Republican hopeful Mark Burns thinks LGBTQ+ allies pose a “national security threat” and those found guilty of “treason” should be executed.
Pastor Mark Burns, a loyal supporter and endorsee of former President Donald Trump, is currently running in South Carolina’s 4th District Republican primary against three other candidates.
Last week the pastor called for the arrest and execution of those who advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and the safeguarding of trans children, who he calls ‘indoctrinators’,
Ahead of next week’s primary election, Burns encouraged his supporters on social media to donate to his campaign and vote for him “to help fight to bring God back to the center of American politics and culture.”
Appearing on The Stew Peters Show last week, the pastor was asked how he intends to “fight” to rid the country of the “LGBTQ indoctrination” of children, to which he responded by saying he would vote to ensure that “abusive parents” are “held for child abuse”, as reported by Newsweek.
“Because there’s no such thing as trans kids, there’s only abusive parents. Period,” Burns said. He suggested jailing parents “for abusing their child’s mind” and added that teachers who are “teaching that LGBT, transgenderism, furries, you know, the groomers, any sexual orientation communication in the school system should be immediately terminated” and “held for abusing young children.”
Burns said he wants to relaunch the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), first established in 1938 to locate communist threats, to hold people “accountable for treason”.
“The LGBT transgender grooming [of] our children’s minds is a national security threat because it is ultimately designed to destabilize the republic we call the United States of America,” Burns said. “That’s why, when I’m elected, I don’t want to just vote. I want to start holding people accountable for treason to the Constitution. I am going to push to re-enact HUAC.”
Burns then doubled down on his position when contacted by Newsweek after the interview aired.
Burns also took aim at calls for tighter gun control legislation, referencing “Joe Biden’s gun-grabbing Second Amendment law” and accusing politicians of trying “to come after our guns, to confiscate our guns”.
“Lindsey Graham should be held accountable for treason for supporting Joe Biden’s gun-grabbing Second Amendment law that he is trying to push forward,” Burns said.
Following the tragic school massacre in Texas last month, calls for stricter gun control were made by campaigners across the country and, on 12 June, exactly six years after the Pulse Nightclub shooting at an LGBTQ+ venue in Florida, Senate negotiators announced a deal for increased gun safety measures.
It includes stronger background checks for under-21s and banning domestic abusers from purchasing guns. However, many say the revision is simply not enough, when weighed against the annual number of gun-related deaths across the US.
Take a look at a clip below:
Christian nationalist MAGA pastor/GOP congressional candidate Mark Burns says that “LGBTQ indoctrination” represents “a national security threat” and anyone engaged in it should be executed for treason. https://t.co/lTLkeOlgQ3 pic.twitter.com/8L3sBIncYI
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) June 9, 2022
Of course, Burns isn’t the only pastor with a profile to hit the headlines for spewing extremely anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric recently. Last month, Texas pastor Jonathan Shelley, leader of the anti-gay Stedfast Baptist Church, said in a city council meeting that Pride Month is an “abomination” that shouldn’t be promoted in the local community.