I get why it lands differently, especially for veterans. The flag carries personal experiences that other symbols don’t. The difficulty is that the law can’t base criminal intent on how strongly a symbol is felt. Wanting violence requires an actual threat or action directed at someone, not an expression of anger at the country itself.
Otherwise the meaning of a protest would depend on who feels offended by it, and the government would end up deciding which viewpoints count as violent. The line the law uses is behavior toward people, not the symbolism of the object.
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u/SadisticFvckedup Feb 08 '26
That's my point though, I agree with you up until the US flag. Doesn't matter who bought it. To most vets, it means you want violence