Joe Scarborough Goes Off on Joe Manchin’s Inaction on Gun Safety: ‘It’s Time You DO Something’
Joe Scarborough opened Wednesday’s Morning Show condemning Republican Senator’s inaction on gun safety legislation but particularly called out his “friend” Democratic Senator Joe Manchin.
At issue, of course, is the tragic mass shooting at a Uvalde, Texas elementary school that led to the deaths of 19 innocent school children and four adults. The assailant, who was killed at the scene, was an 18-year-old individual who reportedly purchased two assault-style weapons on his 18th birthday without any background checks.
Scarborough opened by first calling out Republicans, insisting that it’s “too soon” to talk about gun safety in the days that follow mass shootings like this. “They’re cowards, they’re such cowards,” he blasted, adding, “Of course. They don’t want to talk about it, just like January 6. Like we saw in the focus group, they want you to forget about it.”
“These fools — well, they’re not fools, they know exactly what they’re doing — these barbarians, they get on TV, and they say, oh, let’s not talk about it now. Five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, and 11-year-old kids now in our schools from Newtown to Texas,” he said, “Are getting gunned down by military weapons. So mutilated that their moms and dads can’t even recognize their faces? And Washington does nothing.”
He then called out the West Virginian Democratic Senator by name.
“Hey Joe Manchin, it’s time you did something, all right? Do something. Joe, I’m kind of tired, we’re friends, I’m just going to tell you, your old routine, ‘oh, it’s always this person or that’ — Joe, why don’t you get out in front of something for once in five years and start talking about what you can do and instead of what you can’t do?
Because all you ever talk about is what you can’t do. You’re a Democrat that got this right after Newtown. And you pushed with Pat Toomey. And you pushed with him on background checks. You need to do that again.”
Scarborough then cited the overwhelming support behind tighter background checks, noting, “90% of Americans support background checks. 90%. Almost two-thirds of Americans oppose military-style weapons. Almost two-thirds of Americans, an overwhelming number of Americans, support gun safety laws. That congress will not pass.”
Scarborough concluded by calling out Republican-led state legislatures that are dropping the need for gun permits to purchase weapons. This development is opposed by many gun store owners and members of the NRA.
Watch above via MSNBC
