Opinion

While most Americans were still desperately trying to figure out how the failed assassination attempt on President Donald Trump (R) came so shockingly close to being successful, at least one rabidly anti-gun extremist in Congress saw an opportunity to try to exploit the situation to promote himself and his agenda to eradicate the Second Amendment.

The vast majority of the general public have no idea who Gerry Connolly (D) is; at least, not before he made a disgusting spectacle of himself during a recent hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Accountability.  During the intense grilling faced by now-former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle over nearly five hours of testimony, most Congressmen and Congresswomen asked about matters relating to security measures specific either to the rally in Pennsylvania or President Trump.

Not Gerry.

The Representative from Northern Virginia decided this hearing was the perfect time to try to rail against firearms, and he tried in every way he could to browbeat the former director into agreeing with him that guns in the hands of American citizens represents a danger that creates a disadvantage to the Secret Service as it tries to do its job of protecting certain individuals—generally government officials and some former officials, like President Trump.

If the Secret Service Director won’t look at every factor that led to Donald Trump’s attempted assassination, including the shooter’s ability to access a weapon of war, she has lost my confidence.

Director Cheatle should resign. My full statement:https://t.co/yfTPHVNrmv

— Rep. Gerry Connolly (@GerryConnolly) July 22, 2024

To Cheatle’s credit, she did not play along with Gerry’s game.  She may have failed to adequately respond to numerous legitimate Secret Service operational questions, leading to condemnation from both sides of the aisle and her ultimate resignation.  But her ignoring a not-so-thinly-veiled attack on the Constitution by an unhinged opportunist should be lauded.

The Virginia Democrat mentioned “the ubiquity of weapons, guns in America,” and sarcastically asked Cheatle if they “helped your job, and the mission of your agencies (sic)…?”  She responded, understandably, “I’m sorry, I’m not understanding your question.”

Suddenly, Gerry realized he didn’t have just another Harris-Biden administration patsy who would spew out boilerplate anti-gun talking points like they usually do:  He became noticeably agitated.

He started treating her as a prosecutor would a hostile witness, badgering her again and again with “questions” designed to illicit a response that would be damaging to the Second Amendment.  Gerry became increasingly upset he could not get the response he wanted, and resorted to condescension—both in his tone and the words he used—referring to how he used “simple English,” asked “a simple question,“ and he “deserves a simple answer.”

Every time Cheatle tried to respond to the obviously leading questions that were crafted to produce an answer that would denigrate firearms and Americans having access to them, Gerry cut her off before she could say what appeared to be something he didn’t want to hear.

Cheatle even—again, to her credit—seemingly tried to defend our right to arms, beginning one response with, “I understand the Second Amendment rights of individuals…” before Gerry cut her off yet again.

Time and time again, the obscure Representative made disparaging comments about guns and their “ubiquity”—always using an odd, almost British pronunciation of the word for some reason—and referred to so-called “assault weapons,” semi-automatics, and, most frequently, AR-15s.  All Gerry could focus on was the type of firearm that was allegedly used in the attempt on Trump’s life.  He had no concern over any of the numerous apparent failures in procedures and protection at the event that allowed a seemingly deranged individual to take several shots; the first of which nearly killed the former president.  And while Gerry tried to focus on the semi-automatic AR-15—likely because he thinks focusing on America’s most popular rifle that he has repeatedly called to ban helps his anti-gun crusade—he ignored the fact that it was only the first shot that came close to taking Trump’s life.

And if his desire to ban AR-15s is based on its semi-automatic operation, irrespective of the theory that only the first shot truly endangered Trump, then he must also want to ban all semi-automatic rifles—contrary to what those who call for banning AR-15s claim.  Common hunting rifles like the Remington 742, Browning BAR, and Benelli R1—just to name a few—all operate as semi-automatics, so they must all be on Gerry’s list to ban.

The hearing was just another example that some in Washington will never miss an opportunity to advocate for extreme gun control, not matter how serious that actual purpose of the hearing.

About NRA-ILA:

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org