Fox’s Gretchen Carlson Goes Off Script: I’m ‘Taking a Stand’ for Banning Assault Weapons

Fox News host Gretchen Carlson split with many of her conservative colleagues on Tuesday and called on lawmakers to reinstate the ban on assault weapons.

During the “My Take” segment of her Fox News show, Carlson surprised many viewers with her reaction to the domestic terrorist attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

“There’s no doubt Omar Mateen was able to kill so many people because he was firing an AR-15,” she explained. “A military-style assault weapon, a weapon easier to buy in the state of Florida than buying a handgun. Florida sets a three day waiting period for purchasing handguns, but the state mandates no waiting period for any gun that requires two hands to hold.”

Carlson pointed out that a recent Quinnipiac poll found that 58 percent of Americans supported an assault weapons ban.

“Do we need AR-15s to hunt and kill deer? Do we need them to protect our families?” she asked. “I’m in favor of people being able to carry. I think some of these mass shooting would have been less deadly if that were the case.”

“But I’m also with the majority today, taking a stand,” Carlson said of the assault weapons ban. “Can’t we hold true the sanctity of the Second Amendment while still having common sense?”