CNN's Piers Morgan plugged Great Britain's handgun ban on Tuesday as he and attorney Star Jones wondered how to take more guns off the streets in the U.S.
"Well, in Britain, we had a sort of dramatic reduction in all fire offenses when we made it a mandatory five-year jail sentence if you were caught with a handgun. It works," Morgan insisted. Jones suggested hiking the cost of ammunition. [Video below the break. Audio here.]
"And if you're not going to reduce the volume of guns, make the ammunition expensive so that every time you point a gun at somebody and you're going to pull the trigger, think, is that life worth $5,000 for a bullet?" Jones said.
"Make the ammunition more expensive. I don't think that's in the Constitution," she added. After ripping an Arkansas school where teachers and administrators will conceal carry, Jones fretted, "I support the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. But I'm telling you, the guns, we need to get them out."
Below is a transcript of the segment, which aired on Piers Morgan Live on July 30 at 9:09 p.m. EDT:
PIERS MORGAN: And what about the story I want to be talking about a little later in the show, which is this district in Arkansas where they have basically armed an entire school. I mean, at least 20 of the teachers and administrators are going to get training and will conceal carry guns during school time?
STAR JONES, attorney: Who is to say that the teacher's toast was not burnt that morning and they walk into the classroom and just go completely buck wild? Who is to say that all of a sudden the bipolar meds didn't get delivered from the pharmacy that they get it from online –
MORGAN: Or they drop – or they drop the gun.
JONES: Or they put the gun because there is a distraction over here. They the gun in the desk and forget to turn the lock and another person in that classroom grabs the gun. I know that there are a lot of people out there that believe that everybody should be able to arm themselves. I support the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. But I'm telling you, the guns, we need to get them out. And if we had done background checks in a certain way, George Zimmerman would not have had a legal gun. Because I don't believe he could have passed a background check.
MORGAN: My real issue with all these things is that the only answer that the pro-gun lobbyists ever put forward is more guns. They never seem to countenance even the notion that reducing the volume of guns could make America a safer place. That is what I find so unconscionable.
JONES: And if you're not going to reduce the volume of guns, make the ammunition expensive so that every time –
MORGAN: Do something.
JONES: – every time you point a gun at somebody and you're going to pull the trigger, think, is that life worth $5,000 for a bullet? Make the ammunition more expensive. I don't think that's in the Constitution.
MORGAN: Well, in Britain, we had a sort of dramatic reduction in all fire offenses when we made it a mandatory five-year jail sentence if you were caught with a handgun. It works.
