Meghan McCain Sparks Controversy With Co-Hosts During ‘The View’s’ First Show Of Season

It was just minutes into The View‘s new season before Meghan McCain took on her co-stars for a controversial debate about gun control as the hosts, including Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, Joy Behar, and Abby Huntsman, spoke about the recent mass shooting in Texas which left 7 dead and 25 injured.

The show’s Season 23 premiere got off to a solid start until a discussion regarding the casualties of the second mass shooting in Texas within one month spurred a heated debate about gun control.

Decider reported that McCain insisted that “gun-grabber” candidates will never get her vote. She explained, per a report by Decider, that the “AR-15 is by far the most popular gun in America,” and if candidates continue talking about “taking people’s guns from them, there’s going to be a lot of violence.”

This debate came after the show’s moderator, Goldberg, asked for “loopholes” in gun safety laws to be fixed, noting that the recent Texas shooter had failed a background check but was able to purchase a firearm at a gun show. McCain agreed with Goldberg that this loophole needed to be addressed.

Goldberg, a law-abiding gun owner herself, noted that if you purchase a gun at a show as the shooter did, there are no background checks put in place. She also stated that the laws needed to be amended so those with an intent to harm can be stopped from purchasing a firearm. Hostin, a legal analyst for ABC News, also explained that she believed that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was “beholden” to the NRA which is why it is taking so long to amend the laws.

McCain spoke out that she is a life member of the NRA, and while she has issues with some ways the organization is run, she still supports their fight for Second Amendment rights.

She then stated that she doesn’t believe in taking firearms from law-abiding gun owners. This was after Hostin asked the following.

“What about living without the assault weapons that are killing our children?”

McCain replied that as a gun owner, she feels safe that she can protect herself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeTp4qz9YuY

As the show returned from its month-long hiatus, viewers wondered if all the women would return to the series after what appeared to be a stressful last month before their break. Hostin and McCain were noticeably ill-at-ease with one another after it was rumored that Hostin had been leaking information about the daughter of the late Arizona Senator John McCain to the press. It was never revealed who was leaking information about the show to news outlets.

McCain also verbally took on Joy Behar during the final weeks of last season, calling her a “b**ch” on-camera, only to later have to clarify to viewers that the two women were friends and that is even how Joy is listed as the contact on McCain’s cell phone.

The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. EST on ABC.