Alex Jones’ standoff with CNN host Piers Morgan on Monday night ignited a flurry of response from both sides of the gun control issue. Jones, a conservative conspiracy theorist and the force behind Infowars.com, appeared on Piers Morgan Tonight to discuss (read: venomously espouse) his petition to deport Morgan back to England.
What resulted was the type of content today’s cable news producers furtively hope for: rankings-raising, viral video-sharing entertainment. But at the heart of the conversation — allusions to a second American Revolution and government conspiracies aside — was gun control legislation and the visceral sentiment surrounding it.
Morgan, a UK national, strongly supports tighter gun control measures in the U.S. and advocates his beliefs on CNN. Jones, an independent journalist and Second Amendment advocate who uses slightly more sensational and heated rhetoric, does so through his alternative news site, Infowars.com. Both carry a significant amount of influence.
After Monday night’s interview, Morgan was quoted by Politico, saying that not only is discourse on the contentious issue far from over, but that he plans to continue addressing it until legislators react.
“After every shooting, America goes back to normal. The media come off the story, nothing gets done, the pressure on politicians dissipates,” he said. “But you and I both know there’s going to be another shooting in months, or even weeks. My intent is simply to keep this issue boiling along until the politicians act on it.”
Jones’ response, as stated in an article on his site, echoed a similar intent to keep the issue front and center: “You are not going to take our guns.” Jones describes the push for gun control as a war on the Second Amendment, and an attempt by the U.S. government to “demonize” the right it grants.
{ 0 comments… add one now }