CONNECT
Fox News Host Blows Up at NRA Head: ‘That’s Ridiculous and You Know it, Sir!’
Think Progress / News Report
Published: Sunday 3 February 2013
Throughout his appearance, LaPierre maintained that universal background checks or limits on assault weapons would infringe on the rights of law abiding Americans and could never deter hardened criminals or gang members from obtaining fire arms.
Fox News host Chris Wallace tore into National Rifle Association’s contention that President Obama and other elites are hypocritical for employing security guards to protect their children, while downplaying the importance of armed protection in preventing gun violence.
During a heated exchange with NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre on Sunday, Wallace played a clip of a now infamous NRA ad criticizing Obama for relying on Secret Service to guard his children and asked if the organization believed that every child in America faces a threat similar to that of the Obama kids. LaPierre said that they do, leading Wallace to forcefully push back against the gun chief, saying, “that’s ridiculous and you know it, Sir!” Watch it:
Wallace went on to note that armed guards in school will not protect children “in the shopping mall, in the movie theater, on the street” and shamed the gun lobby for seeking to use class as a wedge in the gun debate. He noted that LaPierre himself relies on armed security guards and asked, “Does that make you an elite, and out-of-touch elite, because you have security?” “This idea of an elite class is just nonsense.”
Throughout his appearance, LaPierre maintained that universal background checks or limits on assault weapons would infringe on the rights of law abiding Americans and could never deter hardened criminals or gang members from obtaining fire arms. He insisted that only armed guards — the kind that Obama uses to protect his children — and increased prosecution of criminals could reduce gun violence.
Top Stories
By Aviva Shen
7 comments on "Fox News Host Blows Up at NRA Head: ‘That’s Ridiculous and You Know it, Sir!’"
February 03, 2013 7:23pm
Don't understand WHY anyone would want to listen to LaPierre. He's a "tool"! This guy is a VN Draft Dodger. Seems his excuse was Mental Illness. HUH? And he actually is allowed to own/shoot a gun? NO WONDER he doesn't want background checks. He'd NEVER be able to own or shoot a gun!
February 03, 2013 2:06pm
Wayne "FIFI" LePew and others are two-faced when it comes to staying on one side of the fence. They were for background checks at first and now against. Just today another senseless murder took place killing one of America's foremost snipers by a person supposedly suffering from PTSD. Fifi LePew has no conscious and the blood of many are on his hands.
February 03, 2013 2:03pm
Wallace is a flaming idiot. Why does almost every federal agency feel they have to arm themselves? Why does the IRS need guns? Wouldn't that be considered armed robbery, and extortion, in a "democratic" society? Why do police need guns to enforce government policies? With governments monopoly on gun violence here and in foreign countries, why don't we ever hear of the children Obama kills with his drone strikes? A gun is no different than a hammer, or a screwdriver, except in cases of an out of control criminal government.
February 03, 2013 1:50pm
If they scripted that, they're both pretty good actors. I thought it was an example of a fundamental faultline within the "right": the grassroots gun culture represented by LaPierre, vs. the plutocrat wing, represented by Wallace, trying to deny that billionaires are in any way advantaged over the rest of us. The NRA ad had appealed to populist resentment against elite privilege in its attack on gun control efforts by Obama, and Wallace reacted angrily to that because it savored of "class war" against the 1% that he was defending.
February 03, 2013 12:24pm
wtf is going on at FOCKS these days? new strategy or just breaking the monotony? maybe some of their talking heads are positioning themselves for future jobs at more "lamestream" outlets. maybe some of the teleprompter robots are becoming self-aware!
February 03, 2013 11:09am
Wow, what's this world coming to when the NRA can't trust Fox News to have their back!
I think the conservatives made Fox look pretty foolish during the last elections, and Fox may be growing a backbone...
February 03, 2013 10:20am
This was on Fox News, remember! Nothing more than another of their well scripted psycho-dramas. This one obviously with the intent of gaining sympathy for the NRA by playing out LaPeepee and the NRA to be the victim in the gun debate by having the host 'bully' him around a bit for his opinion.
But laPeepee does make a good point. It is unfair that wall st./washington politicians can't get away with hypocrisy, lying, cheating, stealing and murder because their impunity is protected by well armed henchmen.