Republican Speaks Out on School Shootings: 'We're Not Gonna Fix It'

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Tennessee Republican Tim Burchett described the Nashville school shooting as a "horrible, horrible situation" and said that "we're not gonna fix" the issue of widespread gun violence in America.

Talking to reporters after the shooting at The Covenant School in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville on Monday, 58-year-old Burchett—who has represented Tennessee's 2nd congressional district since 2019—said that there's nothing that can be done to stop ill-intended criminals from perpetrating crimes like the Nashville shooting.

"Three precious little kids lost their lives and I believe three adults, and the shooter of course lost their life too. It's a horrible, horrible situation, and we're not gonna fix it," Burchett can be heard saying in a video of the interview shared on Twitter.

CCTV of Audrey Hale
CCTV shared by Metro Nashville PD showing Audrey Elizabeth Hale who drove to Covenant Church/School in a Honda Fit parked, and shot their way into the building. Hale was armed with 2 assault-type guns and... Metro Nashville PD

"Criminals are gonna be criminals. My daddy fought in the Second World War, fought in the Pacific, fought the Japanese, and he told me, 'Buddy,' he said, 'if somebody wants to take you out and doesn't mind losing their life, there's not a whole heck of a lot you can do about it.'"

Asked by a reporter whether he thinks there's any role for Congress to play in reaction to the Nashville shooting, Burchett replied: "I don't see any real role that we could do other than mess things up honestly."

He added: "Like I said, I don't think a criminal is going to stop from guns. You know, can print them out on the computer now—3D printing. I don't think you're gonna stop the gun violence. I think you gotta change people's hearts."

The reporter then asked about what the Tennessee congressman thinks should be done "to protect people like your little girl." Burchett, who has a daughter named Isabel, responded: "Well, we homeschool her." He said that that was their decision and "some people don't have that option and frankly, some people don't need to do it. [...] It just suited our needs much better."

Calls for banning assault-style rifles and passing stricter gun control legislation were revived by the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, last May and have been renewed this week after the Nashville shooting. These calls have faced stiff opposition from many Republicans, the NRA, and other gun activist groups who have argued that it would violate Americans' Second Amendment rights.

Republican Congressman Tim Burchett
U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) participates in a meeting of the House Oversight and Reform Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on January 31, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Burchett described the Nashville school shooting... Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

In an interview with CBS News on the same day, Burchett explained why he thinks there's no way to fix the issue of mass shootings with gun control legislation. "Evil people are going to do evil things," he said. "We've got a mental health crisis in the country. And we don't seem to come to grips with funding school security."

Political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen reshared the interview saying that Burchett "has taken $39,360 from the gun lobby" and "that's what he sold out the lives of children for." On his website, Burchett describes himself as "an avid gun owner" who "sponsored legislation to expand gun rights."

"As a lifetime NRA member, you can count on Tim to protect our Second Amendment rights," a statement on his website reads.

In June 2022, when President Joe Biden signed into law the first major gun safety legislation passed by Congress in nearly 30 years, Burchett said that "our children deserve to feel safe when they go to school, but preventing law-abiding citizens from exercising their constitutional rights is not the way to make that happen."

Burchett said people should look into addressing the mental health crisis in the country and providing schools with more security.

Newsweek has called Burchett's team for comment but did not get an immediate response.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more