Joe Scarborough says if Texas shooter was radical Islamic terrorist, D.C. would be 'melting down

Joe Scarborough on the Monday airing of his MSNBC show, "Morning Joe," told panelists that if the Texas church shooter had been a radical Islamic terrorist named "Muhammad," Washington would be "melting down."

What did he say?

Discussing the Sunday mass shooting, which saw Devin Kelley take the lives of 26 parishioners at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, Scarborough made a supposition that if the shooter had been named "Muhammad," reaction from Washington D.C. would be markedly different.

"Again, had it been a radical Islamic terrorist with a beard named Muhammad, Washington would be melting down right now," Scarborough said.

Throughout the show, he criticized his perception of a lack of response and action to prevent further mass shootings in the U.S.

"We wouldn’t put up with this with any other epidemic," he explained. "We would not — if this were terrorism, Islamic, radical terrorism, again, Washington would be on fire this morning."

Clint Watts, MSNBC contributor and former FBI agent, said that it's always the same excuse to avoid discussing gun control, noting it's "too soon to talk about it."

He added that as the frequency and intensity of mass shootings has increased in recent years, there is never a good time to address the situation.

Former Congressman Harold Ford, who also appeared on the Monday airing, said, "If the president would just be himself on this and call for extreme vetting around background checks, that would be one positive step."