THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CELLINGTY
O’GRADY IN DAVOS, FOLLOWING ALL
OF THAT.
WE’RE E GETTING SOME UPDATES ON
THIS SCHOOL SHOOTING AND EXACTLY
WHO KNEW WHAT AND WHEN,
CONFLICTING STORIES AS TO HOW
LONG THE ASSAILANT WAS IN THE
SCHOOL.
WE’RE TOLD UPWARDS OF AN HOUR
BEFORE AUTHORITIES BROKE IN AND
STOPPED HIM COLD.
BUT AGAIN, THE TIMELINE IS VERY,
VERY DIFFICULT.
WITH US RIGHT NOW IS RON
JOHNSON, WISCONSIN REPUBLICAN
SENATOR, SITS ON THE HOMELAND
SECURITY COMMITTEE, FOREIGN
RELATIONS COMMITTEE, BUDGET
COMMITTEE.
A LOT OF CRUCIAL COMMITTEES.
SENATOR, GOOD TO HAVE YOU.
>> HELLO, NEIL.
HOPE YOU’RE WELL.
NEIL: I HOPE YOU ARE AS WELL.
LET’S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT I
KNOW BOTH PARTIES HAVE VERY
DIFFERENT VIEWS ON HOW TO
ADDRESS SHOOTINGS LIKE WE SAW
UNFOLD IN TEXAS, BUT THERE IS
TALK OF A MIDDLE GROUND AMONG
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS.
YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MIDDLE GROUND
IS?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THERE’S
NOTHING PARTISAN ABOUT A HOW
AMERICA IS GRIEVING FOLLOWING
ANOTHER ONE OF THESE TRAGEDIES.
THERE THE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF
PIECES OF LEGISLATION OFFERED BY
REPUBLICANS ON THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE TO, YOU KNOW, CLOSE
SOME GAPS IN SOME OF OUR GUN
LAWS, BUT THE DEMOCRATS HAVE
ALWAYS REJECTED THOSE.
IT’S ALWAYS THEIR WAY OR THE
HIGHWAY.
WHAT HAPPENED ON THE FLOOR OF
THE SENATE YESTERDAY IS JUST A
CLASSIC EXAMPLE.
I WAS WORKING WITH THE PARENTS
OF TWO OF THE PARKLAND VICTIMS
ON CRAFTING A PIECE OF
LEGISLATION THAT WAS ACTUALLY
GOOD ENOUGH THAT THE THE
PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION SET UP
THE CLEARINGHOUSE.
THIS IS CALLED THE LUKE AND ALEX
SCHOOL SAFETY ACT, ESTABLISHES A
CLEARINGHOUSE OF SCHOOL SAFETY
BEST PRACTICES.
THIS WOULD HAVE CODIFIED IT.
THESE PARENTS HAVE BEEN LOOKING
TO PASS THIS BILL, CODIFY IT FOR
YEARS.
I THOUGHT, IN CONSULTATION WITH
THOSE PARENTS, THAT PERHAPS WE
COULD GET THIS PASSED BY
UNANIMOUS CONCEPT, BUT CHUCK
SCHUMER POLITICIZED IT AND
OBJECTED TO IT.
IT’S JUST SAD.
NEIL: ALL RIGHT.
I’M WONDERING, REPUBLICANS AND
DEMOCRATS -- AGAIN, IT’S STILL
EARLY, SENATOR, TO YOUR POINT --
ARE RALLYING AROUND A MEASURE
THAT WOULD NOT ONLY ADDRESS SOME
OF THE SAFETY IN SCHOOL ISSUES
AS A SINGLE POINT OF ENTRANCE
AND ALL OF THAT, BUT LIMITING
GUNS SOLD TO THOSE UNDER THE AGE
OF 21, FOR EXAMPLE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?
>> WELL, AGAIN, THAT WASN’T PART
OF MY PIECE OF LEGISLATION.
YOU KNOW, MY PIECE OF
LEGISLATION WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY
DIRECTED PEOPLE, SCHOOLS TO
GOVERNMENT GRANTS SO THEY COULD
FUND SOME OF THESE SCHOOL SAFETY
INITIATIVES.
SO, YOU KNOW, FROM MY STANDPOINT
GUN LAWS OUGHT TO BE, BASICALLY,
STATE-BASED.
LET STATES DECIDE WHAT THEY WANT
TO DO IN THEIR PARTICULAR
STATES.
AND THOSE GUN LAWS WE ALREADY
KNOW VARY WIDELY AROUND THE
COUNTRY.
THAT’S REALLY THE PLACE TO ENACT
THESE THINGS AS OPPOSED TO SOME
NATIONAL STANDARD WHICH, LET’S
BE REALISTIC, I DON’T THINK
THERE’S A SOLUTION HERE IN THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
THERE ARE VERY FEW SOLUTIONS
HERE IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
I THINK THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
EITHER CAUSES OR EXACERBATES
MORE PROBLEMS THAN THE IT EVER
SOLVES.
