A fundraising email from a far-right gun-oriented organisation told supporters to prepare for "battle" with "commies" in Washington DC just hours before the start of the Capitol riot hearing.
American Firearms Association sent an email on Monday to supporters urging them to help stop potential gun reform legislation in the wake of a spate of mass shootings, including one in Uvalde that left 19 students and two faculty members dead at Robb Elementary School last month.
According to The Huffington Post, the email's subject line stated: "They're coming after us right now."
"Our federal legislative team believes that because of the enormity of the battle this week in DC, there will be thousands or even tens of thousands of Bloomberg-funded, red shirt radical, commie mommies all over the Capitol complex," the email said, likely referencing Moms Demand Action, which focuses on gun safety advocacy. "This is their Super Bowl. You and I should be looking at this battle in exactly the same way."
There are currently no details about the gun safety legislation being worked on in Congress.
Sources speaking to Politico suggest that the legislation is likely to include more requirements for federal background checks, incentives for states to adopt "red-flag laws" and for further funding for mental health programs.
Despite the relatively moderate reform measures being considered, the AFA's email presents the discussions as an existential threat to gun owners.
“With the gun-grabbers in Congress launching their full-frontal assault on our Second Amendment rights RIGHT NOW, our entire AFA staff is on red alert,” the email reads.
There has been no known discussion among sitting Congressional members about gun confiscations.
The group continued its fear mongering, suggesting that left wing groups would somehow try to disrupt its "systems."
“We fully expect our systems to be attacked by nefarious, left-wing actors who want to shut our systems down and stop your voice from reaching into Congressional offices on Capitol Hill,” the group said.
Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, mocked the AFA's rhetoric in a Twitter post.
"The American Firearms Association is telling its supporters to prepare for ‘battle’ with ‘thousands or even tens of thousands of … red shirt radical, commie mommies all over the Capitol complex,’" she said. "I love that we scare men who can’t go on a toilet paper run without guns."
The Independent has reached out to the AFA for comment.
The fundraising email comes at a time when lawmakers are gathering at the Capitol for the 6 January public hearings, which will focus on former President Donald Trump’s role in the violent attack in Washington DC that day.
