Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is facing harsh criticism after she bragged about telling a British reporter to "go back to your country" after they asked her to comment about the disparity in gun violence between the United States and the United Kingdom.
Greene shared a clip of the exchange via her official Twitter account and lambasted the British press for wanting "to argue about our God-given American rights," all the while gloating about her xenophobic retort.
You can watch it below.
\u201cWhen British press wants to argue about our God-given American gun rights, my answer is: \u201cgo back to your own country.\u201d\u201d— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1655940333
The female reporter, whose identity is unclear, had noted to Greene that while there are "no guns" in the U.K., "we don’t have mass shootings either."
The reporter added that children in the U.K. "aren’t scared to go to school," a nod to the recent mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that resulted in the deaths of 19 children and two teachers and has fueled much of the current nationwide debate about firearm usage and accessability.
Greene, who appeared at the event with other prominent House Republicans who have been vocal about their opposition toward comprehensive gun control measures, replied:
“You have mass stabbings, lady. You have all kinds of murder and you’ve got laws against that.”
When the reporter pointed out that the rate of knife crime in the U.K. is nothing like the rate of mass shootings in the U.S., Greene quickly told her to "go back to your country and worry about your no guns. We like ours here."
But Greene's words were not as well received as she might have believed, and many criticized her for her xenophobic remarks.
\u201cDo you really think you came off well in this exchange? You sounded like the ignorant fool that you are.\u201d— Blue Dot In The FL Panhandle \ud83d\udc99 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Blue Dot In The FL Panhandle \ud83d\udc99 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1656000650
\u201cWe will. It's nice living in a country where we don't have to worry that any given maniac can decide 'I'm having a bad day. Guess I'll go and shoot some babies in the head.'\u201d— Darryl (@Darryl) 1655984194
\u201cBritish journalists will come back home and thank themselves their children don't have to worry about being SHOT DEAD at school.\n\nWe had 1 school shooting in 1997, banned most guns & implemented strict controls\n\nNO school shootings since & low gun crime\n\nThe U.S on the other hand\u201d— Alex Tiffin (@Alex Tiffin) 1655962312
\u201cconsidering how much republicans love to scream about crime statistics it's shocking how little they look at them\n\nwhat a hack\u201d— Mute (wife arc) (@Mute (wife arc)) 1655988417
\u201c"Blessed are the AR 15s, for they shall rip the bodies of small children in two, and my god demands endless blood sacrifice"\n\nain't nowhere in the Bible.\u201d— Kristi 'Stop Christian Fascism' Winters (@Kristi 'Stop Christian Fascism' Winters) 1655982845
\u201cThis woman is so twisted she thinks this is something to capitalize on. I\u2019m literally embarrassed for our country\u201d— Layla Benson (@Layla Benson) 1655948557
\u201cRepublican god cares about gun rights but not about dead school children. What kind of psychotic god do these people worship?\u201d— Jen Henry (@Jen Henry) 1655948861
\u201cGod I'm so embarrassed to be from Georgia sometimes\u201d— Josiah(tv)\ud83e\udd51\ud83c\udfcf\ud83c\udfc9 (@Josiah(tv)\ud83e\udd51\ud83c\udfcf\ud83c\udfc9) 1655951925
\u201cMass stabbings??? I would feel much better being in that situation than having an assault rifle shooting at me.\u201d— \u270a\ud83c\udfff\u270a\ud83c\udffbRyanG\u270a\ud83c\udffe\u270a\ud83c\udffd (@\u270a\ud83c\udfff\u270a\ud83c\udffbRyanG\u270a\ud83c\udffe\u270a\ud83c\udffd) 1655954580
In the U.K., access by the general public to firearms is subject to some of the strictest control measures in the world. While the law currently permits the general public to own sporting rifles and shotguns, such ownership is subject to licensing.
While restrictions were enacted following the 1987 Hungerford killings, they became more pronounced following the Dunblane massacre, which took place at Dunblane Primary School near Stirling, Scotland, in 1996, when a lone gunman killed 16 students and one teacher and injured 15 others before killing himself.
The massacre angered and galvanized both the general public and lawmakers, sparking a public campaign known as the Snowdrop Petition that culminated in Parliament approving a series of measures that included banning private ownership of most handguns, banning semi-automatic weapons, and mandating registration for shotgun owners.
There have been only two mass shootings since, and only five mass shootings carried out by a civilian in the entire history of Great Britain.
