we're calling it America under assault
the gun crisis it's been a tough week
but we should not waste this moment so
let's take a breath and let's talk and
take the time to listen we've put
together a beautiful program for you
tonight with some of the most prominent
voices and they have very different
ideas about protecting our society from
gun violence and I am surrounded by a
gift tonight the strength of survivors
the same kind of strength I saw on the
ground in El Paso this audience traveled
from far and wide and mostly in lousy
weather so thank you for dealing with
the elements and they did so to
represent their communities how do we
heal when this happens to us no one and
nowhere is immune el paso Dayton Sandy
Hook parkland Las Vegas Virginia Tech
Columbine Chicago many of the people
here survived the bullets that tore
through their bodies change their lives
and change their communities many lost
loved ones some are now advocates for
reform some work in the firearm industry
others work to limit that industry's
reach we also invited the National Rifle
Association the NRA to be part of
tonight's conversation they declined
they sent a totally disingenuous
statement that they're open to honest
discussion but not this spectacle that's
what you call this a spectacle I guess
they want to do their talking with
propaganda ads and millions in lobbying
besides let's be honest the gun lobby is
not going to be the answer and that
shouldn't be expected any more than we
expected big tobacco to help us expose
the ills of smoking the reality is
people like you are the answer and there
can be no sides when it comes to wanting
to be safer better protected that just
can't be not anymore so let's use this
moment let's connect and confront what
should be obvious by now the only
special interest involved tonight is our
collective interest in dying less this
way I want to start by showing you what
weapons are we talking about for some in
this room I totally understand if you
don't want to look at these images I get
it but as you know I think we have
allowed too many outside this room to
hide from the reality for too long so
these are law enforcement photos of the
actual weapons you
in American massacres they're not models
they're evidence the photos you're
looking at they can be called weapons of
war they are certainly responsible for
132 deaths
they're not for hunting they're easily
modified accessorized they can hold a
hundred bullets like we just saw in
Dayton they're not subject to the kinds
of restrictions that we put on handguns
in most places so let's talk about why
we are here and why we can't seem to get
anywhere better to do that I'm gonna
start with those who have lived this
crisis we have Christine lining him her
son Christopher went by Drew he was one
of the 49 murdered in that pulse
nightclub attack in Orlando David Cole
bad shot eight times inside the First
Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs
Texas we got JT Lewis he lost his
brother Jesse at Sandy Hook Elementary
he was one of the 20 first graders
murdered there
JT's 19 he's running for state Senate
and Connecticut and he's running as a
Republican I want to welcome each and
all of you good luck to you and thank
you it's good to see you thank you for
being here all right I want to start
with a little bit of news
so in El Paso the family came forward
and said we don't know where he learned
these things let's take them at face
value they say we raised him with love
and kindness who knows what happened
between when he was in their house and
his early 20s the mother then says but I
did contact the police a few weeks ago
before the shooting obviously right
because she was concerned about her son
owning an a k-type firearm she didn't
say
and he has this darks because they say
they didn't know and she doesn't and he
doesn't seem right but she said I don't
know about him having something like
this he's only 21 I don't even know that
he knows how to use it now the
interesting gap to me and Christine I
want your take on this first is the
officer doesn't take any next step and
I'm not faulting the office or the rules
and the processes are what they are
there is no well let me talk to him
well let me see why he got it well let's
see what he's doing with this there is
none of that
what do you see and what we know and
what we don't well first of all I don't
think he's any more or less indicative
of most angry
mad American males I mean there should
be a museum no ma'am
in DC or to the museum of mad American
meals and they want to put their hatred
somewhere and they look online so I can
give her some credit as a mother because
from what I'm just from my research and
I've only been in this for three years
researching it since my son's death but
I see that these kids they're so many of
them get radicalized online and it
doesn't matter if they're southerners
maybe they're gonna put their hatred in
that Confederate flag if they got some
kind of European descent they might
become a neo-nazi but imagine if you had
a next step David like you know so you
get told this the family's concerned
there are countries like Canada you know
not like the most remote place in the
world where you'd get a phone call um
hey uh your family's a little worried
that you bought this a or why'd you buy
it what are you doing with it how you
doing what do you think about the
practicality of something like that well
it's like a red flag law right it is it
would be a lesser standard right because
a red flag law is where you have seen in
the state seventeen or so that have it
right one of the problems is the idea of
a federal one I don't know the the legal
mechanism for that it's usually by
States but it is you call and say I know
Chris well he's not doing well he's off
his meds he's saying crazy things he's a
danger to himself he's a danger to
others and that would trigger no pun
intended that would activate a
