On Thursday's CNN Newsroom, during coverage of the shooting deaths of two journalists in Virginia by a disgruntled former co-worker, CNN anchor Carol Costello declared that "it just makes me angry" that, in the aftermath of such high-profile shootings, "nothing is ever done" to try to prevent future shootings because of people who "hide behind their old, tired arguments."
About an hour later, after CNN's Chris Cuomo brought up her expression of anger, he lamented the failure for politicians to enact more gun laws as he declared that "any fool would know" that "there's a better way to deal with guns in this society than we are," before soon adding, "Of course the gun policy doesn't make sense right now. Of course it doesn't. And that's why you're angry."
At about 9:07 a.m. after Cuomo came on board and introduced interviews which aired earlier on CNN's New Day with the father and fiance of one of the victims, Alison Parker, CNN's Costello declared:
You know, we remember victims like this in each and every incident that happens where gun violence is to blame, and nothing is ever done, and nothing ever changes because people hide behind their old, tired arguments. And you know what, I'll just say it, Chris, it makes me angry. It just makes me angry.
After Cuomo spoke about his hope that reporting on the negative effects that such murders have on the lives of the victims' loved ones might ward off some potential killers from committing similar crimes, Costello responded:
I wish I could believe you, but I don't think so because the answer to rage in this country has become: Hey, you disrespected me. I'm just going to pull a gun, and I'll calm my rage that way, and you'll be the loser for sure. And we have to get rid of that. We don't have respect for guns anymore.
As he reappeared to make a followup report in the next hour, Cuomo brought up Costello's angry reaction. Cuomo:
Carol, you said it makes you angry. And, you know what, I have a better answer for you now. Of course you're angry. You're angry because you know that there are solutions to this. These are not impossible problems. Are they intractable? Are they difficult? Do they deal with the frustrations and problems of politics? Yes. But none of those are reasons for no solution.
He then added:
Of course there's a better way to deal with guns in this society than we are. Any fool would know that. But what the preferences are for those solutions or lack thereof is where we get caught. Can we do better with the mentally ill? Of course we can. You ask clinicians. You ask any politician who's taken time to study it. Of course we can. Of course there's better monitoring, there's better treatment, there are better avenues. Representative Tim Murphy right now has a bill that's going nowhere in Congress.
Cuomo suggested the need for more gun laws as he concluded:
Of course the gun policy doesn't make sense right now .Of course it doesn't. And that's why you're angry. Because there is a necessary frustration when you're faced with situations that are so obvious that don't change over time. I've been in 20 different states covering this since Columbine. I've been to far too many. The questions are always the same. And the answers don't come, and we know why they don't come. And that's why you're angry, Carol. And the question is, what do you do with that anger? What will make a difference?
Costello then complained about "responsible gun owners" not calling for more gun laws:
And I'll just say, I'll just button it up, Chris. You know, when I was a girl, I lived in rural America. I had a gun. I'm not against guns. But I don't understand why responsible gun owners don't want to do anything to get the bad gun owners, the irresponsible gun owners out of the way to make sure that guns don't land in the wrong hands because those irresponsible, violent gun owners give everybody a bad name, including responsible gun owners. And they should be leading the fight, and I don't understand why they're not.
Below are transcripts of the relevant portions of CNN Newsroom with Carol Costello from Thursday, August 26:
9:07 a.m.
CAROL COSTELLO: You know, we remember victims like this in each and every incident that happens where gun violence is to blame, and nothing is ever done, and nothing ever changes because people hide behind their old, tired arguments. And you know what, I'll just say it, Chris, it makes me angry. It just makes me angry
(CHRIS CUOMO talks about the possibility that reporting on the negative impacts that murders have on the lives of the victims' loved ones might help prevent some potential killers from acting out in the future.)
COSTELLO: I wish I could believe you, but I don't think so because the answer to rage in this country has become: Hey, you disrespected me. I'm just going to pull a gun, and I'll calm my rage that way, and you'll be the loser for sure. And we have to get rid of that. We don't have respect for guns anymore.
CHRIS CUOMO: Look, I hear you. You're making smart points. We know what the status of the debate is. We know where the politicians are. The question is, where are the people? What do they really want? This country, for all the talk about money and politics and corruption, has always ultimately been what the people want to make it. And these situations raise the same questions every time. And you cover them in the hope or provoking that conversation, but where it leads often winds up making the hope for change just that: only a hope.
(...)
10:11 a.m.
CUOMO: So where is the hope? Why do these keep happening? Carol, you said it makes you angry. And, you know what, I have a better answer for you now. Of course you're angry. You're angry because you know that there are solutions to this. These are not impossible problems. Are they intractable? Are they difficult? Do they deal with the frustrations and problems of politics? Yes. But none of those are reasons for no solution.
Of course there's a better way to deal with guns in this society than we are. Any fool would know that. But what the preferences are for those solutions or lack thereof is where we get caught. Can we do better with the mentally ill? Of course we can. You ask clinicians. You ask any politician who's taken time to study it. Of course we can. Of course there's better monitoring, there's better treatment, there are better avenues. Representative Tim Murphy right now has a bill that's going nowhere in Congress.
Of course the gun policy doesn't make sense right now .Of course it doesn't. And that's why you're angry. Because there is a necessary frustration when you're faced with situations that are so obvious that don't change over time. I've been in 20 different states covering this since Columbine. I've been to far too many. The questions are always the same. And the answers don't come, and we know why they don't come. And that's why you're angry, Carol. And the question is, what do you do with that anger? What will make a difference.
COSTELLO: You know, the other frustration is, you know, we live in a country with unbelievably smart people who can find solutions. Yet, we all sit back and say, "Ah, what can you do? There are evil people in the world." Well, of course there are, but to say there's nothing we can do about it, that's just the coward's way out. That's not the American way. I just don't understand that. There are solutions. We just have to sit down and talk about them like reasonable people.
(CUOMO)
COSTELLO: And I'll just say, I'll just button it up, Chris. You know, when I was a girl, I lived in rural America. I had a gun. I'm not against guns. But I don't understand why responsible gun owners don't want to do anything to get the bad gun owners, the irresponsible gun owners out of the way to make sure that guns don't land in the wrong hands because those irresponsible, violent gun owners give everybody a bad name, including responsible gun owners. And they should be leading the fight, and I don't understand why they're not.
CUOMO: You understand why they're not.
COSTELLO: I know.
CUOMO: You understand the politics that are involved. The question is, what will make the difference? Because you'll hear them come out and say the right things right now, but what happens tomorrow, what happens next week, what happens a month from now when you have parents like Andy all over this country wanting something to be different for everybody else's kids than what happened to their own.
