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Steve Scalise: getting shot made my gun rights support ‘as ardent as ever’
House majority whip says in interview his second amendment support strengthened after he was saved by people with guns
Steve Scalise: ‘I was a strong supporter of the second amendment before the shooting, and frankly, as ardent as ever after the shooting in part because I was saved by people who had guns.’ Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
Steve Scalise feared he would never return to his job as House majority whip, after he was shot and gravely wounded at baseball practice nearly a year ago. On Tuesday, the five-term Republican from Louisiana returned to the Capitol. He was welcomed with a standing ovation – from both parties.
“It was one of the very few moments in my life, from the birth of my kids and marriage … that will always remember,” Scalise said. “There were days where I [wasn’t] sure I was going to be able to do that – to be able to walk back on to the House floor on my own, with my crutches.”
In an interview with journalists from Politico, Scalise reflected on the shooting and his views on the second amendment.
“Those were some dark days,” he said. “You could take a bear down with the bullet I was hit with. When I looked at the caliber bullet, I was amazed I was still alive. Frankly, there are a lot of miracles that happened along the way.”
Scalise said the experience reinforced his support for gun rights. “I was a strong supporter of the second amendment before the shooting,” he said, “and frankly, as ardent as ever after the shooting in part because I was saved by people who had guns.
“They saved my life. But they also saved the lives of every other member. There were over a dozen members of Congress and staffers who would have been executed. That was the intention of the shooter.”
There was no “magic bill” that would stop shootings, he said, criticizing Democrats for rushing to pass gun control measures.
In the days after the shooting, Scalise said, he received calls from leaders including Donald Trump and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. On several occasions, Scalise said, he answered calls from “weird numbers” and was connected to the president. Netanyahu, he said, spoke about his brother, who was killed during a raid to rescue hostages at Entebbe airport in Uganda.
Bono also called to offer good wishes to Scalise, who is a U2 fan, and stopped by the congressman’s office to take photos with members of staff.
Scalise batted away speculation about his political ambitions, repeating that he would not challenge the majority leader, Kevin McCarthy, to succeed Paul Ryan as House speaker. He firmly ruled out running for governor in Louisiana
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Steve Scalise: getting shot made my gun rights support ‘as ardent as ever’
House majority whip says in interview his second amendment support strengthened after he was saved by people with guns
Steve Scalise: ‘I was a strong supporter of the second amendment before the shooting, and frankly, as ardent as ever after the shooting in part because I was saved by people who had guns.’ Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
Steve Scalise feared he would never return to his job as House majority whip, after he was shot and gravely wounded at baseball practice nearly a year ago. On Tuesday, the five-term Republican from Louisiana returned to the Capitol. He was welcomed with a standing ovation – from both parties.
“It was one of the very few moments in my life, from the birth of my kids and marriage … that will always remember,” Scalise said. “There were days where I [wasn’t] sure I was going to be able to do that – to be able to walk back on to the House floor on my own, with my crutches.”
In an interview with journalists from Politico, Scalise reflected on the shooting and his views on the second amendment.
“Those were some dark days,” he said. “You could take a bear down with the bullet I was hit with. When I looked at the caliber bullet, I was amazed I was still alive. Frankly, there are a lot of miracles that happened along the way.”
Scalise said the experience reinforced his support for gun rights. “I was a strong supporter of the second amendment before the shooting,” he said, “and frankly, as ardent as ever after the shooting in part because I was saved by people who had guns.
“They saved my life. But they also saved the lives of every other member. There were over a dozen members of Congress and staffers who would have been executed. That was the intention of the shooter.”
There was no “magic bill” that would stop shootings, he said, criticizing Democrats for rushing to pass gun control measures.
In the days after the shooting, Scalise said, he received calls from leaders including Donald Trump and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. On several occasions, Scalise said, he answered calls from “weird numbers” and was connected to the president. Netanyahu, he said, spoke about his brother, who was killed during a raid to rescue hostages at Entebbe airport in Uganda.
Bono also called to offer good wishes to Scalise, who is a U2 fan, and stopped by the congressman’s office to take photos with members of staff.
Scalise batted away speculation about his political ambitions, repeating that he would not challenge the majority leader, Kevin McCarthy, to succeed Paul Ryan as House speaker. He firmly ruled out running for governor in Louisiana
More at ...
Steve Scalise: getting shot made my gun rights support ‘as ardent as ever’