withdrawal of my right to have the guns
for a certain amount of time so this
would be short of that but if the
mother's worried and then person has
something like this what is the
plus/minus on putting another step in
the process
well perhaps the mother or the father
should have if they know the kid well
they're living at home should have maybe
did more check-in and following what's
going on with him but the other thing
would be is there a possibility that
he's always saying maybe a police
officer could have went out above on his
on his own time or or above the call to
to check into it because he was worried
because the mother was worried I mean I
guess that's good are you asking me do I
think there should be a law where we
could intercept that I'm gonna surprise
you with this answer I think I think
there needs to be something looked into
on that line carefully and I think this
is some ground that we're treading that
I'm a staunch supporter of our
Constitution so I would be real careful
about treading on that ground like that
right
well don't want to take this on you want
to go in you want to run for office you
want to be part of the change these are
the kinds of questions yeah what should
happen when a parent calls this kid has
no diagnosis yeah he is not a threat as
far as she knows she just doesn't like
what she's seeing is that anything of
any interest to our laws yes so it
really does get into the red flag
territory that the president's I've been
talking about recently something that we
do need to look at if you look at the
history of it the shooters do give
indications that they're about to pull
something off like this in Sandy Hook
the shooter actually wrote something
called the book of granny when he was in
a first-grade classroom this same glass
classroom that my brother was in my
brother was murdered in this was about a
witch
who went into the classroom her
broomstick opened up into a
semi-automatic rifle and killed kids the
teachers got ahold of this book and they
didn't do anything about it and we let
him fall through the cracks and this is
very common and the same thing in
parkland the shooter posted videos about
wanting to carry out a mass murder to
make him himself famous
so to say and and I appreciate that your
show doesn't give the name in the image
because there are copycat shooters and
and they're there they're there you can
find them and Sandy Hook the kids his
age afterwards said yeah I saw that
coming you know I saw he was a trouble
kid and I saw the devil it is like the
highest form of see something say
something but it's complicated you know
in any other context if you
to do that to me in college mmm you'd be
okay you want to do it about another kid
in school you want to do it about
somebody at work I'm wearing a band from
a protocol called the Columbia protocol
where you learn the right questions to
ask somebody to see if they need help
and they're in some state of distress
but you do when somebody has a weapon
calling into question whether or not
they should have one now you got a fight
on your hands let's get some questions
from the people who know better then I
Erin do me a favor stand up introduce
yourself and ask your question to
Christine please or you could stay
seated
well it's good you knew the instruction
I got it wrong and you did it right
thank you very much
see we're already working together go
ahead survivors of the Las Vegas
massacre my husband and I struggled with
the fact that the conversation in this
country seemed to move on within a week
while our lives would never get to go
back to normal
can you talk about what happens to gun
violence survivors after the camera
crews leave and what are the
psychological and lasting impacts of gun
violence that often aren't discussed
when the conversation moves on to the
next topic well for me personally I find
it very cathartic to get involved in my
community in whatever way I can to give
my son a voice he lost his voice so he
has to speak through me whether it's in
gun safety activism or like for example
I'm wearing this Anita's t-shirt
no pulse museum believe it or not the
owners of the pulse nightclub want to
make an admissions charging gift shop
having tour bus coming from Disney to
stay stay an extra day in Orlando so
that this business owner can have an
income for her and her family into
perpetuity off the deaths of my child so
of course that's going to make me angry
and I'm gonna want justice so we started
a Community Coalition Against The Pulse
Museum so we have no pulse museum dot
info if you want to find out more we I
started a change.org petition
and I've got over 41 thousand signatures
already to stop this pulse Museum where
else in the country and see this is
where Orlando is a very liberal
left-leaning City and they always like
to you know talk about the the right the
hypocrites on the right well there being
such bigots this is the only mass
shooting that a Muslim Arab American
committed and they're making a hate
museum what sense does that make
do we have one at the Waffle House do we
have is there gonna be a one a Walmart
you know Museum now why is it that you
know the white supremacist the neo-nazis
in the Confederate flag waving
population could commit these mass
murders and they do go away and then
pulse happens and you have a business
owner who is trying to capitalize on the
death well neither result winds up being
adequate right because you don't want it
to go away so you can try and figure
something out and you certainly don't
want it to become a spectacle where
people can profit off it that's the
worst message we would spend alright so
let's move to the idea of stopping or
what do you have just to follow up on
her question so right now at at my
church there's a lot of people praying
for me trying to choose my words real
carefully and they're praying and I
understand when those words come up from
the national media and the national
