November 22, 2019

Fox Is Very Concerned That Impeachment Is Preventing Action on Gun Safety

Fox News/Twitter

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In a hard pivot from what you’d ordinarily see on Fox & Friends, host Ainsley Earhardt made a desperate plea on behalf of Americans everywhere Friday morning: “We want gun safety.” 

Earhardt was complaining about the impeachment hearings, making the argument that the time and attention spent investigating the Ukraine scandal was preventing Congress from moving forward on other important issues, like gun safety. To the tape: 

Let’s back up a second. After each of the countless mass shootings in recent years, when a majority of Americans call on Congress to strengthen gun control laws, Fox & Friends hasn’t exactly joined that chorus of calls. Here’s what Earhardt had to say about gun control laws after the El Paso shooting, nearly four months ago: 

And in September, Tony Perkins, the president of the anti-LGBTQ Family Research Council, went on Fox & Friends to blame gun violence on “an absence of morality” and lack of religion, rather than loose gun laws.

Of course, impeachment isn’t the reason gun control legislation hasn’t moved. As Cydney Hargis, a researcher at Media Matters For America notes, the Democratic-controlled House has already passed gun control legislation, which Senate Republicans have refused to vote on. After an outbreak of mass shooting this summer, President Donald Trump promised to put forward his own gun control proposal. He has not done so.

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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