With Hardball host Chris Matthews on vacation, MSNBC’s All In host Chris Hayes led the network’s 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour on Friday night covering the deadly attack on Dallas police officers and so he received a brief but straightforward education on gun rights from the very man falsely accused by police of being a person of interest.
Mark Hughes was joined by his brother and Black Lives Matter protest co-organizer Cory Hughes and their counsels when Hayes’s final question of the segment began by bringing up Texas becoming the 45th state to implement open carry and more broadly if the former Hughes was smart to bring a gun to the protest.
“I’ve covered the open carry movement here in Texas and have actually interviewed open carry activists, Texas, the 45th state to institute open carry. There’s a lot of people saw that picture and thought why would you bring that gun to a protest,” Hayes wondered.
Mark Hughes paused briefly before responded that was “because it’s my right” and how the right to bear arms is central to his humanity as an American: “I have the right to bear arms, so I didn't see an issue with it. That's like asking me why would I put a shirt on? I have the right to put a shirt on.”
Mark’s brother asked Hayes if he could elaborate on that point to “speak further” and so he discussed how they’ve had no problems with individuals who have exercised their Second Amendment rights around them:
You know, we have had the privilege of traveling to other protests and there's always a group of white men with guns exercising their Second Amendment right and it's never a threat, it’s never a problem, they are never targeted, but it just seems to me to be quite a coincidence or maybe not so much coincidence that the one young black man that had a gun becomes a prime suspect for the country when something like this happens.
Upon seeing this short education on Friday, it harkened back to the days following the Islamic terror attack in Orlando when the gun shop owner who’s store was where the terrorist bought some of his weapons held a press conference to irrefutably school the media on gun purchasing.
The relevant portion of the transcript from the 7:00 p.m. Eastern edition of MSNBC’s All In on July 8 can be found below.
MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes
July 8, 2016
7:19 p.m. EasternCHRIS HAYES: I want to ask you a question. I’ve covered the open carry movement here in Texas and have actually interviewed open carry activists, Texas, the 45th state to institute open carry. There’s a lot of people saw that picture and thought why would you bring that gun to a protest?
MARK HUGHES: Because it's my right. I have the right to bear arms, so I didn't see an issue with it. That's like asking me why would I put a shirt on? I have the right to put a shirt on.
HAYES: Alright.
CORY HUGHES: And if allowed, Chris, let me speak further to that. You know, we have had the privilege of traveling to other protests and there's always a group of white men with guns exercising their Second Amendment right and it's never a threat, it’s never a problem, they are never targeted, but it just seems to me to be quite a coincidence or maybe not so much coincidence that the one young black man that had a gun becomes a prime suspect for the country when something like this happens.
