joining us now is congresswoman carolyn mccarthy. she is a democrat of new york. congresswoman, thank you very much for joining us tonight. it's nice to have you here. >> thank you, rachel. and thank you for giving that important information out to your audience. >> we have spoken after previous mass incidents of gun violence in our country, meaningful conversations of gun control did not happen after tucson or after aurora. do you think this time might be different? >> i'm hoping. today when the president spoke, his tone seemed a little different. maybe it's because of my hope, because we're going to need a president to lead us through this if we are going to do something. and i agree with you, you know, why can't the nra and many of us that are not trying to take away your right to own a gun, but to certainly make sure that the guns don't fall into the wrong hands. and as nra members have said, let's close the gun show loophole. let's make sure everybody goes through a background check. let's make sure that we can do whatever we can so the easy access to guns ca

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joining us is carolyn mccarthy, thank you for joining us tonight. nice to have you here. >> thank you, rachel and thank you for giving out that important information to your audience. >> we have had meaningful conversations about gun control, that does not happen after tucson and aurora, do you feel this time could be difference? >> i'm hoping today when the president spoke, his tone seemed a little bit different. maybe it's because of my hope. because we are going to need a president to lead us through this if we are going to do something, and i agree with you, why can't the nra, and many of us that are not trying to take away your right to own a gun, but to make sure that the guns do not fall in the wrong hands and as nra members have said, let's close the gun show loophole. let's make sure everyone goes through a background check. let's make sure we can do whatever we can so the easy access to guns can save lives. you and i have had these conversations before. you are right. the nra and the gun manufacturers which would supply them with the money

carolyn mccarthy, thank you. congresswoman carolyn mccarthy of new york state. and colin goddard, thank you for coming tonight. we'll be right back. this is "hardball," by the way, with continuing coverage on the shooting at sandy hook elementary school up in connecticut. >>> welcome back to "hardball." as we try to comprehend the tragic mass shooting at that elementary school up in connecticut today, the question remains, can students at school ever be 100% safe? joining me right now is clint van zandt, former fbi profiler and nbc analyst. larry johnson, president of the national association of school safety and law enforcement officials. and on the phone james johnson, chair of the national law enforcement partnership to prevent violence. he's also baltimore county police chief. mr. james johnson, chief, i want to ask you about your reaction to this and in terms of baltimore schools. is there anything that's developed since the hard days of columbine where schools take more responsibility to prevent the entry of someone who's dangerous? >> well, certainly, we

joining me now is new york congresswoman carolyn mccarthy. also joining me msnbc's chris jansing, who has been here in newtown, connecticut, covering the story since the day of the shooting. congresswoman mccarthy, this kind of incident i know, and i've heard you say on other shows, takes you back to that experience, getting the call about what happened on the long island railroad. tell us what it's like and how that was actually able to drive you to what has become your new career and this cause. >> going back all those years ago, it was actually when my son -- he had been in the hospital icu. they didn't expect him to live for quite a few months, but it was during rehab when he was learning how to speak again that he finally asked the question what happened? how could this happen here in america? how could it happen on long island? i didn't have the answers, but i told him i would find out those answers, and the more i certainly looked into it, i decided that i was going to become an activist and try to save any family from going through wh

joining me tonight congresswoman carolyn mccarthy of new york. congresswoman, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you. >> this is really an unprecedented move. what do you make of this, this firm making a move like this, and of course being, in a sense, pressured by the teachers pension fund in california? >> well, i can certainly understand it, because some statements have come out saying that teachers should be armed. talking to certainly an awful lot of the teachers in the last two days. that's the last thing that they want to do. so i can understand that. and you're looking at a lot of these pension funds that are being invested in this company. and they don't want any part of this. so i'm very happy, because, you know, we have investment funds that only do social issues. and i'm glad to see them doing that. maybe that sends even a stronger message to the national rifle association that their grip is loosing. work with us. let's get an assault weapons bill passed let's make sure we can make this country faster. >> do you think they're l

