During a town hall in his Colorado district Tuesday night, Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) faced a barrage of questions about gun control in the wake of the deadly school shooting in Florida last week.
During a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting, several attendees called for action on gun control instead of prayers.
“We’re done with thoughts and prayers!” one audience member yelled out during the moment of silence, according to the Associated Press.
Dozens at town hall held by Rep. Mike Coffman refuse to honor a requested moment of silence for shooting victims of #ParklandShooting. Several shout they are "sick and tired of thoughts and prayers." pic.twitter.com/ELijMDPouq
— Rob McClure ?? (@RobCBS4) February 21, 2018
Attendees held signs related to gun control, including one that noted the National Rifle Association’s contributions to Coffman’s campaign. And several audience members asked the congressman about gun control efforts — his district includes the town of Aurora, the site of a deadly 2012 shooting at a movie theater.
One woman asked him how he would work to keep weapons like the AR-15 out of civilian hands. Another woman identified herself as the wife of a first responder who was at the scene of the Columbine high school shooting, also in Colorado. She told Coffman that a 19-year-old should not be able to buy a “weapon of mass destruction.”
In response, Coffman said that laws won’t necessarily stop the next tragedy.
Watch clips from the town hall via Fox 31 in Denver: