It’s no secret that gun control is a hot-topic button in the U.S. – especially given the fact that the recent school shooting in Uvalde, TX was only one of over fifteen in the past week that left over 30 dead, 19 of which were children. As such, gun control has been on the minds of most Americans even more so than usual.
This was made abundantly clear during gubernatorial candidate Betsy Johnson’s TEDxPortland surprise appearance on Saturday morning. Host David Rae, a Canadian, was clearly frustrated when the planned discussion was derailed by the crowd’s insistence on discussing Johnson’s proposed gun control policies.
“That’s not going to be solved in four minutes on this stage,” said Rae. “Help me manage this room, Betsy. You brought up leadership. What is your thinking with this?”
Johnson began by reminding the crowd that she had, for years, represented a rural northwest Oregon district, and that she herself owns and collects guns. “We all have opinions. I have mine, you all have yours,” she said.
She followed up by saying that “the style of gun doesn’t dictate the lethality” – a phrase that was less well-received, eliciting boos from some in the crowd.
She continued to double down, stating that Americans need to be “continuously more vigilant” to detect potentially armed and dangerous citizens intent on a mass shooting.
In an attempt to gain some semblance of order, Rae took control. While he claimed that he didn’t understand mass shootings – which he called a uniquely American problem, he congratulated Johnson’s bravery in confronting such a difficult question in four minutes.
“We’re not going to solve it in this room,” said Rae. “We decided to do this two weeks ago.”
Since the incident, TEDxPortland has issued an apology, saying, “Having a potential political candidate for public office on our stage this morning was not the right decision.”
Johnson, assuming she can collect the required 23,744 signatures, will face former House Speaker Kotek and former House Minority Leader Christine Drazan. Kotek is a known supporter of gun control, whereas Drazan and Johnson both voted last year against mandating safe storage of guns when not in use.
Over the years, Johnson has opposed bills allowing courts to confiscate guns from “high risk” individuals and requiring background checks for private gun sales. Perhaps this is why she has received endorsements from the National Rifle Association and the Oregon Firearms Federation. Additionally, as reported by Oregonlive, Johnson is one of the 6,740 Oregonians who own a machine gun – in her case one from the Cold War Era.
Morning Consult’s newest polling suggests that most Americans support steps for gun ownership such as mandatory background checks on all gun sales and banning reportedly “dangerous” individuals from owning them at all.
By Ethan Hauck
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