Watch CNN’s Scripted Anti-Gun Town Hall Go Completely Off The Rails

As much as Rubio was put on the spot, Nelson gave Rubio credit for attending the event, unlike Gov. Rick Scott, who may be Nelson’s opponent come midterms. We can not make our communities better if we do not understand them, and as journalists we have dedicated our lives to uncovering challenges, understanding issues and uplifting each other’s voices.

Ryan Schachter, whose brother Alex, was fatally gunned down at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, was among those questioning the lawmakers.

Guttenberg told Rubio that his words and those of President Donald Trump on the matter of gun violence have been “pathetically weak”.

“I call BS!” she said to cheers. “Look at me and tell me that guns were the factor in the hunting of our kids in this school this week”.

But Mr Rubio stuck to his guns.

“We have, what, 340 million guns in this country?”

Even Loesch’s qualification — not that the media loves the tragedy of mass shooting, but that we love the ratings bump they provide — is beyond the pale.

“Each and every member of the National Rifle Association mourns the loss of the innocent”, NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre said in a speech that was carried live by all three major cable news channels.

Stoneman Douglas junior Cameron Kasky confronted Rubio, calling on him to turn down campaign contributions from the National Rifle Association.

As the Washington Free Beacon reported, that seems to be what happened.

But what raises the exchange by Ms. Loesch into Alternative Fact of the Week territory is her shameless monologue about how she’s on the side of those Florida teens who are crying out for gun control. “There’s a common element of very troubled individuals, some of whom are on psychotropic medications, some of whom are seeing mental health professionals” committing mass shootings she said, describing perpetrators as “evil” and “monsters”.

“When NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch tried to pin the blame on loopholes in background checks, Israel said, ‘I understand you’re standing up for the NRA, and I understand that’s what you’re supposed to do. You are not standing up for them until you say, ‘I want less weapons, ‘” he said.

Before responding, Loesch commended González for being so outspoken about gun control. “I turned her down”.

Loesch, at points, highlighted some missed red flags she said contributed to allowing people like Cruz, to fly under the radar, but Israel pushed back, insisting that law-enforcement officers worked to the best of their ability in that regard.

The NRA had a responsibility to offer straightforward, honest statements about gun policy at CNN’s gun violence town hall, but instead what Loesch offered were lies and spin. Rubio soon got an earful from Fred Guttenberg, the father of a 14-year-old girl who was killed in the Parkland, Florida, shooting. Moments later, while talking about the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), Loesch said, “It is not federal law for states to report convictions to the NICS system”. Legislators on Tuesday instead passed a resolution claiming porn is unsafe. Loesch also cast the previous night’s critics as a group of rabid liberals.

“It’s not a 5k, it’s a sprint”, he said.