TAMPA (CBS Tampa) — Artist Jon McNaughton is standing up for gun rights in his latest painting.Titled
“Stand Your Ground” – a controversial law brought into the limelight when George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla. – his work depicts a man dressed in soldier fatigues holding both an assault rifle and an American flag.
“America is about freedom. We believe in strong families, patriotism, God, and justice. We won’t bother you if you don’t bother us . . . well, that’s the way it should be,” McNaughton stated about the piece.
McNaughton – who previously painted President Barack Obama
trampling the Constitution and
burning it – wanted to show why gun ownership is important in this country.
“Since our country’s inception, we have proudly believed in the right of each citizen to own firearms. No man, or group, can take away these unalienable rights,” McNaughton said.
McNaughton wrote that he wanted to present the man in the painting to be a typical American.
“The man in this painting can be any American who is patriotic, responsible, well-trained, and won’t back down to any kind of aggressor,” McNaughton noted.
The Obama administration has fought for gun control legislation since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Conn. in which Adam Lanza killed 26 people, including 20 children, before turning the gun on himself. A background check bill failed in the Senate earlier this year.
The “Stand Your Ground” law in Florida became a point of contention during the murder trial of George Zimmerman, who was acquitted in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
