Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz likes guns, but only his guns. Your guns are a big problem, and he doesn't like those. However, despite his best efforts, Minnesota lawmakers refused to pass gun control this session.
But Walz seems to think that freedom looks very differently than, you know, what freedom actually looks like. At least, he does when it comes to countries that have essentially banned guns.
This video is floating around on X. Pay no attention to the text, as I can't find that specific call anywhere, but listen to Walz's words instead.
Tim Walz: UK and Australia gave up their guns and they are still "free"pic.twitter.com/hs7gK2HpiL
— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) June 1, 2026
Walz is far from alone in spouting this talking point, and I get it. These are English-speaking countries (mostly, anyway) that do not view gun rights as actual rights, and most people can go about their lives without worrying if the secret police are going to "disappear" them because a neighbor ratted them out for holding the wrong opinions.
But, on the same token, they're not that far from it, either.
There's a long history of cases where British police have rolled up to people's houses to arrest them over the meme they posted online, or a comment they made on X that was quickly deleted. The argument was that these comments disrupt public order, but the truth of the matter is that in a free society, that doesn't matter. Free speech is free speech. It means you can say what you want, including criticizing barbarian "immigrants" who have rolled into your country and demanded that the entire society twist itself to become the place they say they fled from.
And the British people are disarmed, so they can't even fight back against either the government that tells them what opinions they can voice, or the "immigrants" who stab kids multiple times, then claim they're the victims, prompting police to let the real victim bleed to death.
Australia, too, has laws against posting so-called hate speech on social media, which really just means restrictions on who you can criticize and a violation of basic human rights.
Throughout most of the Western world, we see countries that claim to be the "free world," but who will kick in doors over memes, who think punishing one group more explicitly because of their race is somehow equity and/or equality, and who are tripping over themselves to destroy their entire civilization out of fear they might be called a bad name otherwise, who will then crush anyone who isn't with the program through the legal system.
Just because they haven't quite brought back the Stassi or the KGB of the communist bloc doesn't mean they're remotely free.
And the fact that it started with taking away people's guns, ostensibly to prevent mass shootings that have simply continued just the same, should serve as a dire warning for those of us still in the land of the free.
Walz might not have actually called for mass gun confiscation, but we all know he wouldn't object to the idea so long as his hunting weapons are spared. I won't rule out his willingness to give up his own guns in the process, even.
What will happen, though, is that if we give up those guns, we'll be giving up a whole lot more down the line.
