On Friday’s broadcast of Fox News Channel’s America’s Newsroom, former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson weighed in on the horrific terrorist attack at Old Dominion University, perpetrated by a naturalized U.S. citizen with a prior conviction for supporting terrorists. Johnson’s take? Revoking the suspect’s citizenship is very cumbersome, so he’d rather see the guy locked up in jail. It’s a jaw-dropping admission from a man who once helmed the Department of Homeland Security, essentially shrugging off the deportation of a terror sympathizer because bureaucracy stands in the way. This isn’t just bureaucratic hand-wringing; it’s a stark reminder of how our immigration and justice systems prioritize procedural hurdles over public safety, allowing a known radical to roam free long enough to strike.
For the 2A community, Johnson’s comments are a masterclass in why gun rights aren’t the problem—failed governance is. This attacker, already flagged for terrorist support, exploited the same lax oversight that lets criminals slip through cracks, yet the knee-jerk reaction from gun-grabbers will inevitably be more gun control. Imagine if Old Dominion students had been armed; that cumbersome citizenship debate might’ve ended with a good guy with a gun stopping the threat cold, not post-attack finger-pointing. Johnson’s preference for indefinite jailing over swift removal echoes the left’s love for endless incarceration without addressing root causes like porous vetting for naturalized citizens—issues that arming law-abiding folks directly counters.
The implications ripple far: if even a DHS heavyweight admits the system’s too clunky to deport threats, it underscores the Second Amendment as the ultimate safeguard against government incompetence. 2A advocates should seize this—highlight how concealed carry on campuses could’ve neutralized this faster than any federal red tape. Johnson’s words aren’t just tone-deaf; they’re a rallying cry for self-reliance, proving once again that when the state fails, the right to keep and bear arms is the people’s last, best line of defense.
