Continuing his discussion of guns and professional football after the murder-suicide by Kansas City Chiefs player Jovan Belcher, NBC’s Bob Costas tells CNN, “There is a gun culture in the National Football League. Jovan Belcher had eight guns. And for those who, by the way, say what if [his girlfriend] Kasandra Perkins had a gun, there were guns in that house. She’d have to have it holstered like he’s wild Bill Hickock in the old west to have it at the ready when Jovan Belcher came barging through the door.”
Costas says that Terrell Suggs of the Baltimore Ravens had to turn on his guns because of a legal action–nine guns, including shotguns and handguns. Tank Johnson, a few years ago, of the Chicago Bears,had a virtual munitions plant in his house in Chicago. Costas notes that former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy asked 80 players at training camp who many had guns, and 65 said yes. Says Costas: “Even if those guns were legally obtained, what do you think over time would be the ratio between unintended and tragic consequences, including accidents, but also including times when people just snapped and impulse got in the way, anger got in the way? The ratio of that as against the times that the gun would be used for a good outcome for legitimate self-defense. It’s common sense to see where that’s going to wind up.”