Speaking on “The Left Hook” podcast with Wajahat Ali, Lemon said that “Black people, brown people of all stripes” should “go out, in your place where you live and get a gun legally, get a license to carry legally,” arguing that the Second Amendment exists to protect citizens from being “taken away without due process.”

He added that he was “not condoning or promoting violence,” but the comment nonetheless ignited outrage across the political spectrum.

“If you believe in the Second Amendment, if you believe in the Constitution… when you have people knocking on your door and taking you away without due process as a citizen, isn’t that what the Second Amendment was written for?” Lemon said.

Lemon’s comments, however, went beyond the typical policy debate — prompting many to accuse him of illegally encouraging confrontation with federal officers.