MSNBC’s Hardball host Christ Matthews was joined on Thursday night by Democratic Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy to discuss the 2016 election, but quickly devolved into the pair lamenting the lack of nationwide gun control with Malloy taking a veiled, vicious shot at the late Chris Kyle and his efforts to take troubled veterans to the gun range where he would also counsel them.
With little pushback in the roughly five-minute interview, Matthews started by lobbing this softball at Malloy (who enthusiastically backs Hillary Clinton): “What do you make of that comeback by Sanders that Hillary Clinton has not been active on the gun state of the issue as a legislator?”
Malloy blasted the assertion as “hogwash” and after citing Clinton campaign talking points about Sanders not being sufficiently pro-gun control, Matthews lazily tried to explain what Sanders’s response has been to critics:
I think Senator Sanders said that if we do this in the broad way you described, not just going after gun manufacturer that had some role in sending a gun to a criminal or likely criminal that you would kill the manufacturing business of making guns. You'd kill it because nobody could take that kind of liability.
The only portion where Matthews lightly challenged Malloy was when the Connecticut governor suggested that a Clinton campaign ad about the Sandy Hook shooting could be run in Pennsylvania with Matthews warning that Keystone State voters wouldn’t react kindly.
Matthews quickly circled the wagons after Malloy responded that gun control is such “a tough fight and I’ve been through it.” He also went onto praise Malloy as being “on the right side” in fighting “the culture of our country and it's just — it’s always resistant to this.”
As for why Americans have not wanted, say, European-style gun control, Matthews called out “cowboy” Americans: “It’s just — there's something in the country that's cowboy still. It’s just cowboy about this thing.”
Unfortunately for passionate gun owners, the irresponsible stereotyping wasn’t over as Malloy took a swipe at gun owners like the late Chris Kyle in stating that the “gun culture” backs those with deep mental illnesses being taken to gun ranges so they’re “happy again”:
Let’s stop the gun culture that says, hey, we’ve got a friend who’s really depressed and has suicidal ideations. Let's take him to a gun range and get him happy again. I mean, that's the wrong way to think about this. Let's make guns stored safely in homes. Let's make guns that can't be fired by children — for that matter, let’s make guns that can’t be fired by anyone but the owner.
Matthews concluded the segment by telling Malloy that “the only letter I wrote to a Congressman was after Bobby was killed in '68” to “[p]lease support gun control.”
“That's a long time ago and we keep trying. That’s all I’m saying. We keep trying. Thank you, Governor Malloy. As I say, you’re on the good side,” he added.
The relevant portion of the transcript from MSNBC’s Hardball on April 21 can be found below.
MSNBC’s Hardball
April 21, 2016
7:30 p.m. Eastern
CHRIS MATTHEWS: From day one of her presidential campaign, Clinton has slammed American's easy access to guns. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has mostly taken a more moderate position on gun control and in an interview today with my colleague Andrea Mitchell, he hit back against Clinton's criticism of him on guns.
INDEPENDENT SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS (Vt.): I would ask Secretary Clinton to tell us all about the legislation that she introduced when she was a member of the United States Senate on gun reform on gun safety. I don’t believe there were any and ask why way back in 2008 when she was running against Senator Obama, he referred her to as Annie Oakley because she criticized him to not being sensitive to Second Amendment needs.
MATTHEWS: Well, joining me now is Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy, who campaigned today with Hillary Clinton. What do you make of that comeback by Sanders that Hillary Clinton has not been active on the gun state of the issue as a legislator?
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR DAN MALLOY (Conn.): Hogwash. Basically hogwash. He wants to cover the fact that he voted against the Brady Bill five separate times. I think the most difficult thing he has to explain is why you can't just sue a gun company. If you can sue any other company in America, why can't you sue a gun company? Let me tell you the result. We know we can manufacture guns that two-year-olds, three-year-olds, four-year-olds could not shoot and if people could resort to the courts for the sale of guns that two-year-olds, three-year-olds, and four-year-olds can shoot and kill their baby sister, mother, father, then we wouldn't have those guns being sold in our country any longer. He is in essence given protection to an industry that's designed to kill people. You know, Connecticut has a long history in armaments. I understand that, but we also have a long history in pharmaceuticals. We have an industry that spends billions of dollars to make products to lives and save lives. You can sue them if they make a mistake. How come we can't sue a gun company?
MATTHEWS: I think Senator Sanders said that if we do this in the broad way you described, not just going after gun manufacturer that had some role in sending a gun to a criminal or likely criminal that you would kill the manufacturing business of making guns. You'd kill it because nobody could take that kind of liability.
MALLOY: Hogwash again. I mean, every industry has evolved except for this industry. You know, when someone wants to introduce a gun into this country that can't be fired by someone other than the owner and they try to sell it at their gun store, you know what happens? People stop going to that gun store because people will boycott that store because the NRA tells them the boycott it, because they don't want safer gun technology in the United States because it undercuts their argument.
MATTHEWS: Do you think it's fair for Hillary Clinton to run her ad which is very powerful, about what happened in Sandy, to — with the terrible shooting up there and not run it in Pennsylvania?
MALLOY: Listen, I would run the ad.
MATTHEWS: In Pennsylvania?
MALLOY: I certainly would run it. I would run it I Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Sure. You know, we have kids dying on streets on a daily basis in American cities because guns are being sold in other jurisdictions without universal background checks. It’s the number one thing we could do. It's also the number one thing that the NRA wants to make sure doesn't happen.
MATTHEWS: You know, if you're seen as anti-gun in Pennsylvania, this goes all back to Joe Clark, a liberal reformer, way back in — when he lost in '68, you're dead in Pennsylvania.
MALLOY: Well, you know what? We have Republicans who supported universal background checks in Pennsylvania and they're still holding office. I mean, let's not go too far. I know you know Philadelphia better than I do, but I understand that if you have a discussion in Philadelphia and it's large percentage of the democratic vote on a primary day. You can talk about gun safety. No one wants to see another child kill their mother in Walmart.
MATTHEWS: It's just so tough. It's a tough fight and I’ve been through it.
MALLOY: I mean, it is tough, but —
MATTHEWS: You're on the right side. I think it's a good fight, but I look at the culture of our country and it's just — it’s always resistant to this. It’s just — there's something in the country that's cowboy still. It’s just cowboy about this thing.
MALLOY: Let me say one other thing. We do have to change the culture, but the culture that I want to change is that let's stop thinking it’s really good idea to take a person with mental illness to a gun range to teach them how to shoot a gun because it’ll make them feel better about themselves. Let’s stop the gun culture that says, hey, we’ve got a friend who’s really depressed and has suicidal ideations. Let's take him to a gun range and get him happy again. I mean, that's the wrong way to think about this. Let's make guns stored safely in homes. Let's make guns that can't be fired by children — for that matter, let’s make guns that can’t be fired by anyone but the owner.
MATTHEWS: I’m with you.
MALLOY: That's how you make America safer.
MATTHEWS: Governor, the only letter I wrote to a Congressman was after Bobby was killed in '68. Please support gun control. That's a long time ago and we keep trying. That’s all I’m saying. We keep trying. Thank you, Governor Malloy. As I say, you’re on the good side.
