The right to protest and dissent in America has been an important component of our democracy since the founding of our nation. But open carry, rather than open dissent, is the new norm. That is the dreadful reality facing us. We know that race relations are broken in this country. We know that the justice system doesn’t favor people of color in America. We know that some protests aren’t always peaceful. But when a 17-year-old takes the time to cross state lines, kills two people and wounds another and then proclaims he’s “not a racist” and believes in “peacefully demonstrating,” what can we call that but a PR stunt to counter the accusations that he is a racist?

It’s hard to picture racial relations in America getting better any time soon. It’s easier to imagine them getting worse. While Rittenhouse becomes the darling of right-wing media, those who want to make change in America with peaceful protests will have to think twice about going out into the streets to make their voices heard.

The right to dissent is as important as the right to bear arms, but in 2021 America, the gun has the last word.