During the average political campaign season, Americans are inundated with speeches, promises and often complete falsehoods. In a world in whichpartisan politics dominates the coverage of practically all media outlets, we are slowly being morally desensitized. However, an occasional story escapes the echo chambers and raises concerns by everyone who reads it. As you have read previously from Bearing Arms, the most recent of such stories has garnered attention out of the Commonwealth of Virginia via leaked text messages from Democratic candidate for Virginia Attorney General (AG) Jay Jones.
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In keeping with what is becoming the new reality of partisan politics, reactions seem to be along party lines. Republicans immediately condemned the remarks, calling them “abhorrent, disturbing and “disqualifying.” Current Virginia AG Jason Miyares said the texts reveal “a dangerous mindset that has no place in public service.” In contrast, even some Democrats, like Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), said Jones’ comments were “indefensible” yet that he is still a “supporter.” Not even the Democratic candidate for Governor, Abigail Spanberger could directly state that Jones should withdraw from the race during a televised gubernatorial debate. Given that if both are elected, Jones would serve as Virginia’s top legal counsel and will be useful in her own personal publicized crusade against the inalienable right to keep and bear arms.
Even Jones himself had little reaction to the revelation of his own words; he didn’t deny sending the messages. Instead, he issued an apology, saying he was “sick to his stomach” reading his own words and that he “takes full responsibility.” But words like those don’t just vanish with an apology. To date, only a single cancelled fundraiser has occurred. Does he not even care, or does he know that with financial backers whose mission is to abolish the Second Amendment, he can hide from reality? Perhaps he should pivot himself to hidden campaigning from his basement since that strategy worked a few years ago for another candidate who WON.
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What makes this story even more revealing is the absolute silence from the gun control movement; a political network that has poured millions into supporting candidates just like Jay Jones. Groups like Giffords and Brady United have so far declined to say a word about the scandal. No statement from Everytown for Gun Safety who endorsed him in June then donated $200K to Jones this past August, though they have quietly removed their endorsement link from their website.
Giffords’ endorsement is still on their website which champions his commitments to “end gun violence”, even calling him “instrumental in expanding background checks and passing Virginia’s landmark red flag law.” That’s stunning when you consider how loudly these same groups usually demand “accountability” whenever a conservative says something controversial. My guess is that the “gun grabbers” can just blame the phone for the texts instead of holding the author accountable—after all, that is what they do after any shooting.
The double standard couldn’t be clearer. If a Republican or a pro–Second Amendment figure made the same kind of comments, the outrage would be deafening. The gun control lobby would hold press conferences, demand resignations, and use the quotes as proof that “gun culture” breeds extremism. But when it is one of their own…CRICKETS.
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It’s hard not to see the hypocrisy. The very organizations that claim to stand for “reducing violence” are now protecting a candidate who joked about shooting a political opponent. It shows that for the gun control lobby; moral outrage is selective — it depends entirely on the target’s political alignment. The irony runs even deeper. Jones has built much of his campaign on promises to “end gun violence” and “hold extremists accountable.” Yet his own words fit the very definition of political extremism. The idea that someone who fantasized about using a gun to kill a political rival could be backed by anti-gun organizations should make every Virginian question what those groups really stand for.
It’s worth asking that if Jay Jones had an (R) next to his name, would the same groups stay quiet? Would CNN or MSNBC give him the benefit of the doubt, or would the headlines be filled with accusations of “violent rhetoric” and “right-wing extremism”? To me, the deafening silence from Democrats echoes back to 2013 and Hillary Clinton’s infamous “what difference does it make” response to questions on Benghazi.
At a time when Democrats and gun control advocates lecture the rest of the country about “tone” and “responsible rhetoric,” their silence on this episode speaks volumes. In the end, it’s not just about one candidate’s ugly messages. It’s about whether political and media elites will hold their own side to the same moral standard they demand of everyone else. If they won’t, voters MUST — and they can start by doing it at the ballot box in Virginia this November.
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Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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