Fox News contributor Dan Bongino, a former New York City police officer, argued on Tuesday that chokeholds should not be outlawed because police will have to use their guns instead.
During an interview on Fox Business, host Maria Bartiromo asked the ex-NYPD officer about calls to reform or "defund" the police in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing.
"People will die if this is implemented," Bongino argued. "Kids will be killed, teenagers will be killed. And I'm not just talking about the direct action of gang violence, potential terrorism, the threat of organized crime exploding."
"What are you going to do about DWIs?" he continued. "Who is going to pull people over when you dial 911 and say there's a guy weaving in and out of traffic. Who? A social worker?"
"What is the answer then to these calls to reform the police department?" Bartiromo wondered. "What is the answer to weeding out the bad apples in our police department so that the tone of the nation changes and we're not at each other in terms of pointing fingers?"
Bongino agreed that there "should be a way" to reform law enforcement, but he disagreed with the move to end no-knock warrants and chokeholds.
"We have no-knock warrants for a reason," he insisted. "The reason you don't on some search warrants is because the man or woman on the other side of the door has a history of known violence and killing or injuring police officers or others!"
"Many departments have a ban on chokeholds," Bongino continued. "Many of them don't have a ban on the carotid restraint. That is not a choke. It is not an airway restriction."
Bongino noted that the so-called carotid restraint "is not always a good idea."
"Having said that, if there's a lethal force scenario and you're being physically attacked and your head is being cracked off the concrete and you're a police officer, how is that not an option for you?" he opined. "So you're allowed to shoot them but you're not allowed to engage in a carotid restraint?"
"The naivety is stunning," Bongino concluded.
Watch the video below from Fox Business.
