Sean Payton is under fire after calling for gun control following the death of a Saints player. He went as far as to condemn people who have a gun to fend off intruders.
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton knows his stance won’t be popular in Louisiana.
Payton was blunt in his assessment of guns in America following the death of former Saints player Will Smith, who was shot to deathfollowing an argument over a minor traffic accident.
“I hate guns,” Payton told USA Today Monday. “If this opinion in Louisiana is super unpopular, so be it.”
Listen to entire interview here.
Smith spent his entire career – nine seasons – in New Orleans, helping the Saints win the 2010 Super Bowl. He was released in 2014 and was reportedly set to join the team’s coaching staff as a coaching intern.
Payton spoke for the first time since Smith’s death and his feelings are understandably raw. Payton emphasized he’s not a liberal, but he’s struggling with what many see was the senseless shooting of a husband and father – Smith’s wife shot in the leg and is recovering.
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“I find myself leaning to the right on some issues. But on this issue, I can’t wrap my brain around it,” Payton said. “I’ve heard people argue that everybody needs a gun. That’s madness.
“The idea that we need them to fend off intruders … people are more apt to draw them (in other situations). That’s some silly stuff we’re hanging on to.”
Read more: Oregon Live
