Self-styled Cajun John Wayne was in this again on Wednesday, except now he’s not a cop who resigned from the Louisiana Police Department while facing disciplinary action for lie about someone being rude up.
Clay Higgins’ tough speeches were no longer directed at fugitives, as when he made viral crime videos on second of the two Louisiana Police Departments that subsequently hired him.
Higgins used the attention he got from the video to get elected US representative for Louisiana’s 3rd congressional district. He spoke like a member of House Committee on Oversight and Reform during Wednesday’s hearing on assault weapon. He argued that the Democrats were seeking to circumvent the Second Amendment. with ban on assault weapons, and he foresaw high-profile firefights between gun owners and federal agents.
in view of his former boss in Opelousas Police Department, Retired Chief Perry Gallow, what could have been just theatrical bluster in Higgins former the life of a delirious Cajun cop was the dangerous talk of a political leader in dangerous time. And Higgins did it in hearing with two witnesses who It was survived mass shooting and three more who lost a loved one one.
“In my opinion, Congressman should choose his words wisely, for his words matter, and there is people who are on in edge and can strike back based on on his words and words of anyone who I could have guessed it,” Gallow said.
Democratic leadership made your own use of video on start of hearing with tense three minutes of brief statements people who we directly victims of mass shootings committed with assault weapon. It started with massacre of twenty children and four adults in Newtown, Connecticut.
“Hi, my name is Nicole and almost 10 years ago I survived shooting from Sandy Hook in my elementary school when i was just 7 years,” he said. first be a witness on screen. “So far I struggle through the terrible aftermath”.
Nicole Melchionna was followed by David Sallack, who survived shooting on the fourth of july parade in Highland Park, Illinois left Seven dead. Two-year-Old Aiden McCarthy was instantly orphaned. Eight-year-Old Cooper Roberts was paralyzed.
“Our family was at the parade when he saw the shooter appear over second floor roof line and indicate its longest gun on my family and those around us and fired quickly,” Sallak said. “I left my wife and son behind metal park bench to save our lives. When the shooting stopped, I saw father of Cooper Roberts stands and shouts for help while my wife saw them son Cooper in convulsions on ground, shot through the stomach and spine.
Then another Highland Park survivor appeared, Ashby Beasley.
“As we ran holding hands, not knowing if anyone was going to shoot us and if we were going live or diemy son lost a huge part of his innocence,” she said. “He is no longer the same person. It’s broken and every day is mine husband and i’m heartbroken when we try help he receives back the carefree sweet boy he was before it happened.”
Next came a teenager whose sister was one of 19 children killed in Texas in May.
“Hi, I’m Jasmine Cazares. I’m 17 and I lost my little sister Jackie in the shooting at Robb’s elementary school. in Uvalde. “
She kept up a photo of Jacklyn Cazares in white dress photoshop with Angel wings.
“This photo was taken on her first participle on May 10,” said Jasmine Cazares. “Sixteen days later she was shot dead [by] Daniel Defense AR-15”.
Uvalde was next mother.
“My name is Ana Rodriguez. i lost my daughter maite rodriguez, on May 24, 2022 Robb’s school shooting. Mayte was cute 10-year- old girl who dreaming of studying at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi to pursue a career in marine biology. Maite got robbed of her future due to gun violence.”
Felix Rubio and Kimberly Rubio holding a photo of them late daughter Alexandria Rubio, who was killed in a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas during a House Oversight Committee hearing. on July 27th.
Drew Angerer / Getty
There was also in father of fourteen-year-old Jaime Guttenberg, who died in mass shooting at Parkland High School in Florida.
“My name is Fred Guttenberg. I father of Jesse and Jaime Guttenberg. February 14, 2018 I sent two of my children to school to learn safely. By the end of that day the gunman showed up on my daughterschool, killing 17. My daughter was one of 17 killed.”
There was also Tracey Maciulewicz, whose fiancé Andre McNeil was one of 10 people shot to death in a Tops supermarket in Buffalo.
“My fiance was shot on May 14 by a white supremacist when he went to Tops to buy our son birthday cake. The shooter killed my fiancé with Bushmaster X 15 rifle.
Matsyulevich had 3-year-old son in on her knees when she asked a video question to two gun company executives who agreed to testify remotely.
“What are you going to do…” she began to ask, fighting back tears.
Her son hugged her and said, “It’s all right.”
“…. do sure so that your products do not fall into the hands of white supremacist mass shooter again who will take a child father away?”
