During the first day of Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hearings on Tuesday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), made an interesting accusation: saying that he's "beyond pro-gun" and more people would die in mass shooting should he be confirmed.
Huffington Post's live updates detail exactly what Feinstein said:
After expressing her doubts on Brett Kavanaugh’s ability to protect the privacy rights of all Americans, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) challenged the nominee’s stance on gun control policy.
“It’s pretty clear that your views go way beyond simply being ‘pro-gun,’” Feinstein began. She said Kavanaugh has concluded that banning assault weapons is unconstitutional because they haven’t historically been banned, accusing his reasoning of being “far outside the mainstream of political thoughts.”
The California senator then referenced the number of school shootings since the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, saying there have been 273 school shootings, a number that appears to be as of February.
“If the Supreme Court were to adopt your reasoning,” she said, “I feel the number of victims would continue to grow. Even [former Supreme Court Justice Antonin] Scalia understood that weapons that are most useful in military service can in fact be regulated.”
Watch part of the clip:
.@SenFeinstein: “If the Supreme Court were to adopt your reasoning I fear the number of victims would continue to grow and citizens would be rendered powerless in enacting sensible gun laws.” pic.twitter.com/gj08RtJVM2
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 4, 2018
The two had an interesting dialogue surrounding the Second Amendment, as reported by The Washington Times:
Senator Feinstein asked Kavanaugh why he dissented with his colleagues on the D.C. federal appeals court over a ruling where they upheld a ban on semi-automatic rifles.
“Semi-automatic rifles are widely possessed in the United States,” Kavanaugh said. “That seems to fit ‘common use’ and not being a dangerous and unusual weapon.”
“You’re saying the numbers determine common use?” Feinstein asked.
“They are widely possessed in the United States, senator, and they are used and possessed,” Kavanaugh responded. “I understand the issue, but as a judge my job as I saw it was to follow the Second Amendment opinion of the Supreme Court whether I agree with it or disagree with it."
Here's the exchange:
Brett Kavanaugh just argued that semi-automatic rifles aren't 'dangerous and unusual' to defend his ruling that an assault weapons ban was unconstitutional pic.twitter.com/7Gcsy5q1Zk
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) September 5, 2018
Feinstein then took to Twitter to shame Kavanaugh for his stance on the Second Amendment:
Brett Kavanaugh is one the nation’s most extreme judges on guns. Five circuit courts, including his own, have upheld assault-weapons bans, but he would have struck down D.C.’s ban. #WhatsAtStake https://t.co/BFqZ4i4Co1
— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) September 5, 2018
Feinstein's assertion that more people would die if Kavanaugh would be confirmed because of his pro-gun stance and his refusal to agree with her assault weapons ban is nothing shy of anti-gun rhetoric at its finest.