Costas calls for gun control on ‘Sunday Night Football’
NBC’s Bob Costas used his halftime commentary on “Sunday Night Football” to call for stricter gun control in the wake of the murder-suicide involving Kansas City Chiefs player Jovan Belcher.
In a 90-second statement, Costas quoted Fox Sports writer Jason Whitlock:
In the aftermath of the nearly unfathomable events in KC, that most mindless of sports cliches was heard yet again: Something like this really puts it all in perspective … You want some actual perspective on this? Well a bit of it comes from the Kansas City-based writer Jason Whitlock, with whom I do not always agree, but who today said it so well that we may as well just quote or paraphrase from the end of his article. “Our current gun culture,” Whitlock wrote, “ensures that more and more domestic disputes will end in the ultimate tragedy, and that more convenience store confrontations over loud music coming from a car will leave more teenage boys bloodied and dead. Handguns do not enhance our safety. They exacerbate our flaws, tempt us to escalate arguments, and bait us into embracing confrontation rather than avoiding it. … If Jovan Belcher didn’t possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would still be alive today.”
Costas surely knew his remarks would be inflammatory, and they were. Online reaction was swift, with many expressing outrage that he used a nationally televised football game to express his personal views. Others praised Costas for taking a stand. What do you think?
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
265 comments Add your comment
indigo montoya
December 3rd, 2012
10:45 am
Did the 2nd amendment include semi-auto handguns? Maybe I missed that part because it’s in the footnotes. Henceforth, all US citizens should be granted a classic long rifle from the 1700’s. By the time it takes to load one of those suckers, most arguments will be finished, or the people will be bored. All I’m saying is handguns are trouble because of the ability to carry and conceal one anywhere. Anyone who wants a shotgun or rifle, have at it! Could people still protect their homes and people if handguns were elminated? Yes. So what’s the gripe? Not being told what type of gun to us? Ok, then I want RPGs in my neighborhood. Safety all around, I say.
Fran Harmon
December 3rd, 2012
10:45 am
Mr. Costas’ opinion on TV during Sunday NIght Football last night (12/2/12) was most appauling. It was not the gun that killed Mr. Belcher and his girlfriend; Mr. Belcher pulled the trigger both times. If he wanted to harm her or himself and a gun was not available there are many other forms of weapons he could have used. Just because he choose to use a gun to commit his crime does not make the gun a bad thing. If the gun made him kill her then himself then I guess my fork makes me fat or my pencil makes my grammatical errors.
I like Mr. Costas as a commentator but his tyrant last night was uncalled for….think before you speak Mr. Costas, there may be a time when you need a weapon to protect yourself or your family, maybe I will let you use my fork…HA!!!
Costas calls for gun control on ‘Sunday Night Football’ | The TexasFred Blog
December 3rd, 2012
10:47 am
[...] Costas surely knew his remarks would be inflammatory, and they were. Online reaction was swift, with many expressing outrage that he used a nationally televised football game to express his personal views. Others praised Costas for taking a stand. What do you think? AJC Sports News Now [...]
JAC
December 3rd, 2012
10:48 am
To all those who think banning guns is the answer,
Criminals are criminals for a reason, they don’t follow the law. Removing the ability for law abiding citizens to defend themselves does not help protect law abiding citizens. If you don’t like guns don’t own one, but don’t tell me I can’t own one either.
Cosby
December 3rd, 2012
10:49 am
Does anyone think the body guards/security escorts Bob Costas carry firearms? Is he ready for them to give up the guns? I think not.
Arby
December 3rd, 2012
10:50 am
Tired of Hollywood making policy for the rest of the United States. Mental Health should be our focus !!! The guy in Colorado who killed all those people was mentally unstable and undergoing treatment. Now if you want to make a rule he was unfit to have a gun, I might see your point. But These People who want Gun Control do not want guns at all, That’s the problem. We need to be careful of what we want. I don’t want to be like Europe or China ! Gun ownership is very important.
Bobo is Not the Problem
December 3rd, 2012
10:51 am
That was a nutjob rant. Inappropriate. You left out his second and third sentences, where he said people who need an event like that to get perspective will never get perspective. Brutally harsh and over the top. Fire him.
