Right now, one of the biggest issues politicians are facing is their stance on gun control. After the numerous attacks across the country, including the school shooting at Florida’s Stoneman Douglas, the nation has called into question gun laws and demanding change.
With guns being such a hot button issue, most politicians would either be firm in their beliefs or steer clear of the issue entirely when campaigning. However, Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brian Kemp, has taken his stance on guns one step further in his latest campaign video for governor.
In the video, Mr. Kemp is surrounded by firearms. They’re on the table, slung across his lap, leaning against the wall. He sits cleaning a shotgun next to a boy who is interested in one of his daughters. After listing off a list of reasons why he was running for governor, he asks the young man what two things are important if he wants to date his daughter. The boy responds, ““Respect and a healthy appreciation for the Second Amendment, sir.”
It’s a short and uncomfy skit that combines the straight-up patriarchal “father threatening daughter’s potential partner” trope (which has already been unpacked and critiqued at length for being creepy and proprietary in recent weeks) with the fallacious “people are coming to take our guns and you can fight them off” panic fantasy favored in NRA propaganda.
The Washington Post reports that the video received instant backlash, even from gun owners. The publication reports one comment reading, “Since when is it okay for an adult to hold a weapon on a minor, ever? Are you crazy?”
As New York Magazine put it, “it’s a real knee-slapper, in a 1950s sort of way.”
An important organization in the gun control conversation weighed in on the campaign video: “The National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence wrote that the ad ‘delivers a message perpetuating domestic violence and misogyny while modeling egregiously unsafe behavior.'” In a state that is generally pro-guns, it’s a reflection of the state of the nation when its intended audience is appalled by the ad.
Kemp said he believes that the outcry is an overreaction, but an unsurprising one: “Most are offended by my arsenal of firearms. Others think I’m being too protective of my daughters. Some are questioning the legitimacy of my Southern drawl and a liberal lawyer/blogger is even considering a criminal investigation.” Whatever the issue someone has with it, he has shrugged those problems off and said “get over it.”
Brian Kemp will be running for governor of Georgia during the July elections.