carolyn mccarthy. ron barber. i'm still kind of shaking after my last interview, as i have been after several interviews with people who represent gun rights. it's the glibness of the argument. it's the callousness of the way they continue to justify the freedom of people who continue to use assault rifles. that's what they are, with these high-capacity magazines. carolyn mccarthy, when you hear this and the way the issue is framed what is your reaction? >> to be honest with you, i'm happy that you had him on, because america should see what we're up against and the lies that they take to the american people, and unfortunately, an awful lot of them believe that. what we're trying to do is save lives. what we're doing after this shooting, and to be very honest with you, you're going to be hearing from my colleague, you know, what happened in aurora, and what's happened in the last several years. and the shootings get worse and worse and worse. and so that we need to do something. and i do believe, because the count

. >> do your congress member carolyn mccarthy lost her husband 19 years ago and the long island rail road massacre. her son was gravely wounded. she's become a leading advocate for gun control as pro-gun politicians and lobbyists fall silent. there is a seismic shift that could lead to gun control legislation. we will ask her. then we look at the fight to save social security as negotiations of the so-called fiscal cliff intensified. >> i do believe the opportunity is there, the parameters of the deal are clear, the path to a compromise is clear. and he hopes the republicans will meet him on that path and do something that would be very good for the american people, for the middle class, and our economy. >> we will speak with arizona congressmember are raul grijalva on his opposition to president obama's plan to cut more from social security than the military. in an exclusive interview with native american activist leonard peltier from prison. >> there would not allow me to put up a defense -- they would not allow me to put up a defense. they manufactured evidence, witnesses, torture

and thank you,este est eher and carolyn mccarthy, and thank you for joining us. coming up next is melissa harris-perry. and on today's mhp, she will have the latest on the gun conference, and find out what we can do to prevent tragedies in the future. that is melissa harris-perry. that is coming up tomorrow morning at 8:00. thank you for getting up "up." oh my goodness! oh my gosh, this looks amazing! [ male announcer ] our new maine stays! 15 entrees under $15, "up.""up.""up."oseafood, chicke! our new maine stays! oo! the tilapia with roasted vegetables! i'm actually looking at the wood grilled chicken with portobello wine sauce. that pork chop was great! no more fast food friday's! we're going to go to red lobster. yep. [ male announcer ] come try our new menu and sea food differently! and introducing 7 lunch choices for just $7.99. salad, sandwiches, and more.

joining me now is new york congresswoman carolyn mccarthy. congresswoman mccarthy, thank you so much. i must say when i listened to the president on friday, i believe it was, i didn't hear him talk about new laws. i heard him talk about meaningfully change. do you think, have you talked to the president, and do you think he will now push what you're wanting to do, vis-a-vis gun laws? >> well, to be very honest with you, i know that the president could be talking from the bully pulpit. certainly we can hopefully work together on passing some legislation that is certainly been introduced every year. but what the president can do is an executive order to tighten up some of the laws that are still already out there. "the new york times" released a report yesterday and this morning that basically was talking about a bill that was passed in 2008, right after virginia tech, that was a bill that i got passed through the house, through the senate, and president bush signed that, but the problem with that is that there has never been enough money there

carolyn mccarthy, when you hear this and the way the issue is framed what is your reaction? >> to be honest with you, i'm happy that you had him on, because america should see what we're up against and the lies that they take to the american people, and unfortunately, an awful lot of them believe that. what we're trying to do is save lives. what we're doing after this shooting, and to be very honest with you, you're going to be hearing from my colleague, you know, what happened in aurora, and what's happened in the last several years. and the shootings get worse and worse and worse. and so that we need to do something. and i do believe, because the country cannot go through what they just saw these last several days. i believe the country will be on our side. i believe that we'll be able to get something done to make sure that we can protect certainly our children but the american people. >> ron barber, i came on air on cnn maybe two years ago, just after the incident in which you were wounded and gabby giffords nearly lost her life and others did lose their lives. i imagine

