Alison Parker’s Father Tells Megyn Kelly He’ll Do ‘Whatever It Takes To Get Gun Legislation’

The stricken father of Alison Parker, the WDBJ reporter who was shot and killed on the air yesterday, appeared on The Kelly File last night where he talked about Alison and vowed, “I’m gonna do something, whatever it takes, to get gun legislation.”

This would not be so remarkable were it not for the fact that if any Democratic figure said it, Fox would be howling about “politicizing tragedy.” But since it was the victim’s father, and I’m sure Fox wanted the get, they let him speak.

Appearing with Alison’s father, Andy Parker, was her boyfriend and WDBJ’s evening anchor, Chris Hurst. He said about the murderer, who had a long record of behavior issues before he was fired from the station, “Clearly, something went wrong here between him leaving our station and being able to purchase a gun and commit a premeditated act. What happened behind us was clearly wrong but there had been ample time before him where many, many other things went wrong.”

Parker and Hurst took offense at one of Kelly’s questions, about the cameraman, who was also murdered, having reportedly filmed the killer to put it on record. “I was told that this was gonna be about Alison’s life and what she meant and, you know, frankly she was – I had reservations coming here. You know, if it were any other situation, I wouldn’t have,” Parker said. But he also said he had joked with his daughter that she was “the perfect Fox News girl: She was pretty, she was blonde and she was extremely smart.”

It was near the end of the 11-minute interview that Parker addressed guns.

PARKER: I’m not gonna let this issue drop. We’ve got to do something about crazy people getting guns. And the problem that you guys have is that – and I know it’s the news business and this is a big story but next week, it isn’t going to be a story any more and everybody’s going to forget it.

But you mark my words, my mission in life – and I talked to the governor today, he called me… and I told him, I said, I’m gonna do something, whatever it takes, to get gun legislation, to shame people, to shame legislators into doing something about closing loopholes and background checks and making sure crazy people don’t get guns. And he said, "You go. I’m right there with you." So this is not the last you’ve heard of me. This is something that is Alison’s legacy that I want to make happen.

…She was one of you. Don’t let this go. Don’t let it slide.

The interview, from the August 26 The Kelly File is below. If you can watch it with a dry eye, then you’re a stronger person than I.

If you'd like to donate to Everytown for Gun Safety, you can do so here. I did.

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Showing 12 reactions

commented 2015-08-31 13:22:09 -0400 · Flag

Joseph West ~ in response to your response to my comment, might I add: Guns don’t kill people / people kill people & it’s always the “unloaded firearm” that did the most damage. Until enough “people” decide that enough is enough ~ the NRA & all it’s followers will defend their rights to bear arms. Lord knows, I am not against firearms ~ my husband had enough to hold off a Russian invasion but if common sense doesn’t dictate that since the existing gun laws haven’t been working for so many years….we might need to try something new. Just saying. Realize it’s hard to “report” kinfolk or neighbors or friends when you believe a screw might be loose but it sure beats going to a cemetery.

commented 2015-08-31 13:05:37 -0400 · Flag

Tomas Kinoshta ~ you must be listening to the wrong “father” ~ just when did HE give up HIS throne & put you in charge of deciding who lives & who dies?

commented 2015-08-29 02:34:25 -0400 · Flag

Tomas Kinoshta,

You comment is one of the most offensive, heartless, and hateful imaginable. It’s so awful, I frankly think you are just trolling. But that wouldn’t make it any better. I’m only leaving it up so that the whole world can see what kind of a despicable person you are. But you have been banned. You will never be welcome back here.

commented 2015-08-28 19:25:45 -0400 · Flag

@ Tomas:
I’ve been a poster here at Newshounds for many years, and I’ve seen some amazing stupidity, hatred and racism from trolls over the years. However, your words of ‘wisdom’ rank among the very pinnacle of those that I have witnessed. I’m just not certain if the category is stupidity, or hatred, or both.
In any case, congratulations!

commented 2015-08-28 15:02:25 -0400 · Flag

After listening to the father, it is my opinion that he is a total jerk. I then conclude that his daughter was a jerk to Bryce.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This comment has been edited because of objections from Google. But the general thrust that has been removed was racist and heartless toward the daughter. Personally, I think it’s better to let the comment stand and be ridiculed and denounced, especially since there were no objectionable words, per se. But this site relies on advertising revenue and I have decided to compromise. However, the comment has been saved and if anyone wants to read it, contact the site and I will forward it.

