Manuel and Patricia Oliver, whose son Joaquin was killed in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, sought to confront GOP inaction during a Congressional hearing held this Thursday in D.C. on pistol braces, which are the subject of restrictions pursued by the Biden administration.
The braces allow accompanying firearms to function more closely to how a short-barreled or sawed-off shotgun would operate, and that kind of weapon has already been under strict rules. Among the potential concerns is the ease of concealment. At the hearing Thursday, both Manuel and Patricia eventually spoke up, and Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas), who was at the helm of the proceedings, was furious. Nearly instantly, Fallon directed law enforcement in the room to remove Patricia. “And remove the gentleman too,” the Texas Congressman added. Shortly thereafter, Fallon read a prepared statement that condemned the prospect of virtually any disruption to the hearing.
Video available online appears to indicate that Patricia spoke up both during a recess of the committee and when proceedings were active. “You took my son away from me, and I’m not going anywhere!” she said at one point, according to details collected by The Washington Post. “I’m going to listen to your absurd things.” In footage, she outlined some of the specifics of the deadly injuries her late son suffered in the mass shooting in Parkland. In the available video of Patricia’s comments during the committee’s apparent recess, Fallon can also be heard calling for officers to remove her from the chamber, to which Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) can be heard reacting incredulously, considering the committee was taking a break.
In response to another apparent disruption, Fallon erupted. “See this is exactly what we have to avoid!” he complained. “Which is some minority of folks trying to silence dissent. Dissent shouldn’t be kryptonite. We should have a civil conversation. We should have a spirited exchange of ideas.” He kept going from there. It is staggering for Fallon to try and characterize his position as essentially that of a dissenting minority, considering Republicans control the House and, thanks to the filibuster rules in the upper legislative chamber, have a large say in what gets done in the Senate.
Elsewhere, Manuel Oliver was arrested outside the committee room in a particularly aggressive takedown by officers. He was pinned to the ground. Police alleged he sought to reenter the room, which he denies, saying he was instead just talking about his son, which law enforcement demanded he stop. “You can ask me anything, but don’t ask me to stop talking about my son,” he said. “I refuse to go back to my life, because it will never be the same, and just pretend that this is not bothering me.”
Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) on gun reform protests: “Is this an insurrection? Will they be held to the same —”
Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI): “If they’re trying to overthrow the government, they oughta be held to the same standard, but … they’re trying to express their frustrations.” pic.twitter.com/SFrMId1fh3
— The Recount (@therecount) March 23, 2023
