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Conversation quickly devolved into squabbling on "Morning Joe" today, as host Joe Scarborough challenged Republican Rep. Tim Huelskamp after the conservative Congressman accused Scarborough of "politicizing" the school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
The conversation on gun control begins around the 10:30 mark in the video above. Earlier, the hosts of "Morning Joe" battled Huelskamp on taxes and the fiscal cliff, as he was one of the conservatives that killed House Speaker John Boehner's "Plan B" last night.
The heated back-and-forth between Scarborough and Huelskamp began when Huelskamp said that America does not have a "gun problem," it has a "people problem." He also said that violence in video games and other media should be part of the discussion.
"It’s not a gun problem?" Scarborough said. "So tell me, why do Americans need assault weapons? Why do they need these high-capacity clips? Why do they need a Bushmaster [rifle]? Can you tell me why?"
Huelskamp responded by saying that was one type of the "misleading" statements that has come out of the debate following the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown last week. He said that too many are using it to further a political agenda.
That's when Scarborough lost it.
"Do you dare come on my show and say I am using the slaughter of 20 little six- and seven-year-old children, I’m using that for political purposes, Tim?"
Huelskamp responded by repeating that he resented the politicization of the issue.
"So we can’t at least talk about guns without you questioning my integrity and saying that I'm using the death of 20 children to try to make life for my children a little bit safer? We can’t even talk about it without you coming on this show and insulting me personally?" Scarborough said.
Scarborough closed by saying: "Let me get this straight. You can come on this show and say what I've said — that we've got to look at violent video games, and we've got to look at the violent culture Hollywood promotes. But if we even bring up guns, somehow that's politicizing the death of 20 children.
"Wow. Good luck to you, Congressman."
What "Morning Joe" co-host Mika Brzezinski tweeted after the interview:
Watch Scarborough's soliloquy on gun control after the Sandy Hook massacre >
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