Rep. Clay Higgins (R-Los angeles.) appeared extra eager about unborn embryos and fetuses than residing youngsters on Wednesday as he downplayed gun violence within the wake of a mass capturing that left six folks lifeless at a Tennessee faculty.
“There’s no such factor as gun violence. There’s simplest human violence. It’s intellectually unsound to state differently,” he stated all through a Space Oversight Committee listening to. “And the #1 reason behind loss of life for kids in The usa stays abortion.”
Many American citizens, together with Democratic politicians, have renewed their requires higher gun keep watch over regulations within the wake of Monday’s capturing, however face resistance from Republicans, lots of whom obtain main monetary backing from the gun foyer.
Higgins used to be criticizing Democrats for time and again mentioning the statistic that gun violence is the main reason behind loss of life for kids within the U.S.
That statistic is right, then again. In 2020, firearms surpassed automotive crashes as the #1 reason behind loss of life for kids and younger adults ages 1-18.
Firearms accounted for almost 19% of kids’s deaths in 2021, in step with the Facilities for Illness Keep an eye on and Prevention WONDER database. In no different in a similar way huge or rich nation are firearm deaths amongst even the highest 4 reasons of loss of life for kids, in step with an research by means of the Kaiser Circle of relatives Basis.
Motor car injuries and most cancers are the 2 maximum commonplace reasons of loss of life for folks ages 1-18 in all different related nations, KFF discovered. The U.S. has by means of a ways the laxest gun regulations and the perfect choice of civilian-owned firearms of its peer international locations.
This yr on my own, there were 130 mass shootings within the U.S., in step with the Gun Violence Archive.
Higgins cited CDC knowledge from 2020 to mention that there have been greater than 620,000 felony abortions carried out that yr, evaluating that quantity to the choice of youngsters ― 4,357 ― killed by means of weapons.
Nearly all of abortion procedures happen all through the primary trimester of being pregnant (earlier than or at 13 weeks of gestation for an embryo or a fetus). Fetal viability, outlined as the purpose at which a fetus’ survival could also be imaginable outdoor the womb, is reported to be at roughly 23 to 24 weeks of gestation within the U.S.
Social media customers known as out the issues in Higgins’ “human violence” argument:
Different commenters seen that Higgins’ self-proclaimed “pro-life” stance didn’t appear to use to precise residing youngsters:
Higgins is staunchly anti-abortion and pro-2nd Modification, and argues on his Space webpage that lifestyles “surely starts at conception.”
He’s up to now made headlines for different inflammatory remarks. In 2020, he threatened to shoot any armed demonstrators forward of a Black Lives Topic rally, even supposing individuals are allowed to overtly lift firearms in Louisiana. And in September, he used to be criticized as racist and misogynistic after he shouted at and made offensive feedback to a Black local weather professional attesting to Congress.
3 9-year-olds and 3 adults had been killed at The Covenant College in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday after a 28-year-old shooter, who police say legally bought the 2 assault-style rifles and pistol they had been wielding, opened fireplace.