Congressman Gifts Staffers Personalized Handguns And 'Awkward' Ed Sheeran Performances
KEY POINTS
- •In 2024, Rep. Chuck Edwards gifted two young female staffers personalized handguns, sparking ethics scrutiny.
- •Edwards organized an unsolicited Ed Sheeran birthday performance in D.C. and later vacationed with a staffer in Las Vegas during the 2025 shutdown.
- •Facing an ethics investigation and a cash-rich challenger, Edwards sold all six McDonald’s franchises to focus on public service.
Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.), a former licensed firearms dealer until November 2024 and owner of Second Amendment Gun Traders in Hendersonville, North Carolina, decided that gifting two young female staffers personalized handguns in 2024 was an appropriate office perk. One received a blue handgun with her name, the other a pink, both reluctantly accepted amid fears of job reprisal and promptly disposed of. Edwards also arranged a surprise Ed Sheeran performance at a birthday party in Washington, D.C.'s Salazar restaurant, embarrassing one staffer so much she wished she could disappear. The congressman even vacationed with a former staffer in Las Vegas during the 2025 government shutdown, sending unwanted flowers to her Bellagio suite. Despite multiple reports, he claims all this was just good ol’ firearm safety lessons and heartfelt poetry — which included teary-eyed recitals about a staffer 'writing a complex chapter in my heart.' Meanwhile, Democrats smell blood with Edwards trailing fundraiser Jamie Ager by $1.3 million in a western North Carolina showdown. Oh, and he recently sold off all six of his McDonald's franchises to 'focus on public service,' because nothing says self-sacrifice like quitting burgers to juggle ethics investigations. And yes, he scrupulously removed Trump from his campaign website, distancing himself like a guy who just realized he forgot his pinky promise with the former president.
Share the Story
(1 of 3)Only in Congress can you gift personalized guns, scribble teary love poems, arrange awkward Ed Sheeran sing-alongs, and call it 'professional development.'
Forget Secret Santa—Rep. Edwards’ office gift exchange features engraved handguns and surprise concerts nobody wanted.
Congressman pulls a Britney 2007 but instead of breaking down on a car roof, he just gifts pink pistols and awkward poetry.
Source: Axios | Published: 7/20/2026 | Author: Kate Santaliz
More Articles in Politics
Judge Hits Pause Button on $110B Merger Because Monopoly Sounds Too Exciting
Hollywood Bids Selfie-Stadium World Cup Farewell, Spain Actually Wins
New UK PM Andy Burnham Faces Banners Before Even Saying Hello
Maine Democrats Replace Senate Hot Mess with Logger Who Swears Like a Sailor
Government Plans AI Rules Because Robots Need Fairness Too
GOP Bets On Voter Hatred Like It’s The Only Tax Cut Left
UK Plans to Secure Food by Betting on Foreign Chicken Feed
