Sunny Hostin Shares Bleak Outlook on Gun Legislation on ‘The View,’ Bashes Hypocritical Republicans

If you ask Sunny Hostin, the sun, sand and surf of the Bahamas may have gotten to her co-hosts’ heads. While the rest of The View panel was quick to claim victory after President Joe Biden signed a gun reform bill into law this past weekend, Hostin soberly cautioned against celebrating too soon.

During a conversation about the legislation, which marks some of the most far-reaching reform in years by enhancing background checks and providing funding for school safety, Hostin admitted she was the “curmudgeon” of the table for her pessimistic take.

Whoopi Goldberg introduced the topic by explaining that while there are “many divisive issues in the headlines,” The View wanted to highlight “a positive development out of D.C.” with the bipartisan gun reform bill.

Before Hostin shared her perspective, Ana Navarro gave a hearty endorsement of the bill, exclaiming, “this is exactly how things need to happen in Washington, where republicans and democrats need to put partisan differences together and put their constituents’ interests and the interests of the country in front of anything else.”

While Navarro said she doesn’t think the bill is “enough,” she does think “everything in there is a good thing,” adding, “I am just so happy that for the first time in over 30 years the NRA chokehold on any type of legislation has been broken.”

Navarro may have been ready to joyfully whip out her American flag, but Hostin wasn’t so sure, and popped everyone’s celebratory balloons with a sharp dose of realism.

“I hate to be the curmudgeon on the panel,” she began. “I don’t think that we’re gonna see much more movement on this, especially with the way the Supreme Court is going. Now you have Clarence Thomas writing an opinion that says you can have your guns anywhere. You can have them not only in your home, you can have them outside.

“I think we’re seeing so much hypocrisy, quite frankly, from not only the Supreme Court, of course, but from republicans, because if you truly are pro-life, you cannot be pro-life and also be pro-death penalty and be pro-guns,” added Hostin — who has shared her own anti-abortion stance on The View. “There’s just no way that that is consistent.”

Citing the overwhelming republican support for the death penalty in murder convictions, as well as the pro-gun stance of the party, Hostin said, “I just don’t think we’re moving.”

The View airs weekdays at 11/10c on ABC. Watch the full gun reform bill discussion from today’s show in the video above.