Recent comments from top DOJ officials following a Minnesota incident have sparked intense backlash from Second Amendment supporters across the country. According to critics, statements made in the media suggested that Americans do not have a constitutional right to carry firearms at protests—a claim many argue is flatly incorrect.

The Bill of Rights was not designed to grant rights selectively or conditionally. Instead, it exists to protect rights that predate government itself. Carrying a firearm while lawfully exercising First Amendment rights, such as protesting, represents the practice of two constitutional freedoms at the same time—not a crime.

Gun rights advocates argue that equating peaceful carry with criminal intent dangerously undermines the Second Amendment. They point out that the mere possession of a firearm does not justify violence, nor does it invalidate a person’s constitutional protections. Treating the Second Amendment as subordinate to other rights, critics warn, sets a precedent that erodes all freedoms.

As debate continues, this controversy highlights a familiar concern among gun owners: support for the Second Amendment often fades when it becomes politically inconvenient. For many Americans, the issue is simple—constitutional rights apply to everyone, everywhere, especially when they are most inconvenient to those in power.