‘Jesus! I’m Sorry, But That Is So Awful’: Al Franken Erupts at Clip of Steve Scalise Opposing Gun Bill

Former Sen. Al Franken reacted viscerally to a clip of a top Republican saying the country’s response to the September 11 attacks could serve as a model of sorts in dealing with gun violence.

On Wednesday the House passed the Protecting Our Kids Act, which would enact several gun reform measures. Ahead of the vote, House Republicans delivered colorful speeches against it.

During a roundtable discussion on Wednesday’s CNN Tonight about calls for gun restrictions in the wake of recent mass shootings, host Laura Coates played a clip of remarks by House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) earlier in the day.

Coates noted Scalise himself was seriously wounded in a shooting. In that 2017 incident, a gunman opened fire at a practice of the Republican congressional baseball team in Alexandria, Virginia.

In the clip, Scalise stated,

I go back to September 11th… Airplanes were used that day as the weapon to kill thousands of people and to inflict terror on our country. There wasn’t a conversation about banning airplanes. There was a conversation about connecting the dots. How can we try to figure out if there are signs we can see to stop the next attack from happening.

The clip had barely ended when Franken could no longer contain himself.

“Jesus!” he exclaimed. “I’m sorry, but that is so awful. First of all, we made planes safer to travel on. We know that any time you take a flight. That’s what you have to do with guns. But everyone, you need planes. You don’t need assault weapons. How’s that?”

Scalise’s remarks echoed those of Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) last week.

“When 9/11 happened, we didn’t ban planes,” Boebert said on Thursday’s edition of Hannity. “We secured the cockpit.”

Watch above via CNN.