Bill O'Reilly vs. Tavis Smiley on Racial Violence in America: 'That's Wrong, That's Fallacious!

(Fox News)

Bill O'Reilly clashed with radio talk show host Tavis Smiley in a tense interview on "The Factor" about race and crime in America. Smiley went as far as to say that the life of a black child doesn't hold the same value of that of a white child in the country.

The contentious race-based debate comes after George Zimmerman was found not guilty of murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Florida. The question of whether Martin was targeted because of his race has sparked protests and divided the nation.

“When Sandy Hook happened, the empathy and the appreciation and the reveling in the humanity of those children was present all over Fox News and every place else – as it should have been," Smiley said. "African Americans are not seeing that same kind of empathy and appreciation for the humanity of Trayvon that they saw for the children of Sandy Hook."

Sneaking in a jab at the National Rifle Association, Smiley said he is still waiting for the gun rights organization to argue that if Martin had a gun, he might still be alive.

O'Reilly smacked down Smiley's assertion that black people are looked at with contempt in the United States. "That's wrong, that's fallacious!" he said of the claim.

"You can't back that up," O'Reilly added.

Smiley reiterated his point, saying that "black men are viewed in this country as a menace to society."

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Referencing the high levels of black-on-black violence in places like Chicago, O'Reilly said "whites have nothing to do with it."

"I believe a lot of the problem is generated by blacks themselves that won’t solve the problems of their neighborhoods," O'Reilly said.

Smiley agreed, but made sure to insert gun control into the conversation.

“Blacks kill blacks. Whites kill whites. Here’s the bottom line: and they all do it with guns, and you ought to get on the right side of the gun control conversation," he said.

Smiley also suggested arming "every black person in America and then see what the NRA has to say."

(H/T: Fox News Insider)

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