It's a common Republican scare tactic to claim that Democrats seeking common sense gun safety reform are on a secret mission to take all of Americans' guns.
But former Congressman Paul Broun (R-GA) just took that conspiracy theory a step further in a new campaign ad for his election to the open House of Representatives seat for Georgia's ninth district.
Watch the bizarre campaign ad below.
Broun says in the ad:
"In uncertain times like these, the right to defend yourself, your property, or your family could not be more important. Whether it's looting hordes from Atlanta or a tyrannical government from Washington, there are few better liberty machines than an AR-15."
Broun's claim that AR-15's are needed to protect is an unmistakable racist dog whistle. Georgia's 9th district—which Broun hopes to represent—is nearly 90 percent white. Atlanta, on the other hand, is majority-Black.
Broun denied that he said anything about race in his campaign video—after all, they call it a "dog whistle" because it's harder for the untrained ear to hear the implications:
"Only the liberal press would take that kind of position. There are a lot of white people in Atlanta as well."
One is led to wonder if Broun would fight as militantly for the right of a Black person to walk around brandishing an AR-15 as cavalierly as he does in his campaign ad.
People didn't seem to think so.
Astonishingly, Broun also advertised an AR-15 giveaway in the ad, saying:
"I'm just not feeling like giving up my guns to the government. And I've decided to give away an AR-15 to one lucky person who signs up for email updates from [his campaign website]."
The ad represented the worst of the Republican party, even to Republicans like lawyer and Trump critic George Conway.
Can he not?
For more information on racist dog whistles and how racism is still rampant in the modern era, check out Racism Without Racists, available here.
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