Fox News host Chris Wallace tore into National Rifle Association’s contention that President Obama and other elites are hypocritical for employing security guards to protect their children, while downplaying the importance of armed protection in preventing gun violence.
During a heated exchange with NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre on Sunday, Wallace played a clip of a now infamous NRA ad criticizing Obama for relying on Secret Service to guard his children and asked if the organization believed that every child in America faces a threat similar to that of the Obama kids. LaPierre said that they do, leading Wallace to forcefully push back against the gun chief, saying, “that’s ridiculous and you know it, Sir!” Watch it:
Wallace went on to note that armed guards in school will not protect children “in the shopping mall, in the movie theater, on the street” and shamed the gun lobby for seeking to use class as a wedge in the gun debate. He noted that LaPierre himself relies on armed security guards and asked, “Does that make you an elite, and out-of-touch elite, because you have security?” “This idea of an elite class is just nonsense.”
Throughout his appearance, LaPierre maintained that universal background checks or limits on assault weapons would infringe on the rights of law abiding Americans and could never deter hardened criminals or gang members from obtaining fire arms. He insisted that only armed guards — the kind that Obama uses to protect his children — and increased prosecution of criminals could reduce gun violence.
