Mall shooting could spark revival of gun control debate

>>> you don't have to live in oregon to be shaken by the shooting at a crowded mall that killed two shoppers. a third is badly injured. 10,000 people were inside shopping just two weeks before christmas. it was a terrifying experience as the shooter, dressed in black and wearing a mask, sprayed dozens of bullets and then killed himself . this mass shooting may once again ignite a conversation about gun control , a conversation that new york city mayor michael bloomberg has been pushing for years. he has highlighted in the latest issue of "new york " magazine. let me bring in chris smith , contributing editor for the magazine, who wrote this piece. good to see you.

>> thanks for having me.

>> you can see on the cover, this whole thing is sort of really about why new yorkers love new york , why we love new york . number 20 was because our mayor isn't afraid of gun control . would it surprise you if the mayor came out today and had something to say about this?

>> not at all. because for virtually the entire 12-year run of michael bloomberg as mayor of new york city , this has been an important issue to him, and it's only grown over the years as he's gone to more emergency rooms in the middle of the night , you know, having to break bad news to the families of new york city cops or kids killed in just random or evil shootings.

>> new york , as big cities go, is a pretty safe place to be.

>> correct.

>> he's been incredibly vocal. in fact, he started a super pac. he thinks he can take on the nra, doesn't he?

>> exactly. this election cycle, he launched his very own super pac which is about protecting new york city , keeping guns out of the city, but it's also very much about the mayor's future after city hall . he ends in 2013 .

>> as in a presidential run? or just a player?

>> no, i think he's past running for president himself, but he does very much want to play a hand in national politics. he beat a favorite of the nra, a california democratic congressman, and it was a demonstration of what he thinks he can do going forward to influence gun policy on a national level.

>> somebody who just might run for president of the united states is your number 19 , because our governor isn't afraid to talk about global warming . for a democrat, you write affirming global warming isn't exactly a profile in courage, but it was brave considering the political spotlight was on him during hurricane sandy. of course we're talking about governor cuomo . the second governor cuomo .

>> no shortage of elected officials who will run away from common sense on guns or global warming . we're patting the mayor and the governor on the back for taking these things on directly, saying we have a big problem in this country, too many crazy people , too many guns, and governor cuomo is saying yes, global warming is real. we took a big hit from it here in october with hurricane sandy, but it's also interesting in what it says, i talked about bloomberg wanting to have a national profile. andrew cuomo has a very promising future in national politics and for him to be out front when he's on the national stage talking about this is an indication of where he might be going.

>> he's a very experienced political strategist. i was in albany as a local reporter covering the capital when his father was governor, so does the fact that he has supported this so vocally, it's sort of one of the issues where he really has been out front, say something to you about where he thinks the country is going, or where the country is? could he possibly be doing this without thought to what it might mean if he decides to run for president?

>> the governor, as you say, has every angle in mind at all times. he was genuine in his reaction to questions in the immediate aftermath of sandy. i don't think that was a calculation. i think it is something he truly believes. but he's certainly very well aware of how that's going to be heard in a democratic electorate who he could conceivably be facing in a primary in 2016 . so yeah, he's aware of how that plays. he repeated it loud and clear, making sure that people would hear him when he was on national tv , so he believes it, but he's certainly well aware of the impact.

>> chris smith , always good to have you on the program. thanks for coming in.