Facts

Piers Morgan's Kinder Surprise Egg Sparks Gun Control Debate On Twitter

piers morgan Featureflash / Dreamstime
Taylor Rock|

Following the mass shooting in Las Vegas, gun control has once again become a hot-button issue across news platforms and social media sites. On October 3, Piers Morgan posted a photo of a Kinder Surprise Egg to his Twitter account. He captioned the photo: "These are banned in America because they're a 'health hazard'. Semi-automatic rifles are legal. #vegas"

The Food and Drug Administration disallows confectionary products which contain a "non-nutritive" object because it "may pose a public health risk as the consumer may unknowingly choke on the object." In 2012, two men were held for two and a half hours at the Canadian border after border patrol found six Kinder Surprise Eggs in their car. According to one of them men detained, one of the guards said each egg would cost a $2,500 fine.

Morgan's post prompted a political debate on Twitter between supporters and non-supporters of gun control.

"Kinder eggs are banned in the US and guns aren't.. this is not normal," @frankydelilah wrote, followed by a GIF of Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper hyperventilating into a paper bag.

"Kinder Surprise Eggs are BANNED, but you can have as many guns as you like... (American flag emoji). I don't even know what to say anymore," said Carla Valentine, a mortician and book author in the U.K.

"You do realize Kinder Eggs aren't constitutionally protected?" wrote Dan Gainor, vice president of business and culture for Media Research Center.

"They should be legal as well Piers. You should also be able to buy Sudafed without an ID. Any other arguments? Also the US should end the unconstitutional ban on Jarts," said Conservative Review writer Rob Eno. Jarts refers to lawn darts, which were removed from U.S. stores in 1988 following multiple fatal accidents.

Morgan's post has gained over 44,000 likes and nearly 23,000 retweets. Who knew a chocolate egg could elicit such a discussion? For more sugary stories, check out these surprising facts about your 20 favorite candy brands.

Recommended