The father of Parkland shooting victim Jamie Guttenberg was escorted out of the State of the Union address on Tuesday night after an outburst during a portion of President Donald Trump’s speech defending the Second Amendment.
Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter was among 17 people killed in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018, was removed after protesting Trump’s mention of gun rights. Guttenberg has become an activist for gun reform in the years since losing his daughter.
“Just as we believe in the First Amendment, we also believe in another Constitutional right that is under siege all across our country,” Trump said in his speech. “So long as I am president I will always protect your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.”
Guttenberg, who attended the address as a guest of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, yelled, “What about victims of gun violence, like my daughter?” when Trump brought up the Second Amendment. He was then removed from the event by Capitol Police. Representatives for Capitol Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Following the incident, Guttenberg tweeted that he’d had a “rough night” and issued an apology to his family and friends for yelling out. “I disrupted the State of the Union and was detained because I let my emotions get the best of me,” he wrote, adding that “I will do better as I pursue gun safety.”
Guttenberg’s exit was not the only one to play out during the State of the Union — three Democratic representatives, Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Tim Ryan and Bill Pascrell walked out while Trump spoke as a form of protest. Tlaib later tweeted that the speech was “beneath the dignity” of the President’s office.
