Rep. Paul Broun gets question about who will "shoot Obama" at town hall meeting
Updated at 2:45 p.m. ET with statement from Broun condemning the violent statement
Republican Rep. Paul Broun was confronted with a hostile question at a town hall meeting in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, on Tuesday: When is someone going to shoot President Obama?
Blake Aued of the Athens Banner-Herald reports that the question "got a big laugh" from the audience, but he could not directly quote the question. He confirmed with Broun's office that the questioner did, in fact, ask when someone will shoot the president.
Broun responded: "The thing is, I know there's a lot of frustration with this president. We're going to have an election next year. Hopefully, we'll elect somebody that's going to be a conservative, limited-government president that will take a smaller, who will sign a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare."
Broun's spokesperson told the Athends Banner-Herald, "Obviously, the question was inappropriate, so Congressman Broun moved on."
The Secret Service says it is "aware" of the incident but has no further comment, CBS News reports.Broun has headlines of his own for past incendiary remarks. After Mr. Obama's State of the Union address -- in which the president emphasized the need for civility following the assassination attempt on Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords -- Broun tweeted, "Mr. President, you don't believe in the Constitution. You believe in socialism."
In a follow up interview on CBSNews.com's "Washington Unplugged," Broun said, "I stick by that tweet."
"I think the personal attacks a lot of people do are probably not good for the country," he said. However, Broun said that his tweet was an accurate description of the president's political philosophy.
"Mr. Obama believes in central government where the federal government controls everything in our lives," he said. "That's socialism."
During a gun rights rally in April of last year, Broun told a crowd that it's time to "take this government back from the socialists." In June of last year, Broun said that if the Democrats' energy bill were to pass, old people would face health problems, and "people are gonna die because of that."
UPDATE: Broun released the following statement today condemning the question he received:
"I was stunned by the question and chose not to dignify it with a response; therefore, at that moment I moved on to the next person with a question. After the event, my office took action with the appropriate authorities. I deeply regret that this incident happened at all. Furthermore, I condemn all statements--made in sincerity or jest--that threaten or suggest the use of violence against the President of the United States or any other public official. Such rhetoric cannot and will not be tolerated."
