TRUMP AND OTHER REPUBLICANS WERE
CRITICAL OF THAT RESPONSE.
LET’S TURN NOW TO POLITICS
EDITOR FOR THE "NEW YORK TIMES"
MAGAZINE, CHARLES HOMANS.
HE LOOKS AT HOW AMERICANS HAVE
OFTEN IGNORED THE IMPLICATIONS
OF THE COUNTRY’S ARSENAL OF
PRIVATELY OWNED GUNS ASKING IF
THE JANUARY 6th ATTACK ON THE
CAPITOL WILL CHANGE THAT.
ALSO WITH US IS EXECUTIVE EDITOR
OF NEWYORKER.COM, DAVID ROHDE.
DAVID WRITES IN PART THIS.
A CURRENT SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICIAL TOLD ME THAT A MANDATE
FROM BIDEN IN CONGRESS TO CRACK
DOWN ON DOMESTIC EXTREMIST
VIOLENCE IS WELCOMED.
BUT THE OFFICIAL WHO ASKED NOT
TO BE NAMED CAUTIONED THAT THE
FEDERAL AND STATE LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS HAVE NO
LEGAL AUTHORITY AND LITTLE
DESIRE TO BE DRAWN INTO
TARGETING SPECIFIC IDEOLOGIES OR
TYPE OF SPEECH.
"OUR CONCERN IS THE VIOLENCE.
OUR CONCERN IS THE CONDUCT.
REMEMBER, HATE SPEECH IS
PROTECTED SPEECH, THE OFFICIAL
SAID.
YOU DON’T WANT LAW ENFORCEMENT
OVERREACH.
WE LEARNED THAT LESSON.
THE OFFICIAL ADDED THAT ELECTED
LEADERS COULD PLAY A CENTRAL
ROLE IN COMBATING DOMESTIC
EXTREMISM.
QUOTE, A LOT DEPENDS ON OUR
POLITICAL LEADERSHIP.
IF THERE’S AN EFFORT TO BRING
DOWN SOME OF THE TEMPERATURE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING
WITH US, DAVID.
THOSE QUOTES REMIND ME OF A
PIECE THAT I READ SOON AFTER
JANUARY 6th AND THEY WERE
LISTING THE TYPES OF
ORGANIZATIONS THAT THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT WAS GOING TO START
PAYING A CLOSER WATCH TO AND
LISTED AMONG ALL OF THESE
FRIGHTENING GROUPS THAT WE ALL
HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT WERE
ANTI-ABORTION PROTESTERS.
I SAID THERE THINKING GOT TO BE
CAREFUL ABOUT MIXING APPLES AND
ORANGES THERE.
YES, VIOLENT ANTI-ABORTION
PROTESTERS, YES, THEY’RE THERE.
BUT THERE IS A REAL DANGER OF
PEOPLE MOVING FROM THE ACTIONS
TO THE POLITICAL SPEECH.
TALK ABOUT THAT.
>> YEAH.
THAT’S THE CHALLENGE HERE.
I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU.
IT’S SORT OF BACK TO AMERICAN
BASICS.
ILLEGAL CONDUCT AND VIOLENCE IS
TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.
THAT FBI OFFICIAL AND MANY
OTHERS ARE EAGER TO ENFORCE THE
LAW.
BUT THERE’S THE DANGER OF
OVERKILL, OF SMEARING GROUPS.
I THINK THE LINE THAT PERSON
DREW ABOUT WE NEED THE POLITICAL
CLASS TO BRING DOWN THE RHETORIC
IS THE RIGHT ONE.
IF WE OVERREACT TO THIS, IF WE
NEED TO HAVE PUBLIC TRIALS OF
EVERYBODY THAT WAS, YOU KNOW,
ARRESTED AND INVOLVED IN THE
RIOT, THE INSURRECTION AT THE
CAPITOL.
BUT WE CAN’T HAVE EXCESSIVE
SECRECY OR I AGREE WITH YOU THE
SMEARING OF CERTAIN GROUPS THAT
HAVE NOT ENGAGED IN VIOLENCE.
>> DAVID, SUSAN DEL PERCIO HERE.
THE ONE THING I’M CURIOUS ABOUT.
IT SEEMS THERE’S A FINE LINE
BETWEEN AN ARMED PROTESTER AND A
DOMESTIC TERRORIST THESE DAYS.
AND IT’S HARD TO DEFINE WHICH
ONE IS WHICH ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU
HEAR SOME OF THE STORIES -- NOT
STORIES, THE CASE OF THE
MICHIGAN GOVERNOR, YOU KNOW,
HAVING BEEN TARGETED FOR
KIDNAPPING AND DEATH.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE
CAPITOLS THAT HAD TO BE BOARDED
UP BECAUSE THEY WERE WORRIED
ABOUT PEOPLE COMING WITH
FIREARMS BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT
BANNED.
HOW DO WE START TACKLING THAT
MORE DEFINITIVELY AND CALLING
PEOPLE WHO THEY ARE?
>> I THINK THIS IS THE
CHALLENGE.
THIS IS WHY I USE THE WORD
FRAUGHT.
IT’S LEGAL UNDER MICHIGAN LAW
AND IN SOME STATES FOR PEOPLE TO
BRING WEAPONS TO PROTESTS
OUTSIDE OF STATE CAPITOLS AND I
THINK EVEN INSIDE THEM.
SO THE POLITICAL CLASS NEEDS TO
START DRAFTING NEW LAWS TO
DECLARE WHEN IS IT APPROPRIATE
TO HAVE A WEAPON AND WHEN IT
ISN’T.
I THINK THE POLITICAL CLASS
NEEDS TO TALK ABOUT THE THIRD
PROBLEM HERE, IT IS WEAPONRY AND
WHAT’S GOING ON.
THAT’S A BIG ISSUE.
DISINFORMATION.
WE HAVE A CRISIS OF INFORMATION
IN THIS COUNTRY.
THE EARLIER SEGMENT ABOUT
MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE RAMPANT