A Georgia gubernatorial candidate has aired a new campaign ad in which he points a shotgun at one of his daughter’s suitors, demanding “respect” and “a healthy appreciation for the Second Amendment” as prerequisites to date her, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.
In the ad, Georgia secretary of state Brian Kemp sits in a room full of guns next to “Jake,” a young man wearing khakis and a button-down shirt. At gunpoint, Jake lists the reasons that Kemp is running for governor.
The ad has reportedly sparked intense reactions, some calling for it to be taken off the air because of the implicit violence and misogyny, some citing it as in defiance of basic gun safety, and some hailing it as a victory over political correctness.
Kemp seemed to shrug off the criticism, tweeting “I’m conservative, folks. Get over it!”
I’m conservative, folks. I’m also careless, ignorant of basic safety rules and generally unfit to be walking the streets of a civilized community.
“I decorate with barrels, folks. Get over it.”
“And my wife wears white shoes after Labor Day. Suck on it!”
I’m old enough to remember when the word “conservative” was, if not synonymous with, at least tangentially related to words like “circumspect”, “careful”, or “leery”. Let’s slow down and not do anything silly (even if “don’t be silly” meant bad, cruel things like “don’t let gay people get married or whatever”).
Back in those days, it did not mean “I point guns at people to make a point”.
Because, y’know, that’s what crazy people do. Something something don’t point at what you don’t intend to shoot etc etc.
One wonders what would happen were he to pull that shit in a “Stand Your Ground” state.