Marjorie Taylor Greene praised militia members, said women who are gun safety activists “need to grow some balls”
Written by Eric Hananoki & Kaila Philo
Published
Right-wing pundit and congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene attacked members of the gun safety organization Moms Demand Action in a 2019 video, saying that they “need to grow some balls. And the problem is you don't have balls.” She has also praised members of militias, saying in a 2018 speech that they’re “the very definition of our Second Amendment” and can protect people against “a tyrannical government.”
Greene is heavily favored to win a congressional seat in Georgia and would likely become one of the first members of Congress to have expressed support for QAnon, the violence-linked conspiracy theory that the FBI has labeled a potential domestic terror threat. She has also pushed conspiracy theories about the 9/11 attacks, the killing of Democratic staffer Seth Rich, and Pizzagate, among others. Greene has made anti-Muslim remarks and promoted an anti-Muslim video that portrays Jewish people as trying to destroy Europe through immigration.
Greene has the support of leading Republicans and watched President Donald Trump’s unethical speech at the White House, where coronavirus safety measures were not widely followed.
In March 2019, Greene visited Capitol Hill and came into contact with gun safety activists. She later posted a Facebook video about her visit in which she derided Moms Demand Action.
Moms Demand Action is a grassroots nonprofit that, as its website states, was “founded by Shannon Watts, a mother of five. The day after the Sandy Hook tragedy, Shannon started a Facebook group with the message that all Americans can and should do more to reduce gun violence. The online conversation turned into a movement of moms, dads, students, families, concerned citizens and survivors working together with our partners in the gun violence prevention movement to end this uniquely American crisis.”
Greene stated of the group: “All these moms that demand action -- moms that demand action: You need to grow some balls. And the problem is you don't have balls. We need dads. Because most dads, unless they're a bunch of beta male, wussy, feminized men, are going to say, ‘Yeah, put guys, put good guys, good women with guns at our kids’ schools and protect our kids and stop these damn school shootings.’”
She later claimed that men are being “whipped by these women,” who are purportedly “attacking men in this country.” From her video:
MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE: All these moms that demand action -- moms that demand action: You need to grow some balls. And the problem is you don't have balls. We need dads. Because most dads, unless they're a bunch of beta male, wussy, feminized men, are going to say, “Yeah, put guys, put good guys, good women with guns at our kids’ schools and protect our kids and stop these damn school shootings. And that's the truth. That is the bottom line truth. But listen, listen, if I am the only one, if Marjorie Taylor Greene from the state of Georgia is the only American that will go in there and go up against all these little groups, all these crazy liberal women, women-controlled groups. And I'm a woman and it made me nauseous. I'm not kidding. I'm a woman. And those women groups, women-controlled groups running around all these teenagers and running themselves around. And there were a few men there, but I was like, “What? What kind of man are you? You are whipped by these women.” I mean, I can't even tell you. It was the most nauseating thing I've ever seen. Nauseating. See, they're attacking men in this country. They are tearing you to pieces because you're real leaders.
In 2018, Greene appeared at the Mother of All Rallies in Washington, D.C., which featured numerous pro-Trump speakers. Right Wing Watch’s Jared Holt wrote that “running security were clusters of people wearing insignias of anti-government militia groups, including the Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, and the Light Foot Militia.”
Before Greene spoke, various militia members appeared on stage to tout their efforts. The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Brett Barrouquere and Rachel Janik also reported on the rally and wrote of the presentation: “When Ace Baker, founder of the far-right group American Warrior Revolution, was on stage to deliver a speech on the Second Amendment, he invited the militiamen providing security on stage. Nathan Mizrahi, who founded the New York-based antigovernment group Liberty State Militia, testified about his time in the antigovernment movement, saying it changed his life.”
Shortly after that, Greene took to the stage and praised the militia members as being “the very definition of our Second Amendment. Because when our government gets to a place where it’s a tyrannical government, we’re guaranteed the right to bear arms and make a state militia so that they do not run us over.”
Greene posted a video, which appears to no longer be available online, of the militia presentation and her own. Here are the militia members’ and Greene’s remarks: