Hollywood actress and activist Alyssa Milano ended up butting heads with political commentator and Fox News contributor Tomi Lahren online on the issue of firearm regulation as the United States reels in the aftermath of a deadly shooting in UNC Charlotte which left two people dead and four injured.
As AOL notes, it all started when Lahren started criticising “the shameless Democrats” who “use tragedy to push for more gun control”, and slammed Rep. Eric Swalwell over his support of more strict gun laws in the wake of the UNC Charlotte shooting.
The shameless Democrats use tragedy to push for more gun control- even though more gun laws wouldn’t have prevented ANYTHING!
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) 30 апреля 2019 г.
My Final Thoughts:https://t.co/cyJbscM709
Dear @RepSwalwell: crazed, hateful maniacs who set out to murder Jews, Christians, Muslims or human beings in general, DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR GUN LAWS OR STUPID BUYBACKS!https://t.co/TJyc99XDXt
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) 1 мая 2019 г.
When Swalwell responded by claiming that Australia has not had a single mass shooting since the country adopted its strict National Firearms Agreement in 1996, Lahren retorted that that legislation does not prevent Australians from owning guns, and that’s when Alyssa Milano joined the fray.
Did you know Australians now own more guns in total than they did before the 1996 crackdown? I’ll wait…. https://t.co/2vXeXP3d5j
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) 1 мая 2019 г.
Milano argued that Australia’s example shows how can have strict gun laws and be safe from “unnecessary gun violence” while simultaneously allowing citizens to own firearms, though Lahren simply replied that “it means more guns doesn’t equal more violence”, and threatened to exercise her First and Second Amendment rights if Alyssa and her “ilk insist on allowing illegals to invade our country”.
Naw it means more guns doesn’t equal more violence! And if you and your ilk insist on allowing illegals to invade our country, you best believe I will exercise my First AND Second Amendment rights! https://t.co/ffZAzZVTwd
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) 1 мая 2019 г.
READ MORE: 'Good Guy With a Gun': Trump Courts NRA, Urges Weapons Owners to Vote Republican
This exchange elicited a somewhat mixed response from the social media audience, with a number of people taking a dim view of Lahren’s statements.
Lookit at Tomi getting clobbered and running to immigration to try and distract all her cultists.
— Ben Jackson (@DadoftheDecade) 1 мая 2019 г.
How adorable. pic.twitter.com/FThn2DHnZi
No one's telling you not to own guns. Just better laws around gun ownership, which is clearly working in Australia.
— Wheezy Waiter (@wheezywaiter) 1 мая 2019 г.
My favorite part about your feed is when you get thoroughly owned and then double down on the idiocy. Great fun.
— Fool with an agenda (@MC_57) 1 мая 2019 г.
Some, however, stepped forward to give Alyssa Milano a piece of their mind over the alleged effectiveness of gun laws both in US and Australia.
Wrong.
— Sydney Watson (@SydneyLWatson) 1 мая 2019 г.
Australia has had 12 mass shootings since 2002, which is almost the same amount we had between 1960 — 1996.
Aus gun laws are a joke. They haven't stopped gun violence. They just disabled us law-abiding citizens.
Stop peddling lies.
How are those strict gun laws working out in Chicago? Oh that's right, they aren't.
— Neil Keim (@NeilKeim) 1 мая 2019 г.
Several of Lahren’s critics also savoured the irony of the situation as she apparently posted her first tweet shortly before reports of the UNC Charlotte shooting started coming in.
And yet another shooting today in Charlotte, NC. But that's okay because there's nothing we can do about it, right darlin'?
— Lance Johnson (@LanceJohnson99) 30 апреля 2019 г.
Great timing. There's an active shooter at this very moment at UNC Charlotte. pic.twitter.com/iWEk93m81G
— Mr. Hamburger Buns (@mrhamburgerbuns) 30 апреля 2019 г.