© 2024 WFAE
90.7 Charlotte 93.7 Southern Pines 90.3 Hickory 106.1 Laurinburg
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
See the latest news and updates about COVID-19 and its impact on the Charlotte region, the Carolinas and beyond.

Husband Of Reopen NC Leader Says He's 'Willing To Kill' To Stop 'New World Order'

Reopen NC Facebook
Adam Smith, the husband of a Reopen NC leader, said he is willing to kill to stop what he says is the "New World Order" promoting lockdowns and stay-at-home orders.

The husband of a Reopen NC movement leader posted a video to Facebook Friday in which he said he is willing to kill people to protect the country against what he calls the New World Order.

Adam Smith recorded the video while he was driving.

He said that he hoped his children would look back at the time during the COVID-19 pandemic as a time when the U.S. resisted what he called the “New World Order,” a reference to the stay-at-home orders in North Carolina and most states.

“And America said, ‘No,’” said Smith, a Marine Corps veteran. “We’re taking up arms. It’s time for us to fight against this. We’re not going to stop. If you want to go to the full force time, we have the forces to retaliate. And that’s really at the end of the day the only thing that’s going to secure our freedom is our willingness to step up and fight. Do we want to pick up arms? Do we want to kill anybody? Of course not. Nobody wants to take lives.”

Adam Smith continued: “We don’t want to kill anybody. But are we willing to kill people? Are willing to lay our lives down? We have to say yes. Is that violence? Is that terrorism? No. It’s not terrorism. I’m not trying to strike fear in the hearts of people by saying, ‘I’m going to kill you.’ I’m going to say: If you bring force – We’re going to bring force. If you bring guns, we’re going to bring guns. If you’re armed with this, we’ll be armed with this.”

Ashley Smith of Morganton was arrested outside the governor’s mansion in Raleigh during the third Reopen NC protest on April 28.

After Adam Smith’s video was originally taken down on Facebook, Ashley Smith reposted it Sunday. She complained that he is under attack by the “liberal media” and said she is releasing the video in full because “maybe you agree with him and maybe you don’t but we have nothing to hide. This group is built on the constitution and that includes free speech and the Second Amendment.”

She continued: “Could he have said it better? Maybe, but that’s not for anyone to decide how a free person should speak their mind. Our founding fathers would not be pleased that we gave up so much for so little. Look how hard we are having to fight to get our freedom back!”

Credit Reopen NC Facebook
Ashley Smith defended her husband, Adam Smith, on the Reopen NC Facebook page Sunday.

N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper moved the state into the second phase of reopening on Friday. The state now allows most businesses to open, though at limited capacity.

But the order to move into Phase 2 was more restrictive than originally planned. The state has kept bars and gyms closed because the number of new coronavirus cases is increasing.

Click here for the latest coronavirus news on WFAE’s live blog.

Sign up here for The Frequency, WFAE’s daily email newsletter.

What questions do you have about the coronavirus? What has this experience been like for you? Share your questions below.

_

Steve Harrison is WFAE's politics and government reporter. Prior to joining WFAE, Steve worked at the Charlotte Observer, where he started on the business desk, then covered politics extensively as the Observer’s lead city government reporter. Steve also spent 10 years with the Miami Herald. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, the Sporting News and Sports Illustrated.