Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville(Photo: File / The Tennessean)
NASHVILLE — Responding to a mass shooting at an Oregon community college that left 10 people dead, Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey<span style="color: Red;">*</span>is encouraging fellow Christians who are serious about their faith
to consider getting a gun.
The Republican from Blountsville<span style="color: Red;">*</span>made those remarks in a Facebook post Friday, one day after a shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore. The suspected gunman, 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer, reportedly asked victims to name their religious affiliation during the massacre.
In his Facebook post, Ramsey links to a
New York Post article with the headline "Oregon gunman singled out Christians during rampage." Ramsey groups the Oregon shooting with other recent mass shootings around the U.S. "Whether the perpetrators are motivated by aggressive secularism, jihadist extremism or racial supremacy, their targets remain the same: Christians and defenders of the West," Ramsey<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said.
"While this is not the time for widespread panic, it is a time to prepare," he later adds. "I would encourage my fellow Christians who are serious about their faith to think about getting a handgun carry permit. I have always believed that it is better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it.
USA TODAY
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"Our enemies are armed. We must do likewise."
His comments elicited a written statement from Democratic state Rep. John Ray Clemmons, who said Ramsey's comments "reek of fear-mongering and religious crusading."
"Rather than lead the General Assembly’s bipartisan efforts to improve public safety by removing guns from the hands of criminals and addressing the serious mental health issues confronting many in our state, Senator Ramsey unfortunately chose the road most traveled by the radical right," said Clemmons, who introduced a bill earlier this year that sought to amend the state's "guns-in parks" legislation.
"Senator Ramsey’s inciting statements in the face of a national tragedy are all the more alarming when you consider them in their historical context," he added. "Things have never ended well when any leader has asked people to take up arms in the name of their religious faith. This type of rhetoric is counter-productive to our efforts on so many levels."
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