Madison Cawthorn's solution to mass shootings: Learn how to make a tourniquet

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) said in an interview posted online April 22 that people should have “maybe a tourniquet or some kind of bandages” handy to deal with mass shootings when they happen.

Cawthorn has repeatedly opposed measures aimed at reducing gun violence, and told a reporter with WLOS-TV in Asheville, North Carolina, that his position is the same after the recent shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis that killed 8.

President Joe Biden on April 8 signed several executive orders intended to reduce gun violence, while House Democrats have passed legislation that would expand background checks for gun purchasers.

But Hawthorn’s response to gun violence was to say that “most Americans should be their own first responders” and that armed citizens should “put holes in other people” who threaten them.

“I also believe that we should all have some form of medical training with us, maybe a tourniquet or some kind of bandages,” he added. “So that if ever there is some kind of incident whether it’s a terrorist attack or mass shooting, we can also fill those holes.

“I think it’s the humane thing to do,” Hawthorn said.

The congressman also placed the blame for the violence on areas in which guns are prohibited, arguing that mass shooters target them because they “would never go to a place where it was not a gun-free zone, where they knew they would have to expect a fight.”

A study initially conducted by Mother Jones in 2013 and updated continuously as mass shootings continue to occur concludes that consideration of whether a target was in a gun-free zone has never been a factor in any of the violence: “Among the 62 mass shootings over the last 30 years that we studied, not a single case includes evidence that the killer chose to target a place because it banned guns.”

Researchers found that hate, perceived grievances, and personal conflicts were the overriding factors in shooters’ choice of targets.

From an April 22 interview with WLOS:

MADISON CAWTHORN: I genuinely believe that a lot of these mass shootings happen because these people who normally carry out mass shootings are depraved and cowardly. They would never go to a place where it was not a gun-free zone, where they knew they would have to expect a fight.

 

I personally, and I believe most Americans should be their own first responders.

 

They should be prepared to put holes in other people by carrying a firearm to someone who wants to do the damage to them. But I also believe that we should all have some form of medical training with us, maybe a tourniquet or some kind of bandages, so that if ever there is some kind of incident whether it’s a terrorist attack or a mass shooting, we can also fill those holes.

 

I think it’s the humane thing to do.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.