people that run the country that we need
more than that
I agree but her question was after the
fact so I'd like to answer part of that
with those prayers our little community
got together and went and visited Santa
Fe and tried to through Christ lift
people up and encourage them listen to
their story and guess what ours is
similar so we could converse so we could
talk no debating no Republican no
Democrat no independent nothing like
that
and so right now as a church body we are
trying to go to El Paso you can't just
walk in there and do that you got to get
somebody to to help you her question was
do we how do we survive after the fact
how are the survivors doing what what
happens well let me assure you have a
couple of things there's no help you
better hope you have insurance the
government stops whatever they've got
offered to you that's done you're on
your own the healing is long two months
in the hospital for me mostly
incapacitated rehab rehab at the finest
place God offers on this earth is it the
Center for the intrepid in San Antonio
for me and a couple of others that were
fortunate fortunate have to go where our
wounded warriors go and Rehab months and
months of that the mental thinking of
our 24 survivors including young
children it's 19 or 20 months later now
it never ends it it never in and I don't
think it ever will I think it may
dissipate I think it may be lighter
myself and people I know as soon as we
heard about 10 days ago a shooting it
affects us Saturday Wow
Sunday Wow it it's sort of like all over
again
it's not that the prayer it's not that
prayers unwanted prayers incredibly
powerful but the whole point of it is
that you are trying to inspire something
better and act like your church does
when it goes somewhere else the
criticism is that don't do the first
part if you're not genuine in trying to
act on what it is that you're literally
praying for divine inspiration in order
to do but I take your point and it's
important to understand how many layers
there are to this let me get to another
question that we have Cameron kaske here
in terms of talking about what works and
what doesn't what's your question my
friend hey everyone my name is Cameron I
was at I was actually at the last CNN
Town Hall calling for the end of gun
violence where we said this has to be
the last mass shooting and if history
has taught us anything I'll be at the
next one too
so I was watching the news unfold on
Monday I woke up in the morning
wondering how another one of these mass
shootings could have happened wondering
how what happened in El Paso in El Paso
could have possibly happened again and
then I learned that there was a shooting
in Dayton of a similar horrendous size
so I started learning about it I tried
to cry I don't think I can do that
anymore I've cried for too many people
this year I think I've run out but I I
looked at Sutherland Springs actually
and I looked at how the shooter was shot
several times before leaving and I
explored the the good old-fashioned
American good guy with a gun argument
because so many people believed it I
really wanted to pick it apart and
understand what exactly it means and I
and soon enough I learned that the
shooter in the Walmart was actually
stopped by several armed people and I
said well you know what I understand
what a lot of these people are coming
from until I started to think 22 people
were killed in Walmart and and in all
these shootings where this good guy with
the gun has shown up it's been after far
too many people have been killed so I
said is this good guy with a gun concept
strong enough when dozens are already
being massacred if they do I am I gonna
feel safer in public with more armed
people when when you know if 39 people
are massacred and the shooter is stopped
after that is that enough well what
exactly does this mean what can we do
here and Texas and Ohio are actually
both the states with concealed carry so
you naturally assuming that argument
you'd assume people should feel safer
there than anywhere else to do these
shootings change your perspective at all
on what exactly it means for there to be
a good guy with a gun and do you still
believe that more guns in a place will
make it safer because I I'm seeing these
shootings in these states that are
apparently these heralds of Second
Amendment rights and yet dozens are
still being killed so JT that's one of
the kinds of things you want to tackle
if you get into government what do you
think it's it's hard to rely on someone
at a shooting to have a gun I mean
that's not where I want to go now as far
as at schools at Sandy Hook elementary
school the shooter shot out the glass
front doors and killed kids a principal
had to confront him in the hallway and
that's not fair to the kids the way I
look at it is there should be should
have been an armed guard in there a
police officer someone highly trained I
think that's something we can get behind
I know parkland there was and he was he
wasn't able to act and that's
unfortunate but you give yourself the
best chance when there is someone there
who can act most of them are you know
they've been former first responders
police military they know what they're
doing if you get someone good and it
obviously vetted for many months you get
someone good they're they're able to act
you know we're both white the the police
brutality in this country when it comes
to different students of color and then
the school to Prison Pipeline it just
how easy it is for somebody be
discriminated against because of what
they look like do you think that putting
these armed resource officers and
schools are gonna put students of color
at higher risk the idea would be that
they're totally separate from the
administration of the school that's
there to protect the students you do get
into a gray area there and that with
police especially now I'll tell you
after Sandy Hook all the schools in our