NEIL: CAN YOU EVER -- AND I KNOW
YOU DON’T SEE IT AS A GUN-ONLY
ISSUE, SENATOR, BUT WE TALK
ABOUT A NUMBER OF REPUBLICANS
THAT ESPOUSE THIS IS A MENTAL
HEALTH ISSUE, GOVERNOR ABBOTT
WAS SAYING WE DON’T ADDRESS IT
ENOUGH, BUT YOU COULD MAKE THE
SAME ARGUMENT A MENTAL HEALTH
ISSUES ARE RAMPANT ACROSS THE
GLOBE, BUT THEY DON’T HAVE THE
PERCENTAGE OF SHOOTINGS, THE
SEVERITY THAT WE DO.
NEW ZEALAND WASN’T IMMUNE TO
THAT, SOME OF THE STRICTEST GUN
CONTROL LAWS ON ON THE PLANET,
AND YET 50 PLUS PEOPLE WERE
KILLED A FEW YEARS AGO.
SO WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE AND WHETHER
THAT HAS GOT TO BE PART OF WHERE
WE GO FROM HERE?
>> THAT IS THE PROBLEM.
YOU KNOW, THERE’S A SICKNESS IN
OUR SOCIETY.
I’VE ALWAYS SAID OVERALL THE
SOLUTION IS RENEWED FAITH,
STRONGER FAMILIES, MORE
SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITIES.
I DON’T THINK IT’S HELPFUL THAT
KIDS ARE SPENDING SO MUCH TIME
IN FRONT OF A COMPUTER SCREEN,
YOU KNOW?
PLAYING THESE GAMES, BEING
ALIENATED, BULLYING ON SOCIAL
MEDIA PLATFORMS.
WE NEED TO RE-EXAMINE -- WE NEED
TO, YOU KNOW, REENGAGE INTO
SOCIETY, HAVE MORE EVENTS PERSON
TO PERSON.
THIS IS A SOCIETY-WIDE PROBLEM,
A SOCIETY-WIDE SICKNESS THAT IS
NOT GOING TO BE SOLVED BY SOME
GUN LAW, ADDITIONAL GUN LAWS
HERE IN WASHINGTON, D.C..
NEIL: DO YOU THINK THERE ARE
SOME PEOPLE, THOUGH, THAT
SHOULDN’T HAVE.
GUNS?
>> OBVIOUSLY.
YOU KNOW --
[LAUGHTER]
FORMER FELONS THAT HAVE USED
THEM TO COMMIT CRIMES, PEOPLE
THAT ARE TRULY MENTALLY ILL.
BUT THERE ARE ISSUES IN TERMS OF
HOW YOU MAKE THAT DETERMINATION.
THESE ARE HARD THINGS TO
DETERMINE.
NEIL: BUT THIS FELLOW IN TEXAS,
SALVADOR RAMOS, HE LEGALLY
BOUGHT HIS TWO GUNS.
>> RIGHT -- THE.
NEIL: NOW, WE DIDN’T HAVE THE
PAPER TRAIL AND THE RECORD, TO
YOUR POINT, BUT DO YOU THINK
THAT THAT WOULD REQUIRE MAYBE
STIFFER BACKGROUND CHECKS?
>> YOU KNOW, NO MATTER WHAT YOU
DO, PEOPLE FALL THROUGH THE
CRACKS.
YOU CAN’T IDENTIFY ALL THESE
PROBLEMS.
YOU CAN’T ARREST SOMEBODY FOR A
CRIME THEY HAVEN’T COMMITTED
YET.
THESE ARE DIFFICULT ISSUES.
BUT, AGAIN, THE SOLUTION LIES IN
STRONGER FAMILIES, MORE
SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITIES.
I WOULD ARGUE RENEWED FAITH.
WE’VE LOST THAT.
WE STOPPED TEACHING VALUES IN SO
MANY OF OUR SCHOOLS.
NOW WE’RE TEACHING WOKENESS.
WE’RE INDOCTRINATING OUR
CHILDREN WITH THINGS LIKE CRT,
TELLING SOME CHILDREN THEY’RE
NOT EQUAL TO OTHERS AND THEY’RE
THE CAUSE OF OTHER PEOPLE’S
PROBLEMS --
NEIL: BUT --
[INAUDIBLE CONVERSATIONS]
NEIL: -- LONG BEFORE CRT.
>> WELL, I THINK CRT’S BEEN
GOING ON UNDER THE RADAR FOR
QUITE SOME TIME AS WELL,
WOKENESS HAS BEEN, LIBERAL
INDOCTRINATION HAS BEEN.
THIS IS A MUCH LARGER ISSUE THAN
WHAT A SIMPLE NEW GUN LAW’S
GOING TO -- IT’S NOT GOING TO
SOLVE IT.
IT’S NOT GOING TO SOLVE IT.