Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI-11) participated in a town hall event on gun control Tuesday where things got contentious between pro-gun protesters and Stevens.
Stevens screamed at the crowd that the “NRA has to go” after protesters kept yelling “NRA” during the town hall, according to the Detroit News.
After Stevens said this, the crowd was a mixed reaction of cheers and boos. In response to the Michigan representative, the pro-gun protesters told her “you gotta go” and yelled “USA.”
The Fems for Dems, which is a progressive grassroots organization, hosted this event at the Multi-Lakes Conservation Association where many of the association’s members are gun owners, according to Fox 2. Around 200 people attended where some people held signs “Vote out Haley Stevens — a liar”, the Detroit News reported.
Stevens hosted this event along with Michigan’s House Democratic Leader Christine Greig and Robert Wittenberg (D-27),
Before the event, Chair of the 11th Congressional District Republican Committee Meshawn Maddock issued a statement to Detroit News warning people would protest the event and that bringing the town hall to this district was a mistake.
“The 11th Congressional District isn’t progressive,” Maddock said. “It’s Republican. And Republicans support the Second Amendment and we like our legally owned guns. You’ve got a lot of nerve holding an anti-gun rally in the heart of gun-country. So we will rally voters to show you what voters think about two things. First, your lack of support for our Second Amendment. Then your poor decision to select this location for your town hall.”
Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingel (D-MI-12) distanced herself from Steven’s NRA rant on Detroit’s Fox 2 news show. Dingel suggested instead of screaming at each other that we listen to one another.
“I made some stupid comments about the NRA when I was young, too, because I was afraid of them, and didn’t understand everything,” she said.
After the clip went viral, Michigan GOP Chairman Laura Cox weighed in on Stevens.
Cox tweeted, “Haley Stevens promised to “work across the aisle” on issues that matter to Michiganders. She broke that promise, siding with the radical socialist “squad”. From endless investigations to abolishing the NRA — Rep. Stevens is completely out of touch!”
In another tweet, Cox said Democrats are undermining democracy and “The Squad” is leading the Democratic party.
Let's be clear: The Democrats are undermining our democracy with what they are doing.
The Squad is now leading the Democrat Party.
They’re completely unhinged, and so are the hundreds of Democrats in Congress, like @HaleyLive who are following their lead! #MI11 https://t.co/7lYTtU4H11
— Laura Cox (@LauraCoxMI) October 2, 2019
Stevens is a first-term representative who flipped Michigan’s 11th District from red to blue in 2018 after Republican Dave Trott retired.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Battleground State News. Follow Zachery on Twitter.
Photo “Haley Stevens” by Fox 2.
