A gun lobbyist in Colorado said during a committee hearing this week that the statistics for gun-related deaths among children and young people would be lower “if you remove Black males in the age group from it.”
The comments came from Kevin Lorusso, a representative for Colorado’s largest gun lobby, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, during a hearing in the state legislature on several gun bills, Denver7 reported.
During his testimony, Lorusso also suggested that if Jews in the Holocaust had been armed, they might have at least “taken a few Nazis out on the street” to their deaths.
“I can’t understand why people say, ‘You know, Jews are still going to die in the Holocaust, so maybe they don’t need guns,'” Lorusso said. “You know what? Maybe they should take some Nazis out on the street. Maybe it would be better if they had the ability to defend themselves. And this is what it’s all about.
Republicans have often blamed the Holocaust on gun control laws, including the late Rep. Don Young (Alaska), former US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, Pennsylvania state Senator Doug Mastriano and others.
Later in Monday’s hearing, when Colorado state representative Kyle Brown (D) cited new statistics showing guns are now the leading cause of death among children and teenagers in the US, Lorusso said the statistics wouldn’t be alarming if you did. t count “Black men” in the number.
“If you remove Black males in that age group, it’s not true,” Lorusso said, according to Denver7. “It’s a symptom of a different problem. The problem that causes young black men to die in their homes and on the streets is a very different problem. And most of them, I’m sure it’s 99%, but I’d say safely 98% of the killings were committed with illegally owned and illegally possessed firearms.
Jason Goldstick – associate professor of the University of Michigan and the main author of the letter about the death of children and adolescents that was fired by Brown in the committee hearing – admitted in Denver7 that “Black youth are definitely at a higher risk than non-Hispanic whites or Hispanic whites. , or Native American ( youth). But the story notes that Goldstick “doesn’t understand why lawmakers are hung up on the ranks as an important sign.”
Though Lorusso mentions “illegally and illegally purchased firearms,” he does not appear to acknowledge that police shoot and kill blacks at a higher rate than whites.
A recent CNN story on child homicide deaths in the US noted that from 1999 to 2020, “Black males were killed more than any other group, and firearms were the most common weapon used in the deaths of children.” The story noted that previous research suggested “racial disparities may be attributable” to racist authority figures and “system-based inequalities in neighborhoods where many children live, with high concentrations of poverty, few safe places to play and poor school systems.” “
In a statement to Denver7, RMGO executive director Taylor Rhodes said Lorusso “misspoke” because he has little experience speaking in such a setting.
“Monday, I allowed Kevin Lorusso, our most junior staffer, to testify on behalf of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners on two bills we know will die in the committee to get people with experience in the public forum,” Rhodes said in a statement. “If you have testified on behalf of a large organization, or even on your own, this can be a very exciting exercise. In testimony, he made a mistake when discussing the hot topic of the gun issue. Rocky Mountain Gun Owners will continue to support and defend freedom The Second Amendment belongs to all law-abiding Colorado citizens.
Rhodes added that the RMO would not comment on the situation.
Read the full story at Denver7.