Senator Lindsey “Get to the Bottom of It” Graham (R-S.C.) stated Thursday that he is ready to vote on all of President Joe Biden’s gun control proposals, cementing his status as a reviled RINO — Republican In Name Only — among American conservatives.
The knee-jerk call for gun bans after a mass shooting event is something we have all come to expect from Democrats, but when a Republican joins the choir, it’s enough to make conservative heads explode on social media, a fact the wishy-washy senator is fast learning after a tweet in which he revealed just how willing he is to step on the Constitution.
“I stand ready to vote on ALL the proposals mentioned by President Biden tonight and encourage the Democratic Leader to bring them forward for votes,” Graham tweeted following an address by the president in which he called for, among other things, a renewed ban on so-called assault weapons, “red flag” laws, and expanded background checks.
“I also stand ready to work across the aisle to find common ground — something that was absent from President Biden’s address to the nation,” Graham added.
I also stand ready to work across the aisle to find common ground – something that was absent from President Biden’s address to the nation.
(2/2)
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) June 3, 2022
It’s the kind of passive-aggressive response that has come to define Graham’s political career in the minds of many Republicans who, in increasing numbers, are moving away from old-school GOP candidates and towards bold, decisive “America First” representatives and governors.
As Tucker Carlson noted in his critique of Biden’s assault on the 2nd Amendment, “there’s precisely no evidence at all and never has been that larger magazines somehow inspire mass shootings.”
“But of course, saving lives is not the point of this. Disarming you is the point,” the Fox News host stated.
‘Disarming you is the point’: Tucker slams Biden’s gun control speech https://t.co/Xj7M82hwLO
— American Wire News (@americanwire_) June 3, 2022
And it’s a point Senator Graham seemed to grasp just over a year ago.
“In 1994, there was an Assault Weapons Ban — the evidence indicates there was really no change at all in crime, because the crooks are going to get a gun!” he tweeted on, of all days, April Fool’s Day in 2021.
“Now, why would anybody need to own an AR-15?” he asked. “If there is a breakdown of law and order, and that can happen — we’ve seen it happen in our major cities. Remember Hugo, where people were isolated for days? Remember Katrina?”
“It’s not impossible to find yourself in the modern world without any police protection, because that’s just the way the times are in which we live in,” he continued. “We’re talking about defunding the police!”
For a photo op, Graham went to Palmetto State Armory in Greenville, S.C., and shot off a few rounds from an AR-15.
“In South Carolina, we take seriously the right to bear arms, but also the responsibility that comes from owning a weapon,” he told the press.
To his credit, Graham called for a vote on an assault weapons ban back then, too, WYFF reported at the time.
“Lets bring them all to the floor,” he said of Biden’s anti-gun proposals. “Let’s vote. Maybe we can find some compromise, but I want to put every United States Senator on the record as to where they stand on the Second Amendment.”
Now, why would anybody need to own an AR-15?
If there is a breakdown of law and order, and that can happen — we've seen it happen in our major cities.
Remember Hugo, where people were isolated for days? Remember Katrina?
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) April 1, 2021
It’s not impossible to find yourself in the modern world without any police protection, because that’s just the way the times are in which we live in.
We’re talking about defunding the police!
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) April 1, 2021
So, is that Graham’s intention now?
Some users on Twitter, noting the senator’s wording, think that may be the case.
“You carefully worded your tweet to, ‘vote ON’ and not, ‘vote FOR,'” tweeted one user. “Pretty sure most picked up on this, Lindsay (sic).”
You carefully worded your tweet to, “vote ON” and not, “vote FOR”. Pretty sure most picked up on this, Lindsay.
— SonarMan🎧⚓️🇵🇭🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@Sonar706) June 3, 2022
While people may have picked up on the subtly nuanced wording, most were simply too angry to acknowledge it.
Below, find a small sample of the more common reactions:
I’m a registered voter in SC. Stay away from our guns and the second amendment. Also, your political days are numbered. Hope you made enough money from China and laundering tax payer dollars.
— TrumpGirl4Eva (@eva_girl4) June 3, 2022
Its now very clear that Lindsey Graham is a Jackass disguised as a RINO!
— 🍊Jeffrey 🇺🇸 (@Jeffrey64230099) June 3, 2022
So @LindseyGrahamSC is a Rino. If him or any other so called Republican votes against our 2A we Americans will need to treat him and the other wan-a-b democrats like the anti-americans they are. Vote them out. You vote against our right, we’ll vote against you!#FJB AND RINOs too!
— Bruce B @MAGA (@bruceb081467) June 4, 2022
GFY You globalist scumbag.
— DR. Smith (@Lifeisee4me) June 4, 2022
And we should believe you…why exactly? pic.twitter.com/qCIGqeIDsm
— Lisa Zaentz (@LisaZaentz) June 3, 2022
The worst mistake President Trump made was endorsing you during the primary.
— Mandy ✝☕ (@SpringSteps) June 3, 2022
I love that when people that are surrounded by armed security are telling me I can’t have weapons to defend myself.
— You_Died (@YouDied66346067) June 3, 2022
Have I mentioned how much a hate POS backstabbing loser Lindsey Graham lately? https://t.co/iIgH7nhGx9
— Catturd â„¢ (@catturd2) June 3, 2022
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