CNN's Piers Morgan will use any and every tragedy to bolster his crusade for gun control in the U.S. On his Tuesday night show he hounded George Zimmerman's brother Robert, Jr. over George carrying a gun the night Trayvon Martin died. Morgan also pushed for an age 25-and-under gun ban.
"Obviously, if George had not had a gun on him that night, the distinct likelihood is that Trayvon Martin would still be alive. Does he regret now carrying a gun around like that, do you think?" Morgan asked Zimmerman. "Do you regret that he had?" The trial of Zimmerman has only just begun. [Video below the break. Audio here.]
Even with no jury verdict, Morgan framed Martin as an unarmed victim of gun violence: "[O]n that night, you had a 17-year-old boy with no gun just armed with a packet of Skittles and a soft drink, meets your brother and there's an altercation? If it hadn't been for the gun, they would probably, probably have both just walked away, and wouldn't have been seriously hurt."
And Morgan ridiculously pushed for a gun ban on those age 25-and-under: "Personally, I wouldn't let anyone under 25 have a gun in America. I don't understand it. At least have an age limit."
This was not the first time Morgan pushed Zimmerman to admit that his brother shouldn't have been carrying a gun. Back in February, Morgan arrogantly posed to Zimmerman that "You would accept, would you not, that if your brother had not gone out armed with a gun that day, Trayvon Martin would be celebrating his 18th birthday today."
Below is a transcript of the segment, which aired on Piers Morgan Live on June 11 at 9:54 p.m. EDT:
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, JR., George Zimmerman's brother: Well, I can't talk about George's regrets but I certainly --
MORGAN: Do you regret that he had?
ZIMMERMAN: Absolutely not. No, I think that sends a wrong message that if we don't have a gun, then our attacker would still be alive. You know, maybe George would not. And George is just an example of a very straightforward self-defense case but that happens all the time. If you're allowed to have a gun –
MORGAN: But you actually think that Trayvon Martin was going to beat your brother to death? With his bare hands?
ZIMMERMAN: I don't have any idea what Trayvon Martin –
MORGAN: That's what he had. You know, he had a packet of Skittles in his bare hands. I mean, is that really what you think would have happened in that case?
ZIMMERMAN: I think that there has been discoverable evidence that's come forward that shows that Mr. Martin really enjoyed fighting. He really enjoyed fighting –
MORGAN: But not beating people to death with his bare hands.
ZIMMERMAN: Right. But let me finish about what Mr. Martin enjoyed or what's evidence that he enjoyed. He enjoyed beating people until he saw enough blood, going back to attack people until he saw enough blood. He was very disappointed allegedly, that he had lost fights because someone had sat on top of him. He really had an interest in guns, marijuana plants, drugs.
MORGAN: Robert, how much of that is relevant to the fact that on that night, you had a 17 year-old boy with no gun just armed with a packet of Skittles and a soft drink, meets your brother and there's an altercation? If it hadn't been for the gun, they would probably, probably have both just walked away, and wouldn't have been seriously hurt.
ZIMMERMAN: I think it's relevant to your question because you said is it likely that that would have just happened? You know, I don't know that it's likely that that would have just happened. Because I don't think they were just two people that just got in a scuffle. I think one had a proven propensity for violence and a – and a – you know, a history of participating in that kind of MMA fighting and the other did not.
So I think it's relevant to your question, and also to your point about guns in this country, Piers. If your children or your high schoolers want to procure guns for themselves, legally or illegally, at 17 years old and are asking people to secure guns for them, we have a problem in this country with guns. And it can't just be after a Newtown or something like that –
(Crosstalk)
MORGAN: Personally, I wouldn't let anyone under 25 have a gun in America. I don't understand it. At least have an age limit. Robert, obviously, as I said, a testing time for you and the family. You're not the one accused. Appreciate you coming on tonight.
