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>> I DON'T THINK IT'S POSSIBLE.
I THINK IT'S EXTRAORDINARILY
DIFFICULT TO DO.
TO CHANGE THE CONSTITUTION, I
DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE
ACCOMPLISHED.
>> I THINK DOING AWAY WITH THE
SECOND AMENDMENT WOULD CLEARLY
INCREASE VIOLENCE.
TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU DISARM
LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS, YOU MAKE
IT EASIER FOR CRIMINALS TO GO
AND COMMIT CRIMES.
>> Bret: GETTING RID OF THE
SECOND AMENDMENT.
ALL OF THESE PROTESTERS COME ALL
THE PEOPLE TAKING TO THE STREET
SAID THAT WAS NOT THE MAIN
PURPOSE, BUT YET IT HAS COME UP
FORMER SUPREME COURT JUSTICE
STEVENS, JOHN PAUL STEVENS,
WRITING AN OP-ED IN
"THE NEW YORK TIMES."
IN 2008, THE SUPREME COURT
OVERTURNED CHIEF JUSTICE
BURGER'S LONG UNDERSTANDING OF
THE SECOND AMENDMENT'S REACH BY
THE RULING THAT THERE WAS AN
INDIVIDUAL RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS.
THAT DECISION WHICH I REMAINED
CONVINCED WAS WRONG AND
CERTAINLY WAS DEBATABLE HAS
PROVIDED THE NRA WITH A
PROPAGANDA WEAPON OF IMMENSE
POWER, OVERTURNING THAT DECISION
VIA CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO
GET RID OF THE SECOND AMENDMENT
WOULD BE SIMPLE AND WOULD DO
MORE TO WEAKEN THE NRA'S ABILITY
TO'S TINY LEGISLATIVE DEBATE AND
BLOCK CONSTRUCTIVE GUN-CONTROL
LEGISLATION THAN ANY OTHER
AVAILABLE OPTION."
WELL, WHAT ABOUT THAT?
LET'S BRING THE PANEL.
FORMER CIA ANALYST AND
NATIONALLY SYNDICATED RADIO HOST
BUCK SEXTON.
CATHERINE LUCEY CANNOT
WHITE HOUSE REPORTER.
KIMBERLEY STRASSEL, A MEMBER OF
THE EDITORIAL BOARD AT
"THE WALL STREET JOURNAL" ."
I SAID, IS THIS REAL?
CERTAINLY DID.
>> I THINK JUSTICE STEVENS GOT
TO USE TO ONLY HAVING TO GET
FIVE VOTES.
OBVIOUSLY REPEALING ON THE
MOVEMENT AND REPEALING ONE
THAT'S AS BELOVED IN MANY STATES
AS THIS ONE WOULD REQUIRE SUPER
MAJORITIES OF THE STATES TO SIGN
ON.
IT'S AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK.
FOR THAT MATTER, EVEN GETTING
SOME OF THE PROPOSALS THAT HAVE
BEEN PUT FORWARD BY THESE GROUPS
THAT WANT TO GUN-CONTROL, THEY
ARE NOWHERE NEAR IT.
AS DIANNE FEINSTEIN HAS
INTIMATED IN THE SENATE.
LAST TIME THEY TRIED TO DO IT,
THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN LUCKY TO
HAVE GOTTEN 40 VOTES.
IN THAT WAY, NOT MUCH HAS
CHANGED POLITICALLY IN
WASHINGTON.
>> Bret: CATHERINE, DOES THIS
HURT THE EFFORT WE JUST SAW WITH
THE PAST FEW DAYS THAT NOW THIS
LEFT, LIBERAL JUSTICE WHO WAS
APPOINTED AND NOMINATED BY A
REPUBLICAN, IS SUGGESTING GET
RID OF THE SECOND AMENDMENT.
>> I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO NOTE
IS THAT NONE -- WE HAVEN'T HEARD
FROM ORGANIZERS OF THE MARCH OR
THE LEADERS ON THIS ISSUE.
REALLY BACKING THIS IDEA.
I LOOKED A LITTLE BIT ON TWITTER
TO SEE WHO IS GETTING ON BOARD.
ONE OF THE STUDENTS WHO WAS A
KEY MEMBER OF THE MARCH
ORGANIZERS, TWEETED TODAY THAT
THIS WASN'T SOMETHING HE WAS
LOOKING FOR.
IT'S CLEAR THERE ARE PEOPLE
TRYING TO PUT SOME DISTANCE
BETWEEN THEMSELVES AND THIS
STATEMENT.
THAT SAID, IT DOES PLAY INTO THE
ARGUMENT YOU WILL HEAR FROM GUN
OWNERS IN THE NATIONAL RIFLE
ASSOCIATION.
THIS ANXIETY THAT THE REAL
AGENDA FROM SOME OF THESE
GUN-CONTROL ADVOCATES IS TO TRY
AND REPEAL THE SECOND AMENDMENT.
