Lawrence O'Donnell Gets in Angry Debate With GOP Rep. Over Gun Control

Lawrence O'Donnell, the self-described communist socialist, invited GOP Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) on his show to comment on a Democratic proposal to ban gun clips that hold over 10 rounds. O'Donnell focused his interview around one question: "Congressman, don't you wish Jared Loughner had a smaller capacity ammunition clip when he went to Gabby Giffords' event in Tuscon?" Franks, however, refused to answer the question directly. And that infuriated O'Donnell.

O'Donnell's question, though, wasn't as much an attempt at honest dialogue as it was an inquiry aimed at a gotcha moment. That's because the question was a catch 22: If Franks says he does wish Loughner had a smaller clip, he'd be blasted for supporting gun control; if he says he doesn't, he'd be labeled an angry Tea Partier who wanted the congresswoman dead. Franks didn't take O'Donnell's bait, despite the tantrum-like insistence of the MSNBC host.

O'Donnell, however, didn't leave any doubt about how he felt when he yelled, "I blame the individual for the first 10 bullets! I blame the law for the next 21 bullets that he fired!" The full segment, along with O'Donnell's introduction, is below:

As a final note, O'Donnell goes out of his way to quote a previous statement by Franks saying that if there was one more gun at the scene of the Tucson shooting in the hands of a responsible person. When O'Donnel's attempts to corner Franks on that statement fail, he claims a majority of police officer bullets miss their target. Unfortunately, he dos not offer anything to back that up nor does he discuss the context of any officer-involved shooting. Do those errant bullets usually hit bystanders? Do a majority of those shootings take place in rural or urban areas? Do they take place in a house or outside? We will never know.

As O'Donnell says condescendingly at the end of the interview, "don't be silly."

(H/T: Mediaite)