‘Morning Joe’ Host Compares Passing Gun Control To Abolishing Slavery

MSNBC Host Joe Scarborough compared efforts to pass gun control to the abolition of slavery on “Morning Joe” Monday.

“It is progress,” Scarborough said. “Slow progress but progress. I’m sure you know … Abraham Lincoln was often criticized for moving too slowly toward ending slavery. Abolitionists like Frederick Douglass noted the view from the genuine abolition ground, Mr. Lincoln seemed tardy, cold, dull and indifferent.”

A bipartisan group of senators announced a framework for gun legislation in the wake of a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 children and two teachers, as well as shootings in Buffalo and Tulsa.

The framework would incentivize states to enact so-called “red flag” laws, enhance background checks for those under 21, add more funding for school security and mental health and crack down on “straw purchases,” according to Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut.

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“Lincoln was an incrementalist because his enemies were absolutists in their support of slavery,” Scarborough said. “So today, take a deep breath. Those seeking meaningful public safety reform find themselves surrounded by gun manufacturers and their allies who are trying to block laws that Americans support and laws that could slow down and eventually stop mass killings in our schools.”

“Lincoln once said of his often criticized march toward emancipation, and it being too slow, ‘I am a slow walker, but I never walk back,’” Scarborough said.

MSNBC did not respond to a request from TheDCNF for comment.