town of Newtown implemented guards and
police and we had cameras my high school
is 400 cameras we have doors that lock
from the inside very important simple
things they're not doing it for show
they're doing it because it works and
you know that's something I've been
advocating for over the past year and a
half and it's very importantly sure well
Newtown and parkland are similar both
communities that are I'd say you know on
the higher end of the you know
socio-economic spectrum and also both
communities where most of the people
again like us are white around the
country do you think that we need to be
implementing the same procedures because
I think about all these communities that
are forced to face police violence every
single day and I cannot imagine being a
student walking into school that day
knowing that these teachers are packing
heat I always say I know that there are
some proposals about thank there's a
difference between having a police
officer or an armed security officer in
it sometimes they call them school
resource officers and I understand why
that term rubs people the wrong way but
there's a difference between that and
having teachers with guns but you look
at the sexual harassment from police
officers around the country with young
women included and I just think the more
this is a high school you've got young
developing people young men and women
from around the country and the thought
of more people with weapons that can
corner these children I mean at Marjory
Stoneman Douglas high school there were
several teachers that after the shooting
were revealed to have several
sexual harassment claims and officers
around the country do we think that more
people with guns around children is
going to make the children safer when it
we have not seen any clear data that
that does anything before Christine we
enjoyed that I want to see less guns
unless people period with Gail Schwartz
whose nephew Alex sector 14 years old
was killed it Margit at MSD
and she had this ingenious idea that
let's try to get that as a ballot
initiative to ban assault weapons now
Florida org and she asked me if I would
team up with her absolutely I said
that's ingenious let's have the voters
since our politicians are saying that
they're going to help us and then they
get into office and they don't help us I
want to see less guns I want to see a if
we can do it in Florida I want to see
that countrywide ban assault weapons and
that answers your earlier question to
about the mother with the Sun with the a
K if they're banned there's easy peasy
for the police officer he doesn't have
to play some kind of psychological game
it's a banned weapon you're going in
state by state solution because on the
federal level you don't have the same
mechanism let me get another question
Mary and Jacob where are you good thanks
for having us here tonight I just want
to start by saying I can't believe we're
sitting here having the same discussion
six and a half years after I survived
the Sandy Hook shooting and JT's brother
Jesse was killed there I mean if we
can't do something after 26 year-olds
are killed it's it's pretty shocking I'm
a Republican I have guns in my home my
husband and my sons are avid sportsmen
and hunters but we also believe that gun
responsibility gun ownership comes with
grave responsibility I think most
Americans do and owners do what will it
take for our elected leaders to hear the
call of people like us in the radical
middle and bring background
for all gun sales to a vote in the
Senate what do you think David at one
time line at what he did because because
we have a second amendment that
expressly states that's not to happen
our rights will be infringed but today I
don't want just some answers thrown out
and like she said what's it going to
take I think there needs to be some
unity I think there needs to be some
tremendous prayer in all these decisions
I think that this gun registration again
I'm probably going to surprise some
people that know me and they know me
real well
I I think it's a viable alternative it
it wouldn't have stopped any of these
shootings though none of these shootings
had guns illegal so it wouldn't have
stopped any of them around if the
background check law was extended so
that instead of a three day waiting
period there was more like a ten or a
twenty day waiting period the shooter in
at the Charleston shooting would not
have had a gun because he wouldn't have
passed the background check law but he
got a gun because three days later his
background check hadn't passed so that's
the fact right and we know that
background checks keep guns out of the
hands of people and save people because
they you know every gun that sold starts
as a legal gun and not until a
background check is missed does it
become an illegal gun potentially right
but if he still would have been able to
get that gun ten days afterwards he
still had his mindset you know what he
wouldn't have passed the background
check cases fact friendly to the idea of
why background checks work I think that
the the other point of analysis that
becomes relevant here is that is it fair
to say if the rule wouldn't have stopped
the event that precipitates that rule
then it must be a bad rule and I think
that what we're learning is you need
layers you know what we're using as a
word and arguably abusing as a word
which is holistic and the reason I say
abusing is we keep talking about a
holistic approach to it but we do
nothing and it seems that we're using
the word holistic as a reason to say
well if we're not going to do all
all of these different things then we
won't do any of these things and you
wind up where we are right now where as
okay so background checks wouldn't have
made a difference because in this
particular instance this person didn't
have a criminal record or any other
thing okay but as a combination effort
if you have red flag laws that are fully
