Costas, O'Reilly and Barkley

UPDATE:  Bob Costas on Bill O'Reilly show just now.  Repeats he is against "gun culture," not 2nd Amendment.  Costas says "there could be more effective control on guns" in U.S.  Should be training programs for those who purchase guns.  Also 40% of guns purchased without background check and that's insane.

O'Reilly hits Costas for statement that gun nuts wish folks were armed in that Aurora theater to open fire like crazy.  Costas, of course, defends his view.  Then hits the "gun culture" again and again cites Tony Dungy claim that 65 of 80 players he coached one year said they had a gun.  "Far more often bad things, unintentional, happen," when you have a gun.   Costas says that since he spoke out he has heard from many players and others in game saying far too many have guns.   O'Reilly is fairly polite and adds, "So long as you call a Christmas tree a Christmas tree here, you'll be fine."

Earlier: Bob Costas keep pushing on the guns issue despite harsh criticism after his commentary last Sunday.  Tonight he goes into the lion's den with Bill O'Reilly at Fox.  Plus he has taped a segment for his own NBC sports show with Charles Barkley and John McEnroe. 

Mr. Barkley said that owning and carrying guns were part of what he termed “black culture,” announcing on the show, “I carry a gun” — specifically, one in his car for last 20 years. Having that access to a gun, he said, makes him feel safer because “we jocks get robbed all the time.” He said, “I feel a sense of peace when I have it with me, but it would take extreme circumstances for me to even touch it.”

McEnroe, however, backs Costas's alarm about such a defense.  Sir Charles says it's a black "crime culture" not a "gun culture" and he has to deal with being black "all the time." Guns give him "a sense of peace."   Says players get robbed all the time (I would like to see documentation on this).  McEnroe: "I feel safer without it...Too many scenarios"  for things to go wrong.  Costas reports Jarvan Belcher, the man behind the murder-suicide that sparked all this talk, claimed to have eight guns.

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Greg Mitchell is the author of more than a dozen books (see right rail of this blog).  His latest, on the Obama-Romney battle, is "Tricks, Lies, and Videotape."