Scott
December 3rd, 2012
10:52 am
Regardless of the gun control issue, it is insensitive and inappropriate for Costas to discuss his personal agenda in the wake of this tragedy. The families of the two deceased deserve peace and respect at this time. Costas should be fired. If you can fire a girl for an inappropriate photo on Facebook, this certainly is equally appropriate. Costas needs to make a formal public apology, and pack up his desk.
blazer
December 3rd, 2012
10:52 am
So the gun decided to kill the girlfriend first and then told him to drive to the facility and kill himself.
Right!!!!! Next time a baseball bat will tell someone to kill somebody! He decided to do this and nothing else!! Wonder if the girlfriend would have had a gun, she may be alive still with her kid.
te29wr
December 3rd, 2012
10:53 am
Tiny Bob had better get a gun before some crazy fan stickes it up his ass.
Note to Bob and Jason murders and shootings are down in Washington D.C. since guns in DC are legal
Hunter
December 3rd, 2012
10:54 am
As a member of the USMC currently deployed; I consider anyone supporting the regulation of any kind, of weapons of any kind, to be an enemy of the US constitution. Read it sometime. The only way to stop a bad man with a gun is a good man with a gun. Guns are not the issue. People were violent for thousands of years before guns came about. We have more peace in the world with guns for that matter then there ever was in history without them. We just have more liberal media then ever before letting us know about it.
kimmer
December 3rd, 2012
10:55 am
@ Sal: Geez, it’s just his opinion. Gun goons are out in force today.
Geez Sal. Expressing opinions is all anyone else is doing here too. This is a message board isn’t it? Sheesh what an idiot!
Waldo Perquat
December 3rd, 2012
10:59 am
LITTLE MAN WITH SMALL IDEAS= IDIOT
Davy Luke
December 3rd, 2012
11:01 am
Horrible judgment for NBC to use this venue to advocate liberal views. Costas has a right to his opinion, but should be limited to an audience that is seeking his opinion, not one that has tuned into a broadcast for viewing football.
Regarding his opinion, it should be noted that violent crime rates, including murder, are extraordinarily higher in “gun free zones.” In the wild, when a lion senses weakness in a potential animal that he seeks for a meal, it will attack ferociously. When he senses strength, he becomes much more cautious. Thus is a similar principle regarding a criminal who looks for opportunities to prey upon others.
James B. Parker
December 3rd, 2012
11:05 am
Coming from Costas, who gives a crap about what Costas thinks, his view point is slanted way left of center. Yes it was a tragedy, but it was the PERSON behind the trigger that was warped.
The minute that weapons are stripped from law biding citizens, then only the bad guys, the drug cartels will have guns. Who is going to defend who? The Police as it is are out gunned as it is. The law abiding citizen with a weapon better sense. Just l;ook at Mexico, they have strict gun control,
who is protecting the Mexican citizens from the violence, it certainly is not the Police or the Military. The citizens of Mexico are being slaughtered, by the bad guys.
Take My Gun….no chance in Hell.
TrishaDishawareagle
December 3rd, 2012
11:10 am
Costas is a liberal little douche of a man, always has been. And no matter what laws obama tries or succeeds in passing, we will not give up our guns, and guess what..you have to grab the end the bullets come out if you try to take them. As always, I have now said everything that needs to be said..End of discussion.
obama SIN LADEN
December 3rd, 2012
11:18 am
when guns are outlawed,only outlaws will have guns. and the “elite” of course. like fat a– rosie o etc. Guns dont kill people,people kill people.
monty
December 3rd, 2012
11:22 am
Almost every violent crime committed, is commited under the influence of booze or drugs. A very small percentage are committed by sober people. Does the Hollywood crowd believe that booze and drugs should be illegal? Hello? I’m still waiting! If the lefties truly wanted a safer world then they would be against booze and drug usage. But they are not. So, one would have to conclude the gun issue is more political than practical. Still waiting.
Ol Cowboy
December 3rd, 2012
11:26 am
Good thing Belcher didn’t run over his girlfriend with a SmartCar, or slash her throat with the jagged edge of one of those curlyque lightbulbs. What a predicament for the leftist morons…
Freedom Lover
December 3rd, 2012
11:27 am
It’s obvious that many people commenting here do not believe in freedom. What’s next – religion? ..oh wait. I will stick to the Constitution, if you please.Educate yourself, read the Bill of RIGHTS. There are ten rights of people and gun ownership is one of them.
pmac
December 3rd, 2012
11:37 am
My mother committed suicide by overdosing on prescription medication.
Should prescription medications be made illegal too?
