title:  WATCH: Fox Host Unexpectedly Declares Support Of Assault Weapon Ban On The Air
text: When even Fox News begins to call for gun control, it s a clear sign that Republicans and the NRA better start compromising.Gretchen Carlson has been one of the most vocal hosts on the conservative network for years, and she has consistently toed the Republican Party line throughout her years as co-host of Fox & Friends and now throughout her tenure hosting her own solo program.But in the wake of a domestic terrorist attack that killed 50 people in an Orlando night club this past weekend, Carlson could no longer sit back and be a puppet for the gun nuts, which is why she went totally off script during her show and declared her support for banning assault weapons such as the AR-15 used in the massacre. There s no doubt Omar Mateen was able to kill so many people because he was firing an AR-15,  Carlson said.  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 s remarks on Florida gun laws appear to be a rebuke of Florida Governor Rick Scott, who not only just offered thoughts and prayers instead of acting to prevent future mass shootings in response to Orlando, he s the one who weakened Florida s gun laws over the last five years.Carlson further justified her stance by pointing out that 58 percent of Americans support a ban on assault weapons. Do we need AR-15s to hunt and kill deer? Do we need them to protect our families?  she continued.  I m in favor of people being able to carry. I think some of these mass shootings would have been less deadly if that were the case. But despite her support of Second Amendment rights, Carlson said banning assault weapons is just  common sense  and stated that it is time for Americans to take a stand in order to prevent mass shootings in the future. But I m also with the majority today, taking a stand. Can t we hold true the sanctity of the Second Amendment while still having common sense? 89 percent of Fox viewers, however, refused to shake off the brainwashing the NRA has drilled into them over the years by overwhelmingly rejecting passage of a new assault weapons ban.Here s the video via YouTube.America once did have a ban on assault weapons in place, but Republicans let it expire and refused to renew it. And mass shootings have increased ever since.According to the New Century Foundation in 2012,In the eight years since the Assault Weapons Ban has expired, there have been 28 mass shooting events. That equals an average of 3.5 a year an increase of over 200 percent. That is a startling jump, by any measure.During the ten year duration of the ban between 1994 and 2004, there were 15 mass shootings. In 2015 alone there were at least six major mass shootings that occurred, more depending on what statistics and definition you use. So this is a continuing problem that isn t going away by praying. It s going to take action such as the action taken by Australia in 1996. After five mass shootings between 1987 and 1996, the country finally had enough of the carnage and banned assault weapons. There hasn t been a mass shooting ever since.But it s different in the United States. We have a Second Amendment, therefore it is harder to ban guns entirely. However, banning assault weapons isn t the only change we could demand. We also need better background checks and we need law enforcement to have the ability to ban people from having guns if they are on the terrorist watch list. Had Republicans not refused to do that latter action, perhaps those 50 people would be alive today because Mateen, who was an ISIS sympathizer, would not have been able to legally buy the AR-15 he used to slaughter them.Gretchen Carlson deserves props for supporting a ban on assault weapons, even though she definitely risks being fired for doing so.Featured Image: Screenshot 