Louisiana's Republican Representative Clay Higgins made controversial remarks about gun violence after a mass shooting that killed six people in a Tennessee school.
According to him, "gun violence" doesn't exist and there is only "human violence." He called it "intellectually unsound" to say otherwise.
Higgins also claimed that the leading cause of death for children in the United States is abortion, and accused Democrats of repeatedly mentioning that gun violence is the top cause of death for children in America.
You can hear what Higgins said in the video below.
Higgins said:
“There’s no such thing as gun violence. There’s only human violence. It’s intellectually unsound to state otherwise."
“And the number one cause of death for children in America remains abortion.”
In 2020, firearms surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 1-18 in the U.S.
The U.S. has the highest number of civilian-owned firearms and the most lenient gun laws compared to other wealthy nations. Motor vehicle accidents and cancer are the most common causes of death for people aged 1-18 in other comparable countries.
Higgins cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data from 2020 to compare the number of legal abortions in 2020 with the number of children killed by guns. He stated that there were over 620,000 legal abortions and 4,357 children killed by guns. Higgins is against abortion and supports the Second Amendment. He believes that life begins at conception.
Many have criticized Higgins for his remarks.
Higgins' remarks came in the wake of a mass shooting this week at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee which resulted in the deaths of three adults and three 9-year-olds.
The perpetrator, a 28-year-old woman, legally obtained two assault-style rifles and a pistol before the attack. She was killed by the police.
Following the incident, several individuals, including Democratic politicians, have reiterated their demand for better gun control laws, but the Republican Party, backed by the gun lobby, opposes such measures.
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