United States Congressman Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana) attempted to redefine reality during an Oversight Committee hearing in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, just two days after six people – three students and three staffers – were killed in a mass shooting at the Christian Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee.
"Regarding gun violence and gun violence being the number one cause of death of children in America today, you'll hear that a lot. Let me correct both," 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."
The grim statistic about firearms and kids is objectively true, while Higgins' subsequent statement is a matter of personal interpretation of when, or if, life begins inside the womb.
"Firearms accounted for nearly 19% of childhood deaths (ages 1-18) in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wonder database. Nearly 3,600 children died in gun-related incidents that year. That's about five children lost for every 100,000 children in the United States," CNN noted. "In no other comparable country are firearms within the top four causes of mortality among children, according to a KFF analysis."
CNN further pointed out that "child and teen mortality overall surged during the Covid-19 pandemic — driven not by Covid-19 deaths but by fatal injuries, according to a new study in JAMA. Firearms accounted for nearly half of the increase in mortality in 2020."
Higgin made headlines last week when he declared via Twitter that "over time, American communities will build beautiful, church-owned public-access libraries. I’m going to help these churches get funding. We will change the whole public library paradigm. The libraries regular Americans recall are gone. They've become liberal grooming centers." Higgins also has a history of racist taunts, such as when he snarled in a 2020 Facebook post aimed at Black people that "I'd drop any 10 of you where you stand" and that "we don't want to see your worthless ass nor do we want to make your mothers cry."
Higgins' incendiary rhetoric was easy fodder for social media blowback.
Karin Barnaby:
Abortion does not kill any viable children. Abortion is the ending of pregnancy due to removing an embryo or fetus before it can survive outside the uterus. 90% of abortions occur in the first trimester of pregnancy.
45,222 people died from gun-related injuries in the U.S. in 2020, according to the CDC, almost 20,000 were murdered by guns. Guns are now the leading cause of death for American kids.
Republican politicians & judges have seized control of women's bodies & lives, depriving women of their human rights, personal autonomy, health & safety, thus depriving Americans of the right to life, liberty, equality & justice for all, under government of, by & for all people.
MCCULLOUGH: "Great story, Congressman. Compelling and rich. 'Louisiana has the highest murder rate in the U.S. of 14.4 murders per 100,000 residents. Murders were more than twice as common in Louisiana as they were nationwide.'"
Songfourone: "Police Chief Perry Gallow in a letter to the City Council, he wrote, 'Clay Higgins used unnecessary force on a subject during the execution of a warrant and later gave false statements during an internal investigation...'"
Madison Church: "I find it fascinating how they want to protect a glob of cells but care nothing for nine-year-olds being liquified by bullets."
Make Lies Wrong Again (Some Knucklehead): "The rhythm specified in 6-week abortion bans, 'is a group of cells with electrical activity. That's what the 'heartbeat' is at that stage of gestation … We are in no way talking about any kind of cardiovascular system.'"
Vinny "Colin Robinson" Boombats: "And just like that he has people discussing abortion and not the issue at hand. This is an attempt at distraction, don't let it work."
Politically Incorrect: "100% Uvalde: AR-15 Buffalo: AR-15 Boulder: AR-15 Orlando: AR-15 Parkland: AR-15 Las Vegas: AR-15 Sandy Hook: AR-15 San Bernardino: AR-15 Midland/Odessa: AR-15 Colorado Springs: AR-15 Poway synagogue: AR-15 Sutherland Springs: AR-15 Tree of Life Synagogue: AR-15 #BanAssaultWeapons."
KJoJoe: "Aaaaannnnnd…there it is! 'More kids die in the womb than in the classroom.' 'Save the Fetus, Slaughter the child!' THAT is what they're okay with! Here's what I know…we haven't had Machine Guns in our society for almost a century b/c our HoR unanimously voted to OUTLAW them!"
Lord Munson: "What a disingenuous and ridiculous distinction to try and make. If access to weapons is so easy, violence will escalate to use of them in increasing frequency."
Suzy QL (Not *that* Q): "If he is comparing a fetus the size of a bean with a living breathing child, that's heinous. Talk to a parent who has lost a child from a school shooting, and then talk to a woman who's had an abortion - the grief isn't even comparable."
John 15: "Um, babies are alive. You get that, right?"
Susan Anne: "The pro-life party ends at the 2nd Amendment. Clay Higgins is a shameless, disgraceful hypocrite."
Suzanne Duffy: "Oh my effin God!! on that response statement, really?! That's your takeaway on this latest school mass shooting? Some pro-life stance there, sir, @RepClayHiggins, holy cow."
There was one additional observation regarding Higgins' remarks.
dixonnotnixon2: "Note how the young people behind him drop their heads in responsive unison. I don't know if these are aids working for him stunned by such blatant lying about their lived experience OR youth representing the sheer disgust all young people feel to this man and his kind."
