Kimmel mocks Scalise for not supporting new gun control measures after 2017 shooting
Steve Scalise survived a 2017 congressional baseball game where a mass shooter targeted Republicans.
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mocked House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., on Wednesday for his stance on new gun control measures after the Republican lawmaker was shot during a 2017 congressional baseball game practice.
Earlier this week, House Republicans revealed they had chosen Scalise as their nominee for speaker after huddling behind closed doors. The news came after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted in a vote by eight members of his own party and all House Democrats last week.
Reacting to the news, Kimmel shamed Scalise for failing to embrace gun control reform.
"He's an interesting person, this Steve Scalise," Kimmel said during his opening monologue. "He was one of the biggest gun supporters in Congress, but then in 2017, remember, he was shot and seriously wounded at a Congressional baseball [practice] by a man carrying a legally purchased assault rifle. And when he recovered and came back to Congress, he knew that nothing like what happened to him should ever happen again. So as his first act, he introduced House Resolution 2481, that required all baseball players to carry AK-47s in their protective cups."
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Late night host Jimmy Kimmel mocked Republican Rep. Steve Scalise on Wednesday over his past stances on gun control following a mass shooting that left him seriously injured. (Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
As the audience erupted in cheers and applause, Kimmel joked that it was an "inspiring story" that may one day be made into a movie.
On June 14, 2017, Scalise was seriously injured during a mass shooting during a practice session for the annual Congressional Baseball Game in Alexandria, Virginia.
Six people were shot during the tragedy, including Scalise, Capitol Police Officer Crystal Griner, Congressional aide Zack Barth and lobbyist Matt Mika. In the clip flagged by conservative media watchdog NewsBusters, Kimmel did not mention Scalise's assailant was a far-left supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
Scalise was the first member of Congress to have been shot since former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., was shot, along with 17 others, during a 2011 mass shooting in Tuscon, Arizona. She survived but was seriously wounded and had to resign her seat.
Following the 2017 baseball practice mass shooting, Scalise said he doubted Democrats' proposed "red flag" laws or stricter background checks would have prevented the attack.
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House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) speaks to reporters at a press conference following a House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol Building on July 18, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
"He just kind of went off the grid. What are you gonna do about that? What law are you gonna pass that's gonna address that? In the end, all you end up doing is seeing more and more attempts to take away rights from law-abiding citizens," Scalise told Fox News at the time.
Scalise said some red-flag proposals "have merit," but they must include "strong due process."
Last year, Scalise criticized Democrats over their response to mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Buffalo, New York, claiming left-wing politicians are "quick" to target guns.
"When you have a shooting, instead of sitting down and going, OK, what is really causing this?" Scalise said to "Fox News Sunday" host John Roberts. "Why do we see these happening more and more in the last few years? It immediately becomes a debate about taking away guns and you see Democrats quickly run in the day of the shooting."
Member of the House Republican leadership' Representatives Steve Scalise, attends a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, June 6, 2023. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
On Thursday, Scalise announced he had dropped out of the race for House speaker following closed-door discussions with fellow Republicans.
Fox News' Brandon Gillespie and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
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