Jody Hice, a Republican candidate to replace Rep. Paul Broun in Georgia’s congressional delegation, told a conservative radio show last week that “we have the responsibility as individuals and as states to step up in those areas where our federal government will not,” and suggested that people might have to take up arms in response to “a government that refuses to secure our borders.”
In an interview with Liberty Conservatives last week, Hice predicted (correctly) that Texas would send National Guard troops to the southern border in response to the crisis of children fleeing violence in Central America.
But then he went further. In response to a question about the border crisis, Hice said, “that is the reason we have a Second Amendment.”
“Ultimately, it’s not about hunting and fishing and that type of thing,” he said. “It’s about our ability as individuals to defend ourselves, be it in our own private property, but most importantly, ultimately, it comes down to the right of defending ourselves against tyranny should our government ever become a threat to our liberties. And when you are talking about a government that refuses to secure our borders, you are talking about a government that is not taking seriously its responsibility to defend us.”
“We have the responsibility as individuals and as states to step up in those areas where our federal government will not,” he added.
