The View Hosts Spar Over Guns After Michigan School Shooting: ‘It’s All About Banning Those Guns!’
The hosts of The View got into tense back and forth over the topic of gun control following the mass shooting at Michigan State University this week where three people were killed.
The hosts were in near-universal acceptance there need to be some much stricter gun restrictions on the books, and Alyssa Farah Griffin offered slight pushback, igniting the table.
“Legal gun ownership is fundamental in this country,” she said after saying she approves of expanded red flag laws, wait periods, and background checks.
Griffin said “sane” and “serious” Republicans want further restrictions and to target illegal guns, which morphed into a debate on the AR-15, which Sunny Hostin referred to as an “assault rifle” and a “weapon of mass destruction.” Hostin asked Griffin if she approved of citizens being legally able to own AR-15s, to which Griffin again only offered slight pushback.
“An AR-15, I don’t see any personal reason anyone would need to own. There’s a lot of sportsmen and collectors who do choose to have them,” Griffin said.
“You can’t shoot anything with an AR-15 and get any meat. That’s not sportsmanship. I’m just saying,” Whoopi Goldberg threw out in response.
Griffin tried arguing for bipartisan legislation and not letting the “perfect be the enemy of the good.”
“If we just go to full partisan lines, full gun control is the only answer, nothing’s ever going to get done,” she said at one point, which Hostin responded to by immediately laying complete blame on Republicans.
“I think this is a Republican problem. I’m sorry,” Hostin said to applause.
“I think it’s a societal problem,” Griffin said.
“No, I think it’s a Republican problem,” Hostin shot back.
Ana Navarro called mass shootings “uniquely American,” while Joy Behar argued the increase in mass shootings over the years is due to the rise in legal AR-15 rifles in flooding the market.
“It is all about banning those guns!” Behar said.
“But how many of these have not been ‘assault rifles?'” Griffin asked before Goldberg wrapped up the debate and decided to have the final word.
She touted herself as a “responsible gun owner” and then chided those who think they can own an AR-15 or an endless amount of firearms because of the Second Amendment. According to Goldberg, “that’s now how America works.”
“Why do you think it’s okay to just have as many guns as you want just because you want them?” she said. “That’s not how America works. See I think I should be able to take care of my own body, but you insist on helping me, so I want to help you.”
Watch above via ABC.
