host: we are talking with congressman bob goodlatte.s is -- what the president would like to see be done on gun control. joe in ohio -- let's go to howie in philadelphia. good morning. our second amendment has been destroyed by these gun laws and laws.nd 1930 the government is part of the problem. guest: when we examine firearms laws, we should examine them to see if they are effective. we are going to continue to protect the rights of law- abiding citizens to own firearms and to make sure that any new laws do not impinge on those rights and do not -- and do have some effect in terms of trying to prevent these tragedies. host: tim in boston. caller: you call me off guard. host: you lost your train of thought. i will come back to you. patrick leahy is quoted with a headline saying he could slow down obama's efforts on gun control. have you talked about any compromise legislation? guest: we have had good conversations in the lead up to the congress. with that discussions about different things we might work together on but not about gun c

host: we're talking with congressman bob goodlatte. he's the chairman of the judiciary committee and the committee that would take up any sort of gun control measures. this is our discussion ahead of the president's announcement later on this morning on what he would like to see be done on gun control. 11:45 a.m. eastern time here on c-span, we'll be covering that. we'll go to joe next who is in ohio, democratic caller. i think we just talked to joe. here is howie who is in philadelphia, republican. caller: good morning. i guess my license, if i didn't have my license, the choice will be harder for me now. you know, it's so unconstitutional. our second amendment has been destroyed by these national firearm acts and gun laws in 1968, 1930 laws. i mean, if there's anybody thinking about repealing any of these laws? the violence gets worse and worse. the government is just part of the problem. goodbye. guest: well, i appreciate the caller. obviously when we examine firearms laws we should look at them to see whether they are effectively a

and smith is going to be moving to the science, space and technology committee -- >> host: so bob goodlatte of virginia's going to be the new chair of the judiciary committee? >> guest: right. so, and he was involved in the writing of sopa. whether they're going to try to take up some sort of new copyright enforcement is yet to be seen. >> host: do you see sopa, pipa policy proposal coming forward begun? >> guest: i don't think there's an ap tide for the -- appetite for the same fight again. whether there'll be some sort of effort to have enforcement of copyright rules online i think is a possibility, but, i mean, i think a lot of lawmakers you wea little frightened by how the sopa fight went and the backlash to that. i think the movie industry and the recording industry is kind of looking for maybe some smaller issues that they can push. >> host: now, lee terry is taking over for cliff sterns, correct? on the energy and commerce committee, is that right? >> guest: no. he is taking over the position that mary bono mack had on the commerce manufacturing and trade subcommittee, and b marsha b

you want to know how the change is, that's bob goodlatte today. here's what he said then, the senate immigration bill actually rewards immigrants by giving them amnesty. you get a sense, the new committee chairman, they're not saying no. they're not saying yes but they're not saying no and that's a big difference. >> politics will be fascinating. we'll see what happens. john, thanks very much. we'll have much more on this coming up, including my interview with senator john mccain. he's part of that bipartisan group behind this comprehensive immigration plan. plus, that nightclub fire in brazil that killed more than 200 people, now we're getting word of arrests. see life in the best light. outdoors, or in. transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. maybe even a little better. visit your eyecare professional today to ask about our newest lenses, transitions vantage and transitions xtractive lenses. experience life well lit. ask which transitions adaptive lens is best

background checks and banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines where republican congressman bob goodlatte of west virgina suggests he will run into opposition. >> this is a very important constitutional right. we're dedicated to protecting the second amendment from that standpoint. what we want to focus on are ways to make sure that people with serious mental difficulties are kept away from firearms. >> reporter: even democrats saying the assault weapons ban in particular is a longshot. bill? bill: wendell. thank you. some morning rain there at the white house for you. wendell goler staying dry. martha? martha: some folks in law enforcement are seething over this proposed gun control law changes. they say they will not enforce those laws. in a letter that he wrote tot vice president oregon sheriff tim mueller calls the new laws which we're yet to hear in a couple hours, unconstitutional. >> it all started because my dep i ts and i were getting questions from folks out there in the community just wanting to know what this was. making criminals out of honest citizens, that is not the right

later, bob goodlatte talks about his opposition to new gun laws. >> president obama launched his effort to reduce gun violence wednesday, calling for action and don't congress and signed in 23 consecutive quarters to deal with the issue. speaking before an audience that included the families of those killed in last month's newtown shooting, the president called for an assault weapons ban, better background checks, and more funding for police and mental health services. this is 25 minutes. >> ladies and gentlemen, the president and vice-president of the united states. >> please, please be seated. thank you. before -- before i begin today, let me say to the families of the innocence that died, our hearts go out to you and you incredible courage being here and the president and i will do everything in our power to honor the memory of your children and your wives with the work we take up here today. it's been 33 days since the nation's heart was broken by the horrific, senseless violence that took place at sandy hook elementary school. 20 -- 20 beautiful first graders gunned down in a place

last year, bob goodlatte, a congressman from virginia and for agricultural committee chairman, introduced legislation to get rid of the ethanol mandate spirs. trade groups are concerned that there will be a bigger push this year to get rid of the mandates. several governors from livestock states and oil states this summer asked the epa to administratively get rid of the ethanol mandate for the year. epa said no, just as it did a few years ago. that has not made the issue go away. host: if you look at u.s. hay production from 1964 and look at it again today, is unchanged, but a lot of changes in intervening years. guest: use see a steady decline from 1964 to the 2006, 2007 area. i would call your attention to several steady declines, looking back in 1976, 1980, 1988, and of course, this year. all of those years are drought years that have significantly inaffected productivity of hay production. we are at the lowest level since 1964, we have the lowest yield since 1976, and we have the lowest december hay stocks since 1967. this creates a huge problem for livestock producers. that is a prim

host: coming up next, the chairman of the judiciary committee, bob goodlatte, gun control policy. can an assault weapons ban make it through congress? guest: i think it's 50-50. i think other provisions clearly can. the provisions are magazines, more thorough checks, people who buy guns at gun shows, i think there need to be checks. we need to look at mental health services. but we can't use any factor as a reason not to do things more comprehensively. let me just give you my own feeling. i think we need to address violence in this country. i think if any family lost as they did in connecticut it would become energized and determined. we have to act as if each of us lost a child from someone who just used weapons and the reason for the use is probably complicated. but part of it was probably his mental condition. part of it was his easy access to these weapons. easy access to weapons that aren't necessary for hunting or for recreational purposes. we need to do better in this country. host: congressman, thank you very much. all out of time. appreciate you talking to our viewers thi