Joy Behar Claims Gun Laws Will Change 'Once Black People Get Guns'

During the Hot Topics segment on Wednesday's episode, Behar and her fellow panelists, who were joined by conservative guest co-host, Lindsey Granger, had yet another intense conversation about gun violence and how lawmakers should approach gun reform in the wake of the recent devastating mass shootings, which took place at a Buffalo grocery store and a Uvalde elementary school last month. (10 and 21 lives, respectively, were lost in the horrific massacres.)

At one point, after several co-hosts stressed the importance of voting for lawmakers who will enact the change they want, Behar noted how "many" Republicans have said that taking AR-15s "off the market is a no starter."

"It's all about the guns!" she added.

In response, Granger offered some perspective from the other side as she's a gun owner. The journalist -- who stressed earlier that she's a Black woman and a conservative -- brought up an example about a man in Connecticut who "built his own AR-15" as the state has a ban on assault weapons.

"There's a man in Connecticut that watched his neighbor have a home invasion and watched their whole family get killed," Granger explained. "He built his own AR-15 'cause Connecticut won't let you buy them, but you can abide by rules that allow you to build them. And then he has one in his house to protect his family 'cause he never wants to see that happen again."

"He is a Black man, it's odd. Most AR-15 owners are former military, 35+ and married," she continued, adding, "So that's all I'm saying is that they're not just crazy people."

After hearing the story, Behar reacted, saying, "Here's the thing, once Black people get guns in this country, the gun laws will change. Trust me."

While Granger didn't initially respond, many viewers in the audience applauded and Sunny Hostin didn't hesitate to back up Behar. "That's what happened with the Black Panthers. She's right," Hostin said.

Granger then tried to hit back, claiming that "Black people have been buying guns" in recent years. However, moderator Whoopi Goldberg intervened and put a stop to the debate, before sharing what she says is the "bottom line:" "We all need to get off our asses and get out and vote."