Exercising the Right
Shot Himself in the Foot
Business Insider reported on June 17 about a Republican congressman who decided to betray his voters by supporting gun control and quickly realized that it wasn’t going to be as easy as he thought. Representative Chris Jacobs (R-N.Y.) announced in a press conference on May 27 that if “an assault weapons ban bill came to the floor that would ban something like an AR-15, I would vote for it.” In the same press conference, Jacobs also announced support for other gun-control measures, which sent political shockwaves throughout his congressional district.
Jacobs had previously campaigned as a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. His campaign website proudly announced that he would “defend the Second Amendment,” and boasted that he “had an A rating from the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association” and would “bring this record to Congress.” Jacobs attributed his flip-flop on gun control to the tragic shooting in nearby Buffalo, New York, where a deranged gunman killed 10 people in a supermarket.
The political backlash was fierce, as many Republican politicians and party leaders who had previously endorsed Jacobs for reelection contacted him to let him know they were withdrawing their endorsements. There was also a fast-moving campaign behind the scenes by the chair of the New York GOP to run a primary opponent against Jacobs. Even Donald Trump, Jr. tweeted that Jacobs had “already caved to the gun-grabbers whose proposals won’t do a single thing to protect our families & children from criminals & murderers. He knows this but he can’t resist getting a few glowing headlines from the mainstream media.”
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