During Monday’s House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Gerald Connelly (D-VA) expressed frustration with Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle when she refused to criticize privately owned firearms. The congressman began by commending the risks taken by the Secret Service, then questioned how a recent assassination attempt occurred and how it can be prevented in the future.
Connelly raised concerns about “AR-15s and access to them by 20-year-olds or anybody for that matter,” implying that firearms ownership could have played a role in this incident. He then asked Cheatle if the widespread availability of weapons, particularly semi-automatic rifles, has made her job easier or more complicated.
Cheatle responded by saying she did not understand his question, prompting Connelly to rephrase it and ask whether “more guns, especially dangerous ones, have made your job protecting people easier.” The congressman insisted on a simple answer, repeatedly interrupting Cheatle’s attempts at responding. He eventually accused her of evading the question.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History.