A heated debate erupted on Capitol Hill when Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a former center faculty principal, yelled at his GOP colleagues Wednesday and repeatedly referred to as them “cowards” for not supporting stricter gun measures within the wake of the Nashville faculty taking pictures.
The alternate between Bowman, D-N.Y., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., occurred simply exterior the Home chamber and was extensively circulated on social media after a number of journalists posted video of it.
Bowman, a former principal at Cornerstone Academy for Social Motion within the Bronx, could be heard yelling: “They’re all cowards! They received’t do something to avoid wasting the lives of our youngsters in any respect!”
He continued: “Stress them, pressure them to answer the query: Why the hell received’t you do something to avoid wasting America’s youngsters? Allow them to clarify that every one the way in which as much as Election Day on 2024.”
A number of lawmakers stroll by Bowman with out partaking, earlier than Massie stops in entrance of him and says there has by no means been a taking pictures at a college the place lecturers had been allowed to hold weapons.
“Extra weapons results in extra loss of life,” Bowman responds. “Have a look at the info. You’re not any information.”
Massie, who in 2021 tweeted a vacation picture with relations holding weapons and textual content asking Santa to “please carry ammo,” then asks Bowman whether or not he would co-sponsor laws he launched final 12 months to repeal a federal ban on weapons in class zones. Massie has pointed to information from a controversial gun researcher to argue that such bans are ineffective.
At one level in Wednesday’s alternate, Massie could be heard telling Bowman to “relax.”
“Settle down? Kids are dying,” Bowman responded. “9-year-old youngsters. The answer is just not arming lecturers.”
Six folks, together with three youngsters, had been killed at a college in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday. Three 9-year-old college students, a custodian, a substitute trainer and the pinnacle of faculty had been killed.
Police mentioned the suspect shot by way of the locked doorways of The Covenant Faculty and was later killed in a confrontation with officers.
Congress has not superior any new gun payments because the taking pictures, and Republicans have largely opposed any Democratic-backed measures to deal with gun violence.
A spokesperson mentioned in an electronic mail that Massie had “accepted the problem” from Bowman and defined the info he has used to argue for a repeal of gun-free faculty zones.
“When confronted with the details, Mr. Bowman tried to shout Rep. Massie down,” the spokesperson mentioned.
Bowman’s workplace declined to remark. In a tweet posted after the alternate, Bowman posted the video and used an expletive to say Republicans will do nothing to deal with gun violence.
“We will not relax,” he mentioned. “Individuals are dying on a regular basis whereas we wait.”
