Brett Kavanaugh says he 'grew up in a city plagued by gun violence.' He didn't.
Brett Kavanaugh says he grew up surrounded by violence and despair, and it apparently shaped him into the Supreme Court nominee he is today.
Except Kavanaugh didn't grow up in his birthplace of Washington, D.C., a place he called the "murder capital of the world" during his confirmation hearing Wednesday. He spent his childhood in the very rich, very well-educated suburb of Bethesda, Maryland.
In the hearing's second day, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) asked about Kavanaugh's dissenting opinion in a court case over a D.C. gun law. Kavanaugh contradicted the court's 2011 ruling upholding a ban on assault weapons, saying that banning one type of weapon was "equivalent to a ban on a category of speech."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
That opinion didn't necessarily reflect Kavanaugh's views on gun rights, he said Wednesday. Still, he added that it did "make clear ... [that] I am a native of this area," which is apparently "a city plagued by gun violence and gang violence and drug violence."
It's true that Washington has a rough record when it comes to crime. But Kavanaugh spent his younger days nestled in Bethesda, a city that now boasts high household incomes and education rates. During Kavanaugh's childhood, Montgomery County, where Bethesda is located, recorded violent crime rates far below the rest of the D.C. area. And even today, Bethesda sees far less crime than all of Washington — and the entire United States.
Watch the whole exchange below. Kathryn Krawczyk
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
'We need to be honest about the FBI and its ability to prevent these tragedies'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Johnson pulls spending bill amid GOP revolt
Speed Read House Speaker Mike Johnson called off a planned vote on a stopgap spending package as odds of government shutdown increase
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The Real Thing: Stoppard revival is 'witty' and 'wise'
The Week Recommends James McArdle is 'sensational' in Max Webster's production at the Old Vic
By The Week UK Published
-
Trump criminal trial starts with rulings, reminder
Speed Read The first day of his historic trial over hush money payments was mostly focused on jury selection
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Parents of school shooter sentenced to 10-15 years
Speed Read Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first parents to be convicted in a US mass shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Unlicensed dealers and black market guns
Speed Read 68,000 illegally trafficked guns were sold in a five year period, said ATF
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bankman-Fried gets 25 years for fraud
Speed Read Former "crypto king" Sam Bankman-Fried will report to federal prison
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Goon Squad' cops sentenced for torturing 2 Black men
Speed Read The former Mississippi law enforcement officers pleaded guilty last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Michigan shooter's dad guilty of manslaughter
speed read James Crumbley failed to prevent his son from killing four students at Oxford High School in 2021
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Shooting at Chiefs victory rally kills 1, injures 21
Speed Read Gunfire broke out at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory parade in Missouri
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published