Meghan McCain Says 'There's Going To Be A Lot Of Violence' If America Bans AR-15s
The co-host got heated talking about the possibility of banning the “most popular gun in America”
The View just came back from summer break and the ladies didn’t waste a lot of time before they got back to tackling hot button issues — like guns in America — a topic which tends to get Meghan McCain riled up.
The panel quarreled over banning assault weapons like the AR-15, discussing how the shooter in the Labor Day weekend mass shooting in Odessa, Texas failed a federal background check but was able to buy the weapon through a private purchase. The position to ban AR-15s has been widely supported by Americans and that, along with other gun control measures, have become a big issue in Democratic nominees’ 2020 campaigns.
View co-host Joy Behar said that people need to stop voting Republican if they ever want to get anything done about gun violence. “Well, they’re not going to do anything,” she said, “because there’s too much money from the NRA.” She also pointed out that 89 percent of Americans support universal background checks and closing loopholes that allow people to buy guns at trade shows without those checks.
Meghan McCain, who says she did a ton of shooting over the summer, quickly responded by saying that “the AR-15 is by far the most popular gun in America.” She argued to her co-hosts that if the government starts taking them from people, things might get ugly. “I was just in middle-of-nowhere Wyoming… if you’re talking about taking people’s guns from them, there’s going to be a lot of violence.”
Uh. Violence, you say?
Her co-hosts gave some practical arguments, voicing that the AR-15 has been used countless times by mass shooters, and that it takes the lives of many. But McCain got heated pretty quickly. “I’m not living without guns!” she yelled. “It’s just that simple.” When co-hosts pushed back, McCain was clearly irritated as she said “welcome back!” in a sarcastic tone.
A lot of people pointed out that McCain’s attitude seems juvenile and it’s also the stance that seems to stop any real change from happening in terms of lessening the rates of mass shootings. If people cling to their guns as if they are more important than human lives, it’s hard to have a practical conversation about common sense gun control.
Honestly, what is McCain missing anyway? Her right to bear arms wouldn’t at all be affected by banning the AR-15. She could still have as many guns to protect her home as she wants. She could still shoot targets and hunt, as she says she enjoys doing. She just couldn’t have weapons designed for mass slaughter. Who cares that it’s the most popular gun in America when it’s also mass shooters’ weapon of choice?
Not to mention, her argument that guns make her feel safe falls a bit flat when most people in America don’t feel safe anymore just about anytime they enter a crowded place like a mall, a sports game, or even a church.
The co-host did speak about the controversy surrounding the NRA, though. More and more officials have been stepping down and San Francisco just declared it a terrorist organization. McCain acknowledged that she doesn’t agree with all of the choices the NRA makes. “As someone who has been an NRA member and has given a lot of money, I have a lot of problems with the way the money is being allocated at the moment.”
At least there’s that.
