Fox News host Jesse Watters wasn’t quite convinced when “The Five” co-host Geraldo Rivera floated an age-based weapons ban that would prevent 18-year-olds from purchasing certain firearms.
Rivera cited the ages of several recent mass shooting suspects and argued that even at 18, teenagers were not mature enough to be trusted with certain types of weapons — but Watters pushed back, arguing that if they were old enough to die for their country, they should be old enough to exercise their constitutional rights.
"You can fight and die for your country at 18," @JesseBWatters pushes back on @GeraldoRivera after he floats a "youth" weapons ban. pic.twitter.com/tMA57xHVPN
— Virginia Kruta (@VAKruta) May 25, 2022
Judge Jeanine Pirro began the segment by asking Rivera what measures he thought schools should implement in their efforts to keep students safe, and he said that the unfortunate reality — as several of his co-hosts had already noted — that people intent on causing harm often found a way around such security measure in order to do it.
Rivera then reflected briefly on gubernatorial hopeful Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) — who crashed Governor Greg Abbott’s Wednesday press conference to scold him for failing to enact gun control measures — and President Joe Biden, who took aim at the “gun lobby” during his Tuesday remarks addressing the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
“What is offensive about Beto O’Rourke — and to a different degree to the President of the United States is railing against the gun lobby last night — no one is suggesting anything that really can guarantee total protection for our children,” Rivera continued. “But we can suggest some concrete steps.”
Rivera went on to say that it was important to “recognize the erratic nature of teenagers,” and he listed off the ages of several recent mass shooting suspects before suggesting “a Juvenile assault weapons ban.”
“If you can’t buy a beer, if you can’t get a license to drive a semi, until you are 21, how is it okay for you to be able to buy legally a weapon of war, an assault weapon when you are 18?” Rivera asked.
“Well, you can fight and die for your country at 18,” Watters pushed back.
“But then you’re monitored by corporals and sergeants and officers —” Rivera continued.
“You can’t get a handgun until you are 21 legally,” co-host Martha MacCallum objected.
“They don’t use a handgun,” Rivera protested. “These people only use handguns when they run out of ammo in the long guns. … Juvenile assault weapons ban do something. This could be Republicans and Democrats together, Right, Left, red, blue —”
“You are stripping a Constitutional right away from law abiding citizens because of some wacko,” Watters pointed out, still apparently unconvinced.