In his first interview after being elected as the House speaker last week, Mike Johnson (R- Louisiana) said that it was not the appropriate moment to talk about enacting laws to prevent future mass shootings. He went on to say that the root cause of the problem lies within the “human heart,” rather than in firearms.
His statement comes in the wake of the incident in which 18 people lost their lives due to gun violence in Lewiston, Maine. Following the shooting, President Joe Biden and Democratic officials are calling for new measures to address gun violence.
Prior to becoming the new House speaker, Johnson had given a public speech in which he suggested that divorce, “radical feminism” and reproductive rights may be responsible for occurrences of school shootings.
Johnson’s opposition means there is no chance of any gun control measures moving through Congress until the next election.
Johnson also said that in Europe, where firearms are less easily available, individuals planning mass murder utilize cars to run over individuals.
During the interview, Johnson was questioned about his views on same-sex marriage and comments he had made in the past that have been circulating on social media after his election as the speaker. These remarks referred to homosexuality as “inherently unnatural” and “dangerous.”
In response, Johnson termed himself a proponent of following the law and accepted that legalized same-sex marriage is the law of the land.
As to his personal convictions, he said: “Go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it — that’s my worldview.”