>> Bret: YEAH, BOCK.
>> I HAVE TO SAY THERE IS A
CONTINUED ANXIETY BECAUSE WE
KEEP SEEING INSTANCES LIKE THIS
WHERE PROMINENT VOICES FROM THE
LEFT OR FROM THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY WHO SAY WHAT WE ALL THINK
THEY BELIEVE WHICH IS THAT THEY
WOULD LIKE THERE TO BE IF NOT AN
OUTRIGHT BAN, SOMETHING CLOSE TO
A BAN ON PRIVATE FIREARMS.
IT'S ONLY THE -- WE OFTEN HEAR
ABOUT INCREMENTAL CHANGES,
PEOPLE WILL TALK ABOUT
COMMON SENSE GUN REFORM.
THEN THERE WON'T BE A CONSENSUS
ON WHAT THOSE REFORMS WOULD BE.
IF THEY ARE SO OBVIOUS AND SO
COMMON SENSE, ONE WOULD THINK
THEY COULD GET ON THE SAME SHEET
OF MUSIC.
I WALKED THROUGH ONE OF THESE
PROTEST MARCHES IN NEW YORK AND
THERE WERE SIGNS ABOUT BANNING
AR-15s.
THERE WAS A SIGN I SAW THAT SAID
"TRUMP KILLS KIDS."
IT'S OVER HEATED AND OVER THE
LINE.
THE EDITORIAL, THEY MISS --
MISSED IDENTIFIED THE WEAPON AS
A RIFLE WHEN IT WAS A MUSKET.
FOR THOSE OF US WHO WATCH THE
DEBATE CLOSELY, IT'S NOT
SURPRISING FROM
"THE NEW YORK TIMES."
STILL AND HERE ARE SOME OF THE
SOUND OF A PRESIDENT BRINGING UP
THE SECOND AMENDMENT AS WE'VE
HEARD OVER RECENT WEEKS.
>> THEY WILL TAKE AWAY YOUR
SECOND AMENDMENT.
>> WE ARE NOT TRYING TO TAKE UP
OF THESE GUNS AWAY.
THE NRA WANTS EVERYBODY TO THINK
THAT.
>> THERE IS NO ONE WHO LOVES THE
SECOND AMENDMENT MORE THAN I DO.
>> THESE YOUNG PEOPLE, THESE
LEADERS ARE MAKING IT CLEAR THE
FALSE CHOICE TO SUGGEST YOU'RE
EITHER IN FAVOR OF THE SECOND
AMENDMENT OR YOU WANT TO TAKE
EVERYONE'S GUNS AWAY.
>> Bret: KIMBERLEY, IS THERE A
WAY TO GET THE DEBATE TO A PLACE
WHERE SOMETHING ACTUALLY HAPPENS
IN CONGRESS?
>> IN THE SHORT-TERM, NO.
I THINK THAT'S THE IMPORTANT
THING FOR EVERYONE TO
UNDERSTAND.
IN CONGRESS, DESPITE EVERYONE
TALKING ABOUT HOW THESE MARCHERS
SIGNAL SOME NEW FRONT AND SOME
NEW CHANGE IN THE POLITICS, THE
REALITY IS, IN WASHINGTON THIS
IS PROBABLY THE MOST
PRO-SECOND AMENDMENT REPUBLICAN
CONGRESS POTENTIALLY IN HISTORY.
NOBODY IS GOING ON THE ROAD OF
ASSAULT WEAPONS BANS.
THEY PASSED THE FIX NICS BILL
WHICH DOES SURE UP SOME THINGS.
MANY FEEL CONFIDENT IT PROVIDES
THEM A WAY OF SAYING THEY ARE
DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS
ISSUE.
THEY ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE UP
ANY LEGISLATION ON THIS.
THE QUESTION IS WHETHER OR NOT
THIS PLAYS SOME WAY IN THE
MIDTERMS IN THE FALL.
WHETHER OR NOT IT POTENTIALLY
HURTS SENATE DEMOCRATS UP FOR
REELECTION IN TRUMP STATES OR
WHETHER IT POTENTIALLY HURTS
REPUBLICANS WHO ARE IN SUBURBAN
DISTRICTS WHERE THERE MAY BE A
LOT OF WOMEN VOTERS OR OTHERS
WATCHING IT AND THEY ARE NOT AS
COMMITTED TO SECOND AMENDMENT
ISSUES.
WE WON'T KNOW THAT UNTIL
NOVEMBER.
>> Bret: HOW MANY TIMES,
CATHERINE, DO YOU THINK WE WILL
HEAR "DO YOU AGREE WITH JOHN
PAUL STEVENS?
A TALKING POINT ABSOLUTELY.
TO KIMBERLEY'S POINT, IN THE
SHORT TERM WE ARE NOT LIKELY TO
SEE SWEEPING CHANGE.
THE OMNIBUS HAD SOME INCREMENTAL