funded and encouraged in a way okay if
you have better treatment for people and
an ability to get people who need that
treatment kept in a place well that's
okay but that's not going to be the
panacea that we're hearing from the
president because people with mental
illness are much more likely
statistically to be victims of violent
crime than they are perpetrators of it
and while we do see and and
overweighting and percentages of
tragedies like the one where you lost
are your brother and that you had to
live through in mass shootings in
general once you look at what really
should count as mass shootings in places
like Chicago well now that's off the
table it's not about mental health
anymore but it is a piece and it seems
that if we could talk more about doing
lots of things that might make a
difference maybe this one doesn't matter
in this case but it might matter in the
next and as a comprehensive solution we
would apply that to every other problem
we deal with except this one if you
thought about it in terms of protecting
kids from predators if you look at the
laws on that I don't know why you would
that just happens to me my life that's
the kind of things that we look at in
this business there are many different
layers of protection different agencies
with different responsibilities that do
different things and share information
in different ways where you can live
afterwards how you can be how they
review you in prison because we're so
worried about having it happen again
not here and that's something for us to
think about i apprec-- appreciate each
and all of you for sharing this because
I know it's not easy Christina I know
having this conversation takes a little
piece out on you every time but it's an
important conversation it's important
exactly so Christine thank you David
thank you and God bless JT good luck
going forward you're picking some path
going into politics as somebody if
somebody wants to have less violence
going into politics
you're a brave young man and I wish you
will appreciate that all right we're
gonna take a break here's a fact to kind
of send us in to this commercial break
guns look at the number on your screen
there are more guns in America than
people think about that 393 million held
by civilians in the USA no other country
can match us in that way and you have to
recognize that by law and culture this
will never be a gun free country so
where are we together on what can change
and what are the real challenges let's
take that on next
our welcome back to our primetime
townhall you know there's often a
disconnect between what the country
wants and what actually gets done in
Washington especially on this issue
let's look at that with people who get
the political realities we have Mitch
Landrieu former Democratic mayor of New
Orleans one of the most dangerous cities
in America and Eric Gonzalez Democrat
District Attorney for Brooklyn New York
his brother was shot and killed in 1996
so he's got a professional and personal
connection we wanted Republicans by the
way I didn't want to make this about
politicians but I wanted it about
balance it's not easy in this
environment but I do want you to know
this
Congressman Tom Massey okay he's a very
big deal on this issue he's the founder
of the Second Amendment caucus he wanted
to be here it was weather that kept him
away I didn't think it would be right to
have him on a remote talking about this
he wanted to be here he deserves that
respect gentlemen thank you thank you a
little bit of news the president we're
told was on the phone with the head of
the NRA Wayne LaPierre yesterday or
today they are in contact is that a good
thing is that a bad thing
very careful well I think when people
are talking it's a good thing depends on
what they're talking about talking about
doing nothing to finally doing something
so you know you'll see this as soon as a
there's a an event like this we have
what it is that we have is a great deal
of agony the mayors of both of these
cities and of course the victims and
their families are going through a
horrible time somebody says something
that somebody says it's political and
somebody says well now is not the time
to talk about it and then it goes away
and then we don't talk about it so I
think the first thing that needs to
happen is we have to have an appointed
time to actually speak about it and to
actually work through it
to find answers that actually will
create meaningful difference in people's
lives and we don't do that right you
believe that the NRA is that powerful
that that's what the main reason is that
we don't see the right wanting to make
more legislative change in the area of
controlling access I believe that the
power of the NRA and controlling some of
our elected officials and not wanting to
face the wrath
of that organization and supporters is a
major factor in not having reasonable
gun control see I wonder about the idea
of the wrath right cuz I mean look you
guys both know this what do they bring
to bear they put up like 17 million in
lobbying that's real money doesn't put
him at the top of the list
they bring votes I mean that's why we
started the show tonight talking about
how the powers got to be at the ballot
box they will bring people who have made
this issue into a political proxy issue
for freedom you know that the these are
people a lot of them don't even own guns
but they want the right to own that gun
they'll come and vote is that their real
power well I think people can argue
about that until the cows come home
essentially though nothing's getting
done that's fixing this problem now
quite frankly I don't think that the
people of America really understand the
scope of the problem since 1980 in our
country a beloved country that we all
love six hundred and thirty thousand
American citizens have been killed on
the streets of New Orleans some and what
people would call street crime some in
