Watch: Craptastic Cast On The View Attack Laws For Self-Defense
It is a tragedy any time a life is taken, and in the case of the shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl in Missouri, it is even more heartbreaking. However, the ladies of ABC's The View used the incident to exploit the Second Amendment and push for legislation that would strip Americans of their right to defend themselves.
The co-hosts argued that it was "unfortunate" that people had the right to self-defense at all, and even more so that elderly people who couldn't physically fend off an attacker should not be allowed to own guns. Sara Haines suggested that those too weak to defend themselves physically should have their Second Amendment rights stripped, despite the fact that they were arguably the ones who needed guns for self-defense the most.
Haines went on to blame the National Rifle Association, despite the fact that they were not defending Lester. She then falsely suggested not all states required background checks (they’re federally mandated) and demanded that we somehow find out if people harbored racist thoughts in their heads before allowing them to buy a gun – even though this incident proves that this would not be effective.
Sunny Hostin, who also objected to the right to self-defense, whined that “the castle doctrine has been around forever” and that “you can protect your home with deadly force in certain states.” She blamed the shooting on “the right” and “Fox News” for their supposed “fear-mongering” about rising crime, and was thankful “New York is not one of” the states that allowed it.
It is particularly disheartening that The View used a tragedy to push for the stripping of Second Amendment rights, especially when the details of the case don't appear to line up with Missouri's self-defense laws. Taking away the right to self-defense not only puts innocent people in danger, but it is a slippery slope that can lead to other rights being taken away. The right to self-defense is a fundamental right of all Americans and should be protected at all costs.