Texas Representative responds emotionally to accusations linking Republican opposition to mass shootings.
During a House Judiciary Committee meeting on Thursday, Texas Representative Louie Gohmert had an emotional outburst after Democratic colleagues suggested that Republicans opposing new firearm restrictions were aligning themselves with mass shooters involved in recent violent incidents across the United States.
Gohmert, visibly agitated, expressed outrage at what he saw as an unfair accusation that Republicans were “here for the gunmen” during a markup of proposed legislation to raise the minimum age for purchasing high-powered rifles from 18 to 21. Speaking remotely from his home office, he challenged his critics, stating, “How dare you — you think we don’t have hearts?” He then turned his focus to Democratic leadership in major cities, claiming that the mayors’ policies had contributed to the prevalence of gun violence, particularly in urban areas with high Black populations.
“The Democrats control the major cities with the worst murder rates. Your ideas have been shown to get people killed,” he said, linking Democratic governance with gun violence in cities like Chicago and Philadelphia. He further accused Democrats of being complicit in violent crimes, claiming that they were “on the side of murderers” in their cities. He argued that Republicans were genuinely concerned with preventing violence and criticized his Democratic counterparts for blaming the GOP’s stance on gun control for the rise in murders.
In his speech, Gohmert also suggested that mass shootings in the US were linked to a 1962 Supreme Court decision, Engel v. Vitale, which prohibited mandatory school prayers, thus shifting focus from gun laws to cultural issues.
Pennsylvania Democrat Mary Gay Scanlon, speaking after Gohmert, responded firmly to his comments, refuting his arguments about local gun laws. She pointed out that Democratic-led cities like Philadelphia had been hindered by the state legislature’s Republican-controlled laws, which blocked attempts to introduce stronger gun safety measures.
