U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shared the video below, which features her holding a M4 carbine rifle, and wrote: “Human traffickers. Drug Smugglers. 18th Street Gang members. Spent the morning in Phoenix with our brave @ICEgov and Arizona law enforcement arresting these dirtbags and getting them off of our streets.”
Alex Horton, an Iraq veteran and military reporter for The Washington Post, replied: “Noem is pointing the M4 muzzle at an agent with an open dust cover, indicating a chambered round. It’s the worst possible place to point it. No one stopped her, including the agent to her left, who should know better but also has bad muzzle discipline.”
please be careful with that gun.
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) April 8, 2025
Even Bravo executive Andy Cohen, the Real Housewives guru who was never in the military, replied to Noem: “please be careful with that gun.”
Political pundit and self-described “Common Sense” conservative David Fitzpatrick also voiced concern regarding Noem’s handling of the rifle.
Fitzgerald wrote: “Great, okay but could we at least practice better gun safety measures for a photo op? I appreciate the work, the collaboration, the optics, but gun handling is a pet peeve of mine. Muzzle down, or pointed in a safe position loaded or unloaded – unless engaging a target.”
