Vegas Shooting, ‘Open Carry’ Guns and the NRA

Top News Today
Last Saturday, 31-year old Jerad Miller filled his Facebook profile with anti-government rants and warned that something serious was brewing, posting: “The dawn of a new day. May all of our coming sacrifices be worth it.” His 22-year old wife, Amanda Miller, posted cute photos about cats and a picture of a coffee table built to hide rifles.  On Sunday, the husband and wife duo walked into a Las Vegas Cici’s Pizza and shot 2 unsuspecting police officers at point blank range, killing both of them. The couple then fled to a nearby Walmart, brandishing their weapons and shouting about a revolution. That’s when 31-year-old Joseph Wilcox, who was carrying his own firearm, decided to get involved. In a blazing shootout, the Miller’s shot and killed Wilcox, before carrying out a suicide pact and killing each other.

“We can hope for peace. We must, however, prepare for war. We face an enemy that is not only well funded, but who believe they fight for freedom and justice. Those of us who know the truth and dare speak it, know that the enemy we face are indeed our brothers. …To stop this oppression, I fear, can … only be accomplished with bloodshed.”

– Jerad Miller, Facebook

Jerad and Amanda Miller were part of a growing group who imagine that the U.S. government and the police are their enemy and that they need to prepare for war. “They equate government and law enforcement … with Nazis,” Las Vegas’ Second Assistant Sheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters Monday. “In other words, they believe that law enforcement is the oppressor.”

Perhaps that’s why the couple left a swastika and a Gadsden flag — which features a coiled snake with the words “Don’t Tread on Me” — on top of the body of Officer Alyn Beck, 41, before leaving a note on the body of officer Igor Soldo, 31, that read “this is the beginning of the revolution.”

Top News Today
Jerad and Amanda Miller were also part of a group of thousands of militia men and women who raced to the aid of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who illegally allowed his cattle to graze on federally owned land.  When U.S. authorities recently tried to stop Bundy from trespassing and breaking the law by removing him and his cattle from the land, thousands, including Jerad and Amanda Miller, grabbed their guns and prepared for all out war against the U.S. government.  In the interest of public safety, the U.S. government backed away from the confrontation until an alternative solution could be reached.

What is going on, America?  Why is a rapidly growing segment of society so hell-bent on returning to a “Wild, Wild West” mentality? These militia protesters, AKA “Open Carry,” are taking AK-47’s and other high powered rifles on a simple trip to the grocery store. For what??? As one shopper recently told a local news station, she feared for the life of her and her kids when several gun-toting men lined up behind her in the checkout lane. “I didn’t know if they were good guys or bad guys or what,” the mother of 2 said. When questioned, the gunmen appeared unfazed, saying they were merely exercising their constitutional right to bear arms. Initially, even the NRA considered their actions “weird” and tried to halt the activity, which was seen as a public relations nightmare for the NRA’s attempt to make gun carrying appear normal.  However, the NRA quickly pulled back their public criticism, realizing that these gun-toting weirdos are the very bread and butter that keeps the NRA alive and powerful.

Guns in the grocery store. Thousands protecting a trespassing Nevada rancher by preparing to fight an imaginary war with very real weapons. The senseless murder of 2 police officers who never saw it coming. Shootout inside a Walmart. Is this really what our world has come to?  Is this what the 2nd Amendment meant to allow when it was created? Are we past the point of no return on gun control in America?