Unlike the rest of America, the far-left seems to have a problem with self-defense. Over the past week, progressives have managed to be on the wrong side of the issue on at least two occasions.
On Sunday evening, a mass shooter walked into an Indiana mall and began opening fire, killing two people and injuring three. The gunman would likely have murdered far more people if a civilian legally carrying a pistol had not fatally shot him. Fortunately, the presence of the “good guy with a gun” that progressives say doesn’t exist, was there to prevent a higher body count.
Elisjsha Dicken, the 22-year-old man who stopped the shooting, is being lauded as a hero all over the interwebs and airwaves. Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison called him “the real hero.” In addition, Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers issued a statement praising the young man.
“As of now, we do not know the shooter’s identity or motive. We do know that someone we are calling the ‘Good Samaritan’ was able to shoot the assailant and stop further bloodshed,” the mayor said. “This person saved lives tonight. On behalf of the City of Greenwood, I am grateful for his quick action and heroism in this situation.”
Indiana Rep. Jim Banks also lavished praise on Dicken. “I am praying for the three victims of the tragedy in Greenwood this weekend and their families. It’s painful to see this sort of senseless violence so close to home. But I’m grateful a good guy with a gun was there to prevent further casualties,” he said.
But not everyone was happy about how the incident turned out.
CBS4 traffic anchor Justin Kollar posted a tweet on Monday criticizing the use of the term “Good Samaritan” in reference to Dicken. “I cannot believe we live in a world where the term can equally apply to someone killing someone… my God,” he wrote.
Comedian John Fugelsang was also upset that the young man stopped the shooting by killing the shooter. “The Good Samaritan paid for an unknown immigrant’s health care out of pocket,” he tweeted. “The Good Samaritan did not shoot anyone. Jesus was not a fan of killing for any reason, including self-defense. But if these ammosexuals had ever read the Bible, they couldn’t support the GOP or NRA.”
Fugelsang later deleted the tweet.
Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, slammed Dicken in a now-deleted tweet that read:
I don’t know who needs to hear this but when a 22-year-old illegally brings a loaded gun into a mall and kills a mass shooter armed with an AR-15 after he already killed three people and wounded others is not a ringing endorsement of our implementation of the Second Amendment.
It is telling that the knee-jerk response from many of these people was to criticize Dicken more than the individual who decided to murder people in a mall. Meanwhile, the story about an embattled New York City bodega worker who was forced to defend himself is still fresh in people’s minds.
Jose Alba, 51, was charged with second-degree murder by District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office after footage emerged showing him fatally stabbing a man who attacked him in his workplace. Now, after an outcry from the community, Bragg’s office has filed a motion to dismiss the murder charge. Nevertheless, it was clear from the video that Alba had acted in self-defense and should never have been charged in the first place.
The majority of Americans – regardless of political affiliation – have no problem with the idea that people should be allowed to defend themselves and others. But members of the progressive elitist crowd seem to be out of touch with everyday folks on issues such as these. The notion that high-profile leftists would decry the use of violence to save lives, combined with the idea that a man should be prosecuted for protecting himself, further illustrates how far removed these people have become.
Perhaps this is the reason why far-leftist politicians have had a hard time of it recently. Despite loudly proclaiming their love for regular folks, they are awfully ignorant when it comes to how people think. It almost seems as if these individuals are so ensconced in their echo chambers they don’t even bother to speak with people on the ground. Instead, they would rather remain perched in their ivory towers, looking down on the rest of us. Unfortunately for them, this apparent lack of concern is costing them politically. But are they even capable of learning their lesson at this point?
