Fox News "The Ingraham Angle" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Steve Scalise
Interview
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INGRAHAM: New Zealand's assault weapons ban comes a week after that deadly terrorist attack on two mosques. Democrats immediately praised the response and pushed for similar action here in the United States. Bernie Sanders tweeted "This is what real action to stop gun violence look like. We must follow New Zealand's lead." And Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also chimed in, saying "within days New Zealand acted to get weapons of war off the consumer market. This is what leadership looks like."
Joining me now, someone uniquely qualified to address this issue, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, a gun violence victim himself. Congressman, you heard Bernie, you heard AOC praising the leadership of New Zealand, saying let's get it done here. Are they right?
REP. STEVE SCALISE, R-LA, HOUSE MINORITY WHIP: Well, Laura, the first thing we all should do is keep in mind that there are 50 victims and we should pray for them. But when you hear liberals in Washington talking about gun control, it's much less about guns and much more about control.
If you look, they've been trying to control every aspect of people's lives. Just a few weeks ago, they passed a bill to take away first amendment rights. Everybody from the ACLU to National Right to Life said they were infringing on the first amendment rights. Then a few weeks before that, they passed a bill to take away some more of your second amendment rights.
And we are talking about law-abiding citizens. We are not talking about people that are out committing these crimes, already violating laws that are on the books. Enforce the laws that are out there, but don't infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens. Unfortunately, that's what Democrats want to do in Washington. And we have a Second Amendment in this country.
INGRAHAM: They are very different countries. We've had our share of terrible gun violence, obviously, that is reprehensible and horrific, so they point to high-capacity magazines. You've got to get those off the streets. No reason to have an AR-15. Isn't AR-15 one of the most popular rifles in the United States? That's a lot of weapons you'll have to confiscate, I guess, if that's what they want to do.
SCALISE: Laura, this is the danger of what they're trying to do. When you look at their definition of semiautomatic weapons. And by the way, automatic weapons have already been banned since 1986. Semiautomatic weapons, when they described them, in many cases they are talking about hunting rifles. They are talking about weapons that people buy to defend themselves in their home. These aren't the weapons in many cases that are being used in some of these violent crimes. So we have a Second Amendment for a reason, and that's so people can defend themselves against criminals.
INGRAHAM: Yes. I want to play something that happened with Ali Velshi I think over there at MSNBC, and Dana Milbank. Let's watch.
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ALI VELSHI, MSNBC ANCHOR: I want to go somewhere else with this, because nobody in America has suggested banning any guns, but we have so many guns in this country that it causes other problems, while mass shootings get our attention because they are so tragic.
DANA MILBANK, POLITICAL COLUMNIST, "THE WASHINGTON POST": We live in a different system. We have Constitutional obstacles. But it is outrageous that all we hear, it's become this cliche, thoughts and prayers. It's not doing anything to stop this from happening.
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INGRAHAM: Constitutional obstacles. That's not how I view the Constitution.
SCALISE: Listen to what they say. They view the Constitution as an obstacle that they can go around. The Constitution is the framework of our country. It's what makes us in America better than everybody else in the world in terms of a country where you actually have rights that are given to you not for men and women, but from God. And you have those rights for a reason, so that you can protect yourself in your home.
INGRAHAM: And I'm happy to take all the thoughts and prayers that I can get every day. And I am given them to you.
SCALISE: I needed those thoughts and prayers, and they meant a lot to me.
INGRAHAM: They sure did, and we were praying for you, and we continue to. Congressman, thank you so much.
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