CONNECTICUT'S FOURTH DISTRICT IN
THE U.S. HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, PLEASE WELCOME
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN JIM
HIMES!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
♪
WELCOME BACK TO THE SHOW.
>> THANK YOU, TREVOR.
>> Trevor: I WISH I WOULD MEET
YOU UNDER BETTER CIRCUMSTANCES.
IT FEELS LIKE I ALWAYS SEE YOU
AFTER A MASS SHOOTING.
>> YEP.
>> Trevor: IT FEELS LIKE
THERE'S ALWAYS A MASS SHOOTING
TO SEE YOU AFTER.
YOU TWEETED, AFTER THIS EVENT,
"NOW WE'RE OBSESSING WHETHER THE
NEVADA CARNAGE WAS TERRORISM.
IF WE DECIDE IT IS, WE'LL
MOBILIZE UNTOLD RESOURCES.
IF NOT, NOTHING ."
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT AND WHAT
DOES THAT MEAN?
>> I ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE THAT.
IT'S THE MOMENT IN THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES WHERE YOU WANT
TO SET YOUR HAIR ON FIRE BECAUSE
YOU'RE IN THE ONE SPACE IN
AMERICA WHERE 435 PEOPLE COULD
DO ONE HOUR'S WORK AND YOU'D
PASS STUFF THAT 90% OF AMERICANS
SUPPORT, LIKE UNIVERSAL
BACKGROUND CHECKS TO MAKE SURE
YOU'RE NOT A VIOLENT CRIMINAL OR
TERRORIST.
INSTEAD, WE STOP TALKING FOR TEN
SECONDS.
THAT'S WHAT WE OFFER TO THE
PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN SO
TRAUMATIZED WHICH THE EVENTS IN
LAS VEGAS, SANDY HOOK, ORLANDO.
IT'S THE DRUM BEAT OF THE
IMPOTENCE AND SILENCE THAT MAKES
MY HEAD EXPLODE.
>> Trevor: THIS IS THE SECOND
TIME YOU REFUSED TO PARTICIPATE
IN THE MOMENT OF SILENCE.
SOME PEOPLE WOULD SAY YOU'RE
DISRESPECTING THE VICTIMS.
WHY WOULDN'T YOU PARTICIPATE IN
THE MOMENT OF SILENCE CONGRESS
IS HOLDING?
>> ANYWHERE ELSE IN A ROTARY
CLUB, AT A BASEBALL GAME, DO A
MOMENT OF SILENCE.
IF YOU'RE IN THE ONE ROOM WHERE
YOU COULD START FIXING THIS
PROBLEM THAT NO OTHER COUNTRY
HAS THAT IS RESULTING IN 35,000
OR SO AMERICANS EVERY SINGLE
YEAR DYING AND WHAT YOUR ANSWER
IS, LET ME JUST STOP TALKING FOR
TEN SECONDS?
AND BY THE WAY THE FLAG AT THE
TOP OF OUR BUILDING, WE'RE GOING
TO DROP THAT DOWN 20 FEET,
THAT'S NEGLIGENCE.
THAT'S NOT HONORING ANYBODY.
HONORING THE VICTIMS WOULD MEAN
WE'RE GOING TO FIX THIS.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> Trevor: LET'S TALK ABOUT
THE ARGUMENTS AROUND THE
DISCUSSION BECAUSE THERE ARE
PEOPLE WHO WOULD SAY,
CONGRESSMAN, BACKGROUND CHECKS
WOULDN'T HAVE PREVENTED WHAT
HAPPENED IN LAS VEGAS.
THIS MAN WAS A LEGAL GUN OWNER.
THIS IS SOMEONE WHO HAD NO
RECORD OF ANYTHING, SO WHAT'S
THE POINT OF PASSING A UNIVERSAL
BACKGROUND CHECK?
>> WHICH IS TOOL NUMBER SEVEN IN
THE BIG TOOLBOX OF THINGS THAT
THE OPPONENTS OF ANY GUN SAFETY
AND THE CORE OF THAT IS THE
N.R.A. HAVE TO DISTRACT US TO
MAKE US FORGET, YOU TALKED ABOUT
IT EARLIER, YOU KNOW, THIS IS
NOT THE MOMENT TO HAVE A
POLITICIZED DISCUSSION.
IT'S FUNNY, AFTER 9/11, I DON'T
REMEMBER US SITTING BACK AND
SAYING LET'S LET A COUPLE OF
DAYS GO BY BEFORE WE FIGURE OUT
WHO DID THIS TO US AND HOW WE
OUGHT TO ADDRESS IT.
WHEN A HURRICANE STRIKES AN
ISLAND -- WELL, I GUESS THEY DID
LET A LITTLE TIME GO BY, BUT YOU
SHOULDN'T LET TIME GO BY.
THIS IS THE MOMENT IN WHICH THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE LOOKING TO
US FOR AN ANSWER AND SAYING THIS
PARTICULAR CASE WOULDN'T HAVE
BEEN SOLVED BY THINGS WE KNOW
WOULD DRAMATICALLY REDUCE GUN
VIOLENCE -- AGAIN,
UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECK,
PUTTING LIMITS ON THE KIND OF
WEAPONRY.
I'M A SECOND AMENDMENT GUY
MYSELF.
