OP-Ed Opinion

In today’s heated political climate, it is all too easy to witness cognitive dissonance on full display, particularly when discussing President Trump and the Right To Keep & Bear Arms.

Many self-proclaimed pro-gun individuals express disdain for Trump, resorting to name-calling and wild accusations—often referred to as “Trump Derangement Syndrome” (TDS)—without recognizing the dissonance between their expressed values and their political choices. While it’s one thing to dislike a political figure, it’s another to allow that personal dislike to cloud logic, especially when the other major candidates, like Kamala Harris, have records that strongly contradict the core beliefs of pro-gun Americans.

Take, for example, the comment, “Trump’s derangement is becoming obvious, Trump’s obvious mental decline. Some serious POTUS material there.” The disdain is clear, but what is not clear is how these same individuals reconcile their anti-Trump rhetoric with the alternative. If you are truly pro-gun, can you rationally support a candidate like Kamala Harris, who has consistently pushed for gun control measures and restrictions on Second Amendment rights? Harris has openly supported gun buyback programs and pushed for strict regulations that would impact law-abiding gun owners across the country.

Let’s not forget that cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort experienced when holding two conflicting beliefs.

For pro-gun individuals, supporting a candidate like Harris, who is firmly in favor of tighter gun control, while denouncing Trump, whose policies largely align with protecting gun rights, creates a fundamental contradiction. It’s hard to argue you support the Second Amendment when you’re contemplating backing a campaign that is openly hostile to it.

Another commenter sneers, “Trump’s nothing but the same rhetoric of hate speech, what are his policies beside [SIC] getting even with his political rivals?” But again, when you push past the hyperbole and consider the policies, Trump’s administration has been supportive of gun rights, deregulation, and a strict interpretation of the Second Amendment. That’s what should matter most to any voter claiming to be pro-gun. By allowing emotional reactions to Trump’s personality to outweigh policy, these voters are only sabotaging their own cause.

Who Will They Vote For?

The flawed logic becomes even more apparent when considering that third-party candidates are essentially non-existent in the current political landscape. So, for those claiming they won’t vote for Trump, who will they vote for? A vote for the Harris-Biden ticket is a vote for gun control, plain and simple. Failing to vote or casting a vote for a third-party candidate with no chance of winning will have the same effect as backing Harris.

Another angle worth considering is whether some of these anti-Trump comments are simply paid trolling by opposition groups. The repetitive nature of the rhetoric, often devoid of policy critique, suggests that some of this noise could be manufactured opposition aimed at discouraging pro-gun voters. One commenter states, “Supposedly as your TDS progresses, the afflicted lose the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality.” In a sense, this perfectly encapsulates the reality of the situation. Those afflicted with TDS are losing sight of the real political landscape and the consequences of abandoning Trump.

The stakes for gun owners in this election are higher than ever. You can’t claim to be pro-gun and seriously consider voting for a candidate who wants to dismantle your rights. The Harris/formerly Biden ticket represents everything that a pro-gun voter should oppose. If Trump isn’t your ideal candidate, that’s fine, but he is the candidate who stands between your right to bear arms and those who wish to restrict it.

It’s time for pro-gun voters to put aside personality politics, recognize the cognitive dissonance in allowing TDS to guide their voting decisions, and focus on what really matters—protecting their freedoms. The choice is clear: If you value your Second Amendment rights, you cannot, in good conscience, support the Harris campaign.

The choice is simple—if you value the Second Amendment, you cannot, in good conscience, vote against Trump.

Read Related: Kamala Harris’s 20-Year War on Gun Rights: What Every Gun Owner Needs to Know ~ VIDEO

About Tred Law

Tred Law is your everyday patriot with a deep love for this country and a no-compromise approach to the Second Amendment. He does not write articles for Ammoland every week, but when he does write, it is usually about liberals Fing with his right to keep and bear arms.