mass shootings some in suicide that's
more soldiers American soldiers that
have been killed in all of the Wars of
the 20th and the 21st century I think
that means clearly we have a problem
with violence in America right now
Congress prohibits any significant
research on violence as a public health
threat it would like to be nice to know
what exactly that we're talking about
why do you think that you don't allow
because I think they're worried about
guns then we begin to talk about guns if
we don't talk about public health we
talk about public health we don't start
talking about national security the the
piece of news that you had on before was
the issue about the FBI and is this a
terrorism threat I think everybody can
agree now that this is a form of
terrorism now we didn't when Miami
happened I mean when that when it
happened in Orlando we were arguing
about whether that was terrorism and not
because it invokes federal resources now
our law enforcement do a great job but
since I don't know September 11th the
funding for the FBI to be focused on the
ground has been cut because they were
looking overseas and so I think that the
that's the key part there's no reason to
run past it you know and doing an
investigation it's all about resources
to look in to any type of organization
that may be behind it we don't do that
with this if they were Muslim
involved you know if you had a Muslim
who had not even they're not real
Muslims if you had an Islamic extremist
right because Muslims will tell you it's
not a member of my faith if you did this
I shot up Walmart that way we don't all
be about resources who did they know
where did he get it from who did he talk
to online whether he's a part of the
group he's a proxy for the group you
know we're gonna go after that group
because they're out to get us we don't
do that here and do you think that makes
a big difference it makes a difference
also the sense that every day
we're losing people's lives in this
country we lose it in our big cities and
those lives seem not to matter to folks
at the NRA and others you know we lose
them often in low-income communities in
black and brown communities and there is
no resources put into understanding
those problems where those guns are
coming from and when we have a mass
shooting like this it highlights it
because it puts everyone on edge but we
don't have those further conversation so
on and even we talk mental health but we
were just talking to somebody who's part
of the solution here in the crowd
two-thirds of homicide you know death by
person with guns suicide yeah and what
are we doing about that how we figuring
out all right let's continue the
conversation
Samuel bernieoh from Colorado what is
your question my name is Sam Graham
again from Columbine representing that
part of town in the country so this is
to do with pro-gun and anti-gun
conversations and how polarizing it can
be once it even comes up so when those
conversations happen people are
expecting them to disagree fiercely and
what they're not those expectations what
would it take for each position to
listen absorb and understand one another
so they can find a solution first of all
thank you for that question it's a great
question but there's a better one if in
fact the polls indicate that 65% of
Americans I just picked that number
randomly agree on something why can't
Congress pass that that's a that's a
different issue and one of the things we
have to think about
is what what kind of reasonable
restrictions make sense I'm from
Louisiana very very heavy pro-second
amendment state but I can assure you
with all the hunters in Louisiana
these folks believe in responsible gun
ownership and I think most Americans
will agree with the following statement
that not everybody should own any kind
of gun at any time to do anything they
want with even the helicase that came
out of Washington DC that Justice Scalia
wrote said that there can be reasonable
restrictions that make sense and work so
universal background checks banning
assault weapons are putting age limits
on them a waiting period is what most
Americans think of fairly reasonable
things that push responsible gun
ownership that the NRA by the way Kris
used to be in favor of a long time ago
so the bigger question for Congress that
that sometimes an axe pre-emptive
legislation that is to say this is what
the law is and local governments can't
do any different than when governors do
that that seems to be a reasonable place
for us to talk um I want to do that but
I also don't want the discussion about
guns to take us away from what the
district attorney was saying about the
public health side of this the national
security side that goes back to what you
said in the last segment about having a
comprehensive approach and if just one
thing doesn't work deciding okay well
then we're not going to do anything but
look at where we are just in context you
know Sam that's a run by your own
history you know you're not just from
Columbine you survived the shooting that
was 20 years ago I was at that shooting
was the first one I ever covered we
covered it as a phenomenon we were there
for weeks we couldn't believe that these
two kids had arrived at this kind of
solution I spent days in malls following
around this mythical group called the
trenchcoat mafia
which turned out to just be a group of
goth kids and big trench coats because
we were so desperate to understand how
this could have happened because this
would never be something we could expect
twenty years ago that was all of the
ones since we're less curious about it
now than we were then what does that
mean to you Wow
so it's always fascinating every time
another shooting comes up that Columbine
comes up I don't know why it's some sort
barometer it was definitely unique when
it happened and what's different now a
lot of people argue is nothing things
have gotten exponentially worse in
