Minutes after the press conferences, from local law enforcement and the White House, about the Baton Rouge police ambush and calling for the end of divisive language CNN’s Michael Smerconish smeared gun rights advocates on The Situation Room. “As you know and have been discussing, it's an open carry environment,” the pundit started Sunday, “And I'm concerned about the Trump rhetoric in firing up individuals who would be inclined to show up with their weapons as some second amendment solidarity movement.”
The segment started with Host Wolf Blitzer painting the Republican National Convention in the context of tragic world events:
This convention here this week takes place just in the immediate aftermath not only after this horrific shooting in Baton Rouge, but what we saw in Nice, France. A horrible terror attack, 84 people killed. A coup in a NATO ally in Europe Turkey.
From there Smerconish trashed gun rights advocates with his fear mongering about Donald Trump’s rhetoric. The ironic part is that immediately after casting aspersions on them Smerconish exclaimed, “It's a time for lessening the emotions and taking it down a notch, in my opinion.” But he wasn’t the only one.
CNN’s Dana Bash seemed to want to stoke people’s fears as well. She noted that the police officers’ union had begged Governor John Kasich to suspend Ohioans’ right to open carry in the event area in Cleveland. Bash seemed shocked that Kasich refused to do it. “I just asked the governor's office for a statement, and the answer was, he's not constitutionally able to do that,” she said, “It just doesn't work like that. He just can't kind of wave a magic wand or use his pen to do that.”
Bash concluded with a passive aggressive jab at Kasich saying, “Hopefully their concerns are not going to be realized.”
Transcript below:
CNN
The Situation Room
July 17, 2016
5:57:55 PM EasternWOLF BLITZER: And Michael, this convention here this week takes place just in the immediate aftermath not only after this horrific shooting in Baton Rouge, but what we saw in Nice, France. A horrible terror attack, 84 people killed. A coup in a NATO ally in Europe Turkey. All of these kinds of developments are certainly going to hover over this convention in Cleveland and the Democratic convention next week in Philadelphia.
MICHAEL SMERCONISH: We all know because we had to come through a gauntlet in order to get precisely where we’re seated today. This town is in a security lockdown, and my first consideration are for the law enforcement officers who are charged with keeping us all safe. And Wolf, as you know and have been discussing, it's an open carry environment. And I'm concerned about the Trump rhetoric in firing up individuals who would be inclined to show up with their weapons as some second amendment solidarity movement. It's a time for lessening the emotions and taking it down a notch, in my opinion.
BLITZER: You've been speaking to a lot of people here, Dana. What are you hearing?
DANA BASH: Yeah well, certainly there is concern. I would say just to add to that, there was a call from the head of the police officers' union today for the Governor, John Kasich, to try to suspend the concealed carry during the convention. And I just asked the governor's office for a statement, and the answer was, he's not constitutionally able to do that. It just doesn't work like that. He just can't kind of wave a magic wand or use his pen to do that.
So you know, in that sense, nothing is going to change. But I do think it's interesting that the police union themselves seem to be concerned about it. Hopefully their concerns are not going to be realized.
