During the chaos of the 2020 Minneapolis riots—sparked by the George Floyd incident and quickly devolving into widespread arson, looting, and calls to defund the police—some of America’s most notorious gun-control advocates suddenly discovered a love for the Second Amendment. Figures like Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and assorted progressive politicians, who have long pushed for red-flag laws, assault weapon bans, and universal background checks, took to the airwaves and social media to defend armed self-defense. Their target? Not the rioters torching businesses, but President Trump and ICE agents who deployed to protect federal property. Frey himself tweeted about the right to bear arms in the face of federal occupation, while others echoed the sentiment, framing it as a bulwark against perceived tyranny. It was a rare, fleeting moment of ideological whiplash, where anti-2A crusaders accidentally validated the very right they’ve spent careers trying to erode.
This opportunistic flip-flop isn’t just hypocrisy; it’s a goldmine for 2A advocates. These gun-grabbers inadvertently handed us a rhetorical gift: if the Second Amendment is suddenly sacred when it shields left-wing protests from federal intervention, why not extend that logic to law-abiding citizens everywhere? Their words expose the selective application of rights—cheering armed Black Lives Matter militants while demonizing Kyle Rittenhouse for the same defensive actions. It’s classic cognitive dissonance, rooted in the riots’ mostly peaceful myth (despite billions in damages), where progressives tolerated vigilantism until it clashed with their narrative. For the 2A community, clip these quotes, meme them relentlessly, and wield them in debates; they’re Exhibit A that gun rights aren’t partisan, but universal.
The implications ripple far beyond 2024 election cycles. As urban decay and migrant-related crime surge in sanctuary cities, expect more such admissions from desperate Democrats facing real threats. This Minneapolis moment proves the Founders’ wisdom: an armed populace deters all tyrants, left or right. 2A supporters should archive these statements religiously—they’re not just gotchas, but blueprints for reclaiming the amendment’s moral high ground. When the next crisis hits, we’ll remind them: you said it yourselves. Stay vigilant, stay armed.
