The effort to discredit those in Virginia who happen to disagree with the flood of anti-gun laws being pushed by newly-empowered Democrats is well under way. Anyone challenging the gun-grabbing proposals under consideration in the state legislature is being portrayed as a racist, a white supremacist, or an anti-government militia type. Or some blend of the three.
The UK’s far-left, anti-gun (yes, that’s redundant) Guardian is only too happy to jump on the pile.
In response to both real policy proposals and conspiracy theories, some supporters of the sanctuary movement in Virginia are talking about the “boogaloo” – an ironic term for civil war that has spread through different online conversations, usually referring to the civil war that will break out if a government tries to take away citizens’ guns. The “boogaloo” meme originated as a joke about ridiculous movie sequels.
Gun rights commentators on YouTube are asking “Does the Boogaloo begin in Virginia?” and warning: “Folks, this is now or never” and “Tyranny is not something in the past”.
Such violent anti-government rhetoric is a traditional part of the gun debate in the United States. American gun owners have long vowed to respond with force to any government efforts to confiscate their firearms, arguing civilian gun ownership is protected in the Bill of Rights as a defense against government tyranny. They’ve embraced slogans like “come and take it” and “from my cold dead hands”.
But the conversation in Virginia has observers worrying that some people may be moving closer to actual violence.
“The rhetoric seems more revolutionary than ever,” Winkler, the UCLA law professor, said. Also new, he said: the possibility of “a lot of people coming in from out of state” to join protests against local Virginia gun laws.
– Lois Beckett in Virginia Democrats won an election. Gun owners are talking civil war