Conservatives insist that they immediately suspected Jussie Smollett’s story story of a racist and homophobic attack because it sounded too ridiculous to be true. Does the same apply to this story of an assault at gunpoint in Tennessee against two Trump supporters? Or does this sound too stupid to be made up?

Hint: This one has witnesses and an admission:

The police report confirms that the suspect, identified as James Phillips, admitted to flipping off Pierce and Pierce’s wife because of their hats.

Pierce tells 13 News that he was shopping with his wife when Phillips “Pulled a .40 caliber out and stuck it in my face, backed up and said, ‘It’s a good day for you to die.'”

Pierce went on to tell 13 News, “I said, ‘Then pull the trigger. Put the gun down and fight me or pull the trigger. Whichever one you want.’ And he backed up and he said it again, he said, ‘It’s a good day for you to die.'”

Rather than let the perp leave on his own after this initial confrontation, Pierce followed him outside while police responded. That may not have been the smartest response to the situation. The police later found the .40 caliber in Phillips’ back pocket with a bullet chambered, along with two other loaded magazines.

How did this master criminal get caught? Pierce accosted him outside the Sam’s Club in case he tried to flee. Unfortunately for Phillips, his mom spoiled his getaway:

Pierce said the Phillips then took off. That’s when Pierce followed him out into the parking lot.

“I went out the front of the store to confront him again and that’s when I got him in his car. He couldn’t leave because his mother was still in the store. And we were having a verbal altercation outside,” said Pierce.

Note to other would-be political activists with firearms: Don’t take Mom on your crime sprees. Especially at Sam’s Club, where she’s likely to get caught up in the free samples or the satellite-TV service desks. If you need a getaway driver, take Dad, who’d be happy to get the hell out of the store.

This could have turned out much worse for Pierce and his wife. It’s good that he got Pierce arrested, but it’s beyond foolish to pursue an armed man who just threatened your life with a gun. Witnesses were already there to testify to the exchange, but it’s a lot easier for police to arrest and convict the suspect when the victim is still alive.

This is beyond stupid for the suspect. Phillips had a carry permit in Tennessee, but that won’t last long after this. Even showing the weapon during a confrontation would be considering “brandishing,” a crime which would revoke the permit and carry criminal penalties. What Phillips did in pointing the gun and making the threat constitutes aggravated assault, a crime which could put Phillips behind bars for three to fifteen years.

And it could have been worse. Phillips might have picked on someone who had his own carry permit and found out the hard way that pulling a gun on someone is one of the few ways a permit holder can commit justifiable homicide. Too bad Phillips sleepwalked through his permit training.

Anyway, we can now sit back and watch as the media paints all Trump opponents as violent and deranged after this one attack, confirmed by police and witnesses. Isn’t that the way this works? It certainly did in the Jussie Smollett case.