Piers Morgan and Jesse Watters Get Into Heated Argument Over Tragic Maine Mass Shooting
A tragedy unfolded in Lewiston, Maine, where Robert Card went on a spree shooting on the evening of October 25, 2023. Thirteen individuals were hurt and eighteen people died. In a debate with co-host Piers Morgan on the popular panel discussion The Five, Fox News's Jesse Watters sought to argue against gun control the day after a horrifying mass murder in Maine by bringing up the argument that "forks don't make you fat."
Watters made a ridiculous first statement to the British host and journalist saying, “We have these guns because of you, because of your country, because of your king, and we haven’t had that problem with a king since then,” he said. In response, Morgan brought out how the toys inside Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs are prohibited in the US because they pose a choking hazard. She then questioned why lawmakers don't simply regulate firearms in the same manner. Watters’ response was: “With respect, do forks make people fat?” Morgan then snapped back that they do, to which Watters insisted that “guns don’t kill people.” Morgan expressed his disapproval once more. “Guns do kill people.”
As per Radar Online, further in the debate, Morgan continued: "When Americans hear the word ‘control,’ they think instinctively, ‘federal government control,’ and it alienates any chance of any compromise. ‘Gun safety’ is the way this should be debated," Morgan stated before bringing up Maine's lack of red flag legislation. "How do you make it safer? How do you stop these loopholes, these guys slipping through the net? This is a catastrophic failure."
The British conservative host went on to question, "Why don’t you just have a red flag system all over the country?" he debated, "You have 400 million-plus guns in circulation, a million new guns are sold every month in America." "This problem’s gonna get worse, not better. And at some point, as your friend, you know, the great ally, I simply say you’ve got to do something more to stop this," the celebrated journalist continued. "You can’t keep having the Groundhog Day of these people with these semiautomatic rifles going into civilian areas and gunning people to pieces. Can you?"
As a sympathetic Morgan tried to provide a sensible answer, Watters shot back with a joke, "As your friend, respectfully. We have these guns because of you," presumably referring to the American Revolution, which took place over 300 years ago — and at a time when AR-15s, the gun most commonly used in mass shootings, did not exist." Watters persisted and informed Morgan, "Because of your country and your king. And we haven’t had that problem since then. Respectfully, as your friend."
While acknowledging American history, Morgan pointed out that although Kinder chocolate eggs were outlawed "for safety reasons," there was a lack of legislation governing firearms, which is the country's biggest source of child fatalities. Then, as Watters tried to refute the idea that firearms were the issue, the two men got into a heated argument. As per BBC, a massive manhunt is currently underway to catch the shooter. Robert Card, who is allegedly armed and dangerous, is being sought after by hundreds of police officers and FBI agents. According to the Maine State Police, the suspect has recently disclosed mental health problems, including "hearing voices and threats to shoot up a military installation in southern Maine".
