Tipsheet

Jerry Nadler Was a Total Mess During Wednesday's Assault Weapons Ban Markup

On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee held a markup on gun control legislation, including that which would ban so-called assault weapons, H.R. 1808, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2021. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who serves as the committee's chairman, displayed an alarming amount of ignorance on the issue, made all the more frightening by the amount of power he has. The substantive nature of markups also makes them that much more concerning when it comes to Democratic priorities on gun control. 

During the markup, as he spoke out against an amendment from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Rep. Nadler claimed that "the presence of a gun in domestic violence situations increases the risk of homicide by women by 500 percent, and this statistic is a grim reminder of why there should not be an exemption for domestic violence victims." The chairman went on to emphasize his remarks, saying "so pass this amendment, and you'll see an increase in domestic-in-in homicides of women by 500 percent."

It appears that the chairman may have been referencing statistics from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, with one bulletpoint mentioning the "presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%," linking to a 2003 study, "Risk Factors for Femicide in Abusive Relationships: Results From a Multisite Case Control Study."

Neither the website nor the study mention that it is "of women," as Chairman Nadler did. 

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) then went on to seek recognition, which was granted, to support Rep. Massie's amendment, and also to take issue with the chairman's claims with the 500 percent figure, adding "not if the woman holds it." He also suggested that the chairman's next step would be "to limit all firearms."

In telling his colleagues "let's get to the heart of it," Rep. Roy pointed out "we know that that is where our colleagues wish to go, because that's been stated any number of times over the last several decades, and by many members not just of this committee, but by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle generally in the entire House," which he called "the reality," as "here we are banning weapons."

It's worth reminding that Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), who sits on the committee and who introduced such legislation, in a hearing last month spoke out in an expletive-filled outburst, yelling "spare me the bullsh*t about constitutional rights" when it comes to the Second Amendment. 

Another member, Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY), also declared during a committee last month that nothing would stop Democrats from confiscating guns. "If the filibuster obstructs us, we will abolish it. If the Supreme Court objects, we will expand it. We will not rest until we have taken weapons of war out of circulation in our communities," he said. 

 Our friends at Twitchy also highlighted on Wednesday how Nadler "knows that he hates guns and knows very little else."

You have to see to believe some of the stunning ignorance, which includes Democrats admitting they are looking to go against the U.S. Supreme Court's 2008 case of District of Columbia v. Heller. That, of course, brings us to another point, that Democrats don't seem to respect Supreme Court decisions either.