Summary5 min read

Podcast Summary: Bulwark Takes

Episode: Sarah Longwell: They Support Gun Rights—But Only for Republicans
Date: January 26, 2026
Host: The Bulwark Team
Guests: Sarah Longwell (Publisher, The Bulwark; Host, The Focus Group Podcast), Baratunde Thurston (Writer, Host, The Speakeasy Substack), Kathryn Rampel

Overview

This timely episode of Bulwark Takes explores the surge of hypocrisy on the right surrounding gun rights, government overreach, and the selective application of constitutional principles—specifically in response to a recent controversial shooting in Minneapolis involving Alex Preddy, a lawful gun owner and protester. Sarah Longwell and panelists dissect how right-wing rhetoric around the Second, First, and Fourth Amendments shifts when political interests and tribal allegiances are at stake. The discussion offers insight into evolving attitudes among Republican voters and implications for public opinion, advocacy, and American democracy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Selective Defense of Constitutional Rights

(01:20 – 04:02)

The episode opens with Sarah Longwell and Baratunde Thurston pointing out that Republican officials and media figures, once staunch defenders of Second Amendment rights, have shifted positions when these rights are asserted by perceived political opponents.
Baratunde Thurston: “The Second Amendment is really there… to protect Americans from the tyranny of their government, which is exactly what we’re experiencing right now.” (01:30)
Longwell criticizes the abandonment of conservative constitutional principles in the Trump era, noting an emerging attitude of “Second Amendment for me, but not for thee.”
Sarah Longwell: “Doesn’t matter whether it’s the Second Amendment, whether it’s the First Amendment, Fourth Amendment, whether it’s the Amendment that says Trump can’t run for president again for a third term. There is a total disregard for the constitutional principles that undergird this country from the very people who claim that they are the ones who, who take it seriously.” (03:02)
The hosts recall the constant emphasis on constitutional rights (receiving pocket Constitutions from right-wing groups), now undermined by partisan inconsistency.

2. The Alex Preddy Case & Government Narratives

(04:02 – 05:16)

The conversation centers on the shooting of Alex Preddy, a lawful gun owner and protester, whose confrontation with law enforcement led to a controversial shooting and official misrepresentations.
Panelists express shock at how quickly officials resorted to disinformation, contrasting the clear video evidence against the administration's narrative.
Quote: “The administration is telling us a story that directly contradicts what we can see with our own eyes. It’s Orwellian in a sense.” — (04:40)
Reference is made to a similar recent case (Renee Good), where confusion over video evidence allowed conservative voters to rationalize away police conduct; but the Preddy case, panelists argue, is “clear as day.”

3. Voter Reactions & The Shifting Ground

(05:16 – 07:00)

Sarah Longwell draws on focus group research, emphasizing how information ambiguity allowed right-leaning voters to excuse police violence in the previous Renee Good case.
This time, she argues, the clarity of the Preddy incident and the administration’s flagrant misinformation may force a reckoning.
Sarah Longwell: “Their stories are not holding up the same way. The government did the same thing. They came out and they lied about it immediately… For voters this time around… it’s going to be harder for people to just feel confused… This one is clear cut, clear as day, no excuses. And I think you’re going to see a different kind of backlash this time around.” (06:11)

4. Impact on the Right and the Potential for Political Change

(07:00 – 08:57)

