Hannity touted MMA training as 'personal security plan' in wake of Maine mass shooting
When he was on-air to discuss with Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley about the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, that so far has tallied 22 deaths, Fox News host Sean Hannity described his mixed martial arts and second amendment training as part of is "personal security plan" in the event of a threat posed to him.
“I can literally probably count the seconds before an incident like this becomes politicized and that part of it I never like,” Hannity said to Haley, suggesting that as the nation moves from the shock of the event of the man going on a rampage, the shift in the discourse will turn to gun law reform.
Robert Card, 40, reportedly a trained firearms instructor who serves in the Army Reserve stationed out of Saco, Maine, has been officially named as the "person of interest" who was photographed on CCTV images carrying a large rifle with a scope, according to the Lewiston Police Department.
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The shooter remains outstanding as of late Wednesday night.
Hannity stressed that the segue to politicizing the shooting is futile.
“Because that’s not going to bring back lives,” he said.
That's when Hannity detailed what he thinks should be the real discussion.
"What is your plan," he asked. "What do you do?
I have a personal security plan. I train in mix martial arts, I've been a big believer of the second amendment for a long time -- with the prayer I never have to use it."
He suspects because Maine is a state that is rural and guns are commonplace for both sport and defense, that there will be issues that arise.
Maine happens to be a rural area where people tend to be involved in outdoor sports," he said. "So I imagine a lot of people are going to have a lot of defense issues."
Haley, the former Secretary to the UN who also served as the governor of South Carolina, pointed to needing to get "serious" about law and order.
But she also tried to pin the blame on the root cause of these mass shootings: mental illness.
"...we need to acknowledge the cancer in America; that is mental health," she said Wednesday.
She then rattled off the high percentages of mass shootings being carried out by shooters suffering from either a mental health episode or even being suicidal.