New Hampshire
House GOP Leader’s AK-47 Tweet Stirs Outrage – InDepthNH.org
By NANCY WEST, InDepthNH.org
Home GOP Chief Jason Osborne’s tweet suggesting individuals purchase extra ammunition for his or her AK-47 as a substitute of scorching canines the night time earlier than a gunman killed six individuals and injured 38 at a July 4th Parade from a rooftop in Highland Park, Sick., brought about outrage on social media and finger pointing in New Hampshire politics.
Osborne, who’s serving his fourth time period within the NH Home representing Auburn, Chester, and Sandown, tweeted July 3 at 10:36 p.m.: “As a substitute of spending $20 greater than final 12 months in your Independence Day scorching canines, lay off the energy and seize a number of extra rounds in your AK-47. You’ll thank your self later.”
The subsequent morning, the lethal scene unfolded for paradegoers within the Chicago suburb of Highland Park. Osborne didn’t instantly reply to a message looking for remark. On Fb, Osborne posted Tuesday afternoon, “That is America. Final I checked, proudly owning a rifle is a authorized, regular, accountable factor to do – to not point out a Constitutionally enumerated proper. Should you agree, bear in mind to vote in November.”
Rep. Rosemarie Rung, D-Merrimack, tweeted: “That is your every day reminder that this man is the chief of NH Home Republicans and he’s on the poll in November.”
Sununu didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark by electronic mail.
Lower than two weeks in the past, Sununu signed into regulation HB 1178 prohibiting the state from imposing any federal statute, regulation, or Presidential Government Order that restricts or regulates the precise of the individuals to maintain and bear arms.
Sununu mentioned on the time: “New Hampshire has a proud custom of accountable firearms stewardship, and I’ve lengthy mentioned that I’m not seeking to make any adjustments to our legal guidelines.
“This invoice will make sure that New Hampshire’s regulation enforcement efforts will likely be on our personal State firearms legal guidelines – and that’s the place I consider their focus needs to be,” Sununu mentioned.
Twitter was full of indignant feedback largely against the tweet.
Home Democratic Chief Rep. David Cote of Nashua mentioned:
“Rep. Osborne’s flippant comment about stockpiling ammo for semiautomatic weapons was notably egregious given the barrage of firearm killings our nation has endured in latest weeks. Sadly, this tweet merely continues Rep. Osborne’s penchant for mocking the gun violence disaster in our nation. Simply final week, Rep. Osborne tweeted a YouTube video mocking the severity of unlawful do-it-yourself weapons, and earlier than that he steered the answer to highschool shootings is firearm coaching for first graders.
“Granite State lawmakers needs to be implementing coverage to forestall mindless acts of violence, not jeering from behind their laptop screens as extra Individuals die,” Cote mentioned.