LOS ANGELES, Dec 24 (Reuters) - More than 48,000 people have
signed a petition that they posted on the White House website
demanding that British CNN talk show host Piers Morgan be
deported over comments he made on air about gun control.
Morgan last week lambasted pro-gun guests on his show, after
the Dec. 14 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in
Newtown, Connecticut, where a gunman shot dead 26 people,
including 20 children.
"We demand that Mr. Morgan be deported immediately for his
effort to undermine the Bill of Rights and for exploiting his
position as a national network television host to stage attacks
against the rights of American citizens," the petition said.
The petition, started on Dec. 21 by a man identified as Kurt
N. from Austin, Texas, accuses Morgan of subverting the second
amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the right
to bear arms.
U.S. citizens can file a petition on the White House
website, whitehouse.gov, if they collect at least 25,000
signatures within 30 days. The White House is then obliged to
issue a response.
Morgan, 47, a former newspaper editor in London, shot back
at his critics on Twitter. He repeated his past calls for the
United States to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines
and conduct background checks on all gun purchases.
Five days after the Connecticut massacre, Morgan called a
guest, Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners for
America, an "idiot," "dangerous" and an "unbelievably stupid
man" when Pratt argued that more guns were needed to combat
crime in the United States.
"I don't care about a petition to deport me. I do care about
poor NY firefighters murdered/injured with an assault weapon
today. #GunControlNow," Morgan tweeted on Monday, referring to a
shooting in New York that killed three people, including the
gunman.
Christa Robinson, a CNN spokeswoman, said the network had no
immediate comment on the petition.
Publicist Howard Bragman, vice chairman of Reputation.com,
said the controversy will get Morgan attention that may
translate into higher ratings and wouldn't harm his reputation.
"A lot of it comes from his being British, he's seen the
differences between the U.S. and UK, he's passionate and
authentic in taking this issue on, and it's probably only going
to help him attract more people to his show," Bragman, told
Reuters.