Been trying to stay out of these discussions and just lurking for any new info on the subject. I need to vent a bit though. A common thing I keep seeing is blaming his guilt on “poking the bear” which devolves many threads to name calling, etc. Did Matt poke the bear on his channel? Certainly. MANY guntoobers do, because let’s face it, many of us distrust and often outright hate the bear. Some do it more carefully and eloquently than others. This does not constitute guilt of breaking the law. I agree Matt was difficult to watch. I find his delivery painful at times. However, I also recognize he is a human being who is a U.S. Citizen with the same Constitutional Rights as the rest of us. It’s far too easy to look at things through a lens to the past and armchair quarterback. If looking at what he was charged with factually, not what we THINK of his actions or what we think of him as a person, can we not all agree that he is indeed innocent of the official charges against him? Certainly the conspiracy charge? Why is it a conspiracy to help someone pay for a defense? At any rate, my point is that it doesn’t matter if we like the guy or not. He did not violate any laws he was charged with breaking. This case sets a horrible precedent that needs to be overturned. I think there are likely far more legitimate cases that could be tried to set precedent than this one. Poking the bear, while unethical, is not illegal. Being an a-hole is unpleasant, but not illegal. These guys do not deserve to go to prison for most if not all of their lives just for being jerks.
And another part that irritates me is the assumption that because his parents own a business, he has plenty of money. My sister is a successful physician. Her oldest daughter is an oncologist. Her youngest daughter works at a clothing store in the mall and takes almost nothing from them. She drives a Used car she purchased herself. You can’t blanket assume someone is well off just because their family owns a business. His wife is losing her house over this. His kids are losing their father. That is just WRONG in my opinion. I don’t care how much he “poked the bear.”