various ways with technology and the
Internet and whatever it is that you
know creates these perfect storms that
create these maskers and and everything
that makes them happen so I guess what
we're trying to find now is this common
thread and a common ground that we can
all be on to have this discussion that
doesn't end in this polarizing debate
that gets nowhere so what is that common
ground so that common ground is that we
all have families we all have friends we
all have loved ones we all want to be
loved we all want to give love and what
makes what that makes us all is human
and the common thread here is that we
are all that and every single person in
the world is human and that is a common
ground that we can all come to and
understand that we need to change
something here and whether it's
Columbine or parkland or Vegas or I
could go on and on and on and on my
situation is not any more unique than
anyone else's let's get another question
Jennifer lugar where are you good what's
your question so as Chris said
two-thirds of gun deaths every day are
suicides like my husband Scott an
extreme risk protection order a red flag
law may have saved his life it it would
have been the one thing I could do to
help him in crisis so now I work with
every town to advance this legislation
in my home state of Pennsylvania do you
believe that this life-saving
legislation should be advanced in widely
in states
the federal government we just passed it
here in New York State and it's
effective August August of this year so
it's brand-new it's one week old but I
believe that it has the possibility of
preventing a lot of tragedy and having
and it's done in the way that I think
protects due process rights because the
court has to be involved they have to
find there's a legal standard by clear
and convincing evidence this that was
probable cause to believe that the
person who hurt themselves or another
there's legal protections put in but it
allows many different entities police
and the DA's offices and others to go
into civil court and take these guns
away the pushback is Mitch address this
it's too much it's too far it's too low
a standard probable cause and for how
long how long you keep the weapons and
how do they get them back what do you
say first of all I'm sorry about you
husband but if you'll notice in all of
this discussion we can't get anywhere
because everything's too much of
whatever and we never ever talk about a
comprehensive approach so one thing that
that you raised that that would help
educate the public is that we're talking
about violence that involves the guns
some of it can be mass shooting some of
its suicides as the DA so appropriately
said today probable forty people in
America got killed and a lot of folks
just don't think much about them and so
what is the common thread through all of
those things our willingness to use guns
to resolve a problem and I don't think
that that's just going to go away by
passing one particular law but I am very
much in favor of trying lots of
different things so yeah we're afraid to
take one step because the question is
well where is it going to go well let's
figure out what's smart enough to find
the battles you know this because you're
a lawyer in the Constitution everywhere
there is a right it's the First
Amendment Second Amendment there is a
corresponding responsibility to exercise
that right in a balanced and a
thoughtful way where is the balance I
will just remind the country that even
Justice Scalia the most conservative
Justice wrote Heller and said you know
you can find a balance between the
person's right and then a person's
freedom and I think we have to work
on it hard what I have a dream that
Congress somehow is going to be called
into session and they will all be
sitting in their seats and we can see
all of this all of the Senators and all
the House members they will open up the
floor of the House and the Senate for
open debate and it will stay open until
they find a comprehensive solution
because like when are they going to do
it because somebody said the best time
to fix your roof is when it's not
raining not when it is raining and I
just think that we have to stop dancing
around it and the country should say
it's not okay for my daughter to go to
Walmart to get school supplies and get
killed or go be on the porch with with
your little brother and get you blood
guts blown out because somebody came by
because they wanted to hurt your daddy
that's not okay
in the United States of America and we
have to stand up when a lot of leaders
know that let's do this district
attorney mr. mayor stay with us we have
more questions that tests what the
resolve is what the right remedies are
so let's take a break and then we'll
come back and here's another fact for
you you heard that number nearly 40,000
people were killed by guns in America in
2017 if you look at it as a rate that's
about a hundred and nine people a day to
this and we do nothing we're gonna keep
doing these questions we'll get more
people together you can listen hopefully
we'll all learn something stay with us
you for joining us tonight for this
special prime-time townhall we're gonna
continue with Mitch Landrieu and Eric
Gonzalez Gonzalez at DEA in Brooklyn
Landrieu was mayor in New Orleans I mean
they're both unique settings of having
to take on the different challenges of
aspects of criminality and we're talking
about the different ways that this issue
gets spun and presented which largely
contributes to inaction right because
that's where we are we found out lots of
reasons to do nothing so I want to talk
to somebody now who's gonna ask
questions gonna be a little bit harder
for the people who are in power to not
listen to Christopher Underwood it's
good to have you here you're 12 years
old
you know this issue too well because you
felt it in your own family you lost your
brother now you're trying to make a
difference you're speaking out you're
