Sunny Hostin and Lindsey Granger Clash Over Gun Reform: 'Your Party is Sick!'

In what's become something of a pattern, Lindsey Granger clashed with The View co-hosts during an emotional discussion about gun reform. While Granger, the conservative guest co-host, advocated for "realistic" gun safety measures, Sunny Hostin and Joy Behar accused her of being naïve about her party's priorities. "Why can't Republicans find their conscience?" asked Hostin. "Your party is sick, Lindsey!"

The View's Hot Topic began on a note of unity as the co-hosts praised Matthew McConaughey for pleading with lawmakers to enact gun reform legislation in the wake of the tragic school shooting in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas. Sara Haines became emotional as she asked why legislators can't put politics aside and do something to prevent these tragedies. "This we can do something about!" she said, speaking through tears. "As a parent, I don't know how you get in a room and say — there are so many gun owners like Matthew McConaughey, like my parents, who will say, 'This stuff makes sense.' Why are we not coming together and looking at these little faces and saying, 'This is one thing we could change!' Why can't we do this?

After Hostin insisted that Republican lawmakers must "see these photographs" of the 19 children killed in Uvalde, Granger praised the Senate for holding "bipartisan talks" to address the gun violence epidemic. "I just want us to have realistic conversations!" she said. "I understand that the overall goal is 'Let's get AR-15s out of here and we don't want them on the table,' but like Chris Murphy said yesterday, let's not let 'perfect' be the enemy of 'good.'"

MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY MAKES PLEA FOR GUN REFORM: After the Uvalde, Texas native made a passionate plea for gun reform at Tuesday’s White House press briefing, #TheView panel reacts and questions if speaking out will change the minds of Americans. https://t.co/WZsIgCdVcT pic.twitter.com/QBxhysdQg5

— The View (@TheView) June 8, 2022

Granger noted that "Mitch McConnell said yesterday he's interested in raising the age limit to 21 for AR15s" (in reality, he expressed the sentiment privately, but isn't pushing GOP legislators to include the proposal in gun safety talks) and suggested this would be a good place to start the conversation, but Behar had other ideas. "How about we start here? How about we start putting in term limits for these politicians?" she said. "How about we get rid of the filibuster right now? ... The problem is the system must be addressed! Until you do that, you will never have progress in this country!"

"Why can't Republicans find their conscience? Why can't they find their hearts? And why can't they get this done?" added Hostin. "I don't care about the 'imperfect' being the enemy of 'good.' What about right and wrong?!"

"What about realistic?!" replied Granger. "I want to get something done though, Sunny! I agree with you: there is right is right and wrong is wrong, but I would like to get something done this time."

When Hostin told Granger that her "party is sick" not once, but twice, Whoopi Goldberg stepped in to shut things down. "Something is getting done right now!" said the longtime moderator. "Something is getting done right now. We're going to break."

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.