Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has attempted to portray himself a sane, competent moderate in the current field of Democratic presidential candidates. Despite having little appeal outside of Manhattan, Bloomberg is convinced he can lock down the nomination for president at the 2020 Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee.

But Bloomberg is far from moderate on a number of issues. Worse, he’s a big-government elitist who believes “important” people are the only ones worthy of Second Amendment protections.

For years, Bloomberg has moved about freely with a sophisticated, armed security team. Given his multimillion-dollar efforts around the country to limit the Second Amendment, Bloomberg has been asked if he would ever be willing to give up his own security in order to become consistent with his own anti-gun policies and positions.

In 2019, Bloomberg dumped nearly $3 million into local Virginia elections in an effort to implement a ban on sporting rifles, to limit magazine capacities and more. Since leaving public office, he’s launched this assault on constitutional rights in states across the country. Now that he’s running for president, Bloomberg’s views on the Second Amendment matter more than ever.

During a town hall meeting with Fox News this week, Bloomberg again exposed his elitism and hypocrisy on the issue.

“How do you justify pushing for more gun control when you have an armed security detail that’s likely equipped with the same firearms and magazines that you seek to ban the common citizen from owning?” Clarke Chitty from Bristow, Va., asked. “Does your life matter more than mine or my families? Or these people’s?”

“I probably get 40-50 threats every week and some of them are real. That’s what happens when you’re the mayor of New York City or if you’re very wealthy or if you’re campaigning for president of the United States, you get lots of threats. I have a security detail, I pay for it all myself and um, they are all retired police officers who are very well training in firearms,” Bloomberg responded.

In other words, if you’re rich and an elite, you get to defend yourself with firearms.

With the statement, Bloomberg made it clear he believes his life is more important than the average American. He believes he is entitled to a higher status and the exercise of constitutional rights because of his career choices and wealth. The little people need not apply, despite facing dangerous threats inside and outside of their homes every single day.

“I have a security detail, I pay for it all myself.”

Does Bloomberg believe Americans exercising their Second Amendment and self-defense don’t also “pay for” their own security? They pay for their firearms, for their ammunition, tuition for training and often times fork over an enormous amount of cash for permits required by the state or city in which they live.

But Bloomberg’s elitism toward everyday Americans isn’t simply a talking point, his backing of pro-gun control measures and support of politicians who vote for them have serious consequences.

Women, the middle class and people living below the poverty line are affected the most by expensive, bureaucratic, anti-Second Amendment policies.

In 2013, 28-year-old single mother and Philadelphia resident Shaneen Allen was pulled over by a police officer in New Jersey. Her handgun, which she legally purchased and carried in Pennsylvania, was in her purse. As a nonviolent person only interested in defending herself and her family, Allen was honest with officer and spent the next 48 days in jail due to New Jersey’s harsh gun laws. After being dragged through an expensive and time-consuming legal process for years, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie eventually granted her a pardon.

“Gun laws, by and large, are supported on the left and opposed on the right, but those left-based laws have a disparate impact on the black community,” Cato Institute Project on Criminal Justice policy analyst Adam Bates told BuzzFeed about Allen’s case.

In 2015, Carol Bowne languished in New Jersey’s gun control bureaucracy for weeks before she was murdered by her ex-boyfriend. When she was killed, she was waiting for her gun permit to be approved.

“According to reports, Bowne submitted her application for a gun license on April 21 and went to see where the process stood two days before her death,” NJ.com reported at the time.

Every American has the right to self-defense, just like Bloomberg is entitled to hire a security team. Bloomberg’s ongoing efforts to limit the ability of individuals who can’t afford high priced security teams is not only hypocritical and elitist, it’s dangerous. In America, constitutional rights are not reserved for the rich and powerful. They apply to everyone.

Pavlich is the editor for Townhall.com and a Fox News contributor.