from Brooklyn New York
Gonzalez's district what's your question
my question for today is when will these
lawmakers start protecting me from gun
violence they're showing lives and
communities though I desert to grow up
you know how do you how do you process
the message DEA in terms of who's at
risk and who needs the help
it's hardly is going to hospitals
I'm praying with families who've lost
loved ones and although New York State
and you know New York City is safest big
city and we do in terms of gun violence
we do better than other places there's
too much in this pockets of communities
where there's no there's no resolution
and there's no justice for families who
lose loved ones and so I I'm sorry but
we're working around the clock to figure
out solutions we're never going to
arrest our way into solving the gun
crisis we have to have a multi-faceted
approach I believe you know cure of
violence and violence interrupters and
it has to be many different parts
working together including our hospitals
to deal with the trauma that a lot of
young men have and the anger they have
that causes them to do this in the first
place
and even if you know even if Christopher
gets lucky and you've got Gonzalez's DA
who's interested in this issue you've
got the guy who's governor in the state
with the funny name and if they pass a
lot of the right laws you can still go
to a state that doesn't have the same
laws get the gun bring it over you know
it's one of the unspoken truths about
Chicago Illinois passed a lot of laws
Chicago as a municipality passed a lot
of laws you go to another state you get
the guns you bring them in you're in the
same place this kid in one of our last
two murderers that we saw his state
wasn't allowed for him to get the gun he
got it from Texas brought it to Ohio
that's the Trish you go ahead I'm sorry
about your brother that was your baby
boy in New Orleans when I was there I
thought that if I showed the people of
America what it looked like the day
before somebody was killed and the day
after they were killed that they would
think that that life is valuable are we
gonna do something about it not to
compare mass shootings with what happens
every day they've both deaths and
they're both painful in the DA and I
both have to go to funerals and we
actually in the emergency room where
they want people
expire we have to tell people about it
there was a little girl named Brianna
Allen who was 5 years old who was on the
porch at her cousin's birthday party his
name was canard
and there were two guys that came by
that wanted to kill her father came by
with an ak-47 it sprayed the porch and
blew her guts out she was five canard
got hit in the leg that day went to the
emergency room a year later there was
another shooting in the city and canard
got hit in the cheek he missed by being
killed by two fractions of a second and
the truth of the matter is I I think
that we don't have a full understanding
of the complete and total damage not
just to the people obviously what we've
killed all the folks but the people that
have been shot or traumatized by it and
that's why the public health research on
this is really important so we can rise
up and figure out how damaged we really
are as a country and at some point in
time our political leaders have got to
stop whatever it is that they're doing
and foot because this is a solvable
problem there's no question that we can
change behavior in this country it's not
like going to Mars which by the way we
want to do and we're all excited about
but I would kind of respectfully suggest
we ought to try to fix what's here on
the ground while we're at least thinking
about doing that and maybe before we go
it is a fixable problem when you got 12
year olds begging you to let them grow
up and to take care of them you got to
think about what you're doing rocket
let's take a break and let's come back
let's have some more real talk
the strength of survivors and now we're
joined by two men who are in the
business of trying to keep people from
having to go through the process of not
surviving gun violence we have former
Philly Police Commissioner Charles
Ramsey here he was also Washington's
police chief during the DC sniper
rampage also here with medical
perspective is dr. Joe sacra he's
director of emergency general surgery at
Johns Hopkins in Baltimore
he was once a gunshot victim himself
he's now an activist with the Brady
Campaign it's good to have you back nice
to meet you it's good to see you chief
let me give you a question right from
the audience to store Theresa I
knackered thank you very much for being
here what's your question for you thank
you I'm Theresa and I am a volunteer
with the Coalition of New Jersey firearm
owners so I am a proud female firearm
owner and I just want to say that I'm a
fire owned a firearm owner and I I care
too so I think there's a little bit of a
misunderstanding that we don't care but
we do and actually we're against
violence all violence not just gun
violence so my question is do you
believe a woman has a right to choose
whether or not to defend her own body
and in the manner she chooses and that
the government should not interfere with
that decision well that's a little off
topic here but I do believe in a woman's
right to choose now when you get into
the area about any means she chooses I
don't know what you mean by that I mean
there are laws if you're talking about
deadly force for an example you carry a
gun or whatever there are only certain
circumstances under which you can
actually resort to deadly force okay and
so it's important as a gun owner and
that goes for any gun owner to
understand the laws of that particular
state so that they don't wind up doing
something that could actually cause them
some problems down the road but
certainly if you're assaulted or
whatever you have a right to defend
yourself but when you talk about deadly
force that's Lou