GOP Rep. Brandishes Gun At Meeting: ‘I’m Not Going To Be A Gabby Giffords’

Republican candidate for Congress, Ralph Norman speaks with workers at a polling place in South Carolina's 5th Congressional District in Rock Hill, S.C., Tuesday, June 20, 2017. Norman is running against Democrat Arc... Republican candidate for Congress, Ralph Norman speaks with workers at a polling place in South Carolina's 5th Congressional District in Rock Hill, S.C., Tuesday, June 20, 2017. Norman is running against Democrat Archie Parnell. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton) MORE LESS
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Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) brandished a loaded handgun at a meeting with constituents on Friday, declaring afterward “I’m not going to be a Gabby Giffords.”

According to the Post and Courier, he pulled out the loaded gun at an event about gun violence to demonstrate that the weapon is only dangerous in the hands of criminals.

He reportedly followed up his comment about the former Arizona congresswoman who was shot in 2011 with “I don’t mind dying, but whoever shoots me better shoot well or I’m shooting back.”

Per the Post and Courier, he maintained that he would bring his gun out at more constituent events in the future, saying, “I’m tired of these liberals jumping on the guns themselves as if they are the cause of the problem. Guns are not the problem.”

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