Jamaal Bowman Erupts at Thomas Massie Over Guns: 'Children Are Dying'

New York Democratic Representative Jamaal Bowman on Wednesday exploded at Kentucky GOP Congressman Thomas Massie over gun violence measures while exiting the House floor.

The fiery exchange occurred just two days after a heavily armed assailant entered The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, killing three students and three staff members. The shooter, 28-year-old Audrey Hale, was armed with two assault-style weapons and a handgun, according to police.

Monday's mass shooting has renewed calls for stricter gun control legislation from Democrats and activists, while several Republicans have continued to push back on the idea that gun control would impact the number of mass shootings in the United States.

Bowman was captured yelling in a congressional hallway about the GOP's stance on gun legislation, calling conservative lawmakers "cowards," according to a video posted by Emily Brooks, reporter for The Hill.

"Pressure them, force them to respond to the question, 'Why the hell won't you do anything to save America's children?'" Bowman yells to a group of bystanders that surround him in the hallway. "And let them explain that all the way up until Election Day on 2024."

"They're freaking cowards," Bowman continues. "They're gutless."

Massie is then seen interrupting Bowman's monologue, attempting to speak to his Democratic colleague about Massie's idea to arm teachers and school staff to halt mass shootings at schools. The Kentucky Republican also asks Bowman, "Would you co-sponsor my bill?" Bowman argued back, "More guns lead to more death."

At one pointed during the exchange, Massie also tells Bowman to 'calm down.' Bowman yells back at Massie, "Calm down? Children are dying. Nine-year-old children."

According to Brooks, Massie said he plans to reintroduce a bill next week to repeal the federal Gun-Free Schools Act. The congressman introduced a similar bill to the House floor in 2015 and 2022.

Bowman later posted a clip of the exchange on his Twitter account, editing in a photo of Massie and his family holding assault-style weapons around a Christmas tree in 2021 in the first few seconds of the video.

"Republicans won't do S*** when it comes to gun violence, but try to tell me to calm down," Bowman wrote. "NO. We can't calm down. People are dying everyday while we wait."

Massie also posted about the exchange on his Twitter, saying that Bowman "wanted to discuss solutions to school shootings, but when I offered a solution he began shouting.

"When he asked for data, I gave him data, but then he just shouted more," Massie wrote. "Bring facts. There's never been a school shooting in the hundreds of schools that allow staff to carry."

In a statement to Newsweek via email on Thursday, John Kennedy, communications director for Massie, said, "Rep. Bowman was challenging Republicans to a debate. Congressman Massie accepted the challenge and explained to Mr. Bowman that there had never been a mass public shooting in any of the hundreds of schools that allow teachers to carry. When confronted with the facts, Mr. Bowman tried to shout Rep. Massie down."

Newsweek has also reached out via email to Bowman's office for comment.

Arming teachers has become a growingly popular solution to mass shootings from Republicans and gun rights advocates in recent years. Some have pointed to a study conducted by students at Purdue University in 2014 finding that arming school personnel and keeping building doors locked can slow down a shooter and possibly prevent killings, reported the Chicago Tribune. The study was overseen by Eric Dietz, director of the Homeland Security and Military Research institutes at Purdue.

In June 2022, Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a bill reducing the required training hours for school personnel to be allowed to carry a gun onto school grounds from 700 hours to 24 hours. The bill also mandates that local school districts have the final say on allowing armed personnel.

Everytown for Gun Safety argues that allowing guns in the classroom could give students access to a firearm, and that teachers would unlikely be able to respond to a crisis as quickly as trained law enforcement.

United Educators Association also writes that arming school personnel could "disrupt the educational atmosphere, even when the intention is to improve safety." The licensed insurance company also offers several factors to consider before school districts allow staff to be armed, including cost, safety risk and liability.

Update 3/30/23, 4:06 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from John Kennedy, Massie's communications director.