Heated debate broke out on radio today as to whether or not a blind person should be able to own a gun or not. Should disability mean a loss of your constitutional rights? Or should common sense be applied and not let people who cannot see walk around carrying weapons? Glenn, who argued for the former, believed he could convince people who didn't think blind people should have guns that he was right, and he could do it in less than five sentences.
During a quick interview with CNN's Piers Morgan, Stevie Wonder said, "And I was talking to one of my friends, and I said, you know, you should go get me a gun, let me go with you to get a gun, and then I can show how easy it is for me to get a gun. Then imagine me with a gun. It’s just crazy. I think we have to do something about it."
Is he right? Is it crazy for a blind person to have a gun? Glenn didn't think so, and he had five sentences to prove his argument.
What were the five sentences?
"Inalienable rights" mean that they're rights that come from God and cannot be taken from you. The right to bear arms is about protecting yourself and self‑defense as long as you are a law‑abiding citizen. It's not about shooting sports but self‑defense. Is there any reason to believe that Stevie Wonder is not a law‑abiding citizen or insane? Who are you to take the right that was given by God away from somebody who is law‑abiding and a responsible citizen?
While Glenn makes a sound argument, Pat was not convinced and a heated debated ensued.
PAT: First of all, we have limits on all our inalienable rights. None of them are limitless rights. The right to free speech is not limitless. This, the example that's always cited is you can't scream "fire" in a movie theater.GLENN: Absolutely.
PAT: Because you could harm others.
GLENN: Hang on. But we do not put gags in people's mouths when they walk into a theater.
PAT: I know, but there are common sense things that you have to take into consideration like ‑‑
GLENN: So do we.
PAT: ‑‑ what will this person do with a gun when he has it when he can't see what he's shooting at?
GLENN: I'm sorry. But I don't ‑‑ I don't know that we make a blanket law like that. I don't ‑‑ I'm ‑‑ who are you to say that?
PAT: Can we make a blanket law that you can't drive?
GLENN: If I have a ‑‑ do I just say, "Hey, anybody with Tourette's can't go into a movie theater" because I don't know. They might scream out "fire! Fire!" They say the most inappropriate thing at the most inappropriate time. So do we just say, "Okay, just blanket law. I know everybody can go, has freedom of speech, but you people with Tourette's, you might say something that is really inappropriate and against the law." Do we do that?
PAT: No, but that's ‑‑ that's a silly example. Because we're talking about ‑‑
GLENN: No, it's not a silly example. Excuse me.
PAT: We're talking about common sense. And common sense says that you've got a deadly weapon in the hands of somebody who can't see what they're shooting at.
GLENN: Why is it against the law to yell fire in a movie theater? Because it will cause panic and people will trample people to death.
PAT: Uh‑huh.
GLENN: So it's a deadly weapon. The tongue is a pretty powerful weapon.
PAT: That's just silly.
GLENN: No, it is not silly.
When Pat argued that blind people would not know what they were looking at, Glenn got even more riled.
"You don't know what you're looking at," Pat said.
"You've turned me around. That's why we should not let blind people on sidewalks because if they're by themselves without a dog, how can they possibly ever cross the street? They can't cross the street. They can't see cars coming. They don't even know what's out in the street. We teach our kids right from birth practically, look both ways. They can't look both ways. Let's not let them on the sidewalk, they can never go on the street," Glenn said.
The argument continued throughout the show, with Glenn
"I am not taking away somebody's right to own a gun and use it in self‑defense, unless they are an irresponsible person that has proven themselves to be irresponsible because of insanity or because they're not a law‑abiding citizen," Glenn said.
The argument continued throughout the show, but eventually in the second hour everyone arrived roughly in the same place on the issue:
GLENN: So Pat said he was torn on it. Stu said he was torn on it. And I made the case last hour that you shouldn't be torn on it. Stevie Wonder is a law‑abiding citizen, he's an intelligent human being, he's a responsible human being, he's wrong on a lot of stuff but he's a responsible human being. Stevie Wonder's not going to go into a gun store and buy a gun and then just be like, "Look at me. I'm the blind man with a gun, pow, pow, pow." There's nobody who is buying a gun that is reasonable that doesn't understand that is a deadly weapon. That's why we don't let kids go in and buy guns. Because you have to have a certain level of understanding.Now, there's a lot of people that I don't think should have a gun but as long as they're not breaking the law, as long as they have not proven themselves to be grossly irresponsible, I can't take that away. I can't take away their inalienable right for self‑defense.
PAT: And I think we've all now arrived at that same place, right?
GLENN: You can't ‑‑
PAT: I'm there, yes. It's ‑‑
GLENN: And Pat ‑‑ and Stu is there. Jeffy, are you there?
JEFFY: I'm sorry. What?
GLENN: Are you listening to Imus again? Are you ‑‑ are you there
JEFF: Yes.
GLENN: Yes.
JEFFY: Yes.
GLENN: All right. Thank you. Jeez, for the love of Pete.