Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh described his hometown as a “city plagued by gun violence, gang violence and drug violence” Wednesday during the second day of his confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill. But it wasn’t clear whether the “urban-suburban” area that he described referred to Washington, D.C., or more specifically, his hometown suburb of Bethesda.

The reference drew swift reaction from Bethesda residents and others who grew up in the affluent community and chose to challenge Kavanaugh’s assertion, mostly in a light-hearted manner, on social media.

Kavanaugh was answering a question from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) about why he voted against D.C.’s assault weapons ban in 2011, according to Fox 5. But because of Kavanaugh’s affluent background, including the fact that he graduated in 1983 from the elite Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda (where Supreme Court justice Neil Gorsuch also attended), several Montgomery County officials and other area locals weighed in on Twitter with their reactions.

State Sen. Rich Madaleno (D-District 18), tweeted that he was in Kavanaugh’s same graduating class at Georgetown Prep, and that although Bethesda was not a city with a gun violence problem, he was worried about the judge’s stance on gun control.

Meanwhile, Montgomery County Council District 1 candidate Andrew Friedson joked that Georgetown Prep’s lacrosse rivalry with Landon School was worse than Bethesda’s gun violence issues.

As a resident of & candidate to represent where grew up, I can tell you with absolute certainty that it isn’t a place “plagued by gun violence.” That said, the Landon-Georgetown Prep lacrosse rivalry has been known to get pretty fierce.

Former National Public Radio CEO Vivian Schiller, who lives in Bethesda, pointed out that rather than gun violence, Bethesda is inundated with establishments that offer sweet treats. Kyle Lierman, a Silver Spring resident and former Obama White House adviser tweeted that the only bullets being shot in Bethesda came from paint and nerf guns. And Washington Post senior regional correspondent Robert McCartney also joined in, tweeting that finding lawn care was the most difficult part of being a Bethesdan.

Read the full article here: https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/news/locals-react-to-kavanaughs-description-of-bethesda-as-city-plagued-by-gun-violence/ .