Piers Morgan’s interview of 5 people on CNN was aired on February 4, 2013. First, he spoke with the Katy, Texas Tactical Firearms gun shop owner, Jeremy Alcede, where the interview took place. Alcede said we needed to keep assault weapons out of the hands of the retarded. What do you say about someone who owns a gun store and sells assault riffles but does not know the difference between someone who is retarded and someone with a mental illness.
His second guest was Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot. Abbot said background checks do not work so we should not bother with it at all, and it is not the law abiding citizens who own assault riffles that we need to worry about. The last time Texans listened to this Attorney General was when he somehow differentiated and justified his personal injury suit from all of those frivolous lawsuits when a tree fell on him while he was jogging during or right after a tropical storm in an affluent, Houston neighborhood. That lawsuit netted him an 8 figure personal injury settlement. Once elected Texas Attorney General, Abbot supported tort reform to restrict other truly innocent victims from being able to redress wrongs against them. Like all tort reformers, it’s all other lawsuits that are frivolous – not theirs.
His third and fourth guests, appearing together for moral support, Texas State Senator and former and current conservative radio talks how host, Dan Patrick and Ben Fertuson, respectively. Patrick said he owns an assault riffle and needs it for self defense. Ferguson said Texans need assault riffles because they hunt hogs from helicopters and need to be able to defend themselves against Mexican drug runners and gangs. Ferguson is simply an angry zealot who thinks the military is going to come into his home and take his guns from him. He yells to make a point that he cannot make in a normal, calm tone. He yells because with little to say to make his point, he has to drown everyone else out.
Last but not least was former living-large, wild rock star guitarist, now ultraconservative, right wing, avid hunter and NRA Board Member Ted Nugent. Nugent said it is an unnecessary government intervention in his life for him to have to register his assault riffle. Nugent registers his property, his motor vehicles, airplanes and boats, his prescription medications, his concealed handguns, his annual income, his political party, his intention to vote, his availability for the draft, his hunting dogs breed, his business entities, his campaign contributions, his employees, just to name a few. He does not, however, want to have to tell the government that he has assault riffles or how many of them because that would be an intrusion to the level of bureaucracy gone mad.
It is interesting that the only person on the show who was not angry, did not raise their voice, and was not out of control was Piers Morgan, and his delivery of his message came across loud and clear. Through all of the others raised voices it was impossible to understand their message of why they are so adamantly against registering the assault riffles they currently own and restricting the sales of more assault riffles and multi-round ammunition clips. I think they are afraid the government will send the military to their house to confiscate their assault riffles. That’s not paranoia, is it?
I learned a long time ago that when one side in a discussion or debate raises their voice it is because they have very little to say.