Ames Mayfield is an 11-year-old 5th grader in Broomfield, Colorado, who prepared extensively for the visit of a State Senator to his cub scout meeting. When it was his turn, the uniformed scout read a series of questions about mortality rates among African-Americans and about gun control. "Why on earth would you want someone who beats their wife to have access to a gun? You also voted to repeal background checks of private gun sales. You cosponsored a bit that would allow people to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. Do you know that some people injured in the Las Vegas shooting who didn’t have health care are having to rely on GoFundMe pages because they can’t pay for their medical bills?"
Republican State Senator Vicki Marble, responded, "We need crime control. And it has been shown that the more guns a society has the less crime or murders that are committed."
Cub Scout Mayfield asked follow-up questions, and Senator Marble responded. His mother now reports that an adult leader had a conference with her afterward and that Mayfield could stay in the Cub Pack -- but only if he joined a different den. Chuck Plunkett, Editorial Page editor of the Denver Post, has details on the story of the little boy who asked a challenging question and was devastated at the result.