New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is pleading for more gun control after the senseless shooting Saturday night that left former defensive end Will Smith dead and his wife, Raquel, wounded, USA Today reports.

"I'm not an extreme liberal … I find myself leaning to the right on some issues. But on this issue, I can't wrap my brain around it," Payton told USA Today Sports in a 33-minute interview.

In the interview, Payton noted that Smith was just weeks away from joining the Saints coaching staff as an intern. And, speaking from "raw and human emotion," Payton noted that if he had his way, he would get rid of guns all together.

"I've heard people argue that everybody needs a gun," said the coach who grew up in suburban Chicago. "That's madness. I know there are many kids who grow up in a hunting environment. I get that. But there are places, like England, where even the cops don't have guns."

Payton continued, "Two hundred years from now, they're going to look back and say, 'What was that madness about?' The idea that we need them to fend off intruders … people are more apt to draw them (in other situations). That's some silly stuff we're hanging on to."

Payton, who not only visited the crime scene at 5:45 a.m. Sunday, but also spent time with Smith's family members at the hospital while Raquel underwent surgery, said that he's "still numb" after Saturday's tragic event that cost Smith his life.

After a lot of research, Payton explained the kind of gun used to kill Smith. "It was a large caliber gun. A .45," he said.

"It was designed back during World War I. And this thing just stops people. It will kill someone within four or five seconds after they are struck. You bleed out. After the first shot (that struck Smith's torso), he took three more in his back," He said.

Further noting his "hate" for guns, Payton continued, "We could go online and get 10 of them, and have them shipped to our house tomorrow.

"I don't believe that was the intention when they allowed for the right for citizens to bear arms."

Related Stories:

• Police: Former Saints Player Will Smith Gunned Down in Road Rage
• Gun Sales in America Reach New High for March