Donald Trump warned voters at a North Carolina rally Tuesday that Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton would appoint Supreme Court justices who would revoke gun rights, and then he pondered whether “Second Amendment people” could do something about it.
“Hillary essentially wants to abolish the Second Amendment. By the way, and if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks,” he told the crowd in Wilmington, N.C. “Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is. I don’t know.”
The remark provoked criticism form the Clinton campaign and others, who said he was suggesting violence.
A super PAC called the Democratic Coalition Against Trump reported the remark to the FBI as a threat of violence against Mrs. Clinton.
The episode was the latest uproar over Mr. Trump’s free-wheeling rhetoric, which has been driving campaign news coverage since he entered the race more than a year ago.
“This is simple — what Trump is saying is dangerous. A person seeking to be the President of the United States should not suggest violence in any way,” Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in a statement.
Several news outlets also characterized the remark as a call to violence.
The Trump campaign responded with what it called a “statement on dishonest media.”
“It’s called the power of unification – Second Amendment people have amazing spirit and are tremendously unified, which gives them great political power. And this year, they will be voting in record numbers, and it won’t be for Hillary Clinton, it will be for Donald Trump,” Trump campaign senior communications advisor Jason Miller said in the statement.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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