Kentucky Congressman John Yarmuth has been calling for gun reform for years, supporting a ban on assault weapons and closing gun-show sales loopholes. That’s earned him an “F” rating from the NRA and he is wearing it as a badge of honor—literally wearing an “F” button and encouraging other elected officials to do the same. That prompted a Republican candidate for secretary of state in Kentucky to make a wholly inappropriate public joke about targeting Yarmuth. From the Courier-Journal:
A Republican candidate for Kentucky secretary of state tweeted Tuesday that he would like to use Democratic Congressman John Yarmuth as target practice.
Carl Nett, a former member of the U.S. Secret Service, who also contracted with the Central Intelligence Agency, was responding to a tweet from Yarmuth who was bragging about his F grade from the National Rifle Association.
Yarmuth said he is asking colleagues to join him in wearing a button with the F rating on it every day until, "the GOP finally stands up to the gun lobby and helps us pass common sense gun safety legislation. Find me to get a pin."
"Move it over just a bit," Nett tweeted. "I was trained center mass."
Nett’s tweet was deleted, but not before it was reported to authorities. Nett quickly backtracked on the dumb “joke” in a non-apology apology.
"Friends, I protected Barack Obama, John Kerry, John Edwards, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Bill Clinton," Nett later tweeted. "I voted for none of them. I would have DIED for any of them. My oath is to the Constitution. ALL politicians should keep that oath, first and foremost."