Morning Joe’s gun control flip-flop
by guest columnist: Henry Graebe
This morning, on another riveting episode of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” former congressman Joe Scarborough began a tirade against the Senators who voted against the expansion of background checks on all gun sales. While his sidekick Mika contributed to the segment by intently checking her emails on the computer and reading from the teleprompter, Joe labeled the second amendment defenders as “extremists.” After berating Senator Kelly Ayotte for voting against the new restrictions, Joe agreed with her reason to do. Last week, Senator Ayotte released the statement:
“I believe that restricting the rights of law-abiding gun owners will not prevent a deranged individual or criminal from obtaining and misusing firearms to commit violence.”
After hearing this, Joe Scarborough responded:
“I agree. I agree with her one hundred percent. …. ‘Cause I agree with her. I agree with that statement one hundred percent.”
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So if the bill is not designed to restrict the rights of gun owners, nor prevent deranged criminals from obtaining and misusing guns to murder people, then what would the bill have actually accomplished and why are they so upset about its failure?
If this intellectual exchange was not humorous enough, the Daily Caller released an exclusively obtained questionnaire that Joe Scarborough had completed as a congressional candidate. According to the document, Joe has evolved on the position about as much as President Obama has evolved on gay marriage.
On Question 4, Joe Scarborough was asked to clarify his position on expanded background checks. He chose the following response:
I believe that gun sales by private citizens who are not engaged in an ongoing firearms business should not be subject to federal background check requirements, whether the sales take place at a gun show or elsewhere, as is the present practice. If elected, I would oppose further regulation. [Emphasis added].
This appears to be quite the about-face on the issue. Perhaps “Morning Joe” himself is spending too many mornings at MSNBC.