Guns or government-run healthcare?
That is the constitutional trade Dan Bongino recently put before his audience after revisiting comments from Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan’s Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate.
In a video originally posted in 2023, El-Sayed asked, “What if we tweaked the Constitution?” He then floated replacing the right to bear arms with a right to healthcare.
The video was later made private, but The Reload reported on the remarks after El-Sayed’s Senate campaign gained momentum. The comment was made in the aftermath of the Covenant School shooting in Nashville, so it was not a new proposal delivered during the current campaign. Still, it has followed El-Sayed into the general election.
Bongino Isn’t Buying the “Tweak”
Bongino’s response was about as subtle as a flashbang.
He argued that removing the right to keep and bear arms would not qualify as a minor constitutional adjustment. It would eliminate one of the protections contained in the Bill of Rights and replace it with a government-provided benefit.
That distinction formed the backbone of his commentary. The Bill of Rights largely tells the government what it cannot do to citizens. It cannot silence speech, prohibit peaceful assembly, ignore due process or infringe the right to keep and bear arms.
A constitutional right to healthcare would work differently. It would require some combination of taxpayer funding, government administration and services provided by healthcare professionals. Bongino argued that these are two fundamentally different kinds of rights and should not be casually swapped.
He also aimed his comments directly at Democratic gun owners, asking why someone who values the 2A would vote for a candidate who once proposed removing it.
That is a fair question for voters, even if Bongino’s answer is already crystal clear.
The Comment Hasn’t Gone Away
El-Sayed had another opportunity to put the issue to rest in August 2026. When asked during a television interview whether he still supported replacing the Second Amendment, he did not offer a direct disavowal.
Instead, he argued that more Americans are worried about being able to see a doctor than about owning a firearm. He also said he was comfortable with people possessing hunting rifles. That answer did little to settle concerns among gun-rights supporters because the Second Amendment is not limited to hunting.
El-Sayed went on to win Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary and is now facing Republican Mike Rogers in the general election.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms also jumped into the fight. CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb called El-Sayed’s proposal extreme and argued that other Democratic leaders should publicly reject it.
El-Sayed’s own endorsements page lists GIFFORDS PAC and a Moms Demand Action “Gun Sense Candidate” designation. GIFFORDS also announced its endorsement in August.
Not Exactly a Quick Edit
For the record, no senator, president or political party can simply open the Constitution, hit backspace and replace the Second Amendment.
Under Article V, an amendment must be proposed by two-thirds of both houses of Congress or through a convention requested by two-thirds of the states. It then must be ratified by three-fourths of the states.
Calling that process a “tweak” is doing some serious work.
There is also no practical reason healthcare reform and the Second Amendment must be treated as an either-or proposition. Congress can debate Medicare for All, private insurance, public options or any other healthcare plan without deleting an enumerated constitutional right.
But El-Sayed framed the trade himself, and Bongino wants gun owners to take that seriously.
So, what do you think?
Would any promise of government-run healthcare convince you to give up the right to keep and bear arms? Is Bongino right to sound the alarm, or is too much being made of an old comment?
Sound off below.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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