I believe it was the great philosopher Sun-Tzu who said "Stay strapped or get clapped."
Don't quote me though.
It was, however, Tyler Perry's Madea who said:
"If the gotters get me, I'm gonna get my Glock."
Which seems to be a sentiment that former President Donald Trump echoed in a visit to a South Carolina gun shop in a PR stunt gone sideways.
The Trump 2024 campaign walked back a claim Monday that former President Donald Trump bought a Glock handgun during a campaign stop in South Carolina.
Trump toured the Palmetto State Armory, federally-licensed gun dealer and beloved by firearm enthusiasts, and according to a video captured by the campaign — a Glock caught his eye.
“Wow,” Trump says, pointing to the gun.
"Sir, if you want [the Glock], this one's yours," said a tour attendee.
"I’ve got to buy one. I want to buy one,” he says." Another attendee responds, and Trump persisted, "No, I wanna buy one."
Adding onion-like layers of complexity to this — Trump was joined by Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, and Alan's brother and equity stakeholder in Palmetto Julian. Both Wilsons are sons of another political Wilson — GOP Congressman Joe Wilson.
Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung posted a group pic to X Monday afternoon, saying "[sic]President Trump purchases a @GLOCKInc in South Carolina!"
Where did it go sideways?
In an example of the fourth estate doing its job well, firearms journalist Stephen Gutowski — among others — pointed out that Trump, currently facing four federal indictments, actually buying the gun would be blatantly illegal. Despite, of course, the South Carolina AG being in attendance.
"It would be a crime for him to actually buy this gun because he's under felony indictment. Did he actually go through with the purchase?" Gutowski responded to the tweet.
Cheung rolled it back to CNN later that Trump didn't actually buy the gun, and deleted the orignal tweet.
Current federal law bars people under indictment from buying a gun.
However, that statute was ruled to be unconstitutional by a federal district judge, Trump-appointed David Counts, in Texas in September 2022.
The judge in that ruling cited a Supreme Court decision that struck down a New York gun restriction earlier that year, calling into question a slew of gun control laws. The case is currently on appeal by New York State, as the complaint centered around their concealed handgun permits.
Trump faces a total of 91 felony counts across the four cases. He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
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