Fox News co-host Greg Gutfeld on Tuesday seemed to find something amusing the deaths of children in cities like Chicago as he asserted that all 17 year olds killed by guns were in gangs.
Fox News' The Five devoted a segment of their Tuesday show to talking about what -- other than a gun -- contributed to the tragic murder/suicide involving NFL football player Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins.
Co-host Dana Perino noted that Rush Limbaugh, who has been divorced three times, suggested that there might have been a better outcome "if there had been a marriage."
"There are many babies born out of wedlock in -- all across America and all races, in particular in African-American families and growing in Hispanic and White families as well," Perino explained.
"In this case, there's no doubt in my mind that alcohol played a direct result in this guy shooting his girlfriend and shooting himself," co-host Bob Beckel remarked. "I don't think anybody -- myself included, who's a recovering alcoholic -- anybody who has a history of alcoholism should not -- underscore -- not be allowed to buy guns."
"Okay, but we already did the gun argument," Perino said, attempting to change the subject.
"Bob, it's not the gun," co-host Eric Bolling volunteered. "It's fast money, it's quick celebrity, it's alcohol, it could be brain injury, it's the decay of the America family, it's all of them. But you can't blame the gun. Just can't blame the microphone when [sports broadcaster Bob] Costas says something really ridiculous. It's not the gun."
"I'm glad Costas used the opportunity to get to it and I'm going to continue to use it right now," Beckel continued. "The fact is there are more kids killed in this country..."
"What do you mean by kids, by the way?" co-host Greg Gutfeld shouted. "Give me an age!"
"Children, five to 17," Beckel replied.
"What do you think that's from?" Gutfeld asked. "Why don't you just say what it is? What's a 17 year old who's killed by a gun? What do you call that, Bob? That's called gang violence. Where does that occur? Chicago. There you go. Welcome to Chicago."
"That's ridiculous," Beckel insisted as Gutfeld began to smile. "All industrial countries combined have less deaths of children than the United States."
"When you say kids, it's 17 year olds in gangs," said a grinning Gutfeld. "We're talking about gang violence. Where does most of the gang violence occur? In gangs."
"I didn't say gang violence," Beckel pointed out.
"Look, I'm right on this," Gutfeld quipped with a hearty laugh.
According to the Children's Defense Fund, two-thirds of the 5,740 children and teens killed by guns in 2008 and 2009 were victims of homicide. About one-quarter were victims of suicide. And another 5 percent died from gun accidents or other unknown causes. During that same period, 173 preschoolers were killed by guns, compared with 89 law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty.
(h/t: Media Matters)
