Mace criticizes GOP for being ‘silent’ on abortion, guns

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) criticized her fellow Republicans on Sunday for their silence on issues of mass shootings and abortion access, arguing GOP lawmakers must offer policy solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing voters.

“Republicans can no longer be silent on this issue,” Mace told anchor Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.” “It’s not about the Second Amendment. There are plenty of things that we could be doing besides offering prayers and silence.”

Following a string of mass shootings in the U.S., including attacks in Tennessee and Kentucky, Mace – who said she had been near a mass shooting recently in South Carolina – suggested Republicans should focus on making changes that do not target gun control.

She pointed to an amber alert system that would tell people when they are near a mass shooting. She also said Republicans should strengthen background checks and bolster physical security at vulnerable locations, like schools and churches. 

“Everytime there’s a mass shooting… we don’t say anything, want to bury our heads in the sand and hope that it goes away,” Mace said. “It’s not going away… it is an issue that continues to be a problem for Republicans.”

Mace has been a sharp critic of some of the Republican party’s moves to restrict abortion access in the U.S. following the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court last year. Mace, who considers herself as “pro-life” but supports some abortion access said lawmakers need to find a middle ground on the issue of abortion.

A string of Republican-led states, especially in the south, have taken steps over the last year to strongly restrict access to abortions in the states, in some cases outlawing it almost entirely.

“Some of the stances we’ve taken, especially when it comes to rape and incest and protecting the life of the mother, it’s so extreme… the independent voters… they cannot support this,” Mace said. “If we’re gonna ban abortion, what are we doing to make sure women have access to birth control?”