One of the parents of a student who was killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting was arrested inside the Capitol on Thursday after interrupting the Judiciary and Oversight committees’ gun hearing, with one Republican lawmaker comparing the two-person protest to the riots at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Videos show Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) asking Capitol Police to “arrest that woman” after two pro-gun control protesters, who were revealed to be Manuel and Patricia Oliver, parents of Joaquin Oliver, began disrupting the meeting in which he was speaking about the gun control rules in Mexico.
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Reports from within the hearing room said Patricia Oliver accused the Republicans of taking her son away, and Manuel Oliver yelled, “All of you are full of s***.”
While officers escorted Patricia Oliver out, Fallon reminded people in attendance that those who engage in unruly behavior or disorderly conduct can be removed from the proceedings, and he asked Capitol Police officers if they would hold them to the same standard as those arrested during the Jan. 6 riot.
“Is this an insurrection?” Fallon asked while attendees and witnesses looked around the room, visibly uncomfortable. “I don’t want another Jan. 6, do we?”
Another clip showed the Capitol Police handcuffing Manuel Oliver on the ground outside of the hearing room. It is unclear if Patricia Oliver was also arrested or just removed.
USCP appears to be arresting a man outside the hearing room pic.twitter.com/K3nMVWsJZT
— Mica Soellner (@MicaSoellnerDC) March 23, 2023
After the arrest, Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) slammed Fallon on Twitter, saying he “escalated” the situation and pointed out that Manuel Oliver lost his son in the Parkland shooting.
“Manuel and Patricia Oliver were just kicked out of this committee hearing on gun violence,” Frost tweeted. “Patricia said one thing and the chair escalated the entire situation. Then, Police arrested Manuel Oliver who lost his son in the Parkland shooting. The Chair should’ve given a warning. He completely escalated the situation.”
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The committees were holding a joint hearing titled “ATF’s Assault of the Second Amendment: When is Enough Enough?” with a focus on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives limiting the rights of gun owners, per the lawmakers.
The House Freedom Caucus recently announced its budget that, among other areas, would cut funding for 11,000 FBI personnel and freeze hiring at the ATF.
