Fox News' Jesse Watters clashes with Piers Morgan over US gun laws, reveals firearm purchase to 'defend family'
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Fox News host Jesse Watters was put on the spot by guest co-host Piers Morgan when questioned about a solution to the concerning case of gun violence in America.
During the discussion, the host addressed the recent tragic mass shooting in Maine, where 18 people lost their lives and many others were injured, all attributed to a single individual.
As a proposed solution to the recurring issue of such shootings happening across the nation, Watters expressed support for the idea of promoting firearm ownership.
Jesse Watters shuts down Piers Morgan over gun regulations
Being the sole non-American English-speaking host on the panel, Morgan displayed his curiosity regarding why the country wouldn't consider stricter regulations on the Second Amendment.
He pointed out that the US had even imposed regulations on Kinder chocolates, which are included with potentially dangerous toys.
"How about regulating guns in the way you do Kinder Surprise Chocolate Eggs?" Morgan proposed.
To this, Watters jumped in on the discussion. "With respect, do forks make people fat?" he said.
This is a popular argument used by those who support the right to bear arms in the country, relaying that it is not the tool that is causing the end result but the user of the tool.
However, Morgan responded with a "Yeah", an answer not expected by Watters.
"Okay, no," the Fox host replied as his co-hosts laughed, "Guns don't kill people. People kill people. Forks don't make you fat."
"They do. Guns do kill people," Morgan continued to argue in the background.
Jesse Watters reveals he now owns a firearm himself
Later, as they continued the coverage of the Maine incident, Morgan again addressed the hosts asking, "How do you feel about this incessant volume of really catastrophic mass shootings? What do you think should be done?"
To this, Watters revealed that he bought a gun himself and proposed it as the only solution to gun violence.
"Well, I actually purchased my first firearm last week and it was a big moment for me as an American," the host said, "I'd never done it before; I grew up in Philadelphia, we weren't a family that came from guns. My father grew up in Hartford, Connecticut."
He then added, "It wasn't something that we did but now we're out in the country. And if you have a young family, Piers, and you're out in the middle of the woods, you can't call 911 and just hope for the best."
Further adding, "You have to defend your family. And so, everybody thinks that way, especially in a place like Maine. As we said, talk about densely populated is more densely forested in Maine than Alaska."
Continuing his explanation, he said, "So, you make a phone call if someone's at your door or on your premises, you're waiting maybe sometimes 15-20 minutes for police to show up. That is valuable time if you are trying to defend your family, your children, or your property. You need a weapon."
Backing up his stance, he said, "And maybe you need an AR-15 because you have to have something semi-automatic and you have to have something accurate that you can handle well in a tight spot."
