South Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman volunteering at the Sisk Memorial Baptist Church Community Center. Photo by Kailey Cota
“What better place to have a mission like this than a church? I can’t tell you how many schools I go in and we used to have a moment of prayer over the loudspeaker, now we just have a moment of silence. That’s sad. And we wonder why our schools are in the trouble we’re in? And a lot of that, God is going to be the one that solves our problems in our country…”
It’s never dull when Congressman Ralph Norman answers questions. From God to guns and the press, he is never afraid to speak his mind.
Norman, the US Representative for South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District swung by Fort Mill’s Community Cafe on Thursday, August 23 to greet guests and volunteers gathered at the Sisk Memorial Baptist Church’s Community Center. Name tags and “I am loved” stickers decorated every shirt, makeshift tables and chairs covered the tile floor, and an artfully made cross back dropped the low stage.
The Congressman made national headlines last April when he pulled out his loaded handgun at a meeting with the activist group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America to make the point that a gun itself doesn’t kill. Congressman Norman, who was re-elected on Nov. 6, 2018, took time to greet constituents at the cafe, and he also lent a hand -- or in this case a glove -- by serving meals briefly before conducting a public Q&A.
Afterward, the Congressman sat down for a one-on-one interview to clarify a few of his responses during the public Q&A and to speak to why young voters should get behind him in the next election.
Volunteers are cleaning up, transferring food, folding up tables and chairs. Congressman Norman is posed at the last remaining table, leaning in to hear questions over the cleanup clatter. One man of the Congressman’s two-man entourage sits across the table, anxiously waiting to intervene if need be.
“Are you okay with me recording this?” I ask.
“Of course. I love recordings!” Congressman Norman is eager to avoid anything along the lines of what he calls ‘fake news.’
Q: Why did you come to the Community Cafe?
A: “I had met the guy [Don Murfin] that arranged [the Community Cafe] a long time ago. The fact that he’s doing this is so admirable. This is America. We help other people. And so, that’s why I wanted to come here. I wanted to work and serve so I could get a real feel for it.”
Q: During the public Q&A, you spoke about a Christian faith. Do you always share that, or only because this is a Christian community?
A: “I say it everywhere. This country was founded on Christian principles -- and we’ve gotten away from it. That’s why I mention that in schools, we need to get it back; families need to have it. I’m not ashamed -- Jesus would not be ashamed -- to be vocal. And if I remember right, he turned the tables over in the temple. We gotta turn the tables over in programs that are taxing our citizens that are not for any good reason, plus they are not for a Godly reason.”
Q: In the public Q&A, you said the press should be ashamed. President Trump uses the term “fake news” a lot, how do you feel about that term?
A: “He’s right, he’s exactly right. Here’s why it’s fake -- and I mentioned this up there -- reporters and news people should report the news. Not try to influence our positions. Walter Cronkite didn’t have such a bias like they have now. They think they’re movement starters. If they want to affect policy, put the name on the line and run. There’s not but one station that gives this president a fair shake, in my opinion. I don’t know of any positive attribute the press has complimented him on from the supreme court to his cut and regulation to helping the economy. They’re just not going to do it.”
Q: Thoughts on saying ‘any press is good press?’
A: “He has a unique talent of saying things -- now some people disagree with that -- but think about it. Not in politics, never served in the General Assembly of any state. He ran a business. To win the highest office in the land? Part of it, he has communication skills and he tells the truth. Now has he got his faults? Yeah, we all do. But he, in my way of thinking, is a Godsend to have in this country.”
Q: Let’s move on to issues that specifically affect high schoolers. You are not in favor of gun control. With the March For Our Lives movement calling for high school seniors to vote for politicians in favor of gun control, how would you win over voters?
A: “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people. The guns that were used at Parkland did not jump up and all the sudden go and shoot the children. It’s a tragedy. Who would’ve thought years ago that we would’ve had that? I feel for the parents, I feel for anyone that loses their life to gun violence.
Now, you don’t take guns away from law abiding citizens. We have a second amendment right. If they want to change the constitution, then put it to a vote. Let’s get the necessary signatures.
I believe in the second amendment, I will defend a person’s right to have a gun, I think we protect ourselves. The criminals or those with mental health issues don’t look on the illegality -- they’re going to get a gun.
But it’s law abiding citizens who should have a gun. I’m glad young people are getting involved, but they need to understand all of the issues with it.
Am I for treatment for people with mental illness? Absolutely. Am I for encouraging people to get the proper training, CWP, and carry guns? Absolutely. But it’s not taking guns away from law abiding citizens.”
Q: What are you doing to stop people with mental illnesses from getting guns, or to help them get treatment?
A: “By highlighting. I had a gun safety seminar and 35,000 people tuned in. We want to make people aware that we have a problem and of what to do so what happened in Florida doesn’t happen again. Hopefully we can -- by bringing sunlight to the issue -- make people more aware. If you see something, say something. If you suspect somebody has posted something on FaceBook, on the internet, say something. Have discussions with law enforcement. With school superintendents -- what is the plan? If a shooting occurs, why was the Parkland FL shooter able to get into school with a shotgun? A shotgun is 2 to 3 feet long. Could you do that in an airport? No. So you take the safety precautions and make a difference. I hope that we’re doing that.”
Q: In airports there are metal detectors, are you in favor of putting metal detectors into schools?
A: “There’s no wrong answer. Each school is different. You have a matter of who pays for it, is it effective? Some schools are modern, some schools are 60 years old. There’s no wrong answer. All of the above. That’s why I hosted the conference.”
Q: Did you bring your gun today?
A: “No, I did not.”
Q: Would you explain why?
A: “Very good question. I went to the dentist early on. I didn’t think I needed a gun in my dentist’s office. I carry it most places and am going to continue to carry it. The press portrayed that one issue and highlighted something that just didn’t exist. But I’m a proud carrier of a handgun, I got the training, and I encourage you -- and more people -- to carry guns. What happened to that girl yesterday, that they found her body, if she had had a gun, it wouldn’t have taken place. She would not be separated from her family permanently. She will never get to see her family again. She will never have the opportunity to raise children. If she had had a gun, that never would’ve happened. I encourage all my daughters to get armed, and my girls do carry guns. I encourage you to get a gun.”
Q: You said the press ‘highlighted it’ in a wrong way, how would you have wished the press covered the time you pulled out your gun in front of MDA?
A: “They were not honest in what they portrayed. My whole thing was to show that guns don’t shoot by themselves. The press looked on it as a way to help the liberal candidate. The people that they interviewed weren’t even here. The girl from MDA, she was smiling. That’s the perfect example of reporting an incorrect act. It was a non-event.”
Q: If you had one thing that you could say to HS seniors that are going to be voting in November, what would you say to gain their vote?
A: Politicians get by on word too much. My overall record supports our young people by making sure that they can get a meaningful job. It’s putting money back in the students’ hands as opposed to giving it to government. Look at the totality, rather than one particular issue. Do not believe the press.”