Discussion shifts to whether the Preddy case will fracture support among Trump’s base, given the overt disregard for gun rights when inconvenient to the party line.
Longwell is optimistic about this being a turning point, citing burgeoning Democratic resolve and calls for action like Senator Jackie Rosen’s impeachment motion against Kristi Noem.
She urges the business community, Republicans, and everyday Americans to “find their voice in this moment.”
Sarah Longwell: "Democrats have got to start going on offense on these things. The American people will be with you if you show leadership in this moment. … Americans do not want to see law enforcement ... shooting Americans in the streets for exercising their First Amendment rights ... That's what time it is." (08:25–08:50)
Longwell makes a direct appeal for accountability and principled defense of rights, not special pleading for one’s own side.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Baratunde Thurston (01:30): “The Second Amendment is really there… to protect Americans from the tyranny of their government, which is exactly what we’re experiencing right now.”
Sarah Longwell (03:02): “There is a total disregard for the constitutional principles that undergird this country from the very people who claim that they are the ones who, who take it seriously.”
Panel (04:40): “The administration is telling us a story that directly contradicts what we can see with our own eyes. It’s Orwellian in a sense.”
Sarah Longwell (06:11): “This one is clear cut, clear as day, no excuses. And I think you’re going to see a different kind of backlash this time around.”
Sarah Longwell (08:25–08:50): "Democrats have got to start going on offense on these things… Americans do not want to see law enforcement ... shooting Americans in the streets for exercising their First Amendment rights... That's what time it is."

Key Timestamps

01:20: Opening critique of constitutional hypocrisy
02:21: Abandonment of constitutional rights under partisan logic
04:02: Introduction and analysis of the Alex Preddy shooting narrative
05:16: Focus on voter confusion and misinformation in recent cases
07:00: Discussion of the backlash and political implications for the right
08:25: Call to action for Democrats and civic engagement

Tone & Language

The episode maintains a candid, urgent, and somewhat exasperated tone, with panelists using plain language and passionate appeals to constitutional principles. The mood is one of concern for the erosion of rule-of-law norms, but also includes optimism for accountability and renewed activism.

Conclusion

This episode of Bulwark Takes offers a sharp, timely critique of the partisan application of constitutional rights in American politics, particularly concerning gun rights and police violence. The panel highlights how clear cases of government overreach—and brazen misrepresentation—may finally force reconsideration among conservative voters and create space for principled leadership and activism.

