J.D. Vance: ‘When My Grandmother Died We Found Found 19 Loaded Handguns Around Her House’

Republican Vice President nominee J.D. Vance took the stage at the RNC last night and shared a hilarious yet heart- warming story about his grandmother.

During his keynote speech at the RNC, Vance shared several stories about his grandmother, whom he refers to as “Mamaw.”

Vance stated right before he was about to get deployed to Iraq, his mamaw died, and when he and his family went into her house, they discovered nearly 19 loaded guns all over her house.

“They were stashed all over her house; under her bed, in a closet and in the silverware drawer,” shared Vance.

Vance added, “We wondered what was going on. And it occurred to us that towards the end of her life (she) couldn’t get around so well, And so this frail old woman made sure that no matter where she was, she was within arm’s length of whatever she needed to protect her family. That’s who we fight for. That’s the American spirit.”

Watch the moment he said it here:

Crowd erupts after JD Vance tells a story about his grandma: “When we went through her things, we found 19 loaded handguns.” pic.twitter.com/ItBlmH2got

— TheBlaze (@theblaze) July 18, 2024

Here’s what LA Illuminator Reported:

Vance spoke at length about his upbringing and his family during his speech, including his mother, who is close to reaching 10 years clean and sober, as well as his grandmother, who raised him while his mother was struggling with addiction.

He said that his mother should reach that benchmark in January 2025 and that they should celebrate in the White House.

Vance rolled in a story about his grandmother to emphasize the GOP’s support for gun rights, receiving loud cheers from the crowd.

He noted that in 2005, just before he deployed to Iraq as part of the Marine Corps, she died and while going through her home, he and his family found 19 loaded handguns.

“They were stashed all over her house; under her bed, in a closet and in the silverware drawer,” Vance said.

“We wondered what was going on. And it occurred to us that towards the end of her life (she) couldn’t get around so well,” Vance said. “And so this frail old woman made sure that no matter where she was, she was within arm’s length of whatever she needed to protect her family. That’s who we fight for. That’s the American spirit.”

Vance said that his version of the American dream wasn’t becoming a senator or starting a business, but having the type of family he wasn’t able to grow up in.

I'm sold on JD Vance. Everything his wife said, his very inspiring story, his passion for our country and it's people, he's a millennial like me, and the cherry on top is his amazing Mamaw and her 19 loaded guns. 😂 I approve! That's my next vice president. #TrumpVance2024 pic.twitter.com/ghFhlB456j

— Lily* (@300mirrors) July 18, 2024

Per VNY:

In his speech at the Republican National Convention, J.D. Vance, newly nominated Vice Presidential candidate, held up his “mamaw” and the nineteen loaded guns that she kept around the house, as the ideal of the American spirit. The crowd went wild with cheers.

This is not the first time that Vance apotheosizes his backwoods family.

In his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy”, he dove deep into the heart of American rural society, particularly the Appalachian region, exploring his upbringing in a poor family with roots in Kentucky, and how his background shaped his views on the socio-economic issues facing the white working-class Americans. The book, published in 2016, became a bestseller and sparked conversations across the political spectrum about the struggles and resilience of people in the Rust Belt and Appalachia and how they had been left behind by the politicians who don’t share their concerns.

In short, it is a book that personalized the gripes and grievances that Donald Trump built his presidency on. Now speaking from the stage as Vice Presidential nominee, it’s almost as if his memoir served as a calling card for Donald Trump. The book was Vance’s audition.

“Hillbilly Elegy” is a personal narrative that intertwines with broader themes of social decay, cultural values, and the American dream. Vance’s story is a reflection on his family’s history of poverty, addiction, and the pursuit of a better life. His journey from a troubled childhood to a graduate of Yale Law School offers a window into the complexities of family dynamics, personal responsibility, and societal expectations, but also embodies the American Dream in its most fundamental incarnation. It’s a story that encompasses all of the cliches that have shaped the ideal that has defined America for generations: overcoming adversity, the power of education, a solid work ethic.