The hosts of “Fox and Friends” are urging viewers to buy more guns following a spate of mass shootings over the last few days, painting a portrait of a country in the midst of collapse.
The Fourth of July weekend saw the highest number of mass shootings than in any weekend thus far in 2021, with at least 150 people killed by gun violence in more than 400 shootings, according to data collated by the Gun Violence Archive.
“When these systems break down, you get lawlessness,” said co-host Pete Hegseth before promoting a Tucker Carlson special titled “Survival Disorder.” “At the end of the day, if there is lawlessness, if law enforcement can’t be there, aren’t there, or they’re standing down because it makes no sense for them to intervene because their political leadership won’t back them, the only opportunity you have as a free individual, as a law-abiding citizen is to own a gun and defend yourself, defend your family, defend your business.”
“You know what’s interesting too,” added co-host Brian Kilmeade, “is that [President] Joe Biden had to acknowledge two weeks ago that there’s a crime problem in America. His way of attacking it is what? Let’s crackdown on guns and gun dealers. Really? Is that the problem?”
[150 people shot dead in 400 shootings this weekend]
Fox & Friends: You must buy a gun and be ready to kill, or you will be murdered pic.twitter.com/LKemNFfOJu
— Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) July 6, 2021
Kilmeade referred to Biden announcing new efforts to tackle violent crime. crime rates have risen amid the economic hardship of the Covid-19 pandemic. Biden’s plan includes providing money to cities that need more police, offering community support, and targeting those supplying illegal firearms.
“These merchants of death are breaking the law for profit,” Biden said. “If you willfully sell a gun to someone who’s prohibited, my message to you is this: We’ll find you and we’ll seek your license to sell guns. We’ll make sure you can’t sell death and mayhem on our streets.”
“This is not a time to turn our backs on law enforcement,” Biden added, noting that “crime historically rises during the summer, and as we emerge from this pandemic the traditional summer spike may be even more pronounced than it usually would be.”