. >>> next hour, congresswoman carolyn mccarthy and diane degette will hold a news conference to call on congress to pass a ban on high capacity ammunition clips. senator dianne feinstein says the first day of the new congress she will introduce the assault weapons ban. and senator joe lieberman is getting more support for the idea of creating a special commission to explore solutions in the wake of this sandy hook school shooting. let me bring in shara toplets who has been writing about this. they want to ban high capacity magazines but we heard this before, frankly, degette introduced this bill in 1998. how much support is it likely to get? >> this is a tough one for congress to pass. representative carolyn mccarthy who has been affected shootings, her husband and son were killed on a long island railroad before she ran for congress, she's always been a big advocate of banning the high capacity magazines. and in the wake of the shooting of gabrielle giffords, she also submitted legislation that would do the same thing. and, frankly, it didn't really go anywhere. it is a very hard th

category woman carolyn mccarthy, who lost her husband to gun violence, will try again to ban high-capacity ammunition clips. >> high-capacity magazines is something i'm definitely going to be reintroduced in the new congress. i happen to think that just by cutting that amount of bullets that are available can save an awful lot of lives. >> reporter: at the blue ridge arsenal in virginia, some gun owners also agree that the massacre in connecticut is a tipping point. >> we're talking about children. definitely. this is the-- a time where we're going to have to get really strict on guns. >> i get it. guns can be unsafe in the hand of people that either have mental disorders or people that haven't been properly trained. >> reporter: getting to a middle ground will be very difficult, despite the horror of yesterday's shootings. the politics of gun regulation are a third rail that most lawmakers around here shun, and that makes any kind of meaningful action, as the president put it, all but impossible, particularly at a time when he has so much else on his agenda. jim. >> axelrod: bill plante,

thank you so much, carolyn mccarthy, thank you, u.s. congresswoman and collin godard thank you for coming tonight. we'll be right back. this is "hardball" with continuing coverage on the shooting at sandy hook elementary school up in connecticut. [ male announcer ] at scottrade, we believe the more you know, the better you trade. so we have ongoing webinars and interactive learning, plus, in-branch seminars at over 500 locations, where our dedicated support teams help you know more so your money can do more. [ rodger ] at scottrade, seven dollar trades are just the start. our teams have the information you want when you need it. it's another reason more investors are saying... [ all ] i'm with scottrade. is the same frequent heartburn treatment as prilosec otc. now with a fancy coating that gives you a burst of wildberry flavor. now why make a flavored heartburn pill? because this is america. and we don't just make things you want, we make things you didn't even know you wanted. like a spoon fork. spray cheese. and jeans made out of swe

for our children's sake. >> osgood: men taer from congresswoman carolyn mccarthy. now we go to bob schieffer in washington for a look at what's ahead on "face the nation." >> good morning, charles, we'll talk to connecticut governor dan malloy about this nightmare in newtown. >> osgood: thank you. next week here on sunday morning. singing the praises of place i do domingo. >> come on, dad. >> reporter: and behind the scenes with actor bradley cooper. >> sunday morning's moment of nature is sponsored by spiriva. >> osgood: we leave you this morning with an early christmas card, from lansford, north dakota. >> osgood: i'm charles osgood. please join us again next sunday morning. until then, i'll see you on the radio. open for 24 hours. plus, it reduces copd flare-ups. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that does both. spiriva handihaler tiotropium bromide inhalation powder does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. these m

but new york congresswoman carolyn mccarthy whose husband died and son was injured when a shooter opened fire on a long island train in 1993 said the connecticut shooting may be what forces president obama and congress to finally address the problem. >> let's face it, we need to have the president as the bully pulpit on trying to get something done. this time what i saw was different that politicians that usually don't talk about it were talking about it. so, there is a difference this time around. there is a difference maybe the pendulum is turning and the country is ready to get serious about this issue. >> jay carney said friday it is the time to express sympathy for victims' families, not the time to engage in a policy debate. but i spoke with congresswoman mccarthy and she said she called up the white house and said, what are you talking about? this is something we should have been discussing for years. brianna keilar, cnn, the white house. [ heart beating, monitor beeping ] woman: what do you mean, homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods? [ heart rate increases ] man: a few inche

