Recently updated on August 5th, 2024 at 10:16 pm
U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett was accused of saying “the quiet part out loud” after the Tennessee Republican responded to the massacre in Nashville on Monday by arguing there’s not much Congress can do to prevent mass shootings.
Speaking to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol Monday afternoon following the murder of three 9-year-old children and three staff at the Covenant School in Nashville, Burchett lamented the deaths and said “it’s a horrible, horrible situation.”
But “we’re not gonna fix it,” he added, referring to U.S. mass shootings. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have already been 130 such shootings this year.
“Criminals are gonna be criminals,” Burchett continued. “My daddy fought in the Second World War, fought in the Pacific, fought the Japanese, and he told me, he said buddy… if somebody wants to take you out and doesn’t mind losing their life, there’s not a heck of a lot you can do about it.”
When asked if there is anything Congress can do to curb gun violence, Burchett replied: “I don’t see any real role that we could do other than mess things up, honestly… I don’t think you’re gonna stop the gun violence. I think we’ve got to change people’s hearts.”
“As a Christian, as we talk about in the church, and I’ve said this many times, I think we really need a revival in this country,” he argued.
Asked what could be done “to protect people like your little girl,” Burchett said, “Well, we homeschool her.”
Burchett’s nihilistic stance on gun violence stands in stark contrast to his ardent support for banning public drag shows—which Tennessee did, with a bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Bill Lee earlier this month.
“A grown man dressed up like a woman… dadgummit, we don’t put up with that crap in Tennessee, and we shouldn’t,” Burchett said during an appearance on Newsmax earlier this month. “And the rest of the country should follow suit.”
