Madison Cawthorn Slammed for Cleaning Gun During Zoom Meeting With Veterans: ‘He’s a Child. He Lacks Common Sense’

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) received an avalanche of criticism on Friday for cleaning a gun in his office during a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee zoom meeting on how chemicals are killing veterans.

The Daily Beast reported the act of distracted and potentially dangerous firearm maintenance occurred as some veterans testified about their experiences in the service with relation to deadly toxins.

Jose Pagliery, writing for the outlet, reported:

During the live recorded meeting, which ran close to three hours, politicians listened to veteran advocacy groups discuss how uniformed military personnel have been exposed to dangerous toxins when ordered to stand by burn pits—an ill-conceived method of burning trash at military sites in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere.

That grimy duty usually fell to low-ranking soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines, some of whom developed heart, lung, and digestive ailments after hours of standing over smoke from the burning plastics, rubber, and paper envelopes from families back home

Pagliery obtained reactions to Cawthorn’s antics, including a strong condemnation from John Feal, a 9/11 first responder.

“It was immature. He’s a child. He lacks common sense,” said Feal. “I think the congressman was overcompensating for something that he lacks and feeling inadequate among the heroes on that call.”

Once the story made its rounds on Twitter, Cawthorn was savaged on the platform.

Comedian Christopher Titus shared the Beast article, and commented, “I am now ‘wanting to punch a guy in a wheelchair.’ years old.”

I am now “wanting to punch a guy in a wheelchair. “ years old.

Madison Cawthorn Cleans Gun During Veterans Affairs Hearing https://t.co/zVSvdVNECs

— Titus (@TitusNation) January 21, 2022

Meanwhile, singer Stella Parton wrote, “Madison Cawthorn Cleans Gun During Veterans’ Affairs Hearing how much more of this insanity are we expected to tolerate?”

Madison Cawthorn Cleans Gun During Veterans’ Affairs Hearing how much more of this insanity are we expected to tolerate? https://t.co/OMcHDNmuW1

— Stella Parton (@StellaParton) January 20, 2022

Others also laid into the 26-year-old.

The kind of person who cleans a weapon in public to impress others is the kind of person who owns weapons for validation, who is the kind of person who shouldn’t have them in the first place.

— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️‍🌈 (@cmclymer) January 20, 2022

Jackass. There is no kind word to use for this asshole and his staff.

Madison Cawthorn Cleans Gun During Veterans’ Affairs Hearing-

His communications director, Luke Ball, responded: “What could possibly be more patriotic than guns and veterans?” https://t.co/yGIsQW0Iqi

— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) January 20, 2022

Just gonna say it—this POS is an ignorant loser who needs to go directly to hell.https://t.co/syrjViY9Up

— Dr. Steve Woodsmall, Major, USAF-Retired (@SteveWoodsmall) January 20, 2022

All firearms should of course always be treated as if they are loaded because no gun is ever truly “clear.” With that in mind, cleaning a firearm while distracted is a big no-no.

“Work on a cleared table or bench,” a guide to safe gun-cleaning from the blog Hunter-Ed states. “Always give cleaning your full attention. Never clean a firearm while doing something else.”

The NRA’s guide to safe gun-cleaning also warns, “Choose a work area that is well-ventilated.”

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