Fox News anchor Sean Hannity went on the defensive on Thursday night as claims emerged that he pulled a gun on guest contributor Juan Williams last year.

Hannity pointed a gun at Williams after a segment and even trained a laser target on the political analyst's body according to three unnamed sources cited by CNN Money.

That led to an extended Twitter spat between Hannity and the article's author as well as other journalists, leading to him exploding: ''It NEVER HAPPENED.'

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Trigger warning: Sources say Sean Hannity (left) pulled a gun on contributor Juan Williams (right) after a show, and Williams was disturbed by the red laser target pointed at him

Unloaded: Hannity denied the claims point blank online, saying that the gun was 'unloaded' and that he 'never pointed' it at Williams, adding that he is a gun safety advocate

'Sensationalized': Williams said online that 'everything was under total control' although he never denied the gun loaded and pointed at him. The pair are long-time friends

Secure: The liberal commentator said Hannity put his safety 'above all else'. An insider told DailyMail.com that Williams had in fact asked to see the unloaded weapon

The incident occurred at the end of one of Hannity's segments in October 2016, when the host whipped out a handgun and trained it on the liberal commentator, witnesses alleged.

Hannity - who has a concealed carry permit in New York, where Fox News is based - was just showing off, the sources said.

But Williams, a regular contributor to the channel and participant in many spirited on-air arguments with Hannity, looked 'disturbed' as the red dot danced around his body, they added.

Hannity categorically denied the claims on Twitter, saying: 'Never pointed at anybody. Let's be clear. Unloaded. Never pointed. I have been a gun safety advocate for years.'

And Williams, a long-time friend, came to his defense.

'This incident is being sensationalized – everything was under total control throughout and I never felt like I was put in harm’s way,' he tweeted.

'It was clear that Sean put my safety and security above all else and we continue to be great friends,' he added.

An eyewitness to the encounter told DailyMail.com that Hannity was showing his unloaded gun to Williams because Williams asked him to.

Pointing a gun at someone, even without a verbal threat, is assault under New York law, provided the victim sees the weapon.

Arguments: The pair (seen in 2015) have a combative onscreen relationship, but say they are friends. Both say there was no danger, and Hannity claims the gun was unloaded at the time

'NEVER HAPPENED': Hannity appeared to react in anger to this comment by a New York Post columnist who said Hannity 'should have gone to jail' for what would count as assault

Any hope of the incident dying down quickly on Twitter went out the window as Hannity became engaged in a protracted argument with CNN's Dylan Byers.

Byers told both Hannity and Williams, in separate tweets: 'I stand by my reporting.' To Williams, he added: 'Every word. 110%'

'Fake news hack. Of course u do. Lol,' wrote Hannity. 'It's not true. Unless u r calling me and Juan liars. Shocking from "White Lash" network.'

The 'White Lash' remark referred to CNN contributor Van Jones' election-night remarks about the Donald Trump presidency being a 'white lash' against black America.

Hannity also tweeted to Byers: 'Of course. @CNN fake news ignores the people involved. Whatever...... FNC and MS kicking your a**.'

In replies to Williams' tweets, he wrote: '@CNN fake news lies. Juan is one of my best friends. Love u my friend.'

He added: '@CNN is as hysterical and insane as Rachael Maddow.'

Reporter: Dylan Byers told Hannity twice and Williams once that he stands by his reporting. He added to Williams 'Every word. 110%'

'Hack': Hannity responded to one of Byers' tweets by calling him a 'hack' and asking whether the CNN reporter was calling him and Williams liars

'Fake news': Hannity dismissed the reports as 'fake news' and said that his own station, Fox News Channel, was 'kicking CNN's a**'

'Insane': Hannity, who had heavily criticized Rachel Maddow's reporting after she obtained two pages of Trump's taxes, mocked both her and CNN

Hannity, who prides himself on being able to take being made fun of, even dedicating a section of his show to insults left by viewers, also went on the defensive against other Twitter users.

John Podhoretz, columnist for the New York Post, tweeted: 'It's fun to make jokes about Hannity pointing his gun at Juan Williams but he should have gone to jail for that and been fired. It's assault.'

'Really John?' Hannity replied. 'When it NEVER HAPPENED. See Juans statement. U can apologize in the Am.'

Twitter user TaKoda Khan said '@seanhannity @CNN Gun Safety 101 - NEVER point a gun at a person, loaded or unloaded. Never. You may still be friends, but you were wrong.'

Hannity, sounding upset, fired back: 'Excuse me. I NEVER DID.'

Angry? Hannity appeared angry when a member of the public told him to 'NEVER point a gun at a person', saying 'I NEVER DID'

Love: Hannity was quick to point out that he and Williams are close friends, despite their very different political beliefs

The incident was reported to Fox News execs by Hannity's colleagues, the insiders said. They say Bill Shine, a long-time pal and ex-producer of Hannity's, ended up fielding it.

However, a Fox News spokesperson said the incident was referred to the legal and human resources departments.

And in a statement to DailyMail.com, Fox News said: 'The situation was thoroughly investigated and it was found that no one was put in any danger.'

It is unclear whether any action was taken as a result.

In a statement, earlier on Thursday, Hannity said: 'While discussing the issue of firearms, I showed my good friend Juan Williams my unloaded firearm in a professional and safe manner for educational purposes only.

'Every precautionary procedure that I have been trained in since the age of 11 was followed. I've had a conceal carry permit in five states for all of my adult life. Any other interpretation of this is outright false reporting.'

Hannity is a long-time opponent of gun control measures, a topic he has covered frequently on his show.