Piers Morgan blasts 'spineless' Trump over US gun reform. Photo / AP
Piers Morgan blasts 'spineless' Trump over US gun reform. Photo / AP
Controversial British commentator Piers Morgan has lashed out at Donald Trump, branding him a "coward" over his stance on gun reform.
Controversial British commentator Piers Morgan has taken aim at Donald Trump following his speech addressing the two deadly mass shootings that took place in the US last weekend.
Morgan blasted the US president for his lack of action on gun control in a Daily Mail article titled "Making America Weep Again — Do you have the guts to stand up to the NRA bullies and ban the weapons of mass murder, Mr President, or are you a spineless coward?"
During his 10-minute speech at the White House yesterday Mr Trump condemned the two shooters as "mentally ill monsters" and called for the death penalty for those who commit mass shootings.
His address came in the wake of the latest mass shootings in Texas and Ohio which saw 30 people killed and dozens of others injured.
President Donald Trump drew criticism for refusing to acknowledge guns were to blame for the mass killings. Photo / AP
In his article, Morgan slams Trump for not talking about guns, describing it as "the one thing that actually caused the deaths and injuries" in these two attacks.
"Oh he mentioned them, but only to absolve them of any responsibility," Morgan wrote.
Along with mental illness, the president also cited video games as the cause of mass shootings like this but refused to speak about curbing the sale of assault style weapons like the ones used in these attacks.
"Mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun," Trump said.
Morgan agreed that while this is true to some extent, it is guns and their bullets that actually kill people.
"If mentally sick or hateful people don't have guns, they can't shoot people," the British commentator wrote.
Piers Morgan interviewed Trump last year. Photo / Getty Images
"Many other countries have the same kind of mental illness, hate, bigotry, white supremacy, violent video games and internet radicalisation that Trump referenced.
"But only America offers such easy access to guns.
"THAT'S the difference, and that's why America has more gun violence and gun deaths than the next 23 developed countries combined."
Morgan also questioned why military-grade assault rifles even need to be available to the public.
He claimed his brother, who is a British Army Colonel, told him that the single purpose of guns like that was to "kill lots of human beings as fast as possible".
"Yes, and that's why they have been used in almost every one of America's 20 worst gun massacres," he wrote. "Yet still they are legal."
Gunman Patrick Crusius. Photo / AP
Connor Betts, the Dayton mass shooter. Photo / AP
A few hours before his White House address yesterday, Trump made a vague reference to possibly introducing strong background checks for gun purchases, adding the legislation could be joining with "desperately needed immigration reform".
"But by the time he got to the White House podium three hours later, he didn't mention even this small but significant new gun law proposal, despite it being one that not only 90 per cent of Americans support but also the vast majority of Republicans," Morgan said.
"I suspect he was bullied into dropping it by the NRA, which still has Trump in its pocket after supporting him at the 2016 election, when they read his tweet.
"If so, then it's hard to imagine anything more spineless."
He claimed the US president was letting himself be pushed around by "gun-toting maniacs".
Piers Morgan blasts 'spineless' Trump over US gun reform. Photo / AP
Morgan finished the article by telling the president to "grow a pair" and stand up against the NRA.
"You banned bump fire stock after the Las Vegas massacre. Now you must go much further," he wrote.
