Although he was invited to appear on “Piers Morgan Tonight” on Tuesday to discuss his new book, Damn Few: Making the Modern SEAL Warrior, the CNN host inevitably lulled Navy Lieutenant Commander & former SEAL Rorke Denver into a debate over gun control.

On the topic, Denver noted that even automobiles can be dangerous in the wrong hands.  The issue of gun control is better examined in the context of mental health, he explained.  

When Morgan tried to challenge him over whether Americans “need” access to weapons like the AR-15, Rorke reiterated that guns are a tool and the debate “does not come down to the specific use of that tool, or what that weapon is capable of.”  Well said.

WATCH (via YouTube because, for some reason, CNN didn’t post this interview on their website):

If Denver looks familiar to you, it’s for a good reason.  You might recognize him from his starring role in the 2012 film Act of Valor.  

In his Navy career, Denver has led missions around the world, including Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.  In Damn Few, Denver draws on his own experiences to explain the SEALs’ unique recruitment, training, motivation and deployment, as well as the modern techniques used to turn ordinary men into extraordinary warriors fighting in an unconventional war.

Video after the jump!

WATCH: