be bold, be courageous. americans counting on you.

be bold, be courageous. americans are counting on you. >> be bold, be courageous, americans are counting on you. still in recovery after being shot, almost murdered two years ago in tucson, arizona. her husband, captain mark kelly one of the first witnesses to testified saying loughner was able to squeeze off 33 different rounds in a matter of 15 seconds because of the glock he had with the extended magazine clip and taken down trying to put in a must magazine clip into that weapon. what is your reaction to having had former congresswoman giffords there to open the hearings today. she's lending a powerful voice and draws the emotion to that. do you think her voice will break through to some of those that are more hardened of the idea of new gun reregulations? >> her voice alone would not break through but it's combined with the tragedy in newtown, 26 innocent beautiful people, 20 wonderful children, 6 great educators who very likely would be alive today if america had heeded the call before now for stronger m

be courageous. americans are counting on you. >> be bold. be courageous. more than a month has passed since twenty-first graders were gunned down at sandyhook. and the violence is continuing daily. this morning, while the hearing was under way, three people were shot and wounded at an office complex in arizona. reports there has been more than 1400 shootings. 1400 shooting deaths since the massacre at sandyhook elementary school. that tally doesn't include the heart wrenching story of the high school honor student and band member from chicago who performed at some of president obama's inug ral festivities just last week. 15 years old. she had her whole life in front of her. but, yesterday, she was sholt in the back while sitting in a park. near her school in the middle of the afternoon. an innocent victim of the gun crisis in this country. especially the crisis in chicago. this has to change. but the opponents of gun sanity refuse to get it. at today's hearing, the head of the nra actually argued we don't need any new gun laws. >> proposing more gun laws w

and so, i think reverend king who showed so much courage himself, courage to be kind, courage to be generoushe showed the courage to be not violent. nonviolent. and in a violent society. so i think he would encourage president obama to be courageous. i think so. >> that was -- that's a beautiful answer, dr. angelou and a great pleasure for me to talk to you tonight and i appreciate you taking the time out to talk to me. >> i thank you so much. i'm wanting to talk to you since you talked to oprah. i have wanted to meet you. you are brilliant. you are fine. >> thank you. >> you, too, have courage and insight because you are insightful enough to see that she was intelligent and you are courageous enough to say you knew it. >> well, that's incredibly kind of you. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> very nice to talk to you. what a wonderful lady. we've got some live pictures here of one of the parties tonight. the green ball. you can probably tell that because it's green everywhere. there's vice president joe biden partying hard tonight in washington. >> i apologize. >> not sure what he's doing.

be courageous. americans are counting on you. >> pelley: we'll hear from gabrielle giffords and the nra. nancy cordes reports from capitol hill. michelle miller has one mother's story from newtown. a massive storm system is moving across the country tonight. what's coming next from meteorologist david bernard. the economy suddenly stops growing. anthony mason looks at the surprising new numbers and with the super bowl coming this weekend, jim axelrod in new orleans, where the city's chefs have served up an economic recovery. >> reporter: the population shrunk, and yet the number of the restaurants went up? >> yeah, it's a miracle, isn't it? captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. the senate judiciary committee had assembled for the first congressional gun control hearing since the sandy hook tragedy when the surprise witness appeared. former congresswoman gabrielle giffords of arizona was led by the hand by her husband, mark kelly. it wa

be bold, be courageous. ericans are counting on you. >> as the rest of the country something must be done to prevent gun violence. the nra and the allies in the republican party are digging in. we'll look at what president obama can and can't accomplish on gun safety at the top of the program. >>> plus does president obama want a deal on illegal immigration? which would be huge on his legacy. or does he want the issue hanging around so republicans get punished at the polls by latino voters. we'll get some answers tonight. >>> and it may be last call for the tea party. consider this. republicans with national ambitions claim they want tome to stop being the stupid party. conservatives are working with democrats on illegal immigration. and fox news parts ways with sarah palin. dana milbank says it's all evidence the tea party is losing steam and he's with us tonight. >>> plus the boy scouts of america are considering dropping their ban on gay volunteers and members. it's another sign of the progress this countr

