CNN contributor Angela Rye battled HLN host S.E. Cupp on Thursday about the best way to stop mass shootings like the recent killing of 17 at a school in Parkland, Florida.
During a discussion about the future of gun safety legislation, CNN host Brooke Baldwin asked Rye if President Donald Trump would "walk the walk, not just talk to the talk" when it came to preventing school shootings.
"I have yet to see him walk in a way that is supportive of policy that helps to shape American lives in any meaningful positive way," Rye said before being interrupted by Cupp.
"We just had a big tax cut," she quipped. "That they're real happy with."
"Some folks are real happy with it," Rye observed. "Particularly very elitist rich folks are happy with it."
"No, middle class," Cupp opined.
"I just want to talk about gun control right now, S.E.," Rye advised.
"I'm trying to not let you get ahead of yourself," Cupp said.
"Oh, I don't need you to help me," Rye replied, soundly slightly annoyed. "I'm fully grown, I'm 38 years old, honey."
After Rye argued that military-style assault rifles should be banned, Cupp disagreed.
"Banning a whole category of guns that responsible for less than 2 percent of gun crime might feel good, but it doesn't actually work to solve gun crime," the HLN host stated.
"You say 2 percent, but when you talk about 6 and 7 year olds being dead," Baldwin pointed out.
"Well, when you put it in that context, it's awful," Cupp agreed. "But let's talk about the 80 percent of gun crime that perpetrated in our cities, suicide deaths equally as awful. And shouldn't we be finding passable legislation that can actually target gun crime in meaningful ways? Not just ways that sound impactful, but really are."
"If we save one life, it matters," Rye replied. "I am here to save the one life. It could be 1 million lives, I'm into that too. I don't think we should take anything off the table."
Rye also wondered if President Donald Trump was willing to consider Sen. Diane Feinstein's (D-CA) bill to ban assault weapons.
"There are some very tangible things that can be done," she said.
"That is so -- no, no, no," Cupp said, talking over the CNN host. "Tangible things that can be done is absurd. If it were a tangible thing that can be done it would have been done when Democrats had the White House, the House and the Senate."
"I can tell you why," Rye shot back. "I can give you three letters: NRA."
After the two jabbed back and forth several more times, Rye lamented "the [negative] energy in this conversation."
"People died," Rye noted. "[That energy] doesn't have to be here."
"That sounds really good," Cupp snarked. "We're talking facts and when you say it's tangible to pass an assault weapons ban, it isn't."
"Now, it's time for us to take the NRA out," Rye said.
"What do you mean 'take the NRA out'?" Cupp asked sourly.
"It means we start standing up organizations and fund them to do things very differently from what the NRA is doing," Rye explained.
"How are you going to take me out?" Cupp pressed.
"I thought you wanted to have a conversation but you're not listening," Rye concluded. "Do you want to listen now or do you still want to host?"
"I'm asking," Cupp said.
Rye repeated her previous answer, adding that the NRA was "dangerous for the country."
Watch the video below from CNN.
