U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman pulls out loaded gun in constituent meeting to make point about safety
A South Carolina Republican congressman is not backing down from critics after he pulled out his own personal — and loaded — .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun during a meeting with constituents Friday.
Norman told The Post and Courier he pulled the weapon in attempt to make a point that guns are only dangerous in the hands of criminals. He was speaking to constituents about gun violence during a public meeting in Rock Hill.
"I'm not going to be a Gabby Giffords," U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman said afterward, referring to a former Arizona congresswoman who was shot outside a Tucson-area grocery store in 2011. "I don't mind dying, but whoever shoots me better shoot well or I'm shooting back."
Lori Freemon, a volunteer with the South Carolina chapter of a gun control group called Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, argued Norman's actions were "a far cry from what responsible gun ownership looks like."
"I had looked forward to a respectful dialogue with my representative about common-sense gun violence prevention policies," Freemon said. "Instead, I felt unsafe when he insisted on showing us his loaded gun and keeping it out on the table for much of our conversation.”
The incident happened at one of the "coffee with constituents" meeting that Norman, R-Rock Hill, often hosts around South Carolina's 5th congressional district.
https://www.postandcourier.com/politics/u-s-rep-ralph-norman-pulls-out-loaded-gun-in/article_ea97bda0-39d3-11e8-b120-3b253f2be91e.html
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