Jordanian Parliament Member Unloads -- Literally -- on Fellow Lawmaker During Session with AK-47

Proceedings in Jordan’s parliament got out of control on Tuesday when one lawmaker fired at least two shots at a fellow member of parliament (MP). The targeted official walked away from the incident unharmed.

While the Lower House of Parliament was in session, MP Talal Sharif representing the capital Amman fired at least two bullets from his AK-47 during an argument with MP Qusai Dmeisi of Zarqa, according to the Jordan Times.

The Jordanian Parliament descended into chaos after a member fired his AK-47 on Tuesday (Screenshot: YouTube)

The two lawmakers were arguing when Sharif went outside to fetch his automatic weapon and bring it into the parliament hall, but guards stopped him from entering, according to Reuters. Instead, he fired from the hallway toward his colleague Dmeisi.

Lower House Speaker Saad Hayel Srour suspended the session and called an emergency meeting to discuss sanctions for Sharif. The shooter was arrested and is being held for 14 days. He could face charges of attempted murder, possession of a firearm without a license and resisting police arrest according to Al Arabiya.

Al Arabiya quoted Jordanian media sources who reported that Jordan’s King Abdullah II summoned the speaker of the house to discuss the incident.

The Jordan Times reports that the Lower House decided to dismiss Sharif and suspend Dmeisi for one year.

One lawmaker called Sharif’s behavior “uncivilized.”

Deputy Mohammad Barayseh also of Amman visited his colleague in jail after which he told the Jordan Times, “I visited Sharif today after the shooting and he seemed in a bad condition and regretted what he had done.”

“I told him what he had done is unprecedented and after acting in such a way, no one would stand by him,” he added.

Al Arabiya reports that this is the first time a gun has been fired in parliament, but it’s not the first time a firearm has been drawn. As TheBlaze reported last year, another Jordanian member of parliament pulled a pistol on a political activist who was criticizing him during a debate being carried live on television. They were discussing Jordanian politics and the crisis in Syria.

That’s not all. Earlier this year, MP Shady Al-Edwan was caught on camera reaching into his back pocket for his gun during a debate about fuel prices. The discussion deteriorated into a brawl with lawmakers throwing punches at each other. Nobody was shot, but one member was injured by a flying ashtray, according to Al Bawaba.

Here is a video of Tuesday’s incident in Jordan from Euro News in which a gunshot can be heard:

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