Abbott assailed for gun joke about media
AUSTIN — It started as a simple photo opportunity with Gov. Greg Abbott at a bill signing at a shooting range Friday but turned into a firestorm on social media after he popped off with a joke about reporters.
“‘I’m gonna carry this around in case I see any reporters,’ ” the Texas Tribune’s Patrick Svitek quoted Abbott as saying in a tweet.
Abbott made the remark while posing with his target, after he and his daughter shot pistols at the range.
The Twittersphere went wild with criticism of the governor for his remarks that came just two days after Montana Republican Greg Gianforte was charged with assault after allegedly body-slamming a reporter for The Guardian on Wednesday. He was elected to Congress the next day.
Gianforte did apologize to reporter Ben Jacobs in remarks after Thursday’s election, saying, “Last night, I made a mistake. I took an action I can’t take back and I am not proud of what happened.”
Abbott’s remark also came less than two weeks after Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly was caught on a hot microphone jokingly suggesting to President Donald Trump that he use a ceremonial saber “on the press.”
The comment about the sword came at a commencement ceremony at the United States Coast Guard Academy. Trump’s response was, “Yeah, that’s right,” according to multiple media reports.
After Friday’s incident in Austin, “Shoot for brains!,” the HuffPost headlined online. “Texas governor jokes about gunning down reporters.”
Within hours, the controversy grew as handgun critics blasted the comment as insensitive and tin-eared, considering recent news events about reporters who have been threatened and killed. They also criticized Texas for its strong Second Amendment support. Few paid any attention to the remark until it became an online sensation.
An Abbott spokesman had no immediate comment about all the attention the governor stirred up.
Abbott was at the shooting range to sign into law Senate Bill 16, which reduces the fee for a first-time license to carry a handgun from $140 to $40, and the renewal fee from $70 to $40. The law takes effect Sept. 1. The National Rifle Association says Texas’ fees will then be the lowest in the nation.
“The right to bear arms is something that is synonymous with the state of Texas. We are proud to expand the right to bear arms by lowering the cost of what you have to pay in order to get a license to carry,” Abbott said.
“It’s unbelievable [that] Texas is one of the most costly states in the United States of America to get a license to carry,” Abbott said Friday. “No Texan should be priced out of their way to defend themselves.”
Abbott made the remark while posing with his target after he and his daughter shot pistols at the range. There was some laughter at his remark, but hundreds of people took to Twitter to blast it.
“This isn’t funny; this is a threat, and it is dangerous,” tweeted Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “These words from a public official should disgust us all.”
The Brady Campaign for more gun laws condemned the comment on social media, calling it “dangerous and out of line.”