When it comes to politics and guns, we often hear different arguments why a government should or shouldn’t infringe upon the human rights of its citizens, but we rarely hear about what comes of those arguments. As a result, the deadlock of American politics regarding guns can become tiresome. At the same time, the debate over guns has multiple layers, such as the cultural level versus the political one.
However, in the last two years, the opinion of Tim Pool has changed regarding the Second Amendment. From Occupy Wall Street to starting Vice News to venturing on his own with TimCast, he has been no stranger to conflict, nor journalism. And what started with a conversation eventually turned into a change of opinion. Critical of how we treat human rights enshrined into law by our Constitution while also paying attention to how culture influences our legal system, he brings both argument and experience to the table.
Taking both how we think about the Second Amendment seriously as well as how we talk about and live by it, there’s more to gun control than the vote.
RECOIL: What’s your view on the Second Amendment right now and how did you get here?
Tim Pool: I’m probably beyond the Second Amendment at this point in terms of gun rights. I grew up in Chicago — couldn’t have a gun, didn’t care, didn’t think about it. The only encounters I had with guns were gangbangers shooting people. I’ve been shot at before, but it never mattered to me.
At some point in time, I started producing content on YouTube. I made a video where I said, “Look, I think there are some things we can do in terms of gun safety that would make sense through proper legislation. I think the problem with what is being offered up by Democrats makes no sense.” Someone responded to me saying “You’re absolutely right, Tim. I also think there are some reasonable restrictions we can put on your speech, as well as what you can put on my guns.”