I SUPPORT THE SECOND AMENDMENT.
I ACTUALLY LIKE SHOOTING
FIREARMS.
I DON'T WANT TO TAKE AWAY
PEOPLE'S GUNS.
I JUST THINK THAT WE COULD CHECK
YOU OUT, THERE SHOULD BE LIMITS
ON THE GUNS YOU HAVE AND WE
SHOULD TAKE UP MENTAL HEALTH
CARE.
TWO-THIRDS OF THE GUN DEATHS IN
THIS COUNTRY ARE SUICIDES.
THAT SAYS THERE ARE A LOT OF
DISTRESSED PEOPLE OUT THERE YOU
WANT TO ADDRESS BUT ALSO MAKE IT
LESS EASY FOR THEM TO GET THE
TOOL TO END THEIR LIVES.
>> Trevor: DON'T YOU THINK
THAT'S THE ULTIMATE PARADOX FOR
AMERICANS IS A LOT OF TIME
YOU'RE IN THE PLACE WHERE WHERE
YOU SAY I LOVE THE SECOND
AMENDMENT, I LOVE SHOOTING GUNS,
I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE GUNS BUT
NOT CERTAIN GUNS AND NOT GUNS
FOR CERTAIN PEOPLE, HOW DO YOU
DEFINE WHO THOSE PEOPLE ARE AND
HOW DO YOU DEFINE WHAT THE
CERTAIN GUN IS BECAUSE IN
AMERICA, MOST GUN DEATHS COME
FROM HANDGUNS.
SO SOMEONE WOULD SAY BUT IT'S
NOT THE ASSAULT RIFE THAT CAUSES
THE MOST DEATHS.
MAYBE IT'S THE MOST GRUESOME
EXAMPLE OF PEOPLE BEING KILLED
BECAUSE SO MANY CAN BE KILLED AT
ONE TIME, BUT THE HANDGUN
BECOMES THE CULPRIT, SO WHICH
GUNS DO YOU TRY TO TAKE AWAY?
>> YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT,
ASSAULT WEAPONS WE TEND TO FOCUS
ON IN GRUESOME MOMENTS LIKE
SANDY HOOK AND ORLANDO, THEY CAN
CAUSE MASSIVE AMENTSZ OF DAMAGE
LIKE WE SAW IN LAS VEGAS.
BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, THE NUMBER ONE
SOURCE OF GUN DES IN THIS
COUNTRY IS SUICIDE.
>> Trevor: RIGHT.
>> BUT I REALLY OBJECT TO THE
IDEA THAT, OKAY, WE SHOULDN'T
FOCUS ON ASSAULT WEAPONS.
AUSTRALIA IN 1996 HAD A BRUTAL,
BRUTAL, VIOLENT MASS SHOOTING
AND THEY TOOK ACTION AGAINST
THESE WEAPONS THAT CAN KILL A
LOT OF PEOPLE QUICKLY.
SINCE THEN, THEY'VE REALLY HAD
NO MASS SHOOTING INCIDENT.
SO THAT'S A PART OF IT.
BUT IT CAN'T BE, WELL, WE
SHOULDN'T DEAL WITH ASSAULT
WEAPONS BECAUSE MOST OF THE
DEATHS AROUND GUNS ARE SUICIDES,
WE SHOULD ALSO DEAL WITH THAT.
>> Trevor: REALISTICALLY,
WHERE FROM HERE?
IF YOU'RE IN A SITUATION WHERE
CHILDREN, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS,
PEOPLE AT A MUSIC FESTIVAL HAVE
BEEN SHOT, IF NOTHING GETS DONE,
THEN REALISTICALLY, WHAT COULD
PEOPLE TO?
HOW DO YOU MOVE THAT
CONVERSATION FORWARD?
>> WELL, THIS IS A CASE WHERE
THE FACTS ARE ON THE SIDE OF
THOSE PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT
REASONABLE RESTRICTIONS,
REASONABLE GUN SAFETY MEASURES,
THE PEOPLE ARE ON THE SIDE.
MANY MEASURES ARE SUPPORTED BY
80 AND 90% OF THE POPULATION
INCLUDING MOST GUN OWNERS.
I THINK THE BEST ANSWER TO YOUR
QUESTION IS THE KIND OF
ACTIVISM, THE KIND OF
MOBILIZATION THAT WE SAW -- THAT
WE'VE SEEN FOR A LONG TIME BUT
THAT IN PARTICULAR THAT WE SAW
THAT PREVENTED THE REPEAL OF THE
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, THE
ATTEMPTS WERE THERE AND THERE
AND THERE, AND PEOPLE SHOWING UP
AT TOWN HALL MEETINGS SAYING
DON'T TAKE AWAY HEALTH CARE FROM
20 MILLION PEOPLE, IF PEOPLE
SHOW UP AT TOWN HALL MEETINGS TO
THEIR REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVES
AND SAY I'M NOT GOING TO ACCEPT
THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME TO TALK
ABOUT THIS, PEOPLE ARE DYING,
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT
IT?
IF PEOPLE SHOW UP, OVER TIME,
OPPONENTS ON ANY PROGRESS ON
THIS ISSUE WILL NECESSARILY
LISTEN.
>> Trevor: THANKS SO MUCH FOR
JOINING ME ON THE SHOW.