he won with a 29% margin, defying the nra, even before tonight. defying the nra in kentucky. they were giving him a failing grade. they could tell he was not using their talking points even prior to now. there is a lesson there, it seems to me, as he was saying, in the ability to override the nra when it comes down to the real election for congress. >> yeah, you know, absolutely, and mayor michael bloom berg says that the nra is really just a paper tiger. if you look at their record in the just completed election, they had a less than 1% success rate in terms of all the money in the millions and millions they spent trying to defeat the president. but what i think is important, lawrence, you're starting to see the benefits of being with the nra, and sort of not risking them in opposing an election, are starting to be outweighed in being associated with them. i mean, the nra doesn't exactly have a sterling reputation here, they are the ones trying to clear the way to stop states from banning machine guns, to bring back the dillinger, so they're not actually a friend you want to

and the membership of the nra the majority of the nra members would agree with you.re experts sports men hunters we don't need the magazines with those types of bullets. what would wayne la pierre say on friday when they lift their vow of silence and speak to us. what do you think they'll say? >> i don't know. that's a big question. the only hint we got was this little online chat that they had on their website. in which they made some noises, incredibly enough, about arming more people, and arming more school officials which is just insane. arming teachers, arming--i don't know what. but if that's really the way they go, i think it's going to be so self marginalizing and so self-discrediting. you're right, there was a poll this summer, i'm sure that's what you're alluding to, about n ra members and two-thirds of them believe there should be restrictions on the semiautomatic and automatic weapons. two-thirds of the nra members. but the nra leadership, they're holding out for the most extreme element. if that's where they want to go and if that's where all the republi

his number one target the nra. >> what would you like the nra to know?> that i think the public has finally come to the conclusion we are going to do the this whether you like it or not and connecticut is because of some of their actions. >> you hold them responsibility. >> i hold you and me responsibility. we didn't pay attention to what our legislators were doing. we have let our society, our country degenerate to the point where we have a murder rate that you cannot compare it to other countries. you can't put it on the same scale. >> the nra believes that it is working in the best interest of the american people. >> i don't know. they are not supposed to do that. they are supposed to work in the best interest of gun owners. they don't have a responsibility for the american people. they are paid for by the gun owners. there's nothing wrong with that. it is the rest of us that cave in to them that are irresponsible. >> a lot of people will be surprised to know fur on the no fly list, you can't fly but you can buy a gun. >> absolutely. >> he says for al

the nra breaks its silence. president obama and communities all over america paused in a moment of silence. president obama is calling for a ban on assault weapons. today, the nra offered a rather different solution. publicly breaking the silence. the silence for the first time since the massacre, the nra proposed a sweeping plan to have armed guards at every school in the nation. >> the truth is our society is populated by an unknown number of genuine monsters. people that are so deranged, so evil, so possessed by voices and driven by demons that no sane person can ever possibly comprehend them. they walk among us every single day. and does anybody really believe that the next adam lanza isn't planning his attack on a school? since when did a gun automatically become a bad word? a gun in the hands of a secret service agent protecting our president isn't a bad word. a gun in the hands of a soldier protecting the united states of america isn't a bad word. and when you hear your glass breaking at 3:00 a.m. and you

the nra embarrassed itself. as michael said they had an opportunity today to change the national image of the nra. if they said, look, no american gun owner, no hunter needs a high capacity magazine with more than ten bullets and a clip, we're for that ban. our members, frank luntz, fox news frank luntz poll 47% of our members said no one should get a gun without a background check. we're endorsing a federal ban on gun shows selling guns without background checks. federal ban on internet sales. they could have taken a real step towards enhancing their credibility. they embarrassed himself. learning apierr emp pm-- lapier resign. the republicans have a choice. break with the nra or have every suburban american that looks like this and says this guy is nuts. if you look at this statement you have to think this guy is whacked. that's a danger for the republicans to align themselves with. >> i know you don't mean this in a flip callous way but your reaction is similar to other people who are not anti-gun, they are a

it's the nra and assault weapons that are killing our children. >> protesters accused the nra of having blood on its hands. i'll be speaking to one of those in a moment. wayne lapierre paused and then continued and blamed the violence on video games, on the media, on just about everything but guns. they said the news media is consumed with hate for the nra, but the proposal to have armed guards in schools in america is stirring the most debate. jeffrey, let me lay my cards on the table off the top here. i watched that press conference or that statement with mounting horror and anger, but i was also aware that a lot of people in america would have watched it and said he's right. >> yeah, people will say that the answer to every escalating sort of violent act in america is the ability to use more violence to counter that. and it never stops. so you're going to give a security guard a regular gun against someone who has an assault weapon. so when the assault weapon overpowers the regular gun, you give the security guard in the school an assault weapon, where does this end? it doesn't end.

