Arizona is an open carry state, meaning anyone over 18 years of age can carry a firearm without a permit.
That means voters are being intimidated, according to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.
“In Arizona, one of the things we have to think about is the fact that Arizona is an open carry state, and a lot of the far-right in Arizona has been willing to use their open carry privilege as a form of political intimidation,” Maddow stated.
Rachel Maddow: “In Arizona, one of the things we have to think about is the fact that Arizona is an open carry state, and a lot of the far-right in Arizona has been willing to use their open carry privilege as a form of political intimidation…”pic.twitter.com/LBiIhLH2vb
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) November 9, 2022
Maddow, of course, is playing to her audience, such as it is, attempting to portray gun-crazy Arizonans willing to do anything to get their way.
But given the excessive politeness one sees in gun stores, on gun ranges and at gun shows, it’s possible Maddow is hoisting a possible excuse for possible Republican election victories in Arizona.
There have been individuals from Clean Elections USA monitoring Arizona ballot drop boxes, according to KSAZ-TV. They were sued, but a federal judge ruled they were allowed to continue their observations.
What may have set off Maddow were some heavily armed self-described “poll watchers” near ballot drop boxes in Mesa, Arizona, but there’s no evidence they had any official capacity.
Is Maddow blaming guns for Republican election wins?
Yes: 100% (21 Votes)
No: 0% (0 Votes)
But their visibility got a lot of media attention, including stories in Barrons, CNBC, The Seattle Times and even Japan Times.
The presence of these individuals watching the boxes hardly amounts to a situation of voters being intimidated by open carry of firearms.
And media that are upset about them, along with Maddow, fail to note the true intimidation that took place in 2008 when a couple of members of the New Black Panther party stood outside a polling place in Philadelphia, one of them armed with a club, and made racial taunts against white people, according to the Heritage Foundation.
While the Justice Department dismissed charges against three individuals and the national New Black Panther Party, at a hearing before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights regarding the Philadelphia incident, several of the Panthers entered the hearing room in intimidating black uniforms.
In the hearing room, one of the Panthers photographed three witnesses who were providing testimony against them.
So it went beyond voter intimidation to attempts to intimidate participants in justice.
But with looming Republican victories not only in Arizona, the headlines and cable news programs on Wednesday and beyond, perhaps, may be echoing Maddow — Republicans won because they carry guns.