but you know, carolyn mccarthy, member of congress whose husband was killed and whose son was grievously wounded in a shooting incident on the long island railroad she's trying to get legislation through that would limit the size of magazines to 10 rounds instead of 30 rounds which apparently was used in this shooting. she can't get any interest in that in the republican controlled house. not that the democrats are that eager, either, but the politicians are standing in the way, all in the pocket of the nra. >> susan. >> well, there have been -- i was just look at the coalition to stop gun violence, supposedly 65 mass shootings in the past couple years. one every three months is the number they're putting out. the interesting thing here, though, you're right, congress rarely will do anything about it, because it divides them so badly, even after a big shooting, like columbine, they really couldn't move anything. only minor things can get through. what i think might happen this time, i honestly think there will be an torte put gun control legislation forward. in fact, i would be shocked i

in congress we're blessed with the leadership of congresswoman carolyn mccarthy. she's brought to this debate her own loss in the senseless tragedy, her own experience as a healthcare professional, and her own even handedness to help make that change with legislation to help ban assault weapons. thank you, carolyn, for your leadership and for the inspiration you are to all of us. today, i'm pleased to announce that congressman mike thompson will head a new task force focused on reducing gun violence. he's a vietnam vet, a wounded vietnam vet, i might add, -- he will be working with the administration and to do so in a bipartisan way. these are the steps, some steps that we all want to take that members have expressed that we -- but we must go further. restoring the assault weapon ban, strengthening the background system to make sure that dangerous weapons don't fall in the wrong hands. i met with the brady group and members of families who have experienced tragedies, addressing the issue of mental health to keep those guns out of those hands, and april dressing th

but new york congresswoman carolyn mccarthy, whose husband died and son was injured when a shooter opened fire on a long island train in 1993, says the connecticut shooting may be what forces president obama and congress to finally address the problem. >> let's face it, we need to have the president as the bully pulpit on trying to get something done. this time what i saw was different, that politicians that usually don't talk about it were talking about it. so there is a difference this time around. there is a difference, maybe the pendulum is turning and the country is ready to get serious about this issue. >>reporter: white house spokesman jay carney said friday it's the time to express sympathy for victims' families, not the time to engage in a policy debate. but i spoke with congresswoman mccarthy and she said she called up the white house and said "what are you talking about? this is something that we should have been discussing for years." >>reporter: brianna keilar, cnn, the white house. >> another storm system for tonight it is going to bring periods of light/moderate rainfall. t

. >> the leading advocate for gun control carolyn mccarthy of new york whose husband was killed and bad will he injured in a mass shooting on the long island rail road she struck a more assertive tone i agree this is not the time to talk about gun control. it should have been talked about years ago when we started having these mass shootings. it should have been done when gabby giffords was shot. she described a conversation she had prior to election day with white house chief of staff jack lieu in which she vowed to revive the issue. i said jack i know the president is going through an election i am telling you after the election i am coming out full force. i was just giving the white house a heads off the gloves are off on my side. i was going to do everything i possibly could if that meant embarrassing everybody mccarthy said that's what i would do. >> in his weekly saturday address president obama mostly repeated his sament of yesterday. he kept his emotions in check. he correctly announced the name of the town in connecticut and added another city to the litany of them he had in fr

congresswoman carolyn mccarthy and i from new york introduced this bill earlier this session after the terrible shootings in aurora which are right outside my congressional district. we tried to push for this bill. it's only a step of what we need to do, but to be honest, you're never going to stop some seriously deranged person from trying to shoot again. but what you can do is stop them from having these magazines that will kill 26 people in a ten-minute period. and so we're urging -- the bill's ready. we signed up 16 people in one hour this morning. we think that speaker boehner could bring it to the floor this week and show the country that we're really making some positive first steps to keeping these serious, serious weapons out of the hands of people who are criminals or who are seriously mentally ill. >> so you think that it's possible to bring this to the floor of the house this week? >> we could do it. it's been introduced. it's ripe. we have a number of co-sponsors. then the first of the year we're going to work with senator feinstein and others to do a more comprehensive bi

