In videos uploaded to Twitter, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) received a chorus of boos and shouts from a town hall crowd after she tried to blame mass shootings on mental health issues, with one person shouting, "Do something!"
According to a report from Iowa Starting Line, the embattled Iowa Senator whose approval numbers have dropped, due in part to President Donald Trump, was pressed by one local teacher about changing gun laws so she can get back to the job she was hired for.
“As part of my teacher training this past week, I was asked to listen to popping sounds and then determine if they were gun shots or not,” asked Ellie Holland, a speech and language pathologist teacher. “I was then asked to be trained to man a family reunification center to provide counseling to parents seeking their children following a catastrophic event.”
“My question to you today, Senator, is when can I plan to get back to trainings that simply teach children to read and write?” she pressed.
The report notes that Holland's question was met with applause and that Ernst replied, "This is a very, very difficult time, and we have gone through many of these," before adding, "I remember going through all types of drills as a child growing up.”
That response incited calls of "not like this" from the very vocal crowd.
As she tried to pin the shootings on mental health problems in the U.S., one man clearly yells, "The time for talk is over."
Watch the videos below:
