Gun Debate: National Review’s David French Talks to Chuck Todd on ‘Meet the Press Daily’

Last updated on: October 30, 2017 at 4:21 pm by Martha English

Gun Debate: National Review’s David French Talks to Chuck Todd on ‘Meet the Press Daily’ 2017-10-30T16:21:53-05:00 Martha English

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In the wake of the shooting in Las Vegas, Chuck Todd was frustrated no Republicans seem willing to go on the record to talk about gun violence. “We hear it after ever incident like this and we’ve heard it again today. Now, is not the time to talk about how to deal with gun violence. Now is not the time,” he said. Think about that. If we wait until cooler heads prevail, we’ll never talk about.”

National Review writer David French, however, was not afraid to talk about the 2nd Amendment or how it should — or should not — be affected by mass shootings. Even though Sen. Mitch McConnell said that now was not the time to talk about such matters, French said this was merely a political tactic to move beyond the news cycle.

Todd praised French for having the guts to come on the show. “Like I said, you are not afraid to engage on this issue, when does someone’s right to bear arms get to the point where it potentially infringes on someone’s right to attend a concert in an outdoor setting and not feel like it is an unsafe experience?”

French responded, “I think there is an obvious answer to that. Someone’s right to bear arms infringes upon my rights the instant they start to menace me with that weapon or threaten me with that weapon. And it’s very difficult to use this particular shooting as some sort of paradigm with which to analyze the gun debate.”

Newsbusters describes the exchange:

French elaborated by noting that is the exact time a potential victim should use their right to bear arms. “That’s exactly why I should be entitled to carry a weapon, for example, to protect myself the moment that somebody else violates my rights in a life-threatening manner.”

But Todd wasn’t finished. “I’m fine with you having a gun, but I would find it in my rights that I want to make sure you are a responsible gun owner. So you know what, I want an extra amount of regulation, I want extra licensing, I want this or that. What about that line? I would argue it is a realistic ask of my—of our rights, that’s for sure.”

Once again, French answered calmly:

“The realistic answer is the present level of regulation that we have particularly as applied to concealed carried permit holders gives that assurance,” French explained. “Because the available data says that a concealed carry permit holder is somebody who is actually in many ways safer than a police officer.”

It was refreshing to see a conservative who wasn’t afraid to enter into an important conversation during a time of national grief.

Watch it below:

Image Credit: Screen Cap

Hat Tip: Newsbusters

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