The Threat to Civic Democracy

Unsurprisingly, men who like to walk around civilian areas with long guns or semi-automatic rifles have a tendency to end up committing mass murder or other terrorist attacks. Back in 2016 we reported that a young man named Conor Climo was marching around a suburban Las Vegas subdivision kitted up in camo and carrying an AR-15. He told reporters he was there to patrol the neighborhood to deter crime. Three years later he was arrested for plotting either a mass shooting or a bomb attack on a Las Vegas area synagogue or gay night club. This is but one example and it’s certainly no surprise that someone who gets excited by terrorizing people – which the heart of open carry performance art – eventually progresses to mass violence.