♪ We are Farmers. Bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪
bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ REPORT TONIGHT ON GUN SAFETY
REFORM.
REFORM. I SAY GUN SAFETY, NOT GUN
CONTROL BECAUSE WHILE BANNING
CERTAIN GUNS REMAINS
CONTROVERSIAL, PREVENTING
CONTROVERSIAL, PREVENTING CERTAIN PEOPLE FROM BUYING GUNS
NOT CONTROVERSIAL AT ALL.
WE ARE A NATION DIVIDED OVER ALL
KINDS OF STUFF FROM TRUMP TO
ABORTION.
ABORTION. BUT THERE’S UNITY.
NINE OUT OF TEN SUPPORT
BACKGROUND CHECKS TO EXCLUDE
DANGEROUS PEOPLE FROM BUYING A
GUN BECAUSE YOU’RE USING THE GUN
TO MAKE SURE ONLY LAW ABIDEING
PEOPLE TO GET GUNS AND MOST
PEOPLE FIND THAT LOGICAL.
AFTER SEVERAL MASS SHOOTINGS
DONALD TRUMP HAS CLAIMED TO
AGREE WITH THE MAJORITY OF
AMERICANS ONLY TO BACKTRACK.
>> THERE’S A VERY STRONG
APPETITE FOR BACKGROUND CHECKS
AND I THINK WE CAN BRING UP
BACKGROUND CHECKS LIKE WE’VE
NEVER HAD BEFORE.
WE HAVE TO HAVE MEANINGFUL
BACKGROUND CHECKS.
BACKGROUND CHECKS. >> WE DON’T WANT TO SEE CRAZY
PEOPLE OWNING GUNS.
I ALSO WANT TO REMEMBER THAT
MENTAL ILLNESS IS SOMETHING
NOBODY WANTS TO TALK ABOUT.
>> WE HAVE VERY, VERY STRONG
BACKGROUND CHECKS RIGHT NOW.
A LOT OF THE PEOPLE THAT PUT ME
WHERE I AM ARE STRONG BELIEVERS
IN THE SECOND AMENDMENT AND I AM
ALSO.
ALSO. AND WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL
ABOUT THAT.
ABOUT THAT. THEY CALL IT THE SLIPPERY SLOPE.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, EVERYTHING GETS
TAKEN AWAY.
TAKEN AWAY. >> SO THAT’S TRUMP.
THAT’S HIS FLIP-FLOP.
BUT RICK ROSS SAYS SOME THINGS
ARE DEEPER THAN RAP.
SOME THINGS ARE DEEPER THAN
TRUMP BECAUSE WHILE HE DID THAT
IN DAYS REPUBLICANS IN THE NRA
HAVE MADE THE SAME FLIP-FLOP
SHIFT, THEY JUST TOOK YEARS
AFTER THE COLUMBINE SHOOTING IN
1999, GUN VIOLENCE WAS A FLASH
POINT.
POINT. NINE OUT OF TEN AMERICANS STILL
WANTED TO CLOSE THE GUN SHOW
LOOPHOLE, IDENTICAL NOW.
THE HISTORY AT THE TIME, 31
SENATE REPUBLICANS VOTED IN
SUPPORT OF BACKGROUND CHECKS
WITH THE NRA’S SUPPORT INCLUDING
MITCH McCONNELL.
MITCH McCONNELL. THAT DOESN’T MEAN THEY MADE
BACKGROUND CHECKS A REALITY.
REPUBLICANS CAST THOSE VOTES IN
A PROCESS WHERE THEN OTHER
REPUBLICANS BLOCKS THE BILL FROM
BECOMING LAW BECAUSE THE HOUSE
VOTED DOWN.
VOTED DOWN. 13 YEARS AFTER COLUMBINE,
ANOTHER MASSACRE AT SANDY HOOK.
AND LOOK AT THE POLLING PATTERN,
IF YOU CHECKS AT THE TIME,
AGAIN, THE VAST MAJORITY OF
AMERICANS AND GUN OWNERS STILL
SUPPORTED BACKGROUND CHECKS.
BUT WITH A DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT
IN BARACK OBAMA AND A WIDER PUSH
FOR REFORM, THERE WAS MORE
PROSPECT THE BILL COULD BECOME
LAW AND DA DA DA, THE
REPUBLICANS SHIFTED.
REPUBLICANS SHIFTED. THIS TIME ONLY FOUR REPUBLICANS
IN THE SENATE VOTED FOR THOSE
BACKGROUND CHICKS.
BACKGROUND CHICKS. McCONNELL SWITCHED HIS VOTE TO
NO.
NO. MATCHING THAT WIDER SHIFT I
MENTIONED FROM THE NRA.
SOME PEOPLE FORGET ALL THIS
HISTORY.
HISTORY. IT’S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND
TODAY’S STANDOFF.
TODAY’S STANDOFF. THE HEAD OF THE NRA, WAYNE LA
PEA PIERRE FACED CONGRESS AFTER
COLUMBINE AND HE SUPPORTED
BACKGROUND CHECKS.
BACKGROUND CHECKS. THIS WAS BACK WHEN HE WAS THE
NRA VICE PRESIDENT.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT’S
REASONABLE AND WHAT’S NOT.
WE THINK IT’S REASONABLE TO
PROVIDE MANDATORY INSTANT
CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR
EVERY SALE AT EVERY GUN SHOW.
NO LOOPHOLES ANYWHERE FOR
ANYONE.
ANYONE. >> LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT’S
REASONABLE.
REASONABLE. AND HE’S UNDER OATH FACING THE
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. BY THE TIME PRESIDENT OBAMA WAS
PUSHING WHAT YOU MIGHT CALL THAT
REASONABLE PLAN AFTER SANDY
HOOK, LaPIERRE HAD A NEW LINE.
>> SO LET ME ASK YOU THIS.
DO YOU STILL AS YOU DID IN 1999
STILL SUPPORT MANDATORY
BACKGROUND CHES AT GUN SHOWS?
>> I DO NOT BELIEVE THE WAY THE
LAW IS WORKING NOW
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT IT DOES ANY
GOOD TO EXTEND THE LAW TO
PRIVATE SALES BETWEEN HOBBYISTS
AND COLLECTORS.
AND COLLECTORS. >> YOU DO NOT SUPPORT MANDATORY
BACKGROUND CHECKS IN ALL
INSTANCES AT GUN SHOWS?
>> WE DO NOT.
>> WE DO NOT.
THIS IS REALLY BIG.
TAKE THIS IN.
IT’S BECOME PRETTY COMMON TO
NOTE THE NRA DOESN’T REPRESENT
ALL AMERICANS OR GUN OWNERS OR
EVEN MOST GUN OWNERS WHEN IT
COMES TO BACKGROUND CHECKS.
WHAT YOU’RE SEEING HERE IS IT’S
DEEPER PERFORM THE NRA DOESN’T
EVEN REPRESENT ITSELF BECAUSE
LIKE THAT REPUBLICAN SENATE
CAUCUS, IT’S BEEN ON BOTH SIDES
OF THIS BACKGROUND CHECK ISSUE.
WHY?
WHY? WELL, THERE ALREADY PLENTY OF
CRITICS AND EXPERTS ON THIS THE
PEOPLE WHO WORK ON IT DAY IN AND
DAY OUT WHO TELL US IT’S EASIER
TO SUPPORT SOMETHING IN
WASHINGTON WHEN IT HAS NO CHANCE
IN PASSING.
IN PASSING. A POLITICIAN CAN SAY I’M WITH
NINE OUT OF TEN VOTERS AND THEY
GO ASSURE THE NRA IT DOESN’T
MATTER.
MATTER. MAYBE THE NRA AND SHOWS SENATORS
CLAIMED TO SUPPORT THE
BACKGROUND CHECKS BECAUSE THEY
HAD REASON TO BELIEVE THOSE WOES
NEVER BECOME A REALITY.
IT’S AN ECHO OF HOW MANY
REPUBLICANS USED TO CLAIM THEY
WERE FOR FREE MARKET HEALTH CARE
SOLUTIONS AND OBAMA CAME ALONG
AND PUSHED THAT IDEA FOR
OBAMACARE AND SUDDENLY THEY
OPPOSED IT.
OPPOSED IT. THERE’S SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON
HERE.
HERE. THAT IS EXACTLY WHY SOME GUN
SAFETY ADVOCATES SAY THERE’S A
SLIVER OF GOOD NEWS FOR THEIR
CAUSE.
CAUSE. THEY SAY THIS DEBATE IS EXPOSING
SOME OF THEIR OPPONENTS BECAUSE
OF THE POLICY PROGRESS BECAUSE
THEY’RE GETTING CLOSER JUST LIKE
SO MANY STATES ARE GETTING
CLOSER AND HAVE EVEN PASSED GUN
SAFETY REFORMS JUST IN THE LAST
YEAR IN 2018.
AND THAT RAISES A LARGER
QUESTION.
QUESTION. CAN THESE OPPONENTS OF REFORM
CONTINUE TO RESIST THAT NINE OUT
OF TEN POLITICAL GRAVITY ON THIS
ISSUE THAT IS BEING EXPOSED IN
PUBLIC, CAN THEY FACE DOWN 90%
OF THE VOTING PUBLIC AND THEIR
OWN RECORDS AND THEIR OWN SOUND