John Lott says Piers Morgan won't shake his hand

Economist and gun enthusiast John Lott says CNN's Piers Morgan has, on more than one occasion, refused to shake his hand.

Morgan and Lott have had a few heated exchanges on Morgan's show in the past. He attended CPAC just outside of Washington, D.C., today for a book signing.

Asked if he and Morgan are friends when the cameras are off Lott said... no. "I mean we've been on the same set a couple times and usually he refuses to shake my hand," he told TheBlaze. Why's that? "You'd have to ask him," Lott replied. "I've offered my hand, yeah, when we've been in the same room."

Update 1: A CNN spokesperson tell us Morgan has never refused to shake the hand of any of his guests.

Update 2: Lott emailed TheBlaze to say: "The discussion was over whether Piers Morgan was putting on an act and what the tension was like after our conversations.  At that time Piers Morgan wouldn't shake my hand.  However, before the tensions erupted, he did shake my hand before the interviews began." For the record, our question was whether Lott and Morgan were friends off the air, despite their often aggressive back-and-forths on air.

Lott at CPAC