Kellyanne Conway: “The Second Amendment is a bedrock principle of our Constitution … that should be protected” https://t.co/6HTYQA9nG3
— CNN (@CNN) October 5, 2017
Less than four full days have passed since Stephen Paddock opened fire on Route 91 Harvest Festival attendees in Las Vegas on Sunday, yet the resulting gun debate has already taken a predictable turn. Much of it has focused on the suspect’s use of “bump stocks” to increase his weapons’ rate of fire. The Senate announced it will consider legislation against these legal devices, though a stark divide has already appeared between gun control advocates and Second Amendment enthusiasts. Such was the nature of the intense conversation between CNN’s Chris Cuomo and Kellyanne Conway Thursday morning.
“It was President Obama’s ATF — the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms — in 2010 that decided not to regulate [bump stocks]. That should be part of the conversation and part of the facts you put before your viewers,” said Conway of the previous administration. “Yeah, absolutely. Said it last night at the town hall. It’s good to have it out there now,” Cuomo responded. Before the New Day host could move on, however, Donald Trump’s White House counselor dug into her boss’s renewed interest in chastising “fake news” for not covering the “real” stories of the day. Cuomo let her talk for a full minute before he didn’t.
“Kellyanne, I’m tired, so I apologize in advance,” he began. “A lot of this just doesn’t wash. All you need to know about the bump stock is that it was legal, and that’s what allowed him to lay down that field of fire. That’s all you need to know about it. There’s no thoughtful conversation to have about it.” Conway repeatedly tried to interject, repeating her previous comment about Obama’s ATF and other alleged oversights, but the host didn’t let up. “Don’t cheapen what happened in Las Vegas,” he charged. “Oh no, no, no. Don’t go there,” she rebuffed him, albeit unsuccessfully. “Oh I’m going to go there, my friend.”
(Via CNN)