Well, this didn’t take long…
Days after Larry McQuilliams shot-up buildings in Austin, Texas, Police Chief Art Acevedo warned the Austin community to turn into the police friends and neighbors who harbor “extreme” views and who are “gun enthusiasts.”
Acevedo discussed the recent shooting and claimed that what keeps him up at night is the prospect of “homegrown” terrorists like McQuilliams who harbor anger and have access to firearms.
“And that’s why it’s important for us as Americans to know our neighbors, know our families- tell somebody. If you know somebody that is acting with a lot of hatred towards any particular group- especially if it’s somebody you know is a gun enthusiast or is armed with these type of firearms and they’re showing any kind of propensity for hatred- it doesn’t mean we’re going to take them to jail, but we might want to vet these people.”
Everybody wants to help stop violence and mass killings, but what Acevedo demonstrates is a shocking and anti-American sentiment: Our civil rights are not to blame for violence and we should not feel compelled to inform on our neighbors like a modern day Stasi.
What Acevedo highlights as suspicious behavior is carefully tailored to target those who enjoy their Second Amendment rights. Many patriots are justifiably angry about the direction our nation is heading; many of these same patriots arm themselves with a variety of weapons (as is their right). These beliefs and actions should not subject them to enhanced scrutiny from the authorities or from friends and family and any such assertion by a law enforcement agent is both insulting and opposed to our rights as Americans.