Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) doubled down on her defense of relaxed gun control laws, claiming “strict gun laws actually create murder.”
Greene opened her remarks by pointing to multiple shootings in Chicago on Memorial Day weekend that left 11 people dead and over 50 injured from gunshot wounds. She claimed Democrats failed to talk about or report those particular shootings.
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“To carry a gun in Chicago you need a firearm owner ID and a concealed carry license, which are difficult to get,” Greene said. “Most gun thefts occur in Southern states — Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina.”
Greene was joined by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and other members of Congress in leading a hearing at the Okaloosa County administrative complex in Florida on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’s “weaponization and heightened targeting of Federal Firearms Licenses.”
The ATF is being weaponized “as a result of President Joe Biden’s Zero Tolerance Policy,” according to a press release from Gaetz.
Greene is a staunch defender of AR-15-style rifles, which are semi-automatic weapons that have been used in many mass shootings in the nation.
“I’m a big fan of the AR-15. The great thing about it is that you get as many bullets as you want,” Greene said, causing chatter from the crowd.
Greene praised the semi-automatic rifle for home defense, saying, “You can have as many bullets as you need to defend yourself.”
The National Rifle Association, which has endorsed Greene in the past, embraces the AR-15 as “the most popular semi-automatic firearm,” stating it is a popular choice for home protection, defensive skills-based firearm training, and marksmanship competitions.
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Both Greene and Gaetz have drafted legislation in the past aimed at abolishing the ATF over accused violations of the Second Amendment, and Gaetz introduced the “Abolish the ATF Act” in the House in January.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Greene’s team for comment.
