TRIGGER HAPPY

Republican Rep. Ralph Norman Whips Out Loaded Gun During Constituent Meeting

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) said he was making a point about gun safety.

U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) pulled out a loaded .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun during a “coffee with constituents” meeting in his home state Friday—allegedly to make a point about gun safety, as he told The Post & Courier. The Republican congressman left the firearm on a table for several minutes as he discussed gun violence with the constituents in a diner. “I’m not going to be a Gabby Giffords,” Norman, a concealed-carry permit holder, insisted later. “I don’t mind dying, but whoever shoots me better shoot well or I’m shooting back.” He said he took the gun out to prove “guns don’t shoot people, people shoot guns.” Lori Freemon, who volunteers with the South Carolina chapter Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, said she “felt unsafe” when Norman whipped out his gun and kept it on the table “for much of our conversation.”