. >> your colleague, congresswoman carolyn mccarthy urged support from republicans today. here it is. >> and i'm asking my republican friends to work with us. it shouldn't be a democrat or a republican issue. it's all of us as americans who are mourning the death in newtown. and we don't want to see anymore of these shootings again. >> so they always hide behind the second amendment. they're fabulous at doing that. but the second amendment does not give you the right to bear any kind of arm. and technology has changed. and, of course, the design has changed, the proficiency of the manufacturing has changed. why will no republican step forward and admit that? >> well, because of the fear of the nra leadership, which is fanatic, which lies to gun to regulate guns in any way is a prelude to taking all your guns away. luckily, the power of the nra was shown to be a paper tiger in the last election. i think that knowledge is going to have to be broadcast and assimilated that you can take on the nra and live to tell about it. you know, no right is absolute. we have the first ame

but new york congresswoman carolyn mccarthy whose husband died and son was injured when a shooter open fired on a long island train in 1993 says the connecticut shooting may be what forces president obama and congress to finally address the problem. >> let's face it, we need to have the president as the bully pull lit on trying to get something done. this time, which i saw was different, that politicians that usually don't talk about it were talking about it. so there is a difference this time around there is a difference, maybe the pendulum is turning and the country is ready to get serious about this issue. >> white house spokesman jay carney said now is the time to have sympathy for families. making it clear he doesn't think it's time to engage in a policy debate. but talking to congresswoman mccarthy today, she said when she heard that, she said she was upset and called up the white house and said what are you talking about? this is something we should have been talking about years ago. >> and brianna, i understand with' ear also getting new word about the president and his decisio

i thank all of my colleagues, especially my friend from new york, carolyn mccarthy, who has poured her heart and soul working every day on this issue, and to our leader, nancy pelosi, and all my colleagues. president obama and the american people are demanding change, and we can bring that change by passing this friday a ban on the massacre assault magazines, we can pass it. believe me, if guns made anyone safer, we would be the safest nation on earth. we have more guns per capita than any country on earth. and after the unfathomable tragedy, our country is united and determined in a demand for change. without change in our gun polcy, we cannot expect -- policy, we cannot expect the outcome to be any different from what we are already experiencing. and we have already had too many mass murders and the cost is unbearable. these were elementary school children and their teachers. but there have been moviegoers, americans going to town hall meetings. there are some who say that any gun restriction is an imposition on their liberty. but they must understand that the level of gun violence i

here is democratic congresswoman carolyn mccarthy whose husband was killed in a mass shooting. >> this time is different all the time is different because there is so much anger. when you talk to people, there is anger behind their voices. why are we allowing this to continue to happen? >> democrats in both the house and the senate say they are introducing legislation designed to ban high capacity clips. those that hold more than 10 bhults at once and that they are looking for republicans to sign on to their efforts,. >> shepard: shep shannon, as always there are differences of opinion about whether gun control will help. >> gun rights advocates say there are a number of state and federal gun laws in effect. and in many cases they are not being effectively enforced. troubled individuals intent on harms other will find a way around any new measures this is what republican cathy mcmorris had to say? >> we need to it look at what drives a crazy person to do these kind of actions and make sure that we're enforcing the laws that are currently on the books. >> though not many republicans hav

i said we've got to get carolyn mccarthy because her reason to be in public life, to take on the voters to deal with the public life was this issue of the horror that hit your husband. >> and it was. you know, it's not funny, but, yesterday, in my office, we sat down to plan what we were going to do for the next term. and i said, listen, i came here to congress to reduce gun violence. we have to do something about it. the president's words meant a lot to me today because his tone was different. we have to take this head on. and i know that the white house had said earlier that this was not a time to talk about gun violence. you know what? they're right. it should have been years ago so that hopefully we wouldn't have had to go through this. there are things that we can do to hopefully cut down the amount of killings. but my heart goes out to the families and for those that lost their loved ones. here we have the holidays. this is when the christmas tree is up, the hanukkah lights are lit. children shouldn't have to worry about going to school and facing these kind of tragedies. but my h