Ellen

commented 2015-08-27 20:22:01 -0400 · Flag

Aria P. — I’m with you. I watched that segment on the rerun last night, and damn right, Kelly was just biting her tongue to keep from interrupting Parker and you know she would have started shouting about politicizing the shooting if it had been said by anyone else but the dead woman’s father. That sour look on her face kept growing as he talked about gun legislation. Then she follows it up with a Loesch segment. Some class act.

commented 2015-08-27 16:08:31 -0400 · Flag

@ Anita: I’d be very interested to know what Mr Parker’s views on gun rights were BEFORE his daughter was killed.

And, it should be noted that, even when WHITE gunman have killed WHITE people, it rarely changes the overall thinking. I’m guessing it would take something on the level of the families of Wayne LaPierre and the other NRA top brass to be gunned down by one or two “law-abiding” white men (and those men would’ve had to have purchased their guns legally and passed background checks) before the NRA would even begin to think about supporting stronger gun laws. And even then, I’m not really sure the NRA would change their policies on opposing any sort of gun control. (Reagan was actually injured after being shot at, and it still took years before any sort of sensible laws were passed—and even those were watered down.)

commented 2015-08-27 15:58:07 -0400 · Flag

From the article: But he also said he had joked with his daughter that she was “the perfect Fox News girl: She was pretty, she was blonde and she was extremely smart.” (bolding mine)

Well, then. I don’t want to offend Mr Parker in his time of grief, but, obviously, he was a little crazy before his daughter was killed. If he said was “the perfect Fox News girl” because she was “extremely smart,” she would’ve slapped her father at that insult. “Extremely smart” women do NOT work for FoxNoise. A woman at that network is nothing more than Don Henley’s proverbial “bubble-headed bleached blonde.”

commented 2015-08-27 13:32:39 -0400 · Flag

Such a horrific story to share ~ no parent should have to endure this heartache. It’s sad to say but the only way this “white NRA 2nd amendment pushing group” will “evolve” in their opinion[s] is if one of them finds themselves in Mr. Parker’s shoes. But that gunman would have to be white [like at Sandy Hook or Aurora, Colorado] for it to really make an impact. Wonder how they would blame Pres. Obama in that scenario.

commented 2015-08-27 12:25:59 -0400 · Flag

The part that got to me the most about this was how Megyn Kelly could conduct such a powerful, heartbreaking interview… Then have her next segment be filled with Dana Loesch belittling Parker’s comments under the guise of refuting Bill Burton, as well as getting in her $0.02 on the Roof/Flanagan double standard regarding hate crime, and those disgusting swipes at Planned Parenthood.

You’d think that, since this immediately followed the pleas of a man who had just lost his daughter that morning, Kelly would have been willing to step in and tell Leosch that her crap was not only highly inappropriate, but more than a little heartless… But she looked like she was more ready to pounce on Burton- Who was saying the same things as Parker.

I got nothing bad to say about the Parker interview. As I’ve said already, it hit all the right notes. But the fact that Kelly was biting her tongue to not tell Burton to shut up for the same things on the same episode lets me know exactly what would have happened if he was anyone but Allison Parker’s father.

commented 2015-08-27 12:04:01 -0400 · Flag

I wish him luck. But he’s going to try and take on the NRA, FOX, and the conservatives, all of whom will scream about how if his daughter had had a gun she’d be alive right now. It is one of the most powerfully entrenched groups around and they are aided and abetted by the media and Congress. If the massacre of 20+ kindergartners in Sandy Hook didn’t change things, this certainly won’t. But I do support his cause and wish him luck.

NewsHounds posted about Alison Parker’s Father Tells Megyn Kelly He’ll Do ‘Whatever It Takes To Get Gun Legislation’ on NewsHounds' Facebook page 2015-08-27 10:00:09 -0400

One of the most heartbreaking interviews ever.