what do you expect the nra to say today?y're going to say, and i don't think it's the right thing to kind of just speculate. i think we should talk about what we do know, which is that the overwhelming majority of americans, including the overwhelming majority of gun owners and nra members support sensible restrictions. you know, you just showed a poll that said the number of americans that support strict gun control, that's not the conversation. the conversation is around specific measures like criminal background checks on all gun sales. 74% of nra members support criminal background checks on all gun sales and our message today is really to them, to the nra members, you know, like president obama said, nra members are mothers and fathers, too, and we all grieve over this terrible tragedy and we all grieve over the 32 to 34 murders that happen every single day in our country, and there are things we can do about it and that's what we hope the nra is going to focus on as well, but it's anybody's guess. >> it's been a long f

the nra had stopped tweeting. and it also took down its facebook page on friday, just one day after it celebrated a milestone of 1.7 million likes. there are signs that the nra might be losing a script on washington. nra member and senator joe manchin now says he's rethinking his positions on gun control. but as dave weigal points out, the nra habit lost any gun legislation since 1999. the five republicans who voted aye are all gone and al gore's tie breaking aye became a focus of the nra's campaign against him. and just somedays before the slaughter at sandy hook elementary, the nra was actively fear mongering over gun laws. an nra spokesman told the washington examiner on december 5th that the organization was preparing to battle with the president. we're not optimistic. we're planning for the worst. we've told people to plan for gun bans and a supreme court stacked with anti-gun judges. the president has a variety of options and a disposal we don't take any of them for granted. let's turn to mark glaze. he's di

. >> this myth that the nra can destroy political careers is just not true. >> the nra's power is soy overrated. >> plus, the facts about the nra's power. mayor michael bloomberg's right hand power. will real america come around on common sense gun laws? >> john nichols on the conservative push to keep common sense gun laws out of the middle of the country. plus, republican obstacles to reduce violence with jonathan and alex wagner. and dr. gail saultz on the role mental health professionals need to play to reduce the violence. >> no single law, no set of laws can can eliminate evil from the world or prevent every senseless ablt of violence in our society. but that can't be an excuse for an action. >> good to have you with us tonight. folks, thanks for watching. almost 24 hours ago, president obama called for a change in this country. now it's up to all of us to make sure changes come to pass. the community of newtown connecticut is still deeply mourning the lives of 26 people, 20 of them children. the president struck an almost impossible balance of heartfelt emotion and out ragrage

and the nra, well, the nra turned tragedy into an opportunity of the worst kind. >> nra has blood on its hands. >> the media demonized lawful gun owners. vicious, violent video games. we have blood-soaked films out there, a thousand music videos, the media. the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. politicians have no business and no authority denying us the right, the ability, and the moral imperative to protect ourselves and our loved ones from harm. i call on congress today to act immediately to appropriate whatever is necessary to put armed police officers in every single school in this nation. this is the time, this is the day for decisive action. >> this is the beginning of a serious conversation. we won't be taking questions today. >>> the friday before christmas and it is a busy day in washington, d.c. the president just made his announcement that senator john kerry of massachusetts is his choice to succeed hillary clinton as secretary of state. but his business yea day started with a moment of silence to remember the victims at sandy hook eleme

how did the nra end up like this? >> to bar a cliche, this is not your father's nra. the history it used to be more of a sporting group. it supported gun control in 1934 and it supported or endorsed a certain kind of gun control in 1968. it is only since the 1970s that the leadership the nra has hijacked by this radical group that you know, really, you know, engages in the kind of fearmongering and paranoia -- even glenn beck would blush at some of this stuff which is hard to believe. they do it -- i mean it fueled rise in gun sales in ammo sales. ammo sales went through the roof when barack obama became president because they told their members he was going to confiscate people's guns and they're still pushing this message. this puts more money into the pockets of the gun companies and the gun companies funnel that money back to the nra and they use that to outspend gun control groups on lobbying and political fund-raising by 10-1, sometimes by 25-1. >> eliot: you're making a hugely important distinction which is that the nra perhaps is no longer representing its mem

bush white house calls the nra exactly what it is.tection racket, a protection racket for republicans. he will join me. [ male announcer ] when it comes to the financial obstacles military families face, we understand. at usaa, we know military life is different. we've been there. that's why every bit of financial advice we offer is geared specifically to current and former military members and their families. [ laughs ] dad! dad! [ applause ] ♪ [ male announcer ] life brings obstacles. usaa brings advice. call or visit us online. we're ready to help. >>> okay, we are getting really close to the fiscal curb, and when congress comes back, they will only have four days. so it is time for ezra klein to tell us what we'll feel when we do go over the fiscal cliff. coming up. so now i can be in the scene. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day.

the nra has blood on its hands. the nra has blood on its hands. shame on the nra. ban assault weapons now! ban assault weapons now! nra, ban assault weapons now! >> can you voice reaction to these protests? what is your reaction? >> rather than face -- >> stick to the script? >> rather than face their own moral failings, the media demonized lawful gun owners, amplify their cries for more laws and fill the national media with misinformation and dishonest thinking that only delay meaningful action and all but guarantee the next atrocity is only a news cycle away. the media calls semiautomatic firearms machine guns. they claim these civilians semiautomatic firearms are used by the military. they tell us that the 223 round is one of the most powerful rifle calibers when all of these claims are factually untrue. they don't know what they're talking about. worse, they perpetuate the dangerous notion that one more gun ban or one more law imposed on peaceable, lawful people will protect us, where 20,000 other laws have failed. as brave and heroic and as self sacrificing as

the nra has blood on its hands. the nra has blood on its hands. take on the nra! ban assault weapons now! ban assault weapons now! nra, ban assault weapons now! >> what is your reaction to that? >> rather than face -- rather than face their own moral failings, the media demonizes lawful gun owners and fill the national media with misinformation and dishonest thinking that only delay meaningful action and all but guarantee that the next atrocity is only a news cycle away. the media calls semiautomatic firearms machine guns. they claim these civilian semiautomatic firearms are used by the military. they tell us that the 223 round is one of the most powerful rifle calibers when all of these claims are factually untrue. they don't know what they're talking about. worse, they perpetuate the dangerous notion that one more gun ban or one more law imposed on peaceable, lawful people will protect us where 20,000 other laws have failed. as brave and heroic and as self-sacrificing as those teachers were in those classrooms and as prompt and professional and well-trained as t

the nra needs to face the truth."moronu says " no matter what the entertainment media did, the nra provided the tools for the perpetrators to execute their plans. get rid of the guns. and the nra has blood on their hands, and anybody associated with them will suffer politically. keep sharing your thoughts with us on our facebook page and twitter using the #edshow. >>> still to come, the fiscal cliff stalemate could cost john boehner his job as house speaker. but let me tell you, there are millions of unemployed americans out there. it could cost them their benefits and a lot of pain. that's ahead. stay with us. >>> welcome back to "the ed show." nobody likes a scrooge, and i've got the numbers to prove it. darden restaurants, ever heard of them -- the umbrella corporation behind chains olive garden and red lobster, well, they did their best to avoid providing their workers with health care. now they're paying the price. here is the story. back in october, the company launched an anti-obama care experiment. darden quie

as i said yesterday, do you think the nra has power? their number one priority was to defeat barack obama. last time i checked, he's going to be innaug rated again. >> the nra has stopped tweeting. it also took down its facebook page on friday, just one day after it celebrated a milestone of 1.7 million likes. there are signs that the nra might be losing its grip on washington. nra member and senator joe manchin says he's rethinking his positions on gun control. but as slate points out, nra has not lost any kind of vote on gun legislation since 1999. the five republicans who voted "aye" are all gone and al gore's tie-breaking "aye" became the focus on the campaign against him. and just days before the slaughter at sandy hook elementary, they were fearmongering over gun laws. on december 5th the organization was preparing to battle with the president. we're not optimistic. we're planning for the worst. we told people to plan for gun bans and a supreme stacked with antigun judges. the president has a variety of options at his disposal. we

bush white house calls the nra exactly what it is. a protection racket, a protection racket for republicans. he will join me. that's double miles you can actually use. tragically, their buddy got sacked by blackouts. but it's our tradition! that's roughing the card holder. but with the capital one venture card you get double miles you can actually use. [ cheering ] any flight, anytime. the scoreboard doesn't lie. what's in your wallet? hut! i have me on my fantasy team. humans -- sometimes life trips us up. and sometimes, we trip ourselves up, but that's okay. at liberty mutual insurance we can "untrip" you as you go through your life with personalized policies and discounts when you need them most. just call... and speak with a licensed representative about saving on your policy when you get married, move into a new house... [crash!] or add a car to your policy. don't forget to ask about saving up to 10% when you combine your auto and home insurance with liberty mutual. security, coverage, and savings. all the things humans need to m

the nra's contribution?e guns. >> i call on congress today to act immediately to appropriate whatever is necessary to put armed police officers in every single school in this nation. >> given the nra's track record, this is no idle chatter from a grand-standing lobbyist. this is what they do best. for most of the nra's history, the organization acted chiefly as a sporting and hunting association. in the first 100 plus years of its existence, the nra stuck to training and marksmanship and while they have had a legislative affairs division since the 1930s, it wasn't until the mid 1970s that the organization made a radical turn into politics. since 1980, 44 states have passed some form of law advocated by the nra that allows gun owners to carry concealed weapons. just in the past four years across 37 states, the nra and its allies have helped to pass 99 laws making guns easier to own, to carry in public, and harder to track. the group has helped pass legal gems like allowing gun owners in kansas to carry concea

we have the nra the congress is awash in nra cash. you have the stooges in congress who are not concerned with the next generation. they're concerned with the next election. we have to speak to them from home from their districts and religion can do that. we're the most religious of the modern democracies the modern industrial democracies. 40% of americans worship every week. that's more than go to a football game in the entire season. >> john: when they say it is my god-given right to have a gun. where do they get that from? there's one line in luke where jesus says buys a sword and he's speaking metaphorically and he tells him not to use sword. where do people get this notion of a god-given right to guns? >> they don't get it from the religious traditions. they get it from various elements of political culture that simply have no place in our religious thinking. we're created in the image of god. all of our major traditions embrace that principle. nothing defiles the image of god as much as pointing a gun at a small child and pullin

various nra news personalities, they sponsor like news shows that's just talk radio that's pro nra.hey spouted their beliefs about gun control. but nobody paid attention to that. in terms of an official statement from the group, the nra as an organization did not put out a statement of any kind until four days after the newtown attack. and at first it seemed to follow the nra pattern. they're just going to express their sadness, right? and say this isn't the time that talk about policy. but this statement actually was different. "the nra is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again." the nra's planning to hold a major news conference in the washington, d.c. area on friday, december 21st. a major news conference planned for tomorrow in response to that mass shooting. as far as we can tell, the nra has never reacted to a mass shooting in the way that they are very proudly promoting this news conference for tomorrow. they've certainly never said anything like they said in this statement about being prepared to offer meaningful contributions t

the nra twitter feed has gone silent and the nra headquarters reportedly shut down its switchboard fridaynd didn't return e-mails for comment. the only somethithing the nra s no comment. after the tragic shootings at an aurora movie theater this summer that left 12 people dead. the nra's silence at this critical moment is shameful and telling. and more and more, politicians are calling them out. >> this myth that the nra can destroy political careers is just not true. there's this myth that the nra is so powerful, you go back to what happened when the democrats lost after the assault weapons ban, i don't know that you can. they want to stop this carnage. >> the american people do want to stop the carnage. the nra may not be talking. but we'll all have to make them listen. joining me now is a congressman from the brady campaign. he's also a survivor from the virginia tech shooting in 2007 when he was shot four times by a lone gunman who killed 32 people. and dana millbank, columnist from the washington post. thank you both for being here tonight. >> thank you, reverend. >> colin, let me go

are any of these acceptable to the nra? >> well, imt n'm not going spea that issue. >> don't you sfeek for the nra. you don't work for the nra and they don't pay you? >> i'm an independent consultant for the nra designed to focus on school safety. that is my mission. now, what i will say in terms of further gun control legislation is that that is the wrong part of the debate. i think the focus should be on school safety. you can have bans on assault weapons or whatever weapons you wish, and it's not going to protect from a violent person. it's going to take someone who has security in the school. timothy mcveigh used fertilizer as his weapon. so let's not focus on the weapon as much as our response capability and safety of the children. that's simply my responsibility, and that's what i'm going to do and we're going to take the best experts in across the country to give these options to the schools. >> without speaking for the nra, do you personally think that there is any place for further restrictions on guns, particularl

the nra is a forceful power here. bloomberg said yesterday speaking to david gregory "on meet the press" he believes the power of the gun lobby is vastly overrated but enough to deter movement on this issue for the past many years. >> yes. peter, thank you very much. greatly appreciate you updating us from the white house. >>> and the brady campaign to prevent gun violence says since 1970, 1.4 million americans violently killed with firearms. that is more than all u.s. service men and women killed in all foreign wars combined. it is also a stat that chairman of the stop handgun violence quoted in the huffington post blog titled "enough dead children from gun violence." and joins me now live. thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> let's ask for your reaction of the nra silent except waiting to get more information on the investigation. >> well, the nra has virtually owned the republican party and they have intimidated the democrats in to submission. so, you know, they're just going to lay in the weeds. they already

ramp the nra is calling it a national school safety shield program. it says it will help recruit and train volunteers to help guard students. if congress gets arm protection, so should our children. armed guards at all u.s. schools. >> i call on congress today to act immediately to appropriate whatever is necessary to put armed officers in every single school in this nation. >> reporter: that's the plan and today the nra says it wants it in place by the end of winter break. >> the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. >> reporter: it estimated 10,000 sworn officers are serving in school around the country. most of them are armed and employed by local police departments. president of the international association of chiefs of police called the nra's proposal unworkable given the how long numbers of officers who would be needed. >> the nra has blooden its hands. >> reporter: after cameras caught protesters interrupting the comments twice, wayne lapierre attacked the national media saying it reports killers with wall to wal

we had a poll of nra members and gun owners and what we found was surprising. 74% of nra members thinksbody who wants to buy a gun should have a background chick. 71% of nra members think if you are on a terror watch list you shouldn't be able to buy a gun. there's a broad and durable consensus about common sense things you can do and the nra members agree. it's the nra leadership that has a problem with it. >> goldie, you were just referencing these assault weapons, but even if an assault weapons ban was re-enacted, what about all those firearms that are already in circulation? how do we resolve the existing presence of lethal weapons in america today? >> you know, the last ban on assault weapons was riddled, literally riddled, with loopholes, including grandfathering in the right to keep the assault rifle that you already had in your possession. i am against that loophole. i am against, you know, the kinds of loopholes that allow gun shows to sell guns without proper identification to private buyers. you know, i think that we have got to look at reasonable, sensible laws that keep, yo

how powerful the nra be now? the pro-and legislators like west virginia's manchin this is all things are now on the table? >> it is a good first that, but her law clearly exempts far too many farms and frankly, all the ones sold on the day before the bill to be retained, including these enormously powerful weapons that lead to these massacres should not be part of that bill. we need to have new thinking and go much farther than what was on the table in 1994. >> very quickly, lisa graves, what happened in michigan around gun laws in the last election and what will happen at the state level? >> one of the things that happened last week was not just the lame-duck legislature in michigan pushed through union busting legislation, but also pushed through part of the expanding the availability of concealed firearms in michigan. that is part of the alec agenda. it is to allow people to carry concealed weapons. what they do is play offense -- the nra plays opposite says more people need guns. they want people to be more a

the nra will. we fund the child safety program right now as a model of the school for kids too young to be around guns. it teaches them if you see a gun, stop, leave the area. call an adult. written by the best child psychologist experts in the country. we have child accidents down to the lowest level ever in u.s. history. >> here's something you said on friday that struck me because this is really the nub of the argument about armed security. >> what if when adam lanza started shooting his way into sandy hook elementary school last friday, he'd been confronted by a qualified armed security? will you at least admit it's possible that 26 little kids, that 26 innocent lives might have been spared that day? is it so abhorrent to you that you'd rather continue to risk the alternative? >> because that's your standard is that fewer people should be killed. that's the goal here. and the standard is if it's possible, your words, if it's possible that lives could be spared, shouldn't we try that. that's you

he fought the nra. he was a prosecuting district attorney in philadelphia but did not see eye to eye on w the nra. and in this a very pro-hunting state able to be elected for two terms. it can be done. it requires the ongoing focus of many of us who won't allow january to come and people's memories to fade. >> right. and john, just quickly, the issue that the two republicans we've just played specifically the congressman saying that we need to address the issue of mental health in this country. and perhaps ignoring signs that are there. my question is, why is there a perception that you cannot do both at the same time? why can't there be legislative action immediately if there's the desire of the people and overwhelming numbers show 57% if not higher asking americans if they want stricter gun controls, that i say yes. why does it have to be one or the other, mental health or some type of reasonable or sensible common sense ban on certain weapons? >> m-o-n-e-y. the republican party gets 80% or 90% of the

even nra members, 74% of nra members and 89% of all gun owners want background checks before anybody can get a gun, so the men and women in congress have to stiffen their backs, not be afraid of the organization the nra, because the members of the nra are better than the organization, and it's time for us to act finally once and for all. >> howard, your boss, mayor michael bloomberg, has been leading the charge on gun control throughout the year. he was on "meet the press" yesterday and had strong words calling on the president to exhibit leadership on the issue. i think there is a sense nationally that this time is different. we just talked to chris jansing on the ground in newtown, but that there is -- that i think for folks who have wanted to see reform on our nation's gun laws, that this could be an inflexion point. does the mayor share that feeling? >> he hopes so. you know, i may be alone in this, but i am just no longer comforted by comforting words. i feel like as the governor said, you know, we've become very good at doing these memorials after these events and then nothing