Mom Claims Her Son Was Kicked Out of Cub Scouts Pack for Asking About Gun Control

Gun control is one of the most heated topics in American politics, with the issue stirring intense feelings from those on both sides. The debate permeates everything from politics to cable news, and now, according to mother Lori Mayfield, its infiltrated the Cub Scouts. According to the Colorado mom, her son, Ames Mayfield, was kicked out of his troop after asking questions about guns, as well as other controversial topics including race relations.

In early October, Ames Mayfield’s Cub Scouts troop was attending a Q&A session with Republican Colorado State Sen. Vicki Marble. In footage of the encounter released by Lori Mayfield on YouTube, Ames confronted Marble with a question on gun control.

He asked, in part, “I was shocked that you co-sponsored a bill to allow domestic violence offenders to continue to own a gun. Why on earth would you want somebody who beats their wife to have access to a gun?”

As part of his two-minute-long question, Mayfield also brought up the Las Vegas massacre, and tied gun control into the ongoing healthcare debate.

“There is something wrong in our country where Republicans believe it’s a right to own a gun but a privilege to have healthcare,” he said. “None of that makes sense to me.”

The question left the senator a bit flabbergasted, as she was clearly unprepared for it. Marble stammered out a response regarding “gun-free zones.”

Mayfield wasn’t done with the senator, however, as the 11-year-old next asked about a controversy that has haunted Marble for some years. In 2013, she came under fire for making racially insensitive remarks regarding African Americans, diabetes, and diet.

During a legislative hearing on poverty, Marble made waves by saying, “When you look at life expectancy, there are problems in the black race. Sickle-cell anemia is something that comes up. Diabetes is something that’s prevalent in the genetic makeup, and you just can’t help it. Although I’ve got to say, I’ve never had better barbecue and better chicken and ate better in my life than when you go down south. I mean, I love it. Everybody loves it.”

The comments immediately drew rebuke against Marble at the time, and Ames Mayfield brought it back into the forefront by telling the rep that he was “astonished that you blamed black people for poor health and poverty because of all the chicken and barbecue they eat.”

In response, Marble took a page out of President Donald Trump’s playbook by telling the boy that the story “was made up by the media.”

She added, “You want to believe it? You believe it. But that’s not how it went down.”

Several days after the event, and following Lori Mayfield’s sharing of the video on YouTube, she was called in for a meeting with the leaders of her son’s Cub Scouts pack. In that meeting, she was informed that her son was being kicked out. Mayfield told The New York Times that the pack leader “let me know in so many words that the den leader was upset about the topic of gun control. It was too politically charged.”

Mayfield also told The Denver Post that her son was distraught about the decision.

“He is still kind of reeling from this,” she said. “He is really sensitive. My heart breaks for him.”

In response, Marble — the Majority Caucus Chair — released a statement to the Post that read, “Decisions about who is in or out of a den are internal organizational matters that I won’t second-guess … I don’t blame the boy for asking the questions, since I believe there was an element of manipulation involved, and it wasn’t much different from the questions I normally field in other meetings. The invitation to meet with the scouts was never intended to cause friction and controversy.”

For her part, Mayfield denies coaching her son on his questions in any way,

“The only coaching I gave him was to be respectful,” she said. “Don’t be argumentative. Preface things ‘With all due respect.’”

Nicole Cosme, the marketing director of the Denver Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, told The Denver Post that Ames had been offered a spot in another area den.

“We would like Ames to stay in Cub Scouts and become a Boy Scout,” she said.

As Ames Mayfield’s story went viral, numerous political figures commented on it, including former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.

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

What do you think of Ames Mayfield’s story? Was the pack right to kick him out, or was he unfairly targeted? Make sure to SHARE this story on social media and let us know your thoughts.