On February 14, 2018, Joaquin Oliver brought flowers for his girlfriend, Marjory Stoneman, to Parkland, Florida’s Douglas High School. Later that day, the 17-year-old were arranging a Valentine’s Day date.
Tragically, he was one of 17 people killed that day and never got to that date because he was shot and killed in the corridor outside of his creative writing class. His parents have now dedicated their lives to activism, which recently resulted in his dad being arrested.
A House committee discussed a new federal regulation regarding handgun stabilizing braces on March 23. Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) brought out Mexico’s widespread gun violence despite strict gun controls during the session.
At that point, Patricia and Manuel Oliver interrupted the session. After that, Fallon requested that Capitol Police remove the distraught parents from the hearing, which prompted Manuel to accuse the Texas Republican of being the worst.
The Capitol Police Department claimed the father attempted to re-enter the hearing room after being removed, and the police then detained Manuel for disturbing the hearing and apparently refusing to “stop shouting.” He wasn’t taken to jail by the police. A video of the event shows officers pinning Manuel to the ground.
On Twitter, Manuel persisted in criticizing the congressman. Fallon revealed in a response to a Twitter user that after the parents yelled throughout the hearing, he had ordered the police to remove them. Everyone must “sit down and remain silent,” he said. Manuel screenshotted the lawmaker’s comments and put the blame on him for the arrest.
When Patricia Oliver interfered with the hearing, she insisted that she was simply expressing her “right to free speech.”
Regarding the purpose of the hearing, it was made apparent by the House Oversight Committee that GOP legislators were merely checking to see if President Joe Biden’s administration was abusing the Second Amendment.
