First it was Trump Derangement Syndrome. Is Glock Derangement Syndrome next?
That, if anything, is the takeaway from Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly’s interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
Kelly was asked about a quote from Kari Lake — the front-runner in the Republican primary race for the Arizona Senate seat being vacated by independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema — in which she told her supporters to “strap on a Glock” as the election gets ugly as a call to violence.
Lake, in remarks during a Mohave County Republican fundraiser last month, told supporters that it would be a “crazy run” in the months until the November election against her likely Democratic opponent, Rep. Ruben Gallego.
“They’re going to come after us with everything. That’s why the next six months is going to be intense,” the 2022 Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate and former newscaster said, according to NBC News.
“And we need to strap on our — let’s see. What do we want to strap on?” Lake continued. “We’re going to strap on our seat belt. We’re going to put on our helmet or your Kari Lake ball cap. We are going to put on the armor of God. And maybe strap on a Glock on the side of us just in case.”
There was already enough hyperventilation over the quote before Kelly appeared on “Meet the Press.” The senator, whose signature issue is gun control — his wife, former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, was shot by a crazed gunman in 2011 — insisted that “what Kari Lake said could result in people getting hurt or killed.”
“You think words can translate into violence?” “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker asked him.
Will Kari Lake be elected to the Senate?
“Absolutely,” Kelly responded. “Words, especially when they come from somebody who is in a leadership position.
“And Kari Lake’s never been elected to anything. I don’t expect her ever to be elected to anything. But when you’re a candidate for the United States Senate, you need to be careful with your words.”
WATCH: @SenMarkKelly (D-Ariz.) says Kari Lake’s rhetoric could get people “hurt or killed” after she told supporters to “strap on a Glock” to prepare for the election.
“I don’t expect her ever to be elected … but when you’re a candidate … you need to be careful w/ your words.” pic.twitter.com/7M6ADPh3aY
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) May 5, 2024
Now, just so we’re clear, here are the items that Lake said her supporters should “strap on” in the run-up to this fall’s Arizona senatorial election:
• A seatbelt.
• A helmet.
• Or maybe a Kari Lake baseball cap.
• The armor of God.
• A Glock.
Let’s say that, as Kelly has intimated, these words can and perhaps will be taken seriously by Kari Lake supporters. We’ll indulge his Glock Derangement Syndrome for a moment here. What would the Kari Lake supporters have to do for her words to translate into action, if they were to take this seriously?
First, they would have to go find themselves a seatbelt to strap themselves into. Given that seatbelts are a bit clumsy to strap oneself into if they aren’t attached to anything that isn’t a seat, they’re probably going to need one of those, too. A little difficult to move around with one of those on your back, but OK.
Next, they will need a helmet. Or maybe a Kari Lake ball cap. This is indeed a difficult decision: The headrest on the car seat is going to make it pretty difficult to get a helmet on comfortably, but on the other hand, the ball cap doesn’t really provide much protection unless you don’t want to get the sun in your eyes.
Following that, they will put on the armor of God. Thankfully this item is ethereal since it’s going to be difficult to fit even more protective equipment under or over that seatbelt.
Next, they will have to put a Glock on their hip. But wait — how? They’ve already put on the seatbelt! It’s a little difficult to wedge a holstered handgun in there. And talk about poor form when it comes to gun safety. Trying to shove that sucker in there, they’re liable to have an accident and shoot their leg off.
Furthermore, by the time they get the Glock unholstered — what with the seatbelt in their way and the helmet and seat making it way more difficult to move — pretty much anyone could tackle and neutralize them before anything happened.
And they’re supposed to keep this on until November? Yikes.
Or maybe — and just hear me out for a second, Senator Kelly — this was all blatantly metaphorical and nobody would translate these words into violent actions, period, finis, full stop.
I’m being facetious here in more ways than one, since my assumption — having followed his career — is that Kelly isn’t stupid. He’s heard the whole quote and knows full well nobody is going to strap on a handgun because Kari Lake told him to.
If you’re an Arizona voter, however, the senator certainly believes you’re stupid — or at least that you won’t bother to look up the full speech. You lead a busy life. Would Kelly lie to you about the context of this quote? Would “Meet the Press”?
Yes, they would — just like they have and will continue to lie and twist virtually everything that comes out of Kari Lake’s mouth.
Sure, Arizona is a swing state, but Democrats have only managed to win statewide elections there with centrist candidates, and Gallego is anything but that.
In order to emerge victorious in November, therefore, Lake has to continue to be painted as a dangerous, fringe candidate who’s tacitly calling for violence, among other perfidies.
None of what they say to create this impression has to be true, mind you. In fact, I can almost guarantee you that almost none of it will be.
As far as the Democrats and the media are concerned, however, it just has to be believed by enough Arizonans long enough to work.
Disclosure: Floyd Brown, one of the owners and founder of The Western Journal, is serving on a volunteer basis as chairman of Kari Lake’s Senate campaign.
