Newtown ‘truthers’ continue to obscure gun reform debate

>>> the world has viewed last december's massacre at sandy hook elementary school as an unspeakable tragedy, some gun rights dead enders have seen it more as an inconvenient truth , an event that could and has prompted calls for new gun laws . enter the online conspiracy theorists who claim the massacre never happened and it's a government plot to take away guns. the "new yorker" magazine this month describes the so-called sandy hook truther movement this way. "a loose coalition of online conspiracy theorists , it had been staged. theorists as well as journalists overwhelm the clerk's office with requests for birth certificates and burial locations the clerk is working with state representatives to limit the public's access to vital records ." with me, a man who knows all the truth up there, connecticut governor dannell malloy . you're powerful in your feelings and thoughts about this. what is it that springs it out of our country's culture that people won't even accept reality in fights like this?

>> you know, i've looked at some of those. there's a lot of videos up. a lot of folks -- they're really sick. honestly, these are not well people. and so anyone who ascribes to that theory really is advertising that they shouldn't be trusted for any reason. and, i mean, it's really wacky stuff. you can go on youtube and scroll through those and look at some of the articles. it's interesting, but it's kind of like going to the, you know, the funhouse when i was a kid at playland. no it's not reality.

>> what about the power of the nra that is real? i read a piece in the paper today, even wives threatened be their husbands, frightening cases of armed husbands saying i'm going to kill you, put a gun in your mouth and blow your head off. they can't get court orders .

>> we can do this in connecticut . we're ahead of the curb on this stuff. it's sickness. you had states that weren't reporting data. pennsylvania not reporting hundreds of thousands of cases that would have disqualified people to get guns. this is a system that if the nra has its way, there is no limitation. everyone can get guns. we could say they shouldn't get guns, but we won't have a system that prevents them from getting guns. that's what the nra now wants. of course, it's different from what they said in 1999 . but that's what they want.

>> then i saw the vote in the senate last week, we all did where all the republican senators voted against every initiative, whether it's limiting the number of magazines -- well, on everything. background checks , it was obviously on assault weapons . ais i'm beginning to think nothing really about guns is going to pass the senate. and partisan lines. democrats for gun safety . republicans against.

>> yeah, these are real profiles in courage , aren't they?

>> well, they can't all be sick.

>> no, they're not all -- no, no. i mean, i thank they have reasons. they're afraid about their election prospects. i mean, when the head of the nra goes to cpac and says the vehicle they have chosen to develop their policy as the republican party , what does that tell you? it tells you there's this gigantic disconnect. the reality is the vast majority of americans want universal background checks . you can't get on the a plane without somebody doing a background check on you. you can go buy a gun.

>> i guess they believe in same-sex marriage between the nra and republican party . during a senate judiciary hearing on gun safety , things got heated between freshman republican, ted cruz , who's far right on this gun issue. i think he's against any gun control . and committee chair, dianne feinstein , who's very good on it. let's watch.

>> the question i would pose to the senior start from california is would she deem it went with t the bill of rights for congress to engage in the same endeavor we're contemplating doing in the second amendment in context of the first or fourth amendment? namely, would she consider it constitutional for congress to specify the first amendment shall apply only to the following books? and shall not apply to the books congress has deemed outside the protection of the bill of rights .

>> i'm not a sixth grader. senator, i've been on this committee for 20 years. i was a mayor for nine years. i walked in. i saw people shot. i've looked at bodies that have been shot with these weapons. i've seen the bullets that implode. in sandy hook , youngsters were dismembered. it's fine you want to lecture me on the constitution. i appreciate it. just know i've been here for a long time. i've passed on a number of bills. i've studied the constitution, myself. i'm reasonably well educated. and i thank you for the lecture.

>> well, there you have it. this is the face of the new republican right. they basically are for everyone having a gun whenever they want it. in fact, they encourage you have to a gun.

>> they have no shame, to go back to the mccarthy period. and i think senator cruz is one of those individuals. i mean, i think he'll demagogue this issue and it plays well for his constituency. and he -- you know, i think he might even believe some of this.

>> let's take a look at the numbers here. you're familiar with this this. this is different between passion and effective politics. the people with passion on this issue tend to be the gun people. look at these numbers, though. if you look at the whole country, now. armed guards in schools, pretty close. what do you think of that 50%, 48%?

>> it's an easy solution people think about. there are a lot of schools that have police officers .

>> you don't have a big -- i don't either. what about this assault weapons ban ? it's just about 57%, 3 out of 5. not a strong endorsement.

>> i think it is. i think, you know, the country has moved on this issue. they really now recognize how lethal and how dangerous --

>> why only 57%? if you get --

>> there's a lot of people in texas, i guess.

>> the trouble is of that 41% on the minority side there, is a lot of intent gun owners who will think about nothing else for the rest of their lives.

>> right. yep.

>> except keeping their guns.

>> you're right.

>> illegal gun sales. that seems to be doing better. 82%. of course, background checks always does well with 91%. this is, to me, probably the cutting edge. if we can't get any more background check coverage, more effective background checking of people, then i think we will have lost a chance here even in the tragedy, the horror of what happened in connecticut , to get minimal benefit out of it.

>> 40% of guns in america change hands without a background check . that's the reality. that's what's happening in our country. some of these sales are in alleys of urban communities. some of them are taking place in florida and virginia. and guns moving up through straw purcha purchasers. this stuff is going on. the american people get it. there's too much violence. we're losing 30,000 people a year. i mean, you know, a lot of them are suicides. a lot of them are domestic in nature. there's a lot of reasons for it, but we're losing too many people. the american people get that. people shouldn't have guns who have restraining order against them or have a --

>> you're a good man. thank you.

>> thank you.

>> cogovernor dan malloy of connecticut .

>>> sarah palin proves once again she's not a serious person. she might be out of the national media, but the right wing loves this person. she can put on a show. she's the chief barker at the circus. this is "hardball," the place for politics.