The arrest of David Cherry, a 28-year-old man from Palmyra, Indiana, has likely stirred a whirlwind of emotions among left-wing activists.
Cherry is facing a multitude of charges after making threats to "gut" billionaire Elon Musk and "parade" his "corpse through the streets," as reported by Law and Crime on Monday.
The Indiana State Police revealed last week via Facebook that they had seized an AR-15-style rifle, a handgun, ammunition, and a ballistic vest from Cherry's residence following the discovery of these threats. This development may have left those opposed to the Second Amendment in a quandary. While they might rejoice at the prospect of another gun owner potentially losing his right to bear arms, they likely share Cherry's intense disdain for Musk.
The left's fury has been ignited by President Donald Trump's decision to enlist the SpaceX and Tesla tycoon to cut government waste and dismantle ineffective bureaucracies through the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk has thus become a prime target for leftists, with figures like Joy Behar expressing their animosity on national television, potentially influencing impressionable individuals like Cherry.
Behar, during an episode of ABC's "The View," falsely accused Musk of being "pro-apartheid" and described him as a "foreign agent" and an "enemy of the United States." She suggested that Trump could "take a nap" and let Musk do his job, a comment that may have fueled the ire of individuals like Cherry.
According to the Western Journal, our esteemed lawmakers have also launched their own assaults on Musk, with some insinuating that he is a covert Nazi, while others resort to obscenities at the mere mention of his name. This vilification of right-wing figures continues unabated, even as individuals like Cherry issue serious threats on social media.
As reported by the New York Post, Cherry made several posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, threatening Musk due to his role in the government. Cherry's posts included threats such as "We're gunning you down, Muskrat," and "You're robbing the American people. We will gut you and parade your corpse through the streets." His final post, threatening to plant a bomb in Musk's house, led Texas authorities to trace Cherry's phone to an Indiana town near the Kentucky border.
WAVE-TV reported that Cherry was charged with intimidation over these posts. He was released on a $2,500 bond, and his X account has been suspended. Cherry's defense attorney, Bart Betteau, attempted to frame this as a free speech issue, arguing that political speech holds the highest place in our constitutional hierarchy.
However, this case serves as a stark warning. While those who detest Musk may not be directly inciting political violence, their hyperbolic claims could potentially fuel the rage of unstable individuals who then resort to threats or actual violence. This pattern was evident in 2017 when a left-wing gunman attacked Republican lawmakers at the Congressional Baseball Game, and again in 2022 when a gunman appeared near the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, angered by the draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Now, Musk seems to be the latest target of this vitriol, in part due to the left's relentless attacks on him. Fortunately, law enforcement is taking these threats seriously, and Cherry may permanently lose his gun rights. However, this does not guarantee the safety of Musk, Trump, or any other non-leftist figure. The threat of violence remains a grim reality in the face of ongoing political polarization.
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