'm also damn glad I didn't have to wait to be hurt or let someone else be hurt, either.
Our independence wasn't won through tweets, Facebook posts, or rallies. The 18th-century equivalents were there, and they set the stage, but our independence was won because Americans shot Redcoats in the face with guns.
The anti-gun stance Giffords, both the person and the group, maintains is antithetical to independence.
It's a hell of a way to "celebrate" Independence Day. I wouldn't shut it down, because I value freedom, but I will look at 'em, shake my head, and get to work pushing their entire ideology into the dumpster of bad ideas, where it can rest next to communism, Zima, and Cheetos-flavored lip balm.