Arlee
December 3rd, 2012
11:42 am
I heard that Bob Costas said that without guns, both of the deceased individuals would be alive today. I guess he forgot about Nicole Simpson and her boyfriend and all the other stabbing victims each night in every city in the world.
Native Atlantan
December 3rd, 2012
11:47 am
Why would we suggest banning guns when MURDER ITSELF IS BANNED. How’s that working?
Tired of Rednecks
December 3rd, 2012
11:52 am
Taking an overdose of pills is not using them for their intended use. Shooting someone with a gun is exactly what it was designed for.
Native Atlantan
December 3rd, 2012
11:53 am
Oh yeah, there are some Obama-voting gun-toting constitution-loving people out here. This is not a LEFT/LIBERAL issue. Costas represents Costas on his commentary. Not everybody.
Fakey McFake
December 3rd, 2012
11:56 am
I think what Costas and Whitlock are trying to say is: Rob me!
Native Atlantan
December 3rd, 2012
11:56 am
Saying a gun was built to shoot someone is like saying a computer was designed for listening to music. There are MULTIPLE purposes for guns. Defending oneself is one of them.
Again I say, MURDER IS BANNED but that law keeps getting broken without regard to it being a law. A criminal doesn’t care about the law.
Dusty
December 3rd, 2012
11:57 am
If guns kill people, we should get rid of all spoons and it would end obesity. I love football but will never watch another game with Costas on it. Just take a look around and there are many cities that band guns and violent crime is high. And then look at the city in Georgia that made it mandatory to have a gun and crime went down. Get him off the air!!!
Dennis
December 3rd, 2012
11:59 am
Costas, you’re a moron! The gun was just the instrument used. It could have easily been a car or knife, etc. I am a responsible gun owner which I will not hesitate to use if I deem it necessary to protect my family. The man murdered someone and then killed himself. I have no respect for him or anyone else who considers murder as a means to an end. I do feel sorry for the child left behind.
tdog
December 3rd, 2012
12:05 pm
Bub Costas is a KOOK.
JAC
December 3rd, 2012
12:06 pm
currently almost anyone is permitted to own a gun, but the lefties want to pass legislation that would allow only criminals to own guns. Yeah that’s going to reduce crime and make neighborhoods safer.
Creaky
December 3rd, 2012
12:08 pm
I wish Ithey had banned my spoon several years ago then maybe I wouldn’t be so fat, however Bob Costas would still be an idiot. That makes about as much sense as Bob Costas
Buddy in Allyn
December 3rd, 2012
12:09 pm
In 2011 there were 12,644 murders committed in the United States according to F B I statistics. Of these, 8,583 were committed with a firearm. The remaining 4,081 were committed with knives, blunt objects, fights, etc. Gun Controllers always forget to mention the other methods used by the deranged to end another person’s life. Banning firearms, as suggested by author Whitlock, and repeated by Costas, will not decrease the murder rate one iota. The deranged who intend to kill will simply us one of the “other” methods.
Can you imagine a United States where law abiding citizens were denied legal firearm ownership? In nations where firearms are banned, crimes against citizens skyrockets. Be armed, be safe, and be protected.
Big Mo
December 3rd, 2012
12:09 pm
Mexico has strict gun laws and look how safe it is over there. No gun crime.
Armedice
December 3rd, 2012
12:11 pm
Thsi keybad is making all thesee typin erros. The spoon made me fat.
Terry Warner
December 3rd, 2012
12:19 pm
Comments were not appreciated. Mr. Costas needs to stay in his profession of sports casting. This is another reason not to watch NBC.
finelwyritten
December 3rd, 2012
12:24 pm
If outlawing guns were the answer, then why are so many athletes/non-athletes in possession of drugs that are illegal? Bob, feel free to get rid of your guns….I will keep mine.
David Van Ausdall
December 3rd, 2012
12:24 pm
Maybe we should have knife control, baseball bat, steel toe boots control……..better yet let’s have a Bob Costas control!
thegreatdebater
December 3rd, 2012
12:26 pm
GUN CONTROL WILL NOT STOP GUNS FROM GETTING IN THE HANDS OF CRIMINALS!!! It will only stop guns from getting in the hands of people that have to defend themselves from criminals! If someone wants to kill themself or anyone else.. there are many other means to do this besides guns.. So you O’Bama lovers keep on preaching.. You may get what you ask for.. and you know what that is! Peace!
