Tennessee State Republican Representative William Lamberth's recent conversation with mostly teenage students protesting gun violence at the Tennessee Capitol was not only inappropriate, but was criticized for revealing a significant lack of empathy towards the children who are affected by gun violence every day.
Lamberth asked the teens which firearm they would prefer to be "shot with," which not only came across as heartless but also demonstrated a lack of understanding of the gravity of the situation at hand.
Lamberth's response to the students' concerns seemed almost dismissive, as he claimed it would be impossible to prevent every single gun from getting into the hands of individuals who pose a threat to society. However, instead of providing a solution, Lamberth essentially told the students there was nothing that could be done to ensure their safety.
You can hear what he said in the video below.
\u201cLISTEN: Rep. Lamberth speaks to students inside the Cordell Hall building as walkouts and cries to end gun violence continue. https://t.co/8S1O5hutX8\u201d— FoxNashville (@FoxNashville) 1680547167
Lamberth said:
"So you're not gonna like my answer but I'm gonna say that straight up: It's not about this one gun. If there is a firearm out there that you're comfortable being shot with, please show me which it is."
"There is none. There's not. There's not. Right there."
"Every single gun in the hands of a crazy person, a deranged person, a convicted felon... every single weapon out there... When are you gonna be more scared? When somebody's walking on the street with a giant a** gun for no reason."
"Nobody's going to do good with that gun. I understand that. The goal is not to put... But you could not... You could ban that specific gun and you are going to do almost nothing to improve ya''ll's safety."
"I'm sorry, that's a fact."
Many decried Lamberth's reasoning as dangerous and irresponsible.
\u201c@FOXNashville Between this and the California goat story, I am losing the capacity to process the amount and scale of the sheer evil that Republicans brazenly bandy about in open daylight with zero consequences\u201d— FoxNashville (@FoxNashville) 1680547167
\u201c@FOXNashville Don't you love the shrug? Is it nust a TN thing? A TN Congress member gave one, too, when asked if he was concerned for the safety of his child, he responded, "we home school her, so...[shrug]." A SHRUG MEANS ONE OF TWO THINGS: "Who cares" or "So what?"\u201d— FoxNashville (@FoxNashville) 1680547167
\u201c@FOXNashville @davidhogg111 Sure. That\u2019s what they all say\u201d— FoxNashville (@FoxNashville) 1680547167
\u201c@FOXNashville Saying "I'm sorry that's a fact" does not, actually, make something a fact.\u201d— FoxNashville (@FoxNashville) 1680547167
\u201c@FOXNashville Has he purposefully or accidentally ignored all data?\u201d— FoxNashville (@FoxNashville) 1680547167
\u201c@FOXNashville My god this is sickening. \n\nIT IS ABOUT THAT ONE GUN.\u201d— FoxNashville (@FoxNashville) 1680547167
\u201c@FOXNashville Lamberth is not telling the facts\u2026. \u201cStudies: Gun Massacre Deaths Dropped During Assault Weapons Ban, Increased After Expiration\nGun massacres fell 37% while ban was in place, rose by 183% after ban expired\u201d Republican said \u201cwe aren\u2019t gonna fix this\u201d. https://t.co/xzg8R8XAA6\u201d— FoxNashville (@FoxNashville) 1680547167
At least one person called him out for his hypocrisy fon the subject of gender affirming care for minors.
\u201c@FOXNashville Funny, he had a totally different tune when talking about banning gender-affirming care in HB 1.\u201d— FoxNashville (@FoxNashville) 1680547167
Lamberth's dismissive attitude mirrors that of his colleague, fellow state Representative Tim Burchett, who was criticized after he said there is no way to "fix" school shootings in the wake of a mass shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville that claimed the lives of three children and three adults.
Last week, Burchett, who voted against a bill to expand background checks on gun sales last year, stated school shootings cannot be prevented because "criminals are gonna be criminals."
When asked by reporters what could be done "to protect people like your little girl from being safe at school," Burchett replied that people could simply "home school" their children, noting that he and his wife had chosen to homeschool their daughter because "it suited our needs much better."
