The father of a high school student killed in the Parkland, Fla., gun massacre approached Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh[1] at Tuesday’s confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., his hand outstretched.
Fred Guttenberg introduced himself as the father of Jaime Guttenberg, who was a 14-year-old student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when she was killed on Feb. 14.
Kavanaugh, who was caught off guard as he headed for a break in his testimony, turned and was led away without shaking the other man’s hand.
Fred Guttenberg, father of Parkland victim, Jaime, tries to shakes hands with Brett Kavanaugh: “My daughter was murdered at Parkland.”
White House says an “unidentified individual approached” Kavanaugh, but “before the judge was able to shake his hand, security had intervened.” pic.twitter.com/IerpDMOW0h[2]
— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 4, 2018[3]
Shortly after the curt exchange, Guttenberg recounted the event in a tweet that within a few hours had 50,000 likes and 29,000 retweets.
Just walked up to Judge Kavanaugh as morning session ended. Put out my hand to introduce myself as Jaime Guttenberg’s dad. He pulled his hand back, turned his back to me and walked away. I guess he did not want to deal with the reality of gun violence.
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) September 4, 2018[4]
While debate over Kavanaugh’s confirmation has been focused on his views on abortion and on the president’s immunity from criminal charges, the judge’s views on guns have also come under scrutiny.
A strong Second Amendment advocate, Kavanaugh has said he would overturn laws in Washington, D.C., such as the ban on semiautomatic firearms. The gunman in the shooting, which killed 17 and wounded 14, used an
