My first instinct was to warn Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) that he was going to shoot his -- or someone else's -- eye out, a la A Christmas Story, but it isn't funny. It's sick.
The NRA acolyte whipped out a loaded gun at a gun violence event sponsored by Moms Demand Action, the group started after the Sandy Hook massacre. Norman laid it on the table in front of him while constituents who had come for a dialogue on gun safety laws sat in front of the table where he placed it, according to the Post and Courier.
U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-Rock Hill, told The Post and Courier he pulled out the weapon and placed it on a table for several minutes in attempt to make a point that guns are only dangerous in the hands of criminals.
"I'm not going to be a Gabby Giffords," Norman said afterward, referring to a former Arizona congresswoman who was shot outside a Tucson-area grocery store during a constituent gathering in 2011.
Oh. As if somehow Gabby Giffords was responsible for being struck by gunfire at an event where she would never have had time to pull her handgun and shoot the assailant dead because he had the benefit of the element of surprise.
The MomsDemand attendees were not willing to accept his behavior as a mere swagger.
“Rep. Norman’s behavior today was a far cry from what responsible gun ownership looks like,” Lori Freemon, a volunteer in attendance said in a news release. “I had looked forward to a respectful dialogue with my representative about common-sense gun violence prevention policies.”
“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," she added.
We see what you did there, Rep. Norman. It's unimpressive, stupid, and someone is going to get hurt someday because you think your gun is some kind of sick insurance. Republican men seem to have some serious gene defects when it comes to guns, ethics, and women.
