In a post to his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Elon Musk defended the Second Amendment, asserting that the right to own firearms is “essential” to the defense of democracy.
“As tragic as the mass-shootings are, armed citizens are essential to the defense of democracy,” Musk wrote in response to a post by the anonymous account, “End Wokeness” that claimed, “The past 3+ years have been one long infomercial for the 2nd amendment.”
The account shared their belief that COVID-19 lockdowns and mandates, “race riots and looting,” the dwindling police presence in major cities, the illegal immigration crisis, and the recent terror attacks on Israel all point to one thing: the necessity for law-abiding Americans to purchase a firearm for self-defense.
According to the Post Millennial, Musk has openly shared his support for the Second Amendment at other times in recent years. “During an interview in May 2022, he stated that he ‘strongly believe[s] that the right to bear arms is an important safeguard against potential tyranny of government.'” the Post Millennial reported. “Musk also pointed out that many leaders in world history ‘did not allow [public] ownership of guns’ because they were interested in ‘maintaining their power over the people.'”
Musk has also criticized the media for giving mass shooters the attention many of them desire. “Why is the media doing exactly what the mass murderers want?” he asked, following the tragic shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas. “[Mass-shooters] “are obviously doing this to generate the most amount of attention possible.”
The billionaire and tech CEO has become increasingly outspoken regarding political matters, after purchasing the social media platform X, to allow users to freely express their opinions. Musk shared a photo reading “The First Amendment is for sharing memes with frens,” and “The Second Amendment is for when they try and stop me from sharing memes with frens,” referring to the several users who were de-platformed from several social media sites based on their political ideology.
