Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) reportedly took time during a Huntington, New York, speech to suggest that people should take up arms against President Trump.
Roll Call reports the Suozzi talked of putting pressure on Trump, saying, “This is where the Second Amendment comes in, quite frankly. Because you know, what if the president was to ignore the courts? What would you do? What would we do?”
An audience member responded by asking the essence of the Second Amendment and Suozzi said, “The Second Amendment is the right to bear arms.”
According to the New York Post, nervousness was evident among attendees. National Republican Campaign Committee spokesman Chris Martin said, “This video is incredibly disturbing. It’s surreal to watch a sitting member of Congress suggest that his constituents should take up arms against the president of the United States.”
The Suozzi campaign responded to the criticism by rejecting claims that he was suggesting “armed insurrection.” At the same time, they forwarded a statement from Thomas Jefferson, which said, “What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.