(Video: CNN)
Jaws across America dropped when sitting Representative David Cicilline (D-R.I.) violated his oath to “support and defend the Constitution” and spat out the words, “spare me the bullsh*t about constitutional rights” during a heated debate in the House Judiciary Committee over gun control legislation.
On Saturday, those American jaws hit the floor as the Rhode Island congressman doubled down on his position and claimed, “no constitutional right is absolute” in an attempt to explain his previous remark.
The fiery exchange between Cicilline and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) over so-called “red flag” laws in the “Protecting Our Kids Act” — a sweeping package of gun control legislation — quickly went viral.
“You know who didn’t have due process?” Cicilline declared. “You know who didn’t have the constitutional right to life respected? The kids at Parkland and Sandy Hook and Uvalde and Buffalo, and the list goes on and on. So spare me the bullsh*t about constitutional rights.”
To justify his outburst, Cicilline joined CNN’s Pamela Brown on Saturday and stated he doesn’t believe it should be “a tough job” for government officials to deprive someone of their Constitutional rights.
“Red flag laws require a judicial proceeding,” he argued. “So, there’s a judge that’ll make a determination based on evidence that’s presented under oath, and if that judicial officer determines that a person is a danger to themselves or a danger to others, such that they shouldn’t have a firearm, they’ll make a determination.”
“And that person has the ability to contest it,” he continued. “That is a very reasonable restriction.”
To hear Cicilline tell it, Republicans don’t care if psychopathic lunatics lock and load.
“[The Republican lawmakers] were arguing that, no matter how dangerous you are, no matter how mentally ill you might be, no matter how much you’ve expressed an intention to slaughter someone, that you should have unfettered access to a gun, you should be able to go to a gun store and buy any gun you want,” he said. “That’s insanity.”
Cicilline claimed red flag laws “will save lives” and used to enjoy bipartisan support in the Senate.
What he didn’t mention was that, as a senator, Joe Biden was reportedly not very big on control because, according to him, it just didn’t work.
“I am convinced that a criminal who wants a firearm can get one through illegal, untraceable, unregistered sources, with or without gun control.”
-Senator Joe Biden, 1985
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) June 2, 2022
“During my twelve-and-half years as a member of this body, I have never believed that additional gun control or federal registration of guns would reduce crime.”
-Senator Joe Biden, 1985
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) June 2, 2022
Without evidence, Cicilline claimed the overwhelming majority of Americans support red flag laws.
“This is supported by over 85% of the American people, and our colleagues wouldn’t even concede that keeping guns out of the hands of people who are dangers either to themselves and others was reasonable,” he lamented. “You know they were talking about constitutional rights and the Second Amendment, they never mentioned the children who have been slaughtered and the innocent people who have been killed who were deprived of all their rights: their right to life, liberty, happiness — who had no due process, they were just killed.”
“No constitutional right is absolute,” Cicilline stated. “Even the First Amendment isn’t. You can’t yell ‘fire’ in a crowded theater.”
Actually yes, yes you can, as Heritage legal fellow Amy Swearer pointed out in a gun control Twitter debate.
“I continue to be dumbstruck by these arguments,” she replied to someone who made the same false claim. “You absolutely CAN yell fire in a theater, especially if there IS a fire or you reasonably believe there is one. There isn’t some broad and preemptive loss of 1A rights in theaters.”
I continue to be dumbstruck by these arguments. You absolutely CAN yell fire in a theater, especially if there IS a fire or you reasonably believe there is one. There isn't some broad and preemptive loss of 1A rights in theaters. https://t.co/XYQX8wx1Ai
— Amy Swearer (@AmySwearer) June 3, 2022
If host Pamela Brown was aware of this fact, she didn’t mention it to Cicilline, who carried on with his justifications for stomping on the Bill of Rights.
“So this claim that the Second Amendment is absolute and you can’t have any restrictions is just not true,” he insisted.
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