‘Children are dying!’: Reps. Thomas Massie, Jamaal Bowman get into shouting match over gun violence

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a former teacher, did not take kindly to Rep. Thomas Massie’s suggestion that teachers should be armed with guns.

As lawmakers left the House floor, Bowman could be seen yelling for reporters to ask Republicans about their inaction on gun violence.

“What are they doing about it? Nothing,” Bowman said as the chambers continued to clear out. “They don’t have the courage. They’re cowards.”

Bowman called on reporters to ask the GOP, which is in control of the House, what they’re going to do to address the issue every day until they get an answer — “don’t let them off the hook.” His pleas come after six people — including three 9-year-old students — were shot and killed at a Nashville school.

“Three 9-year-olds! Are they going to those funerals? No,” Bowman said.

While many of his colleagues walked past Bowman, Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie chose to engage with him. Massie told Bowman that “there’s never been a school shooting in a school that allows teachers to carry.”

“Carry guns?” Bowman responded. “More guns lead to more death!”

Massie then asked Bowman to co-sponsor his bill, presumably the “Safe Students Act” he has introduced in previous years. The bill would eliminate the federal ban on guns in school zones and make it easier for districts to set their own policies, even allowing teachers and employees to carry.

The congressman from New York then accused Massie of “carrying the water for the gun lobby” and responded that the states with open carry laws have more shooting deaths. When Massie told Bowman to calm down, he responded, “Calm down? Children are dying!”

“The solution is not arming teachers — have you ever worked in a school?” Bowman asked Massie repeatedly.

Before getting into politics, Bowman served as the principal of a Bronx middle school. He began his career in education as a crisis intervention teacher at another Bronx public school. Massie does not have a background in education and is the co-chair of the House’s Second Amendment Caucus.

During the argument, Massie told Bowman he was screaming at him to which Bowman responded, “I was screaming before you came and interrupted me!”

As Massie turned to reporters to discuss his bill, Bowman followed him and continued to repeat his point: “I worked in a school for 20 years. I was a teacher, I was a school counselor, I was a middle school principal. I was in cafeterias protecting kids every day of my career.”

The shouting match ended with Massie pushing his bill and Bowman calling on reporters to ask him why he won’t pass legislation.