On Monday’s At This Hour, CNN invited on Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, to push gun control in the wake of this weekend’s mass shootings. The network also portrayed Republicans as cowardly for failing to come on CNN and be yelled at.
Bolduan opened up the segment by propping up Democrats for “demanding, quite frankly, that Congress take action,” and by bashing GOP congress members for not coming onto CNN:
Where do you find your optimism here, when you see what happened this weekend, you hear the President's remarks, you hear the anger from left and we're not really hearing much from right to be honest because they have not really coming on. Republican lawmakers are pretty much refusing to come on CNN to discuss. But where do you find -- where do you find -- where do you find the optimism?
Conservatives refusal to going on CNN after tragedies like these is understandable considering the hateful finger-pointing that has ensued in the past. The host seems to have forgotten the public, verbal flogging of Sen. Marco Rubio and Dana Loesch in the town hall held in the wake of the Parkland shooting. The liberal media’s unwillingness to engage in good-faith arguments has bred a political climate in which no one wants to debate.
Watts was given free rein to spout as she pleased, despite her contradicting herself multiple times during the segment. She endorsed red-flag laws, later condemned them as “NRA talking points,” and then endorsed them again:
WATTS: We do need the Senate to come back right now to pass background checks and red-flag laws that we know save lives in the states. They need to do their jobs.
(....)
BOLDUAN: Like, do you take note of what the President said this morning on what he would like to see done? There was no mention in his remarks about any kind of gun safety measure other than he talked about red-flag laws, toughening mental health laws, taking on violent video games.
WATTS: First of all, those are NRA talking points. We know this isn't about video games, movies, mental illness, this is about easy access to guns, and if the President is serious, he will pick up the phone and he will call Senator Mitch McConnell right now, and he will demand the Senate come back, and they pass background checks and red-flag laws.
There are a few problems with Watts’ line of thinking. Red-flags laws have widely been endorsed by both sides of the aisle. Further, red-flag laws exist to prevent the mentally ill from getting weapons to carry out an act of terror. This surface level thinking shows a fundamental lack of understand of the issue, but Bolduan wasn’t willing to address it.
The media uses tragedies like the El Paso and Dayton shootings to stand on the graves of the victims and bash conservatives. They feed their viewers devise rhetoric, and allow for liberals to relentlessly attack Republicans. Segments like this give way to a misinformed populace, but CNN’s hosts are reading and willing to sacrifice the truth in exchange for scoring a few political points.
Here is the complete transcript from the segment:
CNN's At This Hour
08/05/2019
11:54 AM Eastern
KATE BOLDUAN: It's become a familiar and haunting question at every mass shooting. Will this time be different? That question the country is now asking once again, following two horrific tragedies this weekend. And this morning a growing list of lawmakers and 2020 Democratic candidates are pleading with and demanding, quite frankly, that Congress take action. Listen:
[VIDEO PLAYS]
SENATOR KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY): Mitch McConnell should call the Senate back in today and we should pass these measures.
SENATOR AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): I agree with Senator Schumer, our leader in the Senate, that we need to bring everyone back and that Senator McConnell should call the Senate back to pass the House gun safety bill that has passed the House of Representatives.
SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): The overwhelming majority of the American people, gun owners and non-gun owners want common sense gun safety legislation. So what I have asked Mitch McConnell, Republican leader of the Senate, bring us back to Washington. End the recess right now and let us sit down and work on the kind of legislation that we need.
[VIDEO ENDS]
BOLDUAN: Here with me now is Shannon Watts, she’s the founder of Moms Demand Action, a grass roots organization that was founded in the days in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre. Shannon, thank you for being here. You were just with me here in May. We were sitting right over there, on the set, talking about, well you say moms can get it done, and demanding action, and talking about the roots of your organization, and what progress you think is being made. Now, we have 30 people killed, two shootings across two cities in the span of 13 hours and so many more people injured. The President speaking out about it this morning, tweeting about it this morning. When the question continues to be every time, is this time different, how do you answer that question this time? What do you think?
SHANNON WATTS (FOUNDER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION): Look, every horrific shooting tragedy in this country makes Americans realize that this is a public health crisis and they have to act. Makes them get off the sidelines. Our organization tripled in size after the horrific tragedy in Parkland, Florida. You know, after Sandy Hook we started our organization. So every time something like this happens, America does act. I don't believe we're numb. There isn't a parent in this country who isn't afraid that their child will be next.
BOLDUAN: I remember you telling me that everyone you speak with from your view, that everyone is waiting for this like cathartic movement to happen in Congress, and that you are still optimistic that change is coming. Where do you find your optimism here, when you see what happened this weekend, you hear the President's remarks, you hear the anger from left and we're not really hearing much from right to be honest because they have not really coming on. Republican lawmakers are pretty much refusing to come on CNN to discuss. But where do you find -- where do you find -- where do you find the optimism?
WATTS: First of all, we are now larger than the NRA. We have hundreds of thousands of volunteers like me, 6 million supporters. In the midterm elections we outspent and outmaneuvered the NRA. We flipped seven state legislatures and elected 1,000 gun sense candidates to Congress. We go into 2020 elections with the NRA weaker than they have ever been, we're stronger than we've ever been but we do need the Senate to come back right now to pass background checks and red-flag laws that we know save lives in the states. They need to do their jobs. And anyone listening to me should --
BOLDUAN: And that's where you've told me you find optimism.
WATTS: Yes.
BOLDUAN: Is in the states. Even put Congress aside on this.
WATTS: State Houses and board rooms.
BOLDUAN: You have seen real action there. There is a lot pressure on Ohio now to do something.
WATTS: There is. Ohio and Texas need to act. Ohio will go back into legislative session in September. But Senators, if you text the word “Checks” to 64433, we will patch you in and you can call your Senator and say that you demand action.
BOLDUAN: Let’s focus on Dayton for a second. The shooter was brought down in 30 seconds from the first time he shot to when they took him down. But in that amount of time the police chief just said that he had the possibility, the maximum potential of 250 rounds in his -- on him. 30 seconds he was able to kill nine people. Where are you in your fight on something like that?
WATTS: Well, I mean obviously, you know, the police were outgunned and outmanned. When someone who has easy access to an arsenal and ammunition, including semiautomatic rifles and tactical gear, a good guy with a gun is not going stop them. Only a good lawmaker who will pass legislation will stop them.
BOLDUAN: Shannon, do you look to the White House for leadership on this at this point? Like, do you take note of what the President said this morning on what he would like to see done? There was no mention in his remarks about any kind of gun safety measure other than he talked about red-flag laws, toughening mental health laws, taking on violent video games.
WATTS: First of all, those are NRA talking points. We know this isn't about video games, movies, mental illness, this is about easy access to guns, and if the President is serious, he will pick up the phone and he will call Senator Mitch McConnell right now, and he will demand the Senate come back, and they pass background checks and red-flag laws. Also the legislation that’s already passed the House. These laws are working at the states, we need them at a federal level.
