By: Kayleigh Hamilton
This situation could get ugly very quickly.
A top Democrat leader saw a political opportunity to take away guns.
And he took to the streets and announced a widespread gun grab.
Anti-gun politicians who represent areas of the country with low levels of gun ownership know that they can have essentially free rein to crack down on guns.
Their constituents will never hold them accountable for it, and may even reward them for it politically, since their constituents hate guns just as much as they do.
However, even in the bluest areas of the country, like Holyoke, Massachusetts, there are people who own guns and value their rights.
They may be a minority, but they exist, and the Constitution applies to them no less than it does to someone in Alabama or Wyoming.
That’s why it is a disaster for freedom when politicians in places like Holyoke crack down on guns in an unconstitutional way.
That seems to be the case right now, as the Mayor of Holyoke, Joshua Garcia, is announcing a gun control campaign in the wake of a shooting that took place.
According to WWLP News, “In Hampden County, the city of Holyoke saw deadly gun violence this past weekend.
“The Hampden DA’s office identified 31-year-old David Rivera of Springfield as the victim of a shooting on High Street in Holyoke Saturday morning.
“22News spoke with Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia, who held an observance for Gun Violence Awareness Month earlier Monday evening. He explains gun control and reform would help communities combat this deadly issue.”
Here is what Garcia had to say: “To apply the appropriate pressure to those that are in leadership roles to make some meaningful change that is going to eliminate the next tragedy.”
This is clearly another example of a politician using a tragic situation to get a political outcome that he wants, which is a common theme among politicians who support gun control.
According to a separate article from MassLive.com, “The shootings began as an altercation between several people at about 2 a.m. near 400 High St. During the fight, at least one of the people pulled out a gun and started firing, said James Leydon, spokesman for Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni.”
“While investigating the crime, Holyoke police officers found a second victim. Today, the DA’s office identified him as David Rivera. He was sitting in a vehicle parked a block away near 300 High St. and suffering from a serious gunshot wound. Rivera was rushed to Baystate Medical Center, where he died, Leydon said.”
This is obviously an incredibly sad and tragic situation. It shows that police need to be given the resources to fight crime, which can be difficult in blue cities that are very lax on crime.
But it doesn’t mean that the innocent and law-abiding gun owners who live in a place like Holyoke should be attacked by their own government.
That seems to be what Mayor Garcia wants to do, and it is a disaster for the constitutional rights of Holyoke residents.