Former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords this week gave a shoutout to 11-year-old Ames Mayfield, the Broomfield Cub Scout at the center of a now-viral controversy with a Colorado state senator, saying “I’ll campaign for you.”
“This is exactly the kind of courage we need in Congress,” Giffords said in a tweet Thursday. “Ames, call me in 14 years.”
This is exactly the kind of courage we need in Congress. Ames, call me in 14 years. I’ll campaign for you. https://t.co/fdE4DinnRk
— Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) October 19, 2017
The fifth-grader at Prospect Ridge Academy was kicked out of his den, allegedly because of his line of questioning toward Republican state Sen. Vicki Marble of Fort Collins at an event sponsored by the Cub Scouts earlier this month.
The boy asked Marble about gun control and about comments she made at a 2013 legislative hearing on poverty about mortality rates among African-Americans.
“I was astonished that you blamed black people for poor health and poverty because of all the chicken and barbecue they eat,” Ames said to Marble at the Scout meeting.
“I didn’t. That was made up by the media,” Marble replied. “So, you want to believe it? You believe it. But that’s not how it went down. I didn’t do that. That was false. Get both sides of the story.”
Ames’ story has gone viral since a video of the encounter was shared thousands of times across Colorado and the U.S.
“The Denver Area Council is evaluating this matter closely and will treat all parties with dignity and respect,” Nicole Cosme, marketing director of the Boy Scouts of America Denver Area Council, told The Denver Post earlier.
Giffords was shot in the head in 2011 during an appearance — as part of her job in Congress — outside a grocery store in suburban Tucson, Ariz.
The shooting left Giffords partially paralyzed and affected her speech.
She survived, however, and became a fierce advocate for gun control.
Giffords’ husband, Mark Kelly, testified before Colorado lawmakers in 2013 during debate about gun-control legislation.
