Keep It Pithy Part 18

O'REILLY: Okay. You want a background check, right?

COSTAS: You have that. You've talked about stricter penalties, harsher penalties for criminals. There is that. There ought to be training programs for those who purchase guns. I don't see any reason why someone should be able to purchase military-style artillery and body armor and automatic weapons. Only the police or the military should have that-

O'REILLY: All right, all of those are reasonable positions.

COSTAS: And none of that impinges on someone's Second Amendment rights or the right to protect their home and their family.

O'REILLY: You know what? I agree with most of that-but here is where you made your mistake. Are you ready for your mistake, Costas?

COSTAS: Yes, I'd like to hear it.

O'REILLY: All right, you're going to. Roll the tape.

[VIDEO CLIP]

COSTAS: It demonstrates itself in the Wild West/Dirty Harry mentality of people who actually believe that if a number of people were armed in the theater in Aurora, they would have been able to take down this nut job in body armor and military-style artillery, when, in fact, almost every policeman in the country would tell you that that would have only increased the tragedy and added to the carnage.

[END VIDEO CLIP]

O'REILLY: No, here's the deal. You and I are in a theater.

COSTAS: Yes.

O'REILLY: Okay, in Colorado.

COSTAS: Yes.

O'REILLY: We're watching the Batman movie.

COSTAS: Yes.

O'REILLY: The nut comes in through the back door-

COSTAS: Yes.

O'REILLY: - with his guns and he opens fire.

COSTAS: And his body armor.

O'REILLY: His body armor, whatever else he had, and he opens fire-

COSTAS: And this gun that can fire off hundreds of rounds-

O'REILLY: Right. And we're saying to ourselves, gee, I really don't want to get killed here. And you're seeing other people go down. Answer my question now. It's very simple-as you know, I'm a simple man. Would you rather have the choice of ducking down on the floor or having a handgun on you to pull out and defend yourself against the man?

[The discussion goes back and forth for some time, with Costas evading my question. I try again.]

O'REILLY: You're evading my question. Bob Costas and Bill O'Reilly are in the theater.... Do you want to hit the floor and hope you don't get shot or do you want to have a gun on that you could protect yourself with?

COSTAS: I don't want-I don't want to have a gun on me-

O'REILLY: Okay. I respect that. You don't want a gun. I want one.

[We go around and around on the issue. Neither of us convinces the other. We part with respect.]

O'REILLY: Thanks for coming in here, Costas. It's good to see you, man.

COSTAS: Merry Christmas.

O'REILLY: Anytime you get in trouble, you come right here. We'll get you out of it.

COSTAS: Yes, I know you have security here.

O'REILLY: Lots of it.

COSTAS: Yes ... They're armed, I a.s.sume.

That was a lot of fun for me, and I hope for Costas, too. We talked about one of the most important and divisive subjects of our time, but with mutual respect. That's the way it ought to be.

I've been doing The Factor now for more than seventeen years.

Can you believe it?

In that time I've changed a lot. I still get upset when people like Barney Frank lie to me on camera, but I'm more tolerant of harmless, dopey people and now pretty much just give you a wink.

You know what I'm thinking, so I don't have to say it.

And one more thing: I've changed my opinion in some matters.

And that leads us to the finale....

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE LAST WORD

(As Usual, I'm Taking It)