Justin Jones Slams Mike Johnson's 'Insulting' Excuse For Mass Shootings

[Jilly_in_VA]

Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones (D) scorched newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for saying “the problem is the human heart,” not guns, after a gunman killed 18 people in Maine last week.

Jones, a “Tennessee Three” member who Republicans expelled from the state House in April for joining protesters calling for stricter gun control, reacted to a clip of Johnson telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity that guns aren’t the problem and “we have to protect the right of the citizens to protect themselves.”

“I want to let Speaker Johnson know that in my faith tradition, when you put objects above people, we call that idolatry. And when you put the lives of people under money and campaign contributions, we call that idolatry,” Jones told MSNBC’s Jen Psaki in a plea for “common sense gun laws” on Sunday.

“And so let’s not use faith and false thoughts and prayers to gloss over this issue,” added the lawmaker, who is a divinity student at Vanderbilt University.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/justin-jones-mike-johnson-problem-human-heart-shootings_n_653f2703e4b0a78a26a3b33d

I want to see this guy in Congress one day soon!

[sagetea]

1. Me too!

I really enjoy listening to him, he's an excellent orator!


sage

[lastlib]

7. (Any chance we can get him there tomorrow?)

asking for me. And those who will be victims of gun violence.

[Irish_Dem]

2. Imagine having a religion where you want everyone murdering each other in cold blood.

For no reason whatsoever, just randomly kill each other.

I am glad people of faith are speaking out and against the insanity.

[calimary]

3. Sounds like it's Johnson's own problem.

He has NO heart.

[justhanginon]

4. Yes Mr. Johnson, the problem is indeed the human heart. After a person is shot with an AR whatever, they die.

And that is indeed a problem!

[2naSalit]

10. Yes Mr. Johnson, the problem is indeed the human heart.

His.

Though I am beginning to question whether it is human.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. Asked about shootings, new House speaker says, 'It's not guns'

Johnson thinks that Americans have darker hearts than the rest of the world where mass shootings are rare compared to the United States.

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/asked-shootings-new-house-speaker-says-s-not-guns-rcna122458

It was against this backdrop that new House Speaker Mike Johnson sat down with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, and fielded a question about those advocating new safeguards to prevent future slayings. The Louisiana Republican responded:

At the end of the day, the problem is the human heart. It’s not guns, it’s not the weapons. At the end of the day, we have to protect the right of the citizens to protect themselves, and that’s the Second Amendment. And that’s why our party stands so strongly for that. ... This is not the time to be talking about legislation. We’re in the middle of that crisis right now.

So, a few things.

First, the idea that the problem is “the human heart” and not firearms is belied by the experiences of pretty much every other country on the planet. There are billions of human hearts in nations around the globe, but mass shootings like these are only common in the United States. Unless the Louisiana Republican is prepared to argue that American hearts are somehow worse than other people’s hearts, this is not an argument to be taken seriously.

Second, it’s true that the crisis in Maine is still unfolding, and efforts to apprehend the suspected shooter are underway. But it’s also true that Johnson and his GOP colleagues will be no more interested in new safeguards after the immediate crisis has subsided than they are now.

Third, the idea that the United States has to choose between the status quo and the Second Amendment is plainly false. There are a great many potentially lifesaving safeguards that policymakers can create that would fall well within constitutional boundaries. It would simply take some political will — which among Republicans, does not appear to exist.

[LiberalFighter]

9. He has a lot of hate in heart.

[robbob]

14. Re: point #2:

Last edited Thu Nov 2, 2023, 01:14 PM - Edit history (1)

Yes, for the GOP it’s always “too soon to talk about it”, and their political opponents are always “trying to politicize this latest tragedy”, etc etc…

Problem is, aside from the cynical hypocrisy of a party that has no intention of EVERY doing anything about, or even discussing, gun control, in the process of waiting until it’s not “too soon” there is inevitably yet another mass shooting, which then restarts the whole “x number of days without a mass shooting incident” clock all over again, such that it will always be too soon, in their opinion, to talk about gun reform. Just the way their NRA donors like it…

[Diamond_Dog]

6. Fabulous response!

[musclecar6]

8. This guy

Is some piece of work. Talking about scraping the bottom of the barrel. Sheesh.

[ShazzieB]

11. It's odd listening to the new Speaker du Jour opine about the "human heart."

Considering that he obviously doesn't have one. I mean, the more we hear from him, the more I'm convinced that if we could look inside him we'd find a lump of coal where a heart should be.

[NNadir]

12. I think we can all agree that State Rep Justin Jones needs to go far in politics.

I enthusiastically concur with the last line of the OP.

[The_Casual_Observer]

13. He upholds defective beliefs and policies.

Worthless piece of shit.

[hydrolastic]

15. love Justin Jones I will stop and listen to just about anything he has to say

and he just gets better and better.

[Maraya1969]

16. If there were no guns in this country how many mass shootings do you think there would be?

To use that may sounds silly but ask it of the ones hawking guns and see what they would say?

[RainCaster]

17. So let's go along with his statement...

So the human heart really is that bad here in America. Every other country on earth wants to keep their citizens safe from those poisonous American hearts. Most of them enact laws banning those terrible murderous hearts from entering their countries. However, a few countries with authoritarian leaders like those murderous Americans, and they keep their borders open. In this world, Americans are only welcome in NK, China, Russia and a few mid-east and African banana republics.

Is that where Johnson is going with his train of thought?

[Danascot]

18. Gun supporters are wrong about the 2nd Amendment

[world wide wally]

21. I ABSOLUTELY agree with this statement.

News flash: The current US Supreme Court is corrupt.)

[sheshe2]

19. Great quote from Justin Jones.

“I want to let Speaker Johnson know that in my faith tradition, when you put objects above people, we call that idolatry. And when you put the lives of people under money and campaign contributions, we call that idolatry,”

[Paladin]

20. Bravo, Rep. Jones! Keep it up! (nt)