Metro East Sun

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) was up to bat when he heard a loud noise he thought was a large piece of metal falling on a construction site. He was wrong.

“The next words I heard from someone else on the field was, ‘Run. He’s got a gun,’” Davis said.

Davis was at the GOP baseball practice in Arlington, Virginia, on June 14 when James Hodgkinson of Belleville opened fire, wounding five people, including U.S Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA).

Congressman Rodney Davis (R-Taylorville) | https://ballotpedia.org/Rodney_Davis_(Illinois)

Davis shared his first-hand account of the incident with Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson of "Chicago’s Morning Answer" radio show.

Proft is a principal of Local Government Information Services, which owns this publication.

“I ran, dove into the first base dugout and eventually made my way out of the dugout over behind a building,” Davis said.

Davis never saw the shooter, but he did see Scalise lying motionless approximately 10 feet away. He also saw Matt Mika, a lobbyist for Tyson Foods, lying on the ground with blood all over his chest, he said. 

While hiding behind the building, Davis witnessed two Capitol Police officers, David Bailey and Crystal Greiner, engaging the shooter.

“While they were doing that, I took the opportunity to run for a better cover across the street and eventually into the apartment of a good Samaritan,” Davis said. “Everyone on that field was fleeing for their lives, trying to get away from a bad man who hunted us and stalked us.”

According to Washington's Daily Caller, Hodgkinson had a list of U.S. representatives' names in his pocket at the time of the shooting.

“He obviously had another list in his head because he shot at those of us who are not on that list,” Davis said.

Davis believes the shooting speaks to an even bigger problem in politics today. 

“People believe that they can settle their political differences outside the ballot box,” Davis said. “They don’t want to accept election results. They certainly don’t want to accept policy differences after the elections don’t go their way, and that’s not what we are here in America.”

Davis said security will now be more of a priority for him in Washington and in his home district. 

U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) has introduced legislation that would allow congressmen to carry guns, according to Alabama's WHNT TV. 

Davis is trained to carry a concealed weapon and said this is a debate worth having.

“I believe that law-abiding citizens ought to have the right to defend themselves, and that’s going to be part of the debate that I know I’m going to engage in as we move forward,” Davis said.