bold, be courageous, americans are counting on you." that moment i think will stay with many of us for a long time and inspire us. but i think also some of those weird moments, like the one you cited and an equally weird one, if i may say, when wayne lapierre tried to explain why he was against background checks, which is that the criminals won't comply with them. well, of course the criminals won't comply with them, because they won't go to the dealers or to private sales to buy weapons if they know they're going to be background checks. and if that law is combined with one that goes after straw purchases and gun trafficking, it can have an enormous effect, not only on firearms purchases, but also ammunition purchases. remember, it's against the law right now for felons, fugitives, as well as drug addicts, seriously mentally ill people, and domestic abusers to buy both firearms and ammunition. and background checks are a law enforcement tool, a simple commonsense way to enforce the law. and again, wayne lapierre has a hard time explain

be bold, be courageous. are counting on you. >> john: the tucson shooting where gabby giffords was shot in the head did not lead to gun control hearings, the massacre shooting in connecticut did. senator grassley does not want that tragedy to risk any new gun laws. >> the deaths in new town should not be used to put forward every gun control measure that has been used for 20 years. >> john: because the last thing you want the government to do is to pass laws to keep it from happening again. instead, grassley wants to focus on mental health, mass killer video games, and decline of civility in american life in an effort to combat gun violence. that would be fine with another star witness nra president wayne lapierre. mandatory background checks would be fine with him. patrick leahy of vermont ran that by him again. >> should we have mandatory checks at gun shows. >> if you're a dealer, that's already the law. >> that's not my question, please mr. la pierre i'm not trying to play games but if you could just ans

be bold, be courageous, americans are counting on you. >> giffords' husband, mark kelly, argued for universal background checks to keep criminals from getting guns. >> she would not have been sitting here today if we had stronger background checks. >> today's hear on how to prevent gun violence is in respond to the shooting massacre in newtown, connecticut last month. president obama has called for tougher laws. >> law abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violent or deranged criminals, nor do we believe that government should dictate what we can lawfully own and use to protect our families. >> the national rifle association intensely opposes any new legislation, conservative republicans are backing the nra. >> i fail to see how passing additional laws that the department of justice will not enforce is going to make america any safer. >> it's clear common ground on gun control may be hard to find. in the washington, i'm danielle lee, nbc news. >>> there was so much emotion during giffords' testimony, we decided to bring

be courageous. >> reporter: giffords and kelly, both gun owners, want congress to expand background checks to gun shows and private sales to make it harder for criminals and the mentally ill to get weapons. >> my wife would not be sitting in this seat, she would not have been sitting here today, if we have stronger background checks. >> reporter: of all the gun-related ideas on the table, democrats believe universal background checks have the best chance politically. >> we'll stop them from the original purchase. you missed that point completely. i think it's basic. >> senator, i think you missed it. >> in order. >> reporter: the nra said adding new laws would hit ordinary stricken citizens not criminals. >>> this is the year for immigration reform. that's president obama's hope he laid out his platform with our sister spanish network telemundo. >> we know what's needed when it comes to border security. we know what's needed dealing with employers who may unlawfully hire undocumented workers. we know what the pathway to citizenship looks like abdomen what the criteria should be. so, really

be bold, be courageous. americans are counting on you. thank you. >> it remains to be seen if congress will show the same kind of courage gabby giffords displayed today. her husband, captain mark kelly, also testified. kelly's message, demanding change is not the same as taking away people's guns. >> we take that right very seriously, and we would never, ever give it up, just like gabby would never relinquish her gun, and i would never relinquish mine. but rights demand responsibility. >> giffords and kelly are pleading on behalf of common sense here. this is why gun safety opponents like the nra's wayne lapierre need to create multiple straw men instead of talking about the facts. the gun lobby will do anything to keep all guns free from restrictions. fewer restrictions means more sales, which means more money for gunmakers and manufacturers and guys like wayne lapierre. >> if you try to do this universal background check, which sounds whatever, it ends up being a universal federal nightmare imposed upon law-abiding people all over this c

be courageous. are counting on you. >> just to hear her struggle to get the words out really i think just speaks volumes, if you will, about all that she's been through and all about this debate. and yet this hearing did not then go forward with everybody piling on and trying to work together. it became very divisive, kind of contentious. do you think gabrielle giffords can help affect policy in this manner? >> very, very desfinitely and profoundly. her statement was one of the shortest but most powerful public statements before any congressional hearing i've ever heard. it was really so direct. yes, she did struggle with those words, but there was no mistaking the passion and the depth of her commitment. and when she said be bold, be courageous, americans are counting on you, she also said that children are dying. evoking the images of newtown that i think will be also very power nfl creating a sense of urgency and momentum that can be sustained. i think it will be a tough uphill battle but i think

