Rep. Ralph Norman said he holds a concealed carry permit and frequently brings a firearm with him in public. | Chuck Burton/AP Photo South Carolina lawmaker pulls out loaded gun during constituent meeting, audience says

Rep. Ralph Norman pulled out a loaded pistol while discussing gun-violence prevention during a meeting with constituents in South Carolina on Friday, according to several advocacy group members in attendance.

The episode was brought to light by volunteers for the South Carolina chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, who said in a news release that the lawmaker laid out a loaded firearm while discussing gun safety at an event in Rock Hill.


According to the group, the pistol was left out for “several minutes” while Norman “kept telling his constituents that the presence of the gun made them safer.”

“Rep. Norman’s behavior today was a far cry from what responsible gun ownership looks like,” Lori Freemon, a volunteer who attended the meeting, said in a news release. “I had looked forward to a respectful dialogue with my representative about common-sense gun violence prevention policies.”

She added: “Instead, I felt unsafe when he insisted on showing us his loaded gun and keeping it out on the table for much of our conversation.”

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Norman told The Post and Courier that he pulled out a loaded .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun during a “coffee with constituents” meeting in Rock Hill. The lawmaker told the newspaper he took out the firearm to illustrate that “guns don’t shoot people, people shoot guns.”

A spokesperson for Norman confirmed to POLITICO that he had pulled out a firearm during the meeting in an attempt to drive home a message about responding to active-shooter situations.

In a statement sent by his office, Norman said he “merely proved a point that guns themselves are not the issue” during a discussion with “a group of organized anti-gun activists.”

“Given the scenario that if someone had walked into that diner and began to fire a weapon, I told them I would be able to defend myself and them as well,” the lawmaker said.

He added: “Mental health, and more importantly, a lack of morality is the driving force behind this epidemic. Guns are not the problem.”

The South Carolina lawmaker, who recently announced that he was running for re-election this year, said he holds a concealed carry permit. He also told The Post and Courier he frequently takes a firearm with him when out in public.

Norman cited the shooting of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who was seriously wounded during a 2011 constituent meeting, in explaining his decision.

“I’m not going to be a Gabby Giffords,” Norman told the newspaper. “I don’t mind dying, but whoever shoots me better shoot well or I’m shooting back.”