Yeager Not Alone: Radical Right Reacts to Gun Control
When Tennessee weapons instructor James Yeager to 鈥渟tart killing people鈥� if President Obama moved ahead on gun control, his infuriated rant went national, with dozens of media outlets and blogs expressing amazement.
In thousands of comments about Yeager鈥檚 YouTube video and the unrepentant Tactical Response CEO posted yesterday, Americans wondered if Yeager was breaking the law, or mentally ill, or a perfect example of the need for gun control. 鈥淎mazing, really,鈥� wrote a commenter on the Hatewatch blog. 鈥淪imply amazing. These people are certifiably insane.鈥� Said another, 鈥淭hese are the words of a real terrorist.鈥� And a third wondered, 鈥淐an鈥檛 he be arrested for this?鈥�
But the truth is that the death threats from Yeager 鈥� a man who is a former police chief, protective services contractor in Iraq, and owner of two companies that provide tactical weapons and training to police and military units 鈥� are not unique. Although Yeager said it more clearly than most, and with more profanity, the far right in America generally is reacting to the prospect of gun control with hysteria.
Yeager may well have been set off in the first place by the online Drudge Report, which earlier Wednesday compared the administration to Hitler and Stalin for considering using executive orders to facilitate some gun control measures. But Matt Drudge鈥檚聽 was the only the latest in a series of furious attacks from the political far right.
The , a white supremacist secessionist group based in Alabama, on Wednesday said that 鈥渢he biggest threat is the U.S. government itself鈥� and described the Obama administration as 鈥渁 criminal regime.鈥� 鈥淭hose in positions of power who exceed the limits of lawful authority ought to be made to live in mortal fear of their transgressions,鈥� league president said.
A day later, Terry Jones, the Muslim-bashing Florida preacher whose burning of the Koran in the Middle East, sounded similar. 鈥淓very generation needs a revolution,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淲e must resist the disarming of the American people, if necessary, with violent aggressive opposition. The tree of liberty must be, from time to time, refreshed with the blood of patriots and tyrants.鈥�
, a Montana leader of the antigovernment 鈥淧atriot鈥� movement and a pastor, wrote last week, and reiterated yesterday, that semi-automatic weapons were essential to preserve 鈥渇reedom鈥� and prevent 鈥渢yranny.鈥� 鈥淟adies and gentlemen, whatever the consequences might be, and whatever anyone else does or doesn鈥檛 do, I am prepared to become an outlaw over this issue! I don鈥檛 know how to say it any plainer: I will not register my firearms, and I will not surrender my firearms.鈥� He went on to say that any confiscation attempt would result in a 鈥渞evolution.鈥�
It wasn鈥檛 only acknowledged radicals reacting. In Wyoming, a state where guns are very much a part of life for many, lawmakers have sponsored a bill that would ensure that 鈥渁ny federal law which attempts to ban a semi-automatic firearm or to limit the size of a magazine of a firearm or other limitation on firearms聽 in this state shall be unenforceable in Wyoming.鈥� Of course, this kind of attempt to 鈥渘ullify鈥� federal laws dates back to the Civil War and is generally unconstitutional.
Yeager found a virtual cheering section on the radical racist right as well. 鈥淗e is saying what needs saying and is ready to rock,鈥� wrote 鈥淔red O鈥橫alley鈥� on the neo-Nazi Vanguard News Network Internet forum. Elsewhere, he added: 鈥淗e is saying what we should all be saying, LOUD AND F------ CLEAR!! 鈥� You f------ idiots, if you let them get away with this shit, you have no life left anyway.鈥�
鈥淎 line must be drawn in the sand, a small spark could set off the power keg of patriots lets hope it blows sky high,鈥� wrote another commenter on Stormfront, which is the world鈥檚 largest white supremacist Web forum. 鈥淚 see Civil War II on the horizon,鈥� said another. A third commenter, 鈥淩osalynn,鈥� put it like this: 鈥淲e鈥檝e been putting every extra penny aside to buy more ammunition and hopefully in the next couple of weeks we will also be able to purchase a few more firearms. They can kiss my white butt if they think they are getting any of our guns.鈥�
