Fox News host Tucker Carlson debated “The Collective PAC” founder Quentin James about Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell’s gun control proposals, during a Tuesday edition of “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
Carlson opened the debate by discussing Swalwell’s recently released plan to ban assault weapons, and arrest those who decided to keep the guns that they obtained legally, a claim that James immediately denied.
“Tucker, thanks for having me,” James responded. “And obviously again, you do have it a little wrong. Congressman Eric Swalwell did say he wants to ban military-style assault rifles. He also said that folks who want to keep them would be able to do so at a gun club or a hunter’s range in a locker, so it’s not taking them by force. It would be a buyback program. Again, this is his proposal, not mine,” James rebutted.
“I know it’s not your proposal,” Tucker rejoined. “But he just said, he said twice, he actually wrote a USA Today op-ed today saying it, and then he just said it on CNN, ‘People who don’t give up their guns will go to jail.’ He just said that. So it’s not a buyback program, that’s a gun confiscation by force.” (RELATED: Eric Swalwell’s New Campaign Slogan Ruthlessly Mocked On Twitter)
James responded with a simple, “People who don’t follow the law will be prosecuted.”
The two then engaged in a quick back-and-forth before Carlson cut in, “This is just so frustrating, it’s a very simple issue. Here’s a Democratic presidential candidate who is offering a very specific solution, which you’re ignoring because it’s embarrassing. Why don’t you just say, ‘Yes, I support putting people in prison if they don’t give up their guns, or no, I don’t support it.’ Why are you saying all this stuff that’s irrelevant?”
James then tried to expand on his point, adding that people were free to own their own handguns and shotguns, but they just couldn’t have “military-style” weapons under the proposed law.
“It’s scary, man. You’re scaring people when you talk like this,” Tucker said. “You’re scaring me.”
James then mentioned that he hoped everyone would follow the law and understand that they needed to make such a law in order to save children’s lives.
“Please don’t try this crap on America,” Tucker shot back.
Swalwell announced Tuesday that his plan would include a buyback program that would reimburse gun owners for voluntarily turning in their weapons, but that any who resisted would be sent to jail.
“The reason I’ve proposed this is because these weapons are so devastating. I’ve seen this as a prosecutor in the cases that I’ve prosecuted. We’ve seen these in the school shootings from Sandy Hook to Parkland,” he said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “It’s not just the violence that they’ve caused — it’s the fear, the immeasurable fear that our children live in.”
The California Democrat formally announced he was running for office last week on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” His announcement heavily featured his push on reforming gun rights nationwide.
“I talked to kids who sit in their classrooms, afraid they’ll be the next victims of gun violence. They see Washington do nothing about it after the moments of silence,” Swalwell stated at the time. “They see lawmakers who love their guns more than our kids. And none of that is going to change until we get a leader who is willing to go big on the issues we take on, be bold on the solutions we offer, and do good in the way that we govern. I’m ready to solve these problems. I’m ready to solve these problems. I’m running for president of the United States.”