Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) just railed against a Republican congressman from South Carolina. Rep. Ralph Norman suggested that former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords (D) would not have been shot if she had been armed.
Flake had this to say to Norman: “I sincerely hope you never have to experience what my friend @gabbygiffords experienced. But to suggest that she might have avoided being shot had she carried a weapon as she spoke to constituents that morning is inappropriate and inconsiderate,” Flake tweeted early Saturday.
I sincerely hope you never have to experience what my friend @gabbygiffords experienced. But to suggest that she might have avoided being shot had she carried a weapon as she spoke to constituents that morning is inappropriate and inconsiderate. https://t.co/gnuSko0qcB
— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) April 7, 2018
Giffords was shot in the head while meeting with constituents in 2011. She survived her injuries and has emerged as a major voice in the gun control debate.
Norman is vehemently against gun control. He pulled out a loaded handgun during a meeting with constituents on Friday. He later told The Post and Courier that he used the weapon to make a point about how guns can be used in self-defense.
“I’m not going to be a Gabby Giffords,” Norman said. “I don’t mind dying, but whoever shoots me better shoot well or I’m shooting back.”
The momentum on gun control rose significantly after the shooting at a Parkland, Fla., high school. But legislation efforts have recently stalled in Congress.