Rev. Jim Rigby, the progressive pastor at Austin’s St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church—where Texas Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico is a vocal member—didn’t waste a breath before weaponizing the horrific assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Just one day after a deranged gunman tried to take out high-profile attendees, Rigby stood before his flock on Sunday and declared that the MAGA movement is hell-bent on resurrecting the Confederate States of America. It’s the kind of inflammatory rhetoric that turns tragedy into tribal warfare, painting millions of patriotic Americans as latter-day rebels plotting a secessionist revival. Never mind that the shooter was no red-hatted insurgent; this is classic leftist sleight-of-hand, equating self-defense rights with slavery’s ghosts to demonize anyone who dares question the gun-grabbers’ agenda.

Dig deeper, and this sermon isn’t just unhinged—it’s a masterclass in 2A subversion. Talarico, fresh off his own anti-gun crusades like pushing red flag laws and demonizing AR-15s as weapons of war, has long blurred church and state to frame gun owners as existential threats. Rigby’s Confederate fever dream amps that up post-assassination attempt, implying that supporting the Second Amendment is tantamount to treason. It’s no coincidence: the left’s playbook post every shooting is to rush-bait emotional narratives that bypass due process, like confiscating firearms from MAGA extremists without trial. This rhetoric fuels bills like HR 1295, which seeks to strip vets of their rights based on vague threats, and sets the stage for broader registries that could ensnare any vocal 2A defender.

For the 2A community, the implications are crystal clear: this is psychological warfare, timed to exploit bloodshed and erode our fortifications. As blue-state pastors and politicians like Talarico sync up, expect more Confederacy smears to justify preemptive disarmament, especially with midterms looming. But here’s the counterpunch—history proves armed citizens thwarted tyrants from Lexington to now. We curate these stories not to rage, but to rally: document the hypocrisy, amplify the truth via platforms like GOA and NRA-ILA, and vote like our rights depend on it. Because when they cry Confederacy, what they really fear is an unbreakable Union of free men with rifles. Stay vigilant, patriots—their sermon is our call to arms.