‘Real Time’: Bill Maher Slams Al Franken’s Hot Cars Act, Calls For Gun Control

Update with video Bill Maher seized on the so-called Hot Cars Act – a legislative proposal that would require automobile sensors reminding drivers of kids left in rear seats – as yet another example of Democrats attempting to “child-proof the Republic” while the government ignores larger issues.

“Thanks Government,” he said. “We’ll get to gun control later.” (Take a look at the segment above).

The gibe came during tonight’s New Rules segment of HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher, with the Hot Cars Act serving as set-up to Maher’s demand for what he deemed more necessary controls on guns, banking and carbon emissions.

“Should reminding you not to forget your baby really be Toyota’s responsibility?,” he asked before also mocking California’s signage near potentially carcinogenic sites (“It’s called air,” he said) and a proposal in Honolulu to ban checking cell phones while crossing streets.

Such proposals, he said, feed into the Republican concept that Democrats “just want to meddle.”

“We are all in an overheated vehicle,” Maher said. “It’s called Earth.”

So, is the Hot Cars Act really a thing?

Sure is. And one of the two Senators who sponsored the legislation in July was Maher’s occasional Real Time guest Sen. Al Franken. The sensor technology is already available in some cars, but the Helping Overcome Trauma for Children Alone in Rear Seat Act (i.e., HOT CARS) would require newly manufactured autos to come equipped with the technology that alerts drivers of passengers in the back seat once the car is turned off.

But Democrats are not alone among the plan’s supporters. The advocacy group KidsAndCars.org said this week – apparently getting Maher’s attention – that the proposal was advanced by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee which includes Mississippi’s Republican Senator Roger Wicker.

Said Franken in July, “Each summer, we hear heart-wrenching stories about children whose lives end far too early because they were accidentally trapped in the back seat of a hot car. We can do something to prevent these terrible tragedies, and that’s why I’ve helped introduce commonsense legislation that would make sure there are measures in place to alert you if your child is left in the back seat. I want to see this life-saving technology become the standard in our cars.”

Meddling or common sense? New Rule: Book Franken on Real Time ASAP.

In the meantime, here are a couple of Maher’s tweets on the matter:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnb9k4DfzMw&w=605&h=340]

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