TURD FERGUSON
December 3rd, 2012
12:29 pm
Costas, what an idiotic commentary! This douchebag should stick to sports, which he thinks is his forte, and stay out political left wing agendas. I don’t remember what he said about O.J.? Did he quote some other knucklehead over that fiasco? Remember the old adage, Tis better to remain silent and be thought a fool, then to open your mouth and remove all doubt”!
Brian
December 3rd, 2012
12:32 pm
Keep your misinformed opinions to yourself, Bob and just call the game. I’m so tired of loudmouthed celebrities with an axe to grind. While small arms aren’t much in light of the drones, stealth bombers, and nuclear weapons, it is the threat of an entire armed citizenry that prevents tyranny. Small arms weren’t much compared to Hitler’s tanks and airplanes, but if the Germans had been armed, he wouldn’t have been able to waltz into each town and drag off Jews and other groups to extermination camps!
Larry
December 3rd, 2012
12:34 pm
The worst terrorist attack on America never involved a gun….ITS THE DESIRE to kill that has to change!
Tired of Rednecks
December 3rd, 2012
12:34 pm
Whether defending oneself against an assailant or hunting a deer or shooting someone for playing music too loud, the purpose of a gun is to launch a projectile into the flesh of something else. That is its intent. Sure you can start a race with a gun or shoot at a target or hang it on the wall or strap in on your hip, but its purpose is to shoot another object. Computers are meant to process information….terrible comparison. I am a gun owner so don’t misinterpret what I am saying. I am for background checks, training etc. to promote responsible gun ownership. Punish the criminals. Michael David Dunn should be tried, convicted and sentenced to death for shooting Jordan Davis in Florida. He should have be trained before he was issued a permit to carry a gun.
single white dove
December 3rd, 2012
12:41 pm
dragon
December 3rd, 2012
8:33 am
It is hilarious to read the gun nuts get their panties in a wad over something a silly sportscaster says. It’s sports, not congress
YOU SAID IT, ITS SPORTS! Gun control is not going to stop someone to get a gun.
GIVE ME A BREAK
December 3rd, 2012
12:44 pm
How do liberals come up with this logic? How many kids died last year because they tied a string around their neck. How many people died from pills or alcohol? Costas are you really that stupid?
Bob in Texas
December 3rd, 2012
12:47 pm
Jason Whitlock and Bob Costas are idiots to say the least. I never have liked Bob Costas! Do they actually believe that if Javon Belcher wanted his girlfriend dead and didn’t have access to a gun, it wouldn’t have happened? That is pure stupidity and BS! They, and all Liberals, believe that banning guns is the answer to everythinig. More BS! I guess we need to ban knives (cut her throat), bricks (bash her head in), vehicles (run her down). They (Liberals) claim guns were designed to kill PEOPLE. I disagree. Guns were designed to hunt with so the family can survive and to protect against another person (or Government) that wants to take away our Constitutional Rights. The Liberals won’t rest until they have completely taken all that our forefathers and our brave soldiers have died for, OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS!
Brian
December 3rd, 2012
12:52 pm
So, this stuff doesn’t happen in Mexico or DC? What about England? Do people still kill people with bats, knives, rocks, cars, etc.? Here’s the problem: mankind is not inherently good. Sorry, but you don’t have to train a child how to do wrong. You have to train a child how to do RIGHT. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but then again, pride has always been a problem for us.
Cats hav fleas 2
December 3rd, 2012
12:54 pm
Many people are murdered by strangulation…lets outlaw hands!
Guns don't kill people...
December 3rd, 2012
12:56 pm
…people kill people – always have, and always will…
“If Jovan Belcher didn’t possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would still be alive today.”
BS – have they never heard of knives or other weapons – this is just a totally assinine thing for both midget Bob and big mouth Jason to say…
James B. Parker
December 3rd, 2012
12:56 pm
So they want to outlaw guns because if you outlaw guns the violence will stop..What about knives, screw drivers, FORKS…all of the mentioned items have been used at one time or another to kill someone, is there going to be a movement to ban your knife or any of the other mentioned items.
Think very hard about the complete ramifications of banning firearms, look no further than Mexico.
Bob Costas intentions may be good, but banning guns is not the answer.
People will always find a way to kill someone if they want to dispatch someone bad enough..
Bob Costas was wrong for using a football game to preach his sermon, do “We The People” get equal time? No we will not.