Having Rights Doesn’t Always Mean We Should Use Them
Conservatives are some of the most vocal individuals when it comes to protecting our constitutional rights. We vigorously oppose any effort to allow the government to infringe on the liberty given to us by our Creator. However, it is important to remember that just because we have the right to do something, it doesn’t mean that we should.
Hours after the shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas, an unidentified man showed up at the crime scene and made a statement that was correct but was delivered in poor taste. As conservatives, we often slam the left for their bad behavior, but in the interest of intellectual honesty, we must be willing to call out our own when the situation warrants it.
Man Wearing MAGA Hat Open Carries At Santa Fe High School
Several people were present on the scene at Santa Fe High School after the shooting. One man appeared with an American flag, a MAGA hat, and a pistol on his hip. Texas is an open carry state, so his actions did not violate any law.
When reporters approached this individual, he stated that when he heard about the shooting, he wanted to “get to the school, make America great again.” He also said that he wanted to offer support to the people gathered there. “Just God bless Y’all, will go a long ways right now for a lot of people,” he said, before walking away.
2nd Amendment Supporter Offers Criticism
Another individual at the scene had some harsh words for the armed man. He stated that he was also a supporter of the 2nd Amendment, but he took issue with the statement being made. “That’s not what America needs,” he told reporters. “This idiot is walking down the street with a damn pistol on the site where we just had kids get shot.” He also said that the man’s actions were “an embarrassment.”
The second man also excoriated the armed individual for using the scene of the attack to make a political statement. “I have guns…but this idiot is walking down here saying ‘make America great again,’ that’s not what America needs,” he said. “America needs prayers; we don’t need this crap.”
We Should Use Our Rights Responsibly
The armed individual in the video likely had pure intentions. There is no reason to believe that he wanted to be disrespectful of the victims of the attack. However, it was an ill-advised move.
Conservatives often attack the left for jumping on the opportunity to politicize tragedies such as these — and rightly so. However, behaving like the man in the video did only gives the left more ammunition against us. Showing up at the site of a school shooting that killed children while wearing a gun on your hip and uttering political slogans is also worthy of sharp criticism.
Again, the armed individual was well within his legal rights to do what he did. There is no debating that point. However, while we may not be legally obligated to exercise our rights responsibly, we are morally obligated to use our God-given liberty appropriately.
