Senator JD Vance’s Unusual Request to National Guard Leaves Onlookers Stunned

Ever caught yourself so eager to impress someone that you end up dazzling them with your complete incompetence instead? Well, imagine being the Vice President of the United States, tiptoeing up to a National Guardsman, and asking if you can—oh, just for a second—hold his service rifle because, you know, it probably can’t be that heavy, right? Good grief . If you’ve ever wondered what happens when curiosity meets poor impulse control and a smidge of political naivety, this one’s for you . The tale of JD Vance and the fateful M4 rifle is like the world’s worst “Can I hold that?” scenario played out on Pennsylvania Avenue, punctuated by awkward questions, selfie requests, and… well, let’s just say it doesn’t end well for our intrepid VP . Who knew you could sum up a full-blown political gaffe in a single, “Hey, Usha! Get my picture!”? Dive headfirst into this brilliant disaster of a moment and ask yourself, would you ever hand your rifle to a stranger with that much enthusiasm? Yeah, me neither . LEARN MORE

WASHINGTON—Approaching cautiously after waiting for an opportune moment to pose his question, Vice President JD Vance reportedly asked a National Guardsman patrolling the nation’s capital Monday if he could touch the man’s service rifle. “Sorry to bother you, sir—is that thing real?” Vance said to a newly armed member of the Ohio National Guard on a D.C. street corner, adding that he was “a little scared,” but if it wasn’t any trouble, he would also love to feel the weight of the private’s M4 rifle in his hands for a couple seconds. “Boy, this puppy is way lighter than it seems—bet it’s got a loud bark, though! What is it, plastic? Metal? So this is the trigger, right? And this is the barrel? Hey Usha! Usha, come take my picture, please!” At press time, reports confirmed Vance had been rushed to Walter Reed hospital after accidentally blowing his head off with the weapon.