Megyn Kelly Panel Clashes Over Whether Stricter Gun Control Would Actually Prevent Mass Shootings
On Friday afternoon, Megyn Kelly‘s panel — comprised of pro-gun advocate John Lott and pro-gun control advocate Lori Haas — debated how effective gun control legislation would be in quelling the string of gun violence the country as seen. What effect, Kelly asked, would gun control laws really have?
Lott, who’s made his case before, reiterated his argument that gun-free zones give criminals incentive to attack areas they know are vulnerable. “Let’s say, God forbid, a criminal was stalking you or your family,” Lott said. “Would you feel safer putting a sign on your home that said, this home is a gun-free zone?”
To the contrary, Haas, of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, offered a much different perspective, having been directly affected by such incidents. About five years ago, Haas’ daughter, Emily, was shot twice in the back of the head when a gunman opened fire on Virginia Tech’s campus. He was using a high-capacity magazine clip, Haas said — and state police said when they were banned, the use of those clips in crime was down. But when the ban expired, the incidents of those clips in crimes increased.
“It’s unacceptable in America we allow this to happen to our children and that we see the answer to gun violence as more guns,” Haas argued.
“Guns make it easier for bad things to happen,” Lott said. “But they also have benefits in terms of protecting people in terms of protecting people who are being threatened by crime.”
To Haas’ point, Lott argued that he has yet to see evidence that banning certain high-capacity magazine clips has had any benefit. As Kelly turned the discussion to the gunman, Haas went on to argue the mental health aspect of the problem, asserting that people who are mentally ill or have violent tendencies should have more difficulty getting guns.
Responding to that, Kelly noted that Adam Lanza’s mother legally owned her firearms and did not have any mental illness — so, even with revamped laws, Lanza still would have had access to those weapons. The pair clashed over whether her weapons would have been covered by the assault weapons ban, and Haas said simply that it’s time to fix the legislation.
“We do not want to live in a military-style, armed society,” Haas said.
Watch below, via Fox News:
