by Harold Hutchison
Former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Sunday that she doesn’t “trust government to deal with red flag laws” during a CNN Town Hall, and called for addressing mental health and abolishing gun-free zones.
“I don’t trust government to deal with red flag laws,” Haley said in response to an audience member’s question regarding mass shootings. “I don’t trust that they won’t take them away from people who rightfully deserve to have them, because you’ve got someone else judging whether someone should have a gun or not. It is a constitutional right that people can protect and defend themselves.”
President Joe Biden called for gun control in a June 2, 2022 speech in response to mass shootings in Buffalo, Tulsa and Uvalde, Texas, including a ban on so-called “assault weapons,” repeal of a law protecting firearms manufacturers from certain liability claims, expanded background checks and “red flag” laws.
“Let’s deal with the cancer in America that nobody has dealt with and we have to deal with and that’s mental health. One in four people have a mental health issue, but if treated, they can have a perfectly normal life,” Haley said. She added: “17 of the last 18 mass shootings were all mental health related.”
“Post-COVID, you have more teenagers that have issues with mental health than we’ve ever seen, stress, anxiety, depression, but yet if somebody needs help, there aren’t enough therapists,” Haley added. “If you go to a therapist, you’ve got to pay cash, insurance doesn’t cover it. There aren’t enough mental health facilities.”
Biden, congressional Democrats, media figures and celebrities again demanded a ban on so-called “assault weapons” in the wake of mass shootings in a Nashville school, a bank in Louisville and an outlet mall in Allen, Texas. Haley also rejected bans on AR-15s, but did suggest that a better solution would be to abolish gun-free zones.
“Killers always look for a place that’s a gun-free zone because guess what, no one else is going to be able to protect themselves,” Haley said. “I’m a concealed weapons permit holder myself. We don’t want to take away the constitutional right for someone to protect and defend their families in America, and when you’ve got crime at all-time highs, you’ve got illegal immigrants crossing the border, you’ve got mental health crisis as much as it is, the last thing I’m going to do is take away the ability for someone to protect themselves.”
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Harold Hutchison is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Nikki Haley” by Nikki Haley. Background Photo “U.S. Capitol” by Samuel Schroth.
