MMA Fighter Tim Kennedy Supports Gun Control

Former MMA fighter Tim Kennedy appeared on Lance Armstrong’s “The Forward” podcast on March 21, 2018, where he criticized American gun laws and voiced support for barring AR-15 access for 19-year-olds.

During the podcast, Armstrong brought up the February 14, 2018, Parkland high school shooting and said to Kennedy, “I know your position…on the issue of guns, and I have my own position.”

Kennedy interjected, “I bet our positions are a lot more aligned than you think.”

The two then talked about their shared perception that people responded differently to Parkland than to other high profile shooting incidents.

Kennedy made clear he was not interested in hearing from 16-year-olds who “[make] videos about eating tide-pod and think [they] can change the constitution.” But he criticized the response to high profile shootings being the same, over and over again.

He said, “What is insanity? It’s when you’re doing something the exact same hoping for a different change…and when you’re letting people get access to guns, that should not have access to guns, and letting people on medications have access to guns, and think that something’s not going to happen again? Then we’re completely insane, and that’s what’s happening right now.”

Kennedy added, “At what point are we going to wake up and say we have to change gun laws, we have to change what we doing about anti-depressants, we have to change, culturally, what we’re doing with how guns and kids that are struggling in school are going to be treated.”

The conversation went on, with Armstrong talking about “sick kids” who talk about breaking the record for mass shooter tolls.

Kennedy said, “I believe gun control is a massive solution.”

Armstrong responded, “Good, I didn’t expect you to say that.”

Kennedy continued, “I don’t think a 19-year-old kid should have access to an AR-15. I don’t think he should able to buy a pistol; fortunately he can’t. But if you can’t buy a pistol, how can you buy a semiautomatic AR? That doesn’t make any sense to me.”

He went on to say all the amendments in the constitution are important to him, including the Second Amendment.

Kennedy then mentioned that the Parkland high school attacker got his gun legally and said, “That’s insane. How is that possible?”

Kennedy did voice support for allowing teachers to be armed, suggesting that teachers and school administrators who wish to be armed ought to be vetted, chosen, and trained, much in the same way as armed pilots.

Aspects of Armstrong’s interview with Kennedy began showing up in Twitter posts this week.

For example, on December 21 gun rights proponent Maj Toure posted a clip from the interview and criticized that portion of Kennedy’s comments:

THIS is NOT “a solution.”

THIS is NOT “pro gun.”

THIS is NOT someone a pro gun org should partner with.

THIS is NOT the direction I’m telling my folks to go in to sign up for ANYTHING associated with it.

THIS is a CLOWN TAKE. pic.twitter.com/BoZnNAjQ2w

— Maj Toure (@MAJTOURE) December 21, 2022

Kennedy responded to Toure: “Why are you posting a portion of a video completely out of talk context from five years ago. Is this a pathetic grasp for relevance. Can you talk to me at shot show about it if you care about truth, if not, keep peddling lies.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. AWR Hawkins holds a PhD in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at [email protected].

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