Following the White House’s release of modest proposals on gun regulations and background checks, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin appeared on MSNBC this afternoon to discuss what President Donald Trump is proposing and whether they will help stop mass shootings.

With host Ali Velshi noting that Trump appeared to be in favor of tougher gun control laws after the Parkland shooting than what he eventually proposed, Bevin brushed off calls that the age limit for purchasing assault-style rifles be raised to 21.

“They’re using these to defend our nation in uniform and there is 18 and 19 and 20-year-old young men and women giving their lives in uniform so you and I could have the freedom of this conversation,” Bevin declared. “And the idea that this is the Second Amendment and it is protected by our constitution is something we should not take lightly. This is a very important protection.”

The two men would go on to spar a bit over the Second Amendment and guns in general, with Bevin stating knives could be used to carry off mass killings, citing a 2014 incident in China in which ten men armed with long knives killed 29 people at a train station.

Velshi said that is the one example everyone cites before listing off a number of recent American mass shootings, leading Bevin to declare that the United States doesn’t need more gun laws because it won’t help. After the MSNBC host explained that the 19-year-old Parkland shooter wasn’t breaking the law by purchasing an AR-15, the Republican governor pretty much said nothing could be done.

“At a certain point in society we can’t protect ourselves from evil,” he said. “That is a given and sad, harsh reality. Doesn’t mean you don’t have rules. Doesn’t mean you don’t make laws understood. But there are certain things at a certain point you can’t protect people from everything.”

Watch the clip above, via MSNBC.

[image via screengrab]

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