Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, slammed House Democrats by teleconference Thursday, accusing the group of being divisive during the ongoing gun legislation debates.
During a House Judiciary Committee markup, where gun control measures such as raising the minimum age for purchasing semi-automatic rifles and placing restrictions on high-capacity magazines were being presented, Gohmert excoriated the Democratic leaders.
"I don't think that it's very effective for the children to have people on the other side of the aisle come in and accuse Republicans of being complicit in murder and that we put our right to kill over others' right to live, to infer by rhetorical supposed questions, 'Who are you here for? We must be here for the gunman,' is an outrage," Gohmert said.
The Texas Republican also interjected, "How dare you! You think we don't have hearts?"
Gohmert then ratcheted up the discord between the political parties, providing information that details higher murder rates in Democratic-controlled cities.
"We care about people. We care about their lives, and lives have been so trivialized. We care deeply. How dare you! How dare you, you arrogant people, attributing murder to those of us that want to do things to stop it. Because we've seen what your ideas do. They create more murder."
The complicated notion of gun reform has always been a source of contention among Republicans and Democrats. But the national spotlight now shines brighter on the issue in the wake of recent shootings in Buffalo, New York; Uvalde, Texas; and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In last week's Uvalde shooting, 18-year-old suspect Salvador Ramos allegedly opened fire on a single classroom at Robb Elementary School, which led to the deaths of 19 children and two adults.
According to the Daily Mail, Ramos used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle, which he had legally purchased just days before the attack and shortly after his 18th birthday.
During last week's shooting, a Border Patrol agent rushed into the school and found the suspect barricaded, according to a sourced report from The Associated Press.
The agent then fatally shot Ramos before exiting the school, citing the AP report.
The House will reportedly vote on a bill next week that would nationalize red flag laws, which aims to remove guns from people deemed a risk to themselves and others.
Also, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., recently said the House will consider legislation that calls for banning military-style assault weapons.
Both gun measures could pass in the Democrat-controlled House, but it's likely a different story within the Senate chamber.
Last week, centrist Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., embraced calls for national gun reform, but stopped short of supporting any measure that requires the Senate filibuster to be scrapped.
The filibuster currently requires a 60-vote threshold to enact sweeping changes to any established law.
Regarding the filibuster, Manchin said it's "the only thing that prevents us from total insanity."
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.