Brett Kavanaugh: 'I grew up in a city plagued by gun violence'
WASHINGTON - Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh faced more questions from lawmakers during the second day of his confirmation hearing. However, his explanation to a question regarding assault weapons raised eyebrows to those familiar living in the D.C. area.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., questioned Kavanaugh about his dissent in 2011 in a key D.C. case regarding the city’s ban on assault weapons.
“I also made clear Sen. Feinstein at the end of the opinion I am a native of this area,” Kavanaugh said. “I’m a native of an urban-suburban area. I grew up in a city plagued by gun violence and gang violence and drug violence. So I fully understand, as I explained in the opinion, the importance of this issue. I specifically referenced that [former D.C.] Police Chief Cathy Lanier’s goals of reducing gang and gun violence. It’s something I certainly applauded, but I had to follow the precedent of the Supreme Court in that case. As I read it, that’s what it said.”
While Kavanaugh was born in Washington D.C., he grew up in the affluent suburban area of Bethesda, Maryland, and attended the highly-renowned Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda. Some other notable alumni include U.S. Supreme Court justice Neil Gorsuch, former U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd and Arizona Cardinals President Michael Bidwill.
To no surprise, many pointed out his upbringing on Twitter and questioned whether he truly grew up in a city plagued by violence: