nicole hockley's son dylan was killed at sandy hook elementary. nicole, thank you very much for being here tonight. >> thank you for having me. >> i know that you have just come from d.c. as of this afternoon. i have heard you say in talking to other people you've never done anything like this before, the meeting with senators that you have done. what was it like this week? >> it was certainly a very interesting experience. never, to be honest, this is the first time i've been in d.c. i've learnt a great deal. had no idea what to expect, and went in with very few expectations. just wanting to meet with senators and talk to them person to person along with all of the other families first to tell our stories and see what could be done. >> do you feel like you are being listened to? that people are -- obviously people have a lot of emotion about what happened and meeting you is an emotional experience for a lot of people. a number of the different family's members i have talked to have talked about how hard it that people burst into tears upon meeting

dylan hockley's mom nicole joins us. she's here on capitol hill. we talk to a u.s. senator who wants to filibuster a new debate on gun control laws. we'll talk to him ahead. we'll be right back. black blank >>> welcome back. as we said at the top of the broadcast, there is late news tonight on a break in the logjam in that building behind me over gun control legislation. details on that in a moment. it is significant but not necessarily a game changer and it doesn't make the big questions go away. namely, why is this so hard. the main proposal, universal background checks, has about 90% of support among americans, if you believe the polls. 90%. so if you believe congress should be doing the will of the people, what their constituents want, what's the hangup, you might ask? we're here tonight to find out and talk to both sides on the gun debate. we'll talk to one of the newtown parents who flew here last night on air force one, who were at the capitol today, telling their stories, trying to make it personal. we'll talk shortly to nicole hockley, whose son dylan was 6

dylan hockley's mom nicole joins us. she's here on capitol hill. we talk to a u.s. senator who wants to filibuster a new debate on gun control laws. we'll talk to him ahead. we'll be right back. 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 for you. at tyco integrated security, we consider ourselves business optihow?rs. by building custom security solutions that integrate video, access control, fire and intrusion protection. all backed up with world-class monitoring centers, thousands of qualified technicians, and a personal passion to help protect your business. when your business is optimized like that, there's no stopping you. we are tyco integrated security. and we are sharper. do you guys ride? well... no. sometimes, yea

dylan hockley's mom nicole joins us. she's here on capitol hill. we talk to a u.s. senator who wants to filibuster a new debate on gun control laws. we'll talk to him ahead. we'll be right back. [ phil ] when you have joint pain and stiffness... accomplishing even little things can become major victories. i'm phil mickelson, pro golfer. when i was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, my rheumatologist prescribed enbrel for my pain and stiffness, and to help stop joint damage. [ male announcer ] enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders, and allergic reactions have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. you should not start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have

now that last limit on ammo clips wasn't enough for nicole hockley whose son dylan was killed at sandy hook. >> we ask ourselves every day every minute, if those magazines had held ten rounds, forcing the shooter to reload at least six more times would our children be alive today? >> and at the u.n., delegates were asking themselves if they should, for the first time, regulate the annual $70 billion trade in conventional weapons and the answer was yes. it would require weapons exporting nations and america's number one to avoid exports linked to human rights abuses, terrorism and organized crime. ban armed shipments harmful to women and children and publish yearly arms sales reports. now 154 nations voted for the treaty including the u.s.a. 23 nations an abstained including russia and china and iran north korea and syria all voted against it and the nra opposed the treaty, too. okay. so it wasn't a perfect day for our friends in the nra but it still plans to block the treaty from ratification in the u.s. senate. imagine that. it is not enough for the nra to ignore the will of americans

. >> that is nicole hockley, whose son, dillon, was killed at sandy hook december 14th. another 6-year-old would have turned 7 today. today was her seventh birthday. on her birthday, her parents wrote an op-ed in "usa today" about their soulful cheerful daughter who loved to sing and about the need for gun reform. there was a moment of silence for anna green in the busiest place on earth in the middle of time square and the assembly woman who represents the legislature did not go to sign the bill today for the legislature she supported so she could take part in this marking anna marquez's birthday today. this did get done today. connecticut could have done this alone but they chose instead to work with the minority republicans to come up with something to get bipartisan support even though it didn't have to happen that way. it did get bipartisan support and got overwhelming votes in the house and senate with republicans and democrats both voting for it not unanimously but substantially in both houses. today, it is not just connecticut but maryland where democratic govern

here was nicole hockley speaking at the ceremony whose son died at sandy hook elementary. >> this is a path i never thought my life would take but working to save the lives of others is one of the ways that i'm honoring dylan's life. this makes me hopeful that despite everything we've been reading, the u.s. senate will also take the time to listen to us when we go to washington next week. >> john: joining us now is the incomparable michael tomasky special correspondent for "newsweek" and the "daily beast." thank you so much for your time tonight. >> she's incomparable. i'm just here. >> john: i appreciate the sentiment. you're pretty great at what you do. i wanted to ask you about this because despite an obvious desire, michael, for washington to do something on gun control is the state by state method, as we've begun to see in new york, colorado and connecticut actually a more effective way to go? maryland's house today also passed strict gun control measures that the senate is expected to pass and sent to governor o'malley who will sign it? does this open us up to untold new danger

nicole hockley lost her son dylan at sandy hook elementary. she introduced the president this afternoon, called on people to make this the moment when real change begins. whether you agree or disagree with the legislation he's pushing for, president obama today made a fiery speech in defense of it. watch. >> some in the washington press suggest that what happens to gun violence legislation in congress this week will either be a political victory or defeat for me. connecticut, this is not about me. this is not about politics. this is about doing the right thing for all the families who are here that have been torn apart by gun violence. it's about them and all the families going forward, so we can prevent this from happening again. that's what it's about. >> but getting anything from congress will be a heavy lift. in a moment, as i mentioned, dana bash has breaking news on the outlines, the outlines the potential bipartisan deal and background checks. first, a check with jessica yellin. jessica, the president seems more emotional talking about

nicole hockley, thank you so much. >> thank you. ♪ [ male announcer ] how could switchgrass in argentinachange engineering in dubai, aluminum production in south africa, and the aerospace industry in the u.s.? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing. i'm up next, but now i'm singing the heartburn blues. hold on, prilosec isn't for fast relief. cue up alka-seltzer. it stops heartburn fast. >>> this is a little important context in terms of understanding what's about to happen next in congress and why the common wisdom might be wrong. when the congress decided back in january that they were not going to throw us off the so-called fiscal cliff, remember that, they didn't just get to make that decision. they actually had to pass legislation to do that. and as legislation, it doesn't have to

the president was introduced for his speech today by nicole hockley who lost her son, dylan, at sandy hook. she was one of 11 family members of the victims of sandy hook massacre who met with the president today in connecticut before his speech. but then this is interesting. after the speech, they left connecticut with the president as well. they left with the president on board air force one to travel with him to washington, d.c. this group of family members is traveling with the president on air force one and the white house says they are going to be meeting tomorrow with members of congress. members of congress are back in washington now. the senate back in session as of today, the house back in session as of tomorrow. members of congress are back in town in part to craft gun legislation and to decide how and if they are going to vote on gun legislation over the next few days. this effort with those family members flying back to washington on air force one with the president, this is part of a full-court press on this issue this week. tomorrow vice president joe biden and attorney

kristen, the white house released a photo of the president speaking with nicole hockley, mother of atle boy killed at sandy hook. what can you tell us about those calls and the president's reaction to the vote today? >> reporter: almost immediately after the procedural vote the president picked up the phone and called the family members who have been here all week long, the family members of the newtown victims. they've been going senator to senator urging them to pass these gun laws. so today was a procedural vote, as you point out, but the white house calling it an important first step. but they are being very cautious in their language, martin, because this is still very early on in this process. it is, again, just a procedural vote that sort of clears the way for this legislation to move forward. there's another procedural vote, and there are going to be a lot of twists and turns along the way. a lot of debate along the way before the legislation is actually voted on. now, the white house has been sort of putting a full-court press on this. you heard the president speaking this w

. >> that was nicole hockley yesterday whose 6-year-old son dylan was killed just 4 months ago in theooting. she introduced president obama monday pushing congress to act on gun control. that was a crowd of college students and they all got silent when she started speaking. i'll bring in robert gibbs, former press secretary and senior for president obama and welcome to both of you. i want to start with you. let's look at the politics. i'm scratching my head. i don't understand the political strategy here of some senate republicans trying to prevent the vote. this seems to be if you want to look at raw politics lowering the victory bar for the president. simply getting a vote now will have overcome -- >> yeah. >> why do this when you have a pocket veto on this bill frankly called the republican house of representatives? >> well, i find it a curious strategy as well. i think they should have a vote. i think we should get all of those democrats running in 2014 on the record on these issues. the democrats don't want this vote to come up. that's why i think republicans should encourage a d

he'll be introduced today by nicole hockley who lost her 6-year-old boy.he spoke to "60 minutes" last night. >> they need to not just look us in the eyes but look our children and the lost ones and see those faces, see what's gone. >> and we'll have much more on that just ahead. >>> but we begin with the passing of an iconic world leader who was a great friend to this nation. former british prime minister margaret thatcher died of a stroke at the age of 87. mrs. thatcher shattered the glass ceiling becoming britain's first and only female prime minister, leading with a tough no nonsense manner that earned here the nickname, the iron lady. the flags at downing street and buckingham palace are at half-staff. her ma jessjesty the queen exte her condolences. david cameron offered this testimony earlier today. >> we lost a great prime minister, a great leader, a great britain. as our first woman prime minister, margaret thatcher succeeded against all the odds. and the real thing about margaret thatcher is that she didn't just lead our country, she saved our cou

want to play a clip from nicole hockley, who introduced president obama. >> for days after dylan was killed, i was so filled with grief i felt unable to move. paralyzed from shock, hollow and empty from the sorrow of losing my precious boy, and there are still many days when i feel like that. but though sometimes the waves of sadness are so great they threaten drown me, i stand before you now and ask you to stand with me. >> representative, did you get a chance to speak with some of the families about their goals in this process? >> yes, i did. and i have listened to nicole on a number of occasions, including last week, where the governor of connecticut signed historic gun prevention violence legislation, and it is always poignant and just heartwrenching to listen to these parents, but they show unbelievable courage and strength and take this unspeakable tragedy and have turned it into a mission on behalf of their murdered children. >> is there a fear that some of them will be seen, these families, as being used as political props throughout the process? >> no. no. this is so heartfe

listen to nicole hockley and what she said when the president of the united states visited connecticut just a couple of days ago. she said, but now there is no going back for me. there is no way. if you want to protect your children, if you want to avoid this loss, you will not turn away either. i ask my colleagues, let us face this reality. let us not turn away. let us resolve to go forward and keep faith with the children and the educators who, by their example, provide us with an enormous and historic opportunity to make america safer and better. the nation that we love, the nation that we all believe is the greatest in history of the world, and will be greater still after we move forward to make it safer and better. thank you, mr. president, madam president, and i yield the floor. >> madam president? >> senator from utah. >> unanimous consent the quorum call be suspended. >> without objection. >> madam president, for several weeks now washington and the rest of the country have been debating several new gun control proposals. along with a number of my colleagues, including the mino

among them -- >> the president of the united states -- >> nicole hockley who lost her 6-year-old son at sandy hook elementary school. >> though sometimes the waves of sadness are so great they threaten to drown me, i stand before you now and ask you to stand with me. with all the families. >> reporter: hockley had earlier introduced the president as he began a week-long white house push for a gun bill. obama criticized republican senators for trying to block a measure from coming to the senate floor. >> in the wake of a tragedy, you think this would not be a heavy lift. and, yet, some folks back in washington are already floating the idea that they may use political stunts to prevent votes on any of these reforms. >> reporter: senate minority leader mitch mcconnell is planning to join the 13 senators who say they will filibuster a bill. democrats are hoping to overcome the filibuster with a bipartisan compromise that would require background checks for all or almost all gun purchases. the measure has overwhelming public support but is in jeopardy in the senate. >> we have to tell con

nicole hockley, mother of dylan, says she has seen the worst the world has to offer, and the best.he arms of teacher aide ann marie murphy. >> to know she was trying to protect him. and was with him at the end. has provided some comfort. because to know that he wasn't alone, and ta being in those last moments that he was with someone who truly loved him and cared for him, that -- and that she was still looking after him. >> reporter: daniel was 7 years old. his sister holds his last letter to santa. he didn't want toys, he just wanted to see santa and the reindeer. his father said his son's legacy is his beautiful heart. >> he really did think of other people. he held doors for perfect strangers. he was kind and affectionate. >> i think that's the thing. you don't need to know someone to be nice to them. he was nice to anyone he met. >> reporter: his family wants you to remember not what happened in the walls of sandy hook elementary, but these words, what would daniel do. they have started a facebook page to encourage people to adopt a practice of kindness. other newtown families

with the state. 24 of the sandy hook families signed this letter fighting the cause, including nicole hockleyn vote on the banning of these large-capacity magazines with no grandfathering clause. >> reporter: as many analyze the details, some say a buy-back program should be a part of the solution. >> there are other programs that could be mimicked. we'll have to see where it takes us from here. >> reporter: the proposed law would require criminal background checks for every gun sale and expand the state's 1993 ban on assault weapons to include about 100 new models. abc news, new york. >>> a federal judge ruled the city of stockton, california, can become the most populous american city to enter bankruptcy. the city claims its budget and services have been cut to the bone and bankruptcy is the only option. lawmakers for its creditors insist the city has not done enough. the case could set a precedent for other financially struggling cities in america by determining which debts are paid and in what order. >>> now that he has a bucks in his pocket, the new jersey man who just won the powerball

my name is nicole hockley and standing with me is my house, dan. we have two sons, jacob sager of may third-grader at sandy hook elementary school. a younger son, dylan was murdered in his first grade classroom less than four months ago. before 12, 14 at this time of day you would find a preparing dinner for my boys, helping him with hallmark are taking them to a karate class. my family's world came completely that day. 20 of our children, six of our educators, gone. for some in our country, the way that the initial anguish may appear to have diminished. but the ripples continue to be felt here in connecticut and across the united states. every day before trent three and everyday sense, people have died from gun violence. what law-abiding citizen, whether it gone on there or not doesn't want to address and save lives? when i used to see terrible tragedies and violence on the evening news, i'd be upset and wonder what i could do an essay became focused again on the details of my life, i'd start to forget and i would turn away. that's my daily routin

listen to nicole hockley and what she said when the president of the united states visited connecticut just a couple of days ago. she said "but now there is no going back for me. there is no way. if you want to protect your children, if you want to avoid this loss, you will not turn away, either." i ask my colleagues, let us face this reality, let us not turn away. let us resolve to go forward and keep faith with the children and the educators who by their example provide us with an enormous and historic opportunity to make america safer and better. the nation that we love, the nation that we all believe is the great nest the history of the world and will be greater still after we move forward to make it safer and better. thank you, mr. president. madam president. and i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. blumenthal: madam president, i have seven unanimous consent requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority and republican minority leaders. i ask unanimous c

my name is nicole hockley. stan in with me is my husband dan. we have two sons. jake is eight years old and a third grader at sandy hook elementary school. our younger son was murdered in his first grade classroom less than four months ago. 12/14, you would find me preparing dinner for my boys. helping them with homework or taking them to karate class. my world changed completely that day. 20 of our children, six of our educators, gone. for some in our country, the wave of that initial in english may appear to have diminished. but the ripples continue to be felt in connecticut and across the united states. before and since, will have died from gun violence. what law-abiding citizen whether they are a gun owner or not does not want to address this and save lives? when i used to see terrible tragedies, i would be upset and wonder what i could do. and if i became focused again on the details of my life, i would start to forget and i would turn away. that is my daily routine. now there is no going back. for me, there is no turning away. if you want to protect your ch

there is no turning back, as nicole hockley has said so eloquently. there is no turning back from a proposal to ban high-capacity magazine. thank you, madam president, and i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: madam president, i want to talk about the issue of gun violence. our hearts are still heavy from the reminders of what happened in connecticut. and i want to say that i come to this issue from a position of moderation and common sense. i come to this issue as having grown up in the country as a hunter. i grew up on a ranch. i've had guns all my life. i am very familiar with guns, and to this day still enjoy hunting quail and pheasant with my son. but, is there anybody that realistically doesn't believe that we ought to have a criminal background check for the person that is purchasing a gun? i'm very encouraged to hear that senator manchin and senator toomey have come together to find a way to close the gun show loophole, and that's instructive. what happened in my state of fl

another sandy hook family member, nicole hockley, the mother of dillon hockley, said the following -- quote -- "we looked at the search warrants and know that the shooter left the smaller-capacity magazines at home. that was a choice he made. he knew that the larger-capacity magazine clips were more letha lethal." david wheeler, the father of benjamin andrew wheel,s the following -- quote -- "the more bullets you can get at the end of a gun in the least amount of time, that is the single area that i believe affects lethality. and the size of the magazine placed in that weapon is a direct contributor to that, a direct contributor to that factor. there is a place for 30-round magazines in the military on the battlefield." the families of newtown have spoken clearly and powerfully. but the facts of other shootings support the ban on high-capacity magazines again and again and again. in tucson, arizona, for example, jared lochner emptied a 33-round magazine in 19 seconds, killing six and injuring 13, before stopping to replace his magazi magazine. and when he went to reload, a bystander t

dylan hockley age six, his mother nicole is here.aniel barden 87, his mother jackie and his father mark are here. jesse louis lewis age six, his father neal heslin is here. mary sherlach one of the six educators, one of the six heroic educators killed at sandy hook, her husband build is here today. we can draw inspiration not only from the memories of those children and great educators who were killed but from their strength and resilience and resolve in coming to the halls of this building, meeting with our colleagues and indeed at this very moment they are with one of our colleagues looking in the eyes and saying to him how can you not approve a bill that stops it illegal trafficking and strengthened school safety, imposes a requirement for criminal background checks? how can you not stop assault weapons and high-capacity magazines that were integral to that killing in newtown? how can you not do something about gun violence that has caused more than 3000 deaths since then? how can you not allow a vote to? how can you defy the amer

dylan hockley age six whose mother nicole is here. also here in spirit and jesse lewis, age six. his father neal heslin is here. mary sherlach, one of the six educators killed at sandy hook elementary whose husband bill is here. jesse, mary are here with us to map. and we know that compromise and action are possible because two of our colleagues have formed a bipartisan compromise that will enable us to come closer. it is imperfect. it is less than what i would have preferred in achieving universal background checks. it is a starting point. it is a step in the right direction and it will help us achieve a larger bipartisan compromise because background checks are only one part of a comprehensive strategy that must include a ban on illegal trafficking, strengthening school safety as well as mental health initiatives and a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines that i will be privileged to spearhead that effort on high-capacity magazines hopefully next week after today's vote along with colleagues such as dianne feinstein and my colleague chris murphy. today let us deci