Far-right political violence in the US of June 2025
Kyle Kulinski is a good commentator and perceptive political analyst. He uses a bit more colorful language that I’m usually inclined to. But his quick take on the early information about the alleged assassin of the Democratic Speaker of the Minnesota House is worth hearing. (The usual cautions about the early information on an event like this apply here, too.)1
The Independent reports:
At the time of the shootings, he was reportedly driving a black SUV with emergency lights, fully outfitted to be identical to a real police vehicle. He also wore a fake badge and full police-style uniform.
Authorities say the gunman knocked on the victims’ doors, posed as a police officer, and opened fire when they came outside.
The impersonation has deeply disturbed law enforcement officials. …
“This individual exploited the trust that comes with our uniform,” said Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson. “It’s a betrayal that strikes at the heart of public safety.”
The first shooting occurred around 2 a.m. at Sen. Hoffman’s home. He and his wife were both shot multiple times.
A short time later, around 3:30 a.m., officers responded to the Hortman residence, where a man dressed as a police officer was found at the door. When police approached, he shot Mark Hortman, fired at officers, and then ran into the home.2
The suspect as of this writing is someone who was a manager at a private security agency, aka, a rent-a-cop, of which the US has a large number. So he was presumably more able than the average MAGA chud of putting on a reasonable impersonation of a real cop.
Given Trump 2.0’s militarized response to protests, I can’t help but recall how bizarre the far-right gun culture is.
I could have sworn that for decades, the NRA and assorted other ammosexual types have been insisting that the Second Amendment gives people the right to own any kind of weapon they choose so that when the jackbooted thugs from the federal government show up – or when white people somehow feel vaguely threatened by seeing somebody they think looks like they might be black or Latino or Asian – they have the right to gun them down, no questions asked.
Castle doctrine! Stand your ground! All freedom depends on unlimited proliferation of small arms with no regulations!
So, imagine my surprise when I looked at the website of the National Rifle Association and there was not a word about the President federalizing the California National Guard or even preparing to send Marines to shoot American citizens protesting against, well, illegal raids by ICE goons wearing masks, not wearing badges or police uniforms, often refusing to even identify themselves as law enforcement, and generally acting like, well, jackbooted thugs.
Imagine that! It couldn’t be that NRA was just trying to maximize weapons sales by gun manufacturers, could it? Surely they couldn’t be that cynical and hypocritical, could they?
The reality of the far-right paramilitary culture is very different in actual practice from their rhetoric about defending your home against break-ins.
Major Breaking: Pro-Trump T*rrorist k*lls Minnesota Dems: Israel Attack Iranian Oil. (Presumably he uses the *’s to avoid being screened out on some searches.) Secular Talk YouTube channel 06/14/2025. (Accessed: 2025-14-06),
Two Minnesota lawmakers gunned down and manifesto discovered: what we know about the ‘politically motivated’ shooting. The Independent 06/15/2025. <https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/melissa-hortman-shooting-brooklyn-park-minnesota-b2770176.html> (Accessed: 2025-14-06),