close
close

Association-anemone

Bite-sized brilliance in every update

    • A right-wing provocateur used racial slurs at the gun hearing
    asane

    A right-wing provocateur used racial slurs at the gun hearing

    Online Niel Posted on

    A right-wing challenger testifying against legislation that would expand the ban on firearms in lawmakers’ offices used a racial slur during a Senate committee hearing Thursday as he accused lawmakers of falsely attacking gun rights of white people following the victory of President-elect Donald Trump.

    His actions drew strong condemnation from lawmakers.

    Avi Rachlin of Detroit spoke to the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety, representing “Groypers for America,” an apparent reference to a network of white supremacists. “This is legislation that targets white people,” he said. The bills he opposed would codify a ban on firearms in the state Capitol and extend the ban to buildings that house lawmakers’ offices. “It’s racial because the people who drive in the Capitol are primarily white. The people who have (concealed handgun licenses) are primarily white, and this is retaliation for the one demographic that voted overwhelmingly to support Donald Trump, and that’s why it was taken out on us because we don’t like you, and so it is.”

    He said that to address gun violence, lawmakers should focus on young black men, who he called the n-word.

    The committee’s chairwoman, state Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, immediately blasted Rachlin after using the epithet.

    Republicans on the committee quickly rebuked Rachlin. Vice Minority Leader State Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, said the idea that the legislation is targeting white people is baseless. “It’s just a ridiculous argument,” he said. “The term you used is inappropriate. And it’s not going to get you anywhere in this Legislature,” state Sen. Ruth Johnson, R-Holly, told him. Both Republican lawmakers on the committee voted against sending the legislation to the Senate for a vote.

    Rachlin’s social media is full of racist posts and Nazi images. In an X post, he notes that he didn’t vote for Trump.

    State Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, who sponsored one of the bills in the package, posted a video after the committee adjourned to report what happened. “What he did was so offensive that two of our Republican colleagues chastised him for saying what he did. It was truly disgusting,” she said. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

    “It was shocking,” said state Sen. Erika Geiss, D-Taylor, who chairs the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus. “And it’s sad that in 2024 we have to deal with these issues.” Asked if she anticipates Trump’s election will embolden extremists, Geiss expressed concern. “It’s definitely a concern,” she said.

    Michigan Session 2024: After election losses, Michigan Democrats are scrambling to shape a lame-duck agenda

    Visitors to the Michigan Capitol are currently prohibited from bringing firearms into the building, except for security and law enforcement personnel. Current regulations also allow MPs to carry a concealed handgun. In April 2020, many Democratic lawmakers called for changes to gun regulations on Capitol Hill when armed demonstrators and militia members entered the building to demand an end to the COVID-19 emergency.

    Geiss was there in the Capitol that day. “I have been in the Legislature since 2015 and I can tell you that even in the days of open carry I did not feel safe. April 30, 2020 was a very different situation because it was aimed at people — all of us — who are in our positions to do our jobs or to try to do our jobs in the Legislature in both chambers of the Capitol,” said Like most workers, she said, lawmakers also expect “some measure of safety” while doing their jobs.

    After the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol insurrection, the Michigan Capitol Commission forbidden the open carry of guns inside the Michigan Capitol. Two years later, the commission approved a near-total ban on guns in the building.

    Contact Clara Hendrickson at [email protected] or 313-296-5743. Follow X, formerly Twitter, @clarajanehen.

    Online Niel
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like