Jan 6, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Schumer: "Had someone had a gun ... who knows what would have happened"

Erin Doherty

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, arrives for a ceremony on the first anniversary of the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022 — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer arrives at Statuary Hall for a ceremony on the first anniversary of the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2022. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) recounted the events of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot on the anniversary of the deadly day, saying "had someone had a gun, had two of them blocked off the door, who knows what would have happened."

Driving the news: "I was told later that one of them reportedly said, 'There's the big Jew, let's get him,'" Schumer said on the Senate floor.

Schumer tied his speech to the need to expand voting rights, calling the proposed reforms to the Electoral Count Act "insufficient" and "offensive."
"We must pass legislation, effective legislation to defend our democracy, to protect the right to vote," Schumer said.

What he's saying: "The warnings of history are clear: when democracies are in danger, it often starts with a mob. ... A mob can start out as a small number, but if it's allowed to grow, and leaders egg on the mob, encourage it, it can become poison," Schumer said.

"The attack of Jan. 6 didn't come out of the blue, it was not an act of God. It was not something that came from foreign soil. It wasn't even just some mere protests that got out of hand."
"Jan. 6 was an attempt to reverse, through violent means, the outcome of a free and fair election, an insurrection."

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Schumer: "Had someone had a gun ... who knows what would have happened"

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