Response from the CEOs, Marty Daniel of Daniel Defense and Christopher Killoy of Sturm, Ruger & Company, was, in fact, that they would do nothing at all, except market and sell someday more assault weapon. Daniel seemed at ease with himself, although he just heard mother tell her that daughter was killed with a rifle he made, which bears his name.
Members of the commission asked questions and expressed opinions that were in line with with them already declared views on assault weapon. Representative Andrew Clyde (R-GA) owns gun store called Clyde Armory in Athens and he harmonized with general directors.
But it wasn’t enough for Higgins of Louisiana. Cajun John Wayne predicted mass bloodshed between gun owners and law enforcement agencies, if those in service of sale prohibition law of The assault weapon manages to get through the House. Is not sure thing, and it seems a little chance of it goes through the Senate. But the very prospect of it becomes law set Higgins is furious.
“What’s mine colleagues do, it’s really, unbelievable beyond of, of nothing reasonable or constitutional. Everything we are leading here’s a fit of weapons from homes of law-abiding U.S. citizens who legally purchased these weapons. you install up skirmishes in in homes of Americans.” He went on:
“When do you think the ATF and the FBI will come to us? house? in dead of night. you install up shootouts between American citizens defending their homes from dark shadows, clearly armed, entering our home, on our porch and through our door. you install up death.
He called immediately future of “Americans killing Americans over a little fantasy that you can define what a dangerous weapon is in arms of those Americans living outside their true the right to exercise their own decisions about what type of firearms they legal purchase and own. This is madness. What you promote will not end well. You can push through this bill, party-line vote but the Americans are not going to sit down allow this without answering.
Smith & Wesson semi visible automatic firearms on screen during a House oversight hearing on July 27.
Elisabeth Franz/Reuters
He snapped his fingers as he continued.
“People do decisions like what. Again, in in dead of night.”
He spoke as if he were voice of experience.
“You set up a little extreme and you 100 percent responsible for It. My colleagues in Democratic Party, when these gunfights start, this blood will on your hands.”
He called the proposed ban a “political charade”. of pretending to be able to identify the weapon you are from your ivory tower in DC you know better. “I can determine which weapons Americans should not be allowed to own.” It’s already we can’t buy tank or have a caliber above 50. We carry light weapons and we own them. We own them legally. We intend to keep them.”
He said that the committee was chaired for “a rabbit a hole you can’t get out of.”
“In the end it ends with an American citizen standing up for that freedom…Will it be challenged in court or everything will be settled on porch of Americans when the FBI and the ATF shows up confiscate a legal weapon from a law-abiding US citizen?”
For part of its time with Opelousas police, Higgins was on Special Forces team and served a search warrant. His career there ended after a drug raid, when he allegedly grabbed a passerby by the hair and then hit his. He didn’t do help myself with what was seen as an attempt at a cover up
“Clay Higgins used unnecessary force on object at the time of execution of warrant and then gave false testimonies during the internal investigation. Although he later abandoned his story and confessed to punching the suspect in handcuffed and then let him go,” Department of Discipline Inspection Board found.
“I think it’s irresponsible. And it’s discouraging when our leaders plant the seeds of violence.”
— Retired Opelousas Police Chief Perry Gallow
Higgins did not respond to the Daily Beast’s request. for comment. But in in version he later suggested to the local press, he was pushed out of after that, department staff were overheard calling Chief Gallow a “peacock”.
“There is little more to this than this,” Gallow told The Daily Beast. on Wednesday afternoon.
When reported of Dramatic speech by Higgins of mass bloodshed over ban on assault weapons, Gallow at first suggested that Higgins was simply dramatizing for effect.
“As often happens,” said Gallow. “I know there is a theater in politics right now, and he’s doing it well.”
But shortly after talking to The Daily Beast, Gallow called. back. he read online check of Higgins is challenged outside hearing room for Beasley, a Highland Park survivor.
According to CNN, Beasley told Higgins that he wrong think the Democrats on committee was just out take away weapons from law-abiding Americans.
“If you don’t think these guys in this is body…if you don’t think they’ll go door to door to get your guns, you wrongHiggins told her.
“Have you ever run from a mass shooter because you were shot at? Beasley asked.
According to the report, Higgins told her that he was a SWAT officer. for 12 years, as Gallow suggests, is an exaggeration.
“So you don’t know what does he feel like? Beasley asked.
Higgins didn’t answer, perhaps because he didn’t in fact know what does he feel like. Gallow said that, to the best of his knowledge, Higgins had never been in shooting. gallows concerned that Higgins language power lead to one.
“I think it’s irresponsible,” said Gallow. “And it’s discouraging when our leaders sow the seeds of violence.”
