President Trump delivered an unapologetic defense of the Second Amendment during a rally in Montana, vowing that the right to keep and bear arms is "totally protected" under his leadership and warning that Democrats would move to seize firearms if given the chance.
"And everybody here in Montana and all across the nation needs to know that your second amendment, which is under siege, is also totally protected with me and my friends over here that are coming with me to Washington. Totally," Trump told the crowd.
No Retreat on Gun Rights
The president highlighted his record of resisting pressure on firearms, saying that while the Second Amendment had been "under siege for years," his administration refused to give ground.
"Nobody is fought for the second amendment like me," Trump said. "We gave up nothing. We didn't move back one foot and it's going to be that way."
He framed the stakes in stark terms, predicting that Democratic victories would mean the end of gun rights in America. "But if they get in, your second amendment, it's history. It's history," he said.
Court Packing and 'Savage Criminals'
Trump accused Democrats of planning to pack the Supreme Court with "radical Marxists" as part of an agenda to take away firearms.
"If the Democrat Communist win, they will pack the Supreme Court with radical Marxists. Take away your guns. They will guarantee to take away," he said.
The president also tied gun confiscation to public safety, claiming that Democrats would "leave the law-abiding Americans defenseless while they set loose the savage criminals into your communities."
Montana's Wilds Prove the Point
Trump personalized the issue for Montanans, recounting a conversation on the plane with two local allies about the dangers of the state's wildlife.
"How do you like to live up here with that guns? I don't think that you know who would love that to happen. Some of the wild animals you have up here that like that like eating you," he said. "I said, when you walk out in the woods here, do you always have a gun? Tim, he said, actually, actually, yes. What about you, Steve? He said, yes, we're intelligent people."
He closed the point by quipping that the animals "would be very, very happy to see you without guns" and "would gain a lot of weight" if Democrats succeeded in disarming law-abiding citizens.
