Cotton slams Jean-Pierre's 'shameful' comment 'blaming Republicans' for Nashville Christian school shooting
Jean-Pierre said Republicans 'need to show courage' by banning 'assault' weapons
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., slammed White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre for placing blame on Republican lawmakers for the Covenant School shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday, when a 28-year-old transgender former student allegedly gunned down three 9-year-olds and three adults.
"It doesn't get much lower than blaming Republicans in Congress for a transgender killer who targeted a Christian school. Shameful," Cotton wrote Tuesday in response to an appearance by Jean-Pierre on MSNBC’s "Morning Joe."
Jean-Pierre said, "What I will say to Republicans in Congress is: ‘What are you going to say to these parents? What are you going to say to these family members?’ … We cannot sit around to allow this anymore."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images | Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
"It's enough. Enough. Enough," she said. "This president has taken more executive actions on gun violence safety than any president before him, and he's done that in two years."
"But guess what? As we're seeing, we need to do more," she continued. "And I've heard this theme throughout the show this morning, which is courage. We need Republicans in Congress to show some courage. This is what they owe these parents. This is what they owe these family members who are losing their loved ones. They need to show courage."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We need gun safety laws, comprehensive gun safety laws. We need to ban assault rifles. Those weapons of war do not belong in our streets. They do not belong in schools," she added.
A mourner visits a makeshift memorial Tuesday outside the Covenant School for the six victims who were killed in a mass shooting at the school in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday. (KR / Mega for Fox News Digital)
Bodycam footage shows Nashville Police Department officers responding to the Covenant School in Nashville after 28-year-old Audrey Hale opened fire. (Metropolitan Nashville Police Department)