'Like blaming forks and spoons for obesity': GOP lawmaker shrugs off assault rifle deaths

At a House Oversight Committee hearing with firearms manufacturers on Wednesday, Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA) said that Democrats will soon be blaming forks and spoons for obesity because they have linked mass shootings to the availability of assault-style rifles. Watch the footage below:

The congressman demanded an apology from Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) because he said that she had not held enough hearings on crime. Hice also demanded action on drugs and immigration.

A recent survey conducted in June 2022 by Ipsos and NPR of 1,022 adults who owned at least one gun, found that most gun owners favor modest gun restrictions. There were 445 Republicans interviewed, 389 independents and 183 Democrats. (Five people declined to answer.)

More than 8 in 10 gun owners said they are in favor of universal background checks for all gun sales, including private sales and at gun shows. Roughly two-thirds or more are in favor of raising the minimum age to buy an assault-style weapon to 21 (72%), raising the age to buy any kind of gun to 21 (67%) and red flag laws (65%).

Despite the comparison representative Hice made at the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, most Americans do not have strong opinions on obesity. The CDC classifies more than one-third of Americans as obese and another third as overweight. However, in a 2014 Gallup poll just 5% say they are very overweight, 35% say they are somewhat overweight and 56% say they are about right.

By July of 2022, the United States has already experienced 314 mass shootings. It is understandable why many Americans may have stronger opinions on common sense gun control than common sense fork and spoon control.