South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem raised eyebrows Friday when she said that her granddaughter, who is just a year old, already has a shotgun and a rifle.
Speaking at the annual National Rifle Association convention in Indianapolis, the conservative firebrand told the crowd that her granddaughter, “Little Miss Addie” is already “set up” for her future with the weapons — and a pony.
“Little Miss Addie, who is almost two, and Branch who’s just a few months old, they have brought us so much joy. They’ve brought us purpose,” Noem told the crowd, video of her remarks shared on social media shows.
“’Now Addie, who you know — soon will need them [guns]. I wanna reassure you, she already has a shotgun and she already has a rifle and she’s got a little pony named Sparkles too. So the girl is set up,” the conservative added.
Noem, a staunch supporter of gun rights, took time during her 24-minute speech to sign an executive order for her state to “further protect the 2nd Amendment rights of South Dakotans.”
The order would prohibit government agencies from contracting with businesses that discriminate against “a firearm-related entity,” according to KELO.
Noem’s comments about Addie – the daughter of Noem’s daughter Kassidy and her husband, Kyle Peters — sparked some outrage online.
“Absolutely sickening. How the hell is this real life in America?” tweeted Tennessee Democrat Chris D. Jackson in response to the clip of Noem’s speech, which has been viewed on the platform more than two million times.
“Did they give the 2-year-old training? If so, is there video? I want to see what a responsible 2-year-old with a shotgun looks like,” wrote David Philipps.
“These gun fetishizers are out of their minds,” added user Lnonblonde. “They act like guns aren’t even dangerous to just give a 2 year old yet they need an AK-47 to go to the drug store. No 2 year old needs or should have a rifle.”
Another user, Tom Mallory, noted that “A 2-year-old who pulled the trigger on a shotgun he or she was holding to their shoulder would be knocked down and likely injured.”
Former President Donald Trump spoke at the convention after Noem and told those gathered that it was “a great honor” to have been endorsed by the NRA during his 2016 election campaign.
He warned the organization that they “better endorse me again – or they’re going to have some explaining to do.”
Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, however, was loudly booed when he took the stage at the event earlier.
“I heard it was very rough. It’s a big news story. You’ve made news today. I don’t know what you did, but you made news today with the introduction you gave” Trump said.
