Democrat Rep. Jason Crow from Colorado dropped a bombshell on CNN’s The Arena Friday, claiming President Donald Trump is in chapter one of the autocrat’s playbook. It’s the kind of hyperbolic rhetoric we’ve come to expect from the left’s fearmongering machine, especially as election season heats up. Crow, a former Army Ranger turned partisan attack dog, didn’t elaborate much on what this playbook entails—probably because it’s the same tired script Democrats have been reading from since 2016: paint conservatives as existential threats to democracy while conveniently ignoring their own encroachments on individual rights.

But let’s peel back the layers with some real context. Crow’s outburst comes amid escalating Democratic assaults on the Second Amendment, from Biden’s ATF ghost gun rules to Kamala Harris’s vows for mandatory buybacks. If anyone’s following an autocrat’s playbook, it’s the gun-grabbers who want a federal registry to track every firearm owner—chapter one being demonize the opposition, chapter two disarm the populace. Trump’s judicial wins, like Bruen and Rahimi, have struck blows against unconstitutional carry restrictions, empowering the 2A community to defend itself legally. Crow’s fear tactic? It’s projection. History shows autocrats don’t bolster rights; they erode them, and the left’s push for red flag laws and assault weapon bans fits that bill perfectly, stripping due process from law-abiding citizens.

For the 2A community, this is a rallying cry: Crow’s words underscore why vigilance is non-negotiable. As Trump surges in polls, expect more autocrat smears to justify gun control escalations—implications that could mean renewed assaults on suppressors, standard-capacity magazines, and pistol braces. Stay armed, informed, and vocal; the real playbook for freedom is etched in the Bill of Rights, not CNN soundbites.