The Parkland Students Went on Fox News and Perfectly Explained Why the NRA Is Wrong

“They’re fear mongers. They want to sell weapons by exploiting people’s fears.”

Cameron Kasky, a survivor of the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School, appears on Fox News to discuss the #MarchForOurLives./Fox News

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Washington, DC on Saturday to protest gun violence and call for stricter gun laws. The March For Our Lives was organized by student survivors of the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, several of whom have become prominent leaders of a new wave of activism around gun control in the wake of the shooting.

Two of the students, Delaney Tarr and Cameron Kasky, appeared on Fox News Sunday to lay out what they sought to accomplish with yesterday’s march. The interview’s most striking moment came, however, when one of the students slammed the NRA in response to a question about the student’s true agenda. Fox’s Chris Wallace asked Kasky to respond to a clip of one of his classmates seemingly accusing supporters of the march of wanting to take guns away from law-abiding gun owners during an interview that aired yesterday on Fox. “The NRA wants people to think that,” Kasky said. “They’re fear mongers. They want to sell weapons by exploiting people’s fears. So the second we want to put common sense regulations on these assault weapons, the NRA will say ‘They are trying to steal every single one of your guns.’ And people believe them. Fortunately, the majority of the American people see past this.”

Fox News released a new poll on Sunday that backs up Kasky, with a majority of Americans supporting enhanced gun control measures, such as universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons.

Earlier in the interview, Kasky and Tarr slammed Donald Trump for seemingly bowing to the NRA in the aftermath of the Douglass shooting. Tarr noted that the president endorsed gun control measures immediately after the shooting, but backed away following a subsequent meeting with NRA leadership. “To call it a coincidence seems like a bit of a stretch,” Tarr said.

You can watch the full interview below.

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

December is make or break for us. A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. A strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength. A weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

The December 31 deadline is closing in fast. To reach our $400,000 goal, we need readers who’ve never given before to join the ranks of MoJo donors. And we need our steadfast supporters to give again today—any amount.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do.

That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

December is make or break for us. A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. A strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength. A weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

The December 31 deadline is closing in fast. To reach our $400,000 goal, we need readers who’ve never given before to join the ranks of MoJo donors. And we need our steadfast supporters to give again today—any amount.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do.

That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate