Scoop: Chuck Edwards gifted pink and blue handguns to young female staffers
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Rep. Chuck Edwards at a House Appropriations Committee hearing on July 14. Photo: Finn Gomez/Getty Images
Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) gave two young female staffers each a personalized handgun as a present while they worked in his office in 2024, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the gifts.
Why it matters: The guns, and a surprise musical performance organized by the congressman, are additional examples of Edwards allegedly singling out the young female staffers for unusually personal attention, conduct that is now at the center of a House Ethics Committee investigation into alleged sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.
- Edwards gave one staffer a blue handgun engraved with her name and the other staffer a pink handgun. Both gifts occurred in North Carolina.
- A lawyer for one of the former staffers told Axios that she "only awkwardly accepted the gift for fear of reprisal against her employment but later legally disposed of it because she did not want it in her possession."
- A member buying gifts for staffers is not explicitly against House rules.
Edwards was a licensed firearms dealer until November 2024. He previously owned a firearms business called Second Amendment Gun Traders in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
- He touts an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association on his campaign website.
In a statement to Axios, Edwards said: "I have taught several staff members to shoot and handle weapons, and in some cases, I provided them with their own. Before being elected to Congress, I was a licensed firearm dealer. I'm a strong believer in teaching men and women about firearm safety and self-defense. Firearms are useful tools for home and self-defense when held by law-abiding citizens."
- Three sources told Axios that they had never seen or heard of Edwards giving other staffers firearms or teaching other staffers how to use a firearm.
Axios has previously reported that Edwards singled out the two young female staffers in their 20s for attention that multiple sources described as inappropriate, including handwritten correspondence, personal gifts, drinking outings, casino trips and promotions.
- The congressman has denied wrongdoing in response to Axios' previous reporting about his alleged misconduct.
- One of the former staffers declined to discuss her interactions with Edwards when contacted by Axios. Axios will not name the staffers due to the sensitive nature of the allegations.
Edwards also arranged a surprise musical performance during a personal birthday party for one of the staffers while she worked in his office, according to three sources familiar with the event.
- In spring 2025, Edwards hired a singer to perform the staffer's favorite Ed Sheeran songs during the staffer's birthday party at Salazar in Washington, D.C.
The sources described the staffer as being embarrassed by the performance, which they said was arranged without her prior knowledge.
- Edwards did not attend the party. Instead, he coordinated the surprise through one of the staffer's friends, whom he had met while visiting the staffer in the hospital when she had appendicitis, one of the sources told Axios.
- Axios previously reported Edwards left Capitol Hill during the workday to visit the staffer at the hospital, according to two sources.
- Edwards didn't answer a question from Axios about the musical performance he allegedly organized.
Catch up quick: Edwards wrote one staffer a flattering poem that he read aloud — while choking up and becoming teary-eyed — at her office-wide going-away party, four sources told Axios.
- He also told that staffer that she had "written a complex chapter in my heart" shortly before she was set to leave his office in a three-page handwritten letter reviewed by Axios.
- Edwards gave the staffer a custom puzzle revealing an image of Adam Sandler with a handwritten note inviting her to attend one of Sandler's comedy shows with him, according to a photo viewed by Axios and three sources with knowledge of the gift.
During the fall 2025 government shutdown, Edwards vacationed with the staffer in Las Vegas after she left his office, where he arranged for flowers to be waiting in her Bellagio hotel room, according to two sources familiar with the trip and receipts reviewed by Axios. The female staffer told Edwards the flowers made her uncomfortable, according to the sources.
- One of the staffers complained about Edwards' behavior and was worried about retaliation from the congressman, according to text messages reviewed by Axios and four sources familiar with the interactions.
Zoom out: The ethics investigation could complicate Edwards' reelection prospects, though investigations typically take months, if not years, to complete.
- Democrats have made Edwards' western North Carolina district a top target in their effort to win back the House.
- Edwards' Democratic challenger, Jamie Ager, outraised him by roughly $1.3 million in the latest fundraising quarter.
Edwards and his wife, Teresa, announced last week that they sold all six of their McDonald's franchises to "devote even greater attention to public service." Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.
- Edwards also recently removed references to President Trump from his campaign website after previously highlighting the president and seeking his endorsement.
