Oprah Winfrey Slams Lawmakers For 'Behaving Like Children' Amid Surge In Gun Violence

Oprah Winfrey, delivering her commencement speech at Tennessee State University, slammed the U.S. lawmakers for the recent spate of mass shootings nationwide. 

What Happened: Winfrey acknowledging the gravity of the issue, which is close to Tennessee residents after a recent shooting at a private school in Nashville, praised two local lawmakers who were temporarily removed from their positions in the state’s legislature earlier this year due to their demonstrations against gun violence.

They are “demonstrating through their actions that cynicism can be defeated,” Winfrey said, commending Justin Jones and Justin Pearson’s efforts, according to The Hill.

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"Representatives like Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson are using their lives to prove the cynics wrong," Winfrey said. "And they're building on the legacy of giants, mentors of mine like John Lewis, whose fight for justice started right here in Nashville."

She also slammed other lawmakers saying, "The leaders are behaving like children."

"The children are being gunned down by military-grade assault rifles."

Why It Matters: Jones and Pearson were briefly expelled from the Tennessee House for their protest against the use of an assault weapon in the Nashville shooting. The expulsion was carried out by Republican lawmakers who were displeased with the actions of the Democratic protesters.

The expulsion drew dramatic nationwide attention, with Democrats across the country coming to their defense. The local officials later voted to reinstate both of the lawmakers, allowing them to return to the statehouse.

Winfrey's comments came as a shooting occurred over the weekend at a shopping mall in Texas, which resulted in the death of at least eight individuals and the injury of at least seven others. This latest incident marked the 203rd mass shooting in the U.S. in 2023, according to the website gunviolencearchive.org.

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