. >> be bold, be courageous. americans are counting on you. >> my problem is background checks as you're never going to get criminals to go through universal background checks. dodge the testimonies came as lawmakers held the first hearing in the wake of the new town shooting. james johnson, a supporter of president obama's gun control program also testified. >> there is nothing better than being in raven's country this week. unless you are a central it is 40 niner's fan. we caught up with the teenager that wears her forty-niners tried very proudly in the halls of her city high-school. live in the newsroom, she has more on her story. >> we have met so many special raven's fans, we thought we would show you a different perspective. it is just fine with her. >> it is not all that difficult to pick kathy out of a group. she is the one in the san francisco forty-niners sweatshirt surrounded by all the raven's fans. >> is cool being the only forty- niners fan. >> her dad is the defensive coordinator for the forty- nin

for the state of california and i want to thank the person who has demonstrated what it means to be courageous, to stand up for what is the right thing. amelia ashley ward, the publisher, she had my back and supported me and fought for me. i want to say for the bottom of my heart thank you for being there for me. it means a lot. now, our resident of district 5 have a supervisor that understands the district; understands the needs of the district; and is prepared for the challenges that we face not only as a district but as a city. i am prepared to step up and to do what is necessary in order to make the difference in district 5. i know that we have been through a lot over the last several years which is why i thought it was important to bring who will be the third aid in my office, valie brown, who works for former supervisor -- a true advocate for the residents of district 5. serving in this capacity is what she is meant to do and she will do a tremendous job for the residents. i cannot wait to get out there in the community and do what i am here to do a supervisor. i am looking forward to wo

be bold, be courageous, americans are counting on you. thank you. >> this debate is moving. part of it. after the massacre of 20 children just before christmas, the president moved this to the top of his agenda. pundits say the plan to ban assault rifles is a logical. >> they make a bigger hires, they sprayed bullets, they are more powerful, they are heavy armored. all of that is not true. >> the gun lobby is immensely obamaul, so president's a's strategy is to raise the emotional temperature. gabrielle giffords' testimony helped. >> for more on this debate and what can be done about it, i spoke with the police commissioner. thank you very much for joining me. you are in the front lines of the fight against crime in america. would tighter gun laws make america a safer place? >> absolutely. you have to couple gun laws with strict enforcement and punishment for those that violate the law. the status quo is not acceptable. we have to come up with some solution. >> and you were a commissioner here in washington, d.c. at a time when the city had some of the tightest gun-control l

for the state of california and i want to thank the person who has demonstrated what it means to be courageous, to stand up for what is the right thing. amelia ashley ward, the publisher, she had my back and supported me and fought for me. i want to say for the bottom of my heart thank you for being there for me. it means a lot. now, our resident of district 5 have a supervisor that understands the district; understands the needs of the district; and is prepared for the challenges that we face not only as a district but as a city. i am prepared to step up and to do what is necessary in order to make the difference in district 5. i know thate

. >> be bold, be courageous, americans are counting on you. >> giffords' husband argued for background checks. >> she'd not have been sitting here today if with we had stronger background checks. >> the hearing on how to prevent gun violence is in response to the shooting mass car in newtown, connecticut last month. the president weighed in during an interview. >> even if it does not save every person who is a potential victim of gun violence, but we save a few, you know, if we don't do that, shame on us. >> president obama has called for tougher laws and including an assault weapon's ban and limits on high capacity jeans. >> law abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violate or deranged criminals nor do we believe that government should dictate what we can own and use to protect our families. >> the national rifle association intensely opposes any new legislation. conservative republicans are backing the nra. >> and i fail to see how passing additional laws that the department of justice will not enforce is going to make america any safer. >> it's clear, common groun

. >> you must act, be bold, be courageous. >> reporter: they are both gun owners and they want positive expand sales to make it harder for criminals and the mentally im to get weapons. >> my wife would not be sitting in this seat. she would not have been sitting here today if we had stronger background checks. >>> of all the gun related ideas on the table, democrats believe universal background checks has the best chance politically. >> stop them from the original purchase. you missed that point completely. and i think it's basic. >> senator, i think you missed -- >> reporter: the nra says adding new laws would hit ordinary citizens, not criminals. >> that was kelly o'donnell. >>> this is the year for immigration reform that, is president obama's hope. he laid out his platform and timetable. >>> we know what's needed when it comes to border security. we know what's needed when it comes to dealing with employers who may unlawful hire undocumented workers. we know what a pathway to citizenship looks like and what the criteria should be. and so really the issue here is not so much technica