mccarthy could not get passed congressional republicans. the justice department didn't get very far either. attorney general eric holder created a task force on gun control but most of its proposals were shelved as the election and the fast and the furious inquiry heated up. this time, it seems as though, however, there might be a bit more cooperation. today, speaker john boehner said he could be willing to consider vice president biden's recommendations on gun control. >> we join the president in mourning the victims of that horrible tragedy in connecticut. he's appoint vice president biden to lead a commission and when the vice president's recommendations come forward we'll certainly take them into consideration. john fuglesang now john boehner may say he'll consider but he did give himself a good amount of wiggle room. do you hear that right now? that's the friend of the nra revving up their spin machine. fox news reported the gun lobby has remained silent to allow for a proper period of mourning but that soon they would start to "push b

but new york congresswoman, carolyn mccarthy, whose husband died and son was injured when a shooter opened fire on a long island train in 1993, says the connecticut shooting may be what forces president obama and congress, to finally address the problem. >> let's face it. we need to have the president as the bully pulpit. on trying to get something done. this time what i saw was different, that politicians that usually don't talk about it, were talking about it. so there is a difference this time around. there is a difference maybe the pendulum is turning and the country is ready to get serious about this issue. >> white house spokesman jay carney said friday, it's the time to express sympathy for victims' families. not the time to engage in a policy debate. but i spoke with congresswoman mccarthy and she said she called up the white house and said, what are you talking about? this is something that we should have been discussing for years. brianna keilar, cnn, the white house. >>> there's a lot happening here in newtown this afternoon. we want to go back to cnn world headquarters in atlan

carolyn mccarthy with us here on "the ed show." and that is "the ed show." i'm ed schultz. "the rachel maddow" show starts right now. >> thanks. there is a lot to get to this hour, including news about potential gun law reforms and the continuing reaction to the newtown, connecticut, school massacre there. is some surprising news out of michigan on that issue today that we're going to be getting to. there is news about who is going to be in the united states senate in this next congress. we found out yesterday who is being tapped to replace senator jim demint, who is leaving the senate. we also found out yesterday who might replace john kerry if he leaves the senate to be secretary of state. we found out today who is the odds-on favorite to replace long-time hawaii senator daniel inouye, who died yesterday. we've got all that news ahead. >>> but we begin tonight with something that is an important story in its own terms. but for those of us at msnbc and nbc news, it is also an incredibly emotional thing. and i can tell you, it ends with good news. it ends with this news, wh

. >> after gabby giffords was shot in the head, carolyn mccarthy introduced a bill to ban high capacity magazines. 130 democrats signed on as co-sponsors. not a single republican would do so. should the president expect more of the same even after 20 children have been murdered? >> i think he's going to see a complete change in a lot of those republicans. >> really? >> i do. you know, the nra obviously has been powerful in the past. the admission today they would like to work with people about some things, and we don't know what they're going to bring out and what they're going to put forward, but obviously this changes the dynamic significantly. after things like this, we obviously turn to anger, we obviously try to shift blame, but if i go to the doctor and he says you have cancer, how can i get rid of the cancer, doc, he says take two aspirin. it doesn't get rid of the cancer but it makes you feel better. we need legislation that will accomplish something. there will be talk about gun control. there should be talk about mental health issues, talk about the culture of violence, about

mccarthy, whose husband was killed and son severely injured during the 1993 long island rail road mass shooting, had this to say. >> i came here to congress to reduce gun violence. and i said, i want to make sure that we go full forward. we have to do something about it. >> joining me now, the brain trust. msnbc contributor for "the nation," ari melber, political editor of thegrio.com, perry bacon jr. and michelle franzen is also in newtown, standing by for us as well. we'll check in with you in just a few moments, michelle. do stand by. let's talk about political will in washington, d.c. as it's been brought up several times over the past few hours. congresswoman, shot in the head, nothing happened. aurora, colorado, a lot of talk after that, nothing happened. we've got 20 dead kids in an elementary school. why do we believe that something different is going to happen this time around? >> i don't know that something different is going to happen but i do know that the public is capable of learning and breaking through thabootaboos. i think that seems to be changing a little bit, craig.