As one of his House colleagues, New York Democrat Jamaal Bowman, screamed about gun control to anyone who would listen in the halls of the United States Capitol on Monday, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky decided to bite.
The decision to engage with Bowman had predictable results, but the encounter went viral on Twitter.
Bowman, like other members of his party, believes that stricter gun control would have prevented Monday’s deadly school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee.
Bowman called anyone who disagreed with him a coward during a rant in front of the cameras on Wednesday.
“They’re freaking cowards! They’re gutless!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.
“Force them to respond to the question, ‘Why the hell won’t you do anything to save America’s children?’” the pro-abortion lawmaker said. “Let them explain that all the way up until Election Day on 2024!”
Massie, a staunch constitutionalist who is unmoved by virtue signaling, was strolling through the neighborhood. He came to a halt and calmly asked Bowman what all the commotion was about.
Bowman responded by yelling about “gun violence.”
Massie saw the occasion as a chance for bipartisanship. He attempted to persuade Bowman to co-sponsor a bill that would allow schools to arm teachers.
“You know, there’s never been a school shooting in a school that allows teachers to carry,” Massie stated.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Rep. Thomas Massie just got in something of a shouting match off the House floor over gun control pic.twitter.com/xvRAoxQQPL
— Emily Brooks (@emilybrooksnews) March 29, 2023
Bowman became incensed.
“Carry guns?” he said. “More guns lead to more death! More guns lead to more death!”
Bowman then shut down the potential for any further discussion on the topic.
“You’re not looking at any data!” he yelled. “You’re carrying the water for the gun lobby. Look at the data. More guns lead to more deaths. States that have open-carry laws have more deaths! States that have open-carry laws have more deaths! Are you listening to what I’m saying?”
Massie attempted to save the conversation. He reminded Bowman that a shooter had never targeted a school with armed teachers.
He also asked his colleague to calm down, which set Bowman off on another rant.
“Calm down? Children are dying!” he roared inches from Massie’s face. “The solution is not arming teachers. Have you ever worked in a school? Have you ever worked in a school? Have you ever worked in a school? Have you ever worked in a school?”
Massie ended the interaction after one final attempt at a fruitful discussion.
He approached the same cameras that sparked Bowman’s rant and reiterated — and it is true — that armed teachers have never had to use their weapons to stop a school shooter.
He also fired a shot at Bowman, who screamed behind him.
“We’ve got guns here to protect us and he doesn’t believe the kids should have somebody to protect them,” Massie said.
The exchange was a microcosm of how Congress operates.
A Democrat yelled in front of the cameras about an all-or-nothing solution to a problem that everyone wants solved.
Meanwhile, a Republican with an arguably better understanding of the issue calmly offered a facts-based approach and was silenced.