Republican congressman doubles down on response to Nashville shooting after backlash from left for saying nation needs to repent: ‘We need a revival’
- Representative Tim Burchett shrugged at critics on Thursday, calling for a ‘revival’
- He angered gun control activists by saying nothing can stop the shootings
- Instead, he called on people to repent of their sins after the Nashville murders
When a Tennessee GOP congressman received backlash for saying lawmakers couldn’t solve US gun crime after the deadly Nashville school shooting — and that homeschooling could provide a solution — he knew exactly what to do.
Rep. Tim Burchett doubled down, calling for a religious revival.
“You know, repent of your sins and bring some kind of reformation to this country… that would be the way we should turn this around, because we have some very sick, evil people doing some very mean things. doing. things and revival seems to be the way to go,” he told Fox News Thursday morning.
His comments have been seized upon by critics, who say it illustrates how Republicans are responding to mass shootings with thoughts and prayers rather than action.
Later in the day, protesters raided the Tennessee statehouse to demand stricter gun laws following Monday’s massacre.
Representative Tim Burchett said a national resurgence was needed as he doubled down on his comments that there was nothing lawmakers could do to solve gun crime in the aftermath of the Nashville shooting
More than a thousand people joined the Nashville protest, organized by local mothers, who packed the building’s rotunda.
Three children and three staff were shot dead at Nashville’s Covenant School when a 28-year-old former student of the school opened fire.
The result is a wave of grief and calls for tighter controls on guns.
On Monday, Burchett said there was little anyone could do to stop mass shootings.
“It’s a horrible, horrible situation, and we’re not going to fix it,” he said on the steps of the US Capitol in a video clip that quickly went viral.
Criminals become criminals.
“And my father fought in World War II, fought in the Pacific, fought the Japanese. And he told me, friend, he said, if someone wants to take you out and don’t mind losing their life, there’s not much you can do about it.’
He went on to say that he thought lawmakers could make things work.
Protesters raided the Tennessee statehouse on Thursday to demand stricter gun laws following Monday’s massacre that killed three children and three staff members
“I think you have to change people’s hearts,” he continued.
“You know, as a Christian, what we talk about in church, and I’ve said this many times, I think we really need a revival in this country.”
A reporter asked what could be done to protect children like his own young daughter.
“Well, we homeschool her,” he replies.
His words caused outrage.
Democratic Representative Veronica Escobar said, “That Republican congressman and his entire conference are telling that family and that little girl that we are not going to fix this.
‘Well, guess what? We have to fix it. It’s our job to fix it.
It’s our duty to fix it.
House Democrats have repeatedly opposed passing legislation to fix this. If not now, when?’