After Adam Lanza, Joe Scarborough Changes His Views on Gun Control

Impact

Joe Scarborough, the host of MSNBC's Morning Joe and former Florida Republican congressman, said that the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre is changing his "long-held" views on gun rights.

Scarborough's reversal echoes Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Joe Manchin's (D-W.V.) recent change of heart. Both lawmakers, who despite of belonging to the Democratic Party had held pro-gun views in the past, are now saying that the tragic events at the Newtown, Connecticut, school are a "game changer." 

The Morning Joe host, who received NRA's high ratings while serving in Congress, believes that "politicians can no longer be allowed to defend the status quo" when it comes to gun rights. Scarborough, who described himself as a "conservative Republican" who previously held "libertarian views" on the Second Amendment, said Friday's tragedy "changed everything."        

"I knew that day that the ideologies of my past career were no longer relevant to the future that I want, that I demand for my children," Scarborough said. He added, "our Bill of Rights does not guarantee gun manufacturers the absolute right to sell military-style, high-caliber, semi-automatic combat assault rifles with high-capacity magazines to whoever the hell they want."

Do you think Scarborough's change of heart will last once the latest mass shooting leaves the news cycle? 

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