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Transcript11 lines

[00:00]
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[01:00]
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[01:20]
C
Hey guys, I just jumped off the weekend show over at Ms. Now with Bulwark colleague Kathryn Rampel, where we work, talking about the outrage, the continuing outrage about what is happening in Minneapolis, the lies that our government officials are telling about it. But most specifically I talked about the hypocrisy of the right now suddenly deciding that the Second Amendment is apparently only for conservatives. And so we have a little bit of a debate about what the Second Amendment is really there for, which is to protect Americans from the tyranny of their government, which is exactly what we're experiencing right now. Go check it out.
[02:01]
D
Joining us now, Sarah Longwell, publisher of the Bulwark and host of the focus group podcast and Full Disclosure, the person who hired me at the Bulwark and Baratunde Thurston, writer, host and creator of the Speakeasy Substack newsletter. Why doesn't Alex Preddy get the same pass that all of these other people do?
[02:21]
C
Yeah, this is a question of whether the Second Amendment only applies to conservatives. But I want to talk about something that's bigger than just Republicans suddenly forgetting their commitment to the Second Amendment because they're also forgetting their Commitment to the First Amendment. Alex Preddy had free speech rights to be out there protesting. He had Second Amendment rights to be out there carrying a gun for which he had a permit. People have Fourth Amendment rights against illegal search and seizure, something that was inherent to people who came up on the right. And maybe Elise remembers this, but they were always mailing us. If you were part of these organizations, they would send you these pocket constitutions constantly. I've got stacks of them from my time coming up on the right. But when Donald Trump said that he would suspend the Constitution prior to the election in 2024, what we're seeing now is a wholesale abandonment of principles. Doesn't matter whether it's the Second Amendment, whether it's the First Amendment, Fourth Amendment, whether it's the Amendment that says Trump can't run for president again for a third term. There is a total disregard for the constitutional principles that underguard this, undergird this country from the very people who claim that they are the ones who, who take it seriously. And so, yeah, I think there's a real sort of Second Amendment for me, but not for the going on right now. And there are attempts to smear and place blame on this young man who was doing nothing but exercising his First Amendment rights.
[04:02]
E
Sarah, you spend a lot of time doing focus groups with people on the right and you get to hear their sort of inner thoughts, the way in which they're processing what our politics, our culture in real time. I'm curious if you've already had conversations with some of these folks or if not, what you are planning to ask them in the aftermath of all of this, because as Bertunde just spelled out here, you know, in addition to just sort of the principles, the constitutional elements that back this story up, there is this simple sort of disturbing fact that the administration is telling us a story that directly contradicts what we can see with our own eyes. It's Orwellian in a sense, at least at this time. Perhaps they will give us body cam or additional footage that gives us new information or facts. But at this point, the story is not aligning with the evidence. And I guess for people who have warned and worried that we would come to a point where our government could turn on us, ask us to accept lies, and also punish us for trying to protect ourselves or to carry arms or to exercise our First Amendment.
[05:11]
C
How.
[05:11]
E
Can any of this play with people who worried about this exact moment arriving?
[05:16]
C
Yeah, so let's talk about the voters. So when it comes, if you will recall, we were in this exact same situation three weeks ago. They shot a mother in her face who was trying to drive away. There was video footage, everyone's trying to parse it, look at it. And the government lied then too, right? They immediately tried to frame the story in ways that turned out to be absolutely untrue. But they made, they threw up enough smoke, there was sort of enough doubt with all the angles of the video about this question of whether or not the police officer, that Renee Good, when she was turning her car, did it look like she could have hurt him? Right. Did he have fear for his safety? And so the voters sort of took in that confusion. They had a real sense especially they were like, I'm sad she got hurt, but I'm just not sure. And it's hard to know with AI what's true, what's not. Here's the thing about this one. This one, it is not even remotely unclear. It as clear as day what is happening. And so their stories are not holding up the same way. The government did the same thing. They came out and they lied about it immediately. Kristi Noem lied about it. The president, Stephen Miller, is lying relentlessly and smearing this victim in a way that is so callous and disgusting. I've almost never seen anything like it. And so, you know, for voters this time around, I think it will be, especially when they happen so close in succession, it's going to be harder for people to just feel confused this time. Even if they want to try to feel confused so that they don't have to take accountability for the government that they've been supporting. This one is clear cut, clear as day, no excuses. And I think you're going to see a different kind of backlash this time around.
[07:01]
F
Sarah, I want to go back to something you said about how in focus groups with Trump voters, right leaning voters, with Renee Good's killing, there was so much confusion that they could easily dismiss it. They could say, well, this was a very confusing situation. The video not necessarily definitive. It was easier to dismiss as an isolated incident. Do you think that that has changed now with Alex Preddy? And do you think that the fact that he was a lawful gun owner and was armed, and now Trump administrations are coming out with the most anti second Amendment arguments of basically, well, he was carrying a gun, he was at a protest, seemingly justifying shooting anyone who is lawfully carrying a gun. Do you think that this is actually going to be a fissure within Trump's strongest supporters?
[08:01]
C
I do. I think this is going to backfire on them. And Let me tell you why. Because there's something that people who are big fans of the Second Amendment understand, which is that the reason that people fight so hard to maintain our Second Amendment is because they fear the tyranny of the government. Right. It is about being able to protect yourselves if jackbooted thugs are robbing you of your other constitutional rights. And this is very clearly what is happening in this video. And the reason that you are watching public opinion turn on this is for a few reasons. Number one, Democrats are finally finding their spine on this in a bigger way. Democrats have got to start going on offense on these things. The American people will be with you if you show leadership in this moment. We've already seen tonight, Jackie Rosen, who's a swing state senator, call for the impeachment of Kristi Noem. Democrats should do this. I understand that in the past, people have felt like, oh, maybe this jumps the gun. Maybe it's too aggressive. No, it's not. Americans do not want to see police. I'm sorry, they're not police officers, members of law enforcement, border patrol, covering their faces in masks, shooting Americans in the streets for exercising their First Amendment rights. I'm watching a lot of people on the right trying to make excuses, trying to say that you can't bring a gun. The fact is, this isn't going to wash in public opinion, especially if it keeps happening. And so I just. I also want to reiterate, the people of Minnesota right now, they are doing the work that everybody needs to start doing. Right? People need to find their voice in this moment. The business community, Republicans, speak up for what's happening in our country. Okay, that. That's what time it is.