GOP Rep. Tim Burchett Admits 'We're Not Going To Fix' School Shootings
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) managed to shock even the most jaded social media users on Monday with his candid remark on school shootings.
“We’re not going to fix it,” he told reporters just hours after a shooter wielding two “assault-style” rifles and a pistol killed three students and three adults at a private Christian school in Nashville.
Burchett, who voted against a bill expanding background checks on gun sales in 2021, called Monday’s shooting “a horrible, horrible situation,” but insisted nothing could be done to prevent future tragedies because, “criminals are gonna be criminals.”
He added that his philosophy was influenced by his father, who told him, “Buddy, if somebody wants to take you out and doesn’t mind losing their life, there’s not a whole heck of a lot you can do about it.”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) on school shootings:
"We're not gonna fix it." pic.twitter.com/yZZCbJleUA— Brennan Murphy (@brenonade) March 28, 2023
Burchett has previously voted against gun reform laws and refused to consider what steps Congress might take to reduce future tragedies on Monday.
“I don’t see any real role that we could do other than mess things up, honestly, because of the situation,” Burchett said. “Like I said, I don’t think a criminal’s gonna stop from guns. You know, you can print them out on the computer now, 3D printing.”
Burchett then suggested a Christian revival to “change people’s hearts” as a solution.
“I don’t think you’re gonna stop the gun violence. I think you’ve gotta change people’s hearts,” he said.
REPORTER: "Do you think there's any role for congress to play in reaction [to the Tennessee shooting]?"
BURCHETT: "I don't see any real role that we could do other than mess things up." pic.twitter.com/4jPPlWa8Pi— Brennan Murphy (@brenonade) March 28, 2023
Burchett’s response to a question about what could be done “to protect people like your little girl from being safe at school” turned into a real “Let them eat cake” moment for the Congress member.
“Well, we home-school her, but you know, that’s our decision,” Burchett said. “Some people don’t have that option and frankly, some people don’t need to do it. I mean, they don’t have to. It just suited our needs much better.”
REPORTER: "What else should be done to protect people like your little girl?"
BURCHETT: "Well, we homeschool her." pic.twitter.com/BTKEfkKbUM— Brennan Murphy (@brenonade) March 28, 2023
People on social media pounced on Burchett’s comments.
all we can do now is pray...for gun control I guess
— Marie Myung-Ok Lee (@MarieMyungOkLee) March 28, 2023
Wow!!! These people are cowards. Let this happen to one of their kids and let’s see how they fell. Sad part, there are a lot of people that voted for this kind of foolishness…And will do it again
— Stephanie Mills (@PrettyMill1) March 28, 2023
This may be the most “honest” cop out answers from one of these murder-supporting, kid-killing, ammosexual gundamentalists yet. It should be a dealbreaker. It’ll barely even get noticed.
— Brian Sims (@BrianSimsPA) March 28, 2023
Yeah, wouldn’t want to mess things up, says the lawmaker in a country where a bunch of children were massacred literally yesterday. https://t.co/9hBLpt7YV2
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) March 28, 2023
“HOMESCHOOL HER.”
Republicans have gone from offering thoughts and prayers to saying unfettered access to guns is now likely to kill your children at school so you should probably just keep them inside at all times. https://t.co/FFumZUVM5Q— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) March 28, 2023
this is a Tennessee representative.
this is the whole conservative ethos: we’re gonna make schools places of violence and hostility, then not send our own kids there, because we actually don’t want the conditions we force on others to apply to us https://t.co/6BEVXKDoDS— Lexi McMenamin (they/them) (@leximcmenamin) March 28, 2023