Far-right candidates and elected officials have become increasingly comfortable calling for violence.
Last November, Republican congresswoman and prominent conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia told white nationalist podcast host Steve Bannon that, "the only way you get freedom back after you've lost it is with the price of blood." The month after that, Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn told an undercover reporter that the United States is heading toward "Second Amendment solutions." Far-right candidate for Northampton County executive, Steve Lynch of Pennsylvania, vowed to round up "twenty strong men" to intimidate school board officials into resigning.
One recurring theme in Republicans' calls for violence is a claim that the Second Amendment was written to protect Americans from a tyrannical government, the implication that any action Republicans deem as tyrannical justifies violent actions.
As recently as two weeks ago, Greene yet again floated violence, citing the Second Amendment, saying that, "It's our Second Amendment rights, our right to bear arms, that protects Americans and gives us the ability to defend ourselves from a tyrannical government, and I hate to use this language, but Democrats ... they're doing exactly what our Founders talked about when they gave us the precious rights that we have."
Now, these calls for violence have trickled down to local elections, with comments by GOP state Senate candidate Mike Detmer of Michigan being the latest example.
Watch below.
Michigan state senate candidate Mike Detmer (@DetmerMike) tells a crowd that he wants citizens to bring guns to polling places: “…if we can’t change the tide, we need to be prepared to lock and load. So you ask, ‘What can we do?’ Show up armed.” #mileg pic.twitter.com/emIKnfyqsi
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) January 30, 2022
Promoting fantasies that the 2020 election was stolen, Detmer recently told supporters:
"The Second Amendment isn't there for hunting rights. It's not there for self defense. The Second Amendment is there, the founders put it there, to protect all the others. And it says to the government the people have the right to stop what's going on. ... The ideal thing is to do this peacefully, that's ideal, but the American people at some point in time, if we can't change the tide, which I think we can, need to be prepared to lock and load. So you ask what can we do? Show up armed."
Detmer, who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump, also called on supporters to unplug voting machines if they saw anything suspicious.
He remains unrepentant, relishing the backlash against his comments.
Apparently @dananessel and the Libs are upset with me!
Hey Dana...MOLAN LABE!
😎🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/XgHwWZamin
— Mike Detmer for Michigan State Senate (@DetmerMike) January 31, 2022
When Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel warned against "the use of firearms to intimidate voters," Detmer responded with "MOLAN LABE!" a favorite slogan of gun rights advocates that loosely translates to "come and take them."
Nessel wasn't the only one to condemn Detmer's rhetoric.
“Lock and load” — that’s the new mantra of the Republican Party. They don’t believe in voting. They believe in violence. They are a chaos party. We must choose #VotesNotViolence https://t.co/m2O1D1rfse
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) January 31, 2022
When gerrymandering, pointless voter ID laws, reducing polling places, blocking mail-in voting and eliminating drop boxes aren't enough, threaten to shoot voters: https://t.co/4O0mXSthO4
— Bill Prady (Taylor's Version) (@billprady) January 30, 2022
So @DetmerMike Thinks it is American to bring guns to polling places & intimidate voters. You are inciting violence to change the tide. You know what the Tide is? It is We The People! We will not be turned aside.#VoteBlue #BlueVoices https://t.co/zQ7OMdqG5x
— Bubba Looo ♿️😷 FullyVaccinated #GetVaccinated (@BostonBubbalooo) January 31, 2022
I'm waiting for a single Republican leader to denounce this blatantly illegal, unAmerican call for firearms to be used to intimidate voters and election officials. https://t.co/yw9BF1QmZG
— Marshall Herskovitz (@MHerskovitz) January 31, 2022
Taking the Trump cue: incorporating violence and intimidation as a core of the strategy for taking and holding power. And hardly any R elected or conservative commentators will acknowledge it’s happening, much less mobilize in opposition to it. Extremist wing too big to confront https://t.co/TScGkmwsik
— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) January 31, 2022
This cannot go on. We cannot allow "lock and load" politics. The 2nd Amendment was not put there to overturn the VOTE. This GOP party has gone bat shit crazy. https://t.co/P4vbIhCh2X
— Patty Smith (@PattySm16264397) January 31, 2022
They didn't take kindly to Detmer's double-down either.
I just want to know if @DetmerMike IS advocating for the murder of people who don't support your viewpoint & actively vote against you.
I mean, why else take armed weapons to the polls?
One of the basic rules w/a loaded weapon, don't carry it if you're not prepared to use it. https://t.co/HNrtEgsbN5
— Shiloh Walker (@shilohwalker) January 31, 2022
The fact that this POS doesn't think what he said or suggested is wrong, but it made the "Libs" mad, shows y'all these people are beyond reproach. 🙄🤨 https://t.co/WIX4NymLYa
— Mrs Tony Starks the Iron Lady 🍑 (@ATLPeach_) January 31, 2022
Mike Detmer is telling people to commit felony crimes and kill someone over a lie… and yet he’s upset at Dana Nessel and other reasonable people for calling him out on his rhetoric. https://t.co/6Jwvz91ybc
— Effective Progress (@EffectProgress) January 31, 2022
It remains to be seen if the GOP will denounce his comments.
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