Representatives to unveil bipartisan bill to combat gun trafficking

>>> is congressman adam schiff , he just introduced a bill to hold the gun industry accountable in cold and miss pozner, her son noah was among those killed in the sandy hook elementary school shooting. thank you both for joining us. congressman, you introduced a similar bill, a version of it, targeting straw purchasers. these people who 0 law for convicted felons to have guns and now seeing this again. is this a part of the strategy? put everything you can on the table as opposed to just looking at one thing, for example, zeroing in on assault weapons ban alone?

>> well, it is going to require an approach that doesn't focus on a single solution because the problem is multifaceted but we certainly have to bring about universal background checks . but also, make sure that we're protecting against those that evade those background checks and that's the straw purchasers. people going to a gun store . they buy tens of weapons or more and then go and resell them or traffic them to people who couldn't pass the background check so this is a real problem. it's fueled a lot of violence in the country and certainly along the borders and this has to be part of the answer as well as the other pieces that you mentioned.

>> and another piece of the puzzle as you pointed out in the op-ed in " los angeles times " focusing on lawsuits you think should be filed against gun dealers and manufacturers. you say no industry deserve it is right to act with reckless disregard for public safety and focusing in on a law from twif giving immunity from civil lawsuits. how would your bill work?

>> well, tamron, that's exactly right. congress in 2005 passed the bill that gave the gun industry a form of immunity that no other industry has where it can act negligently and get away with it. a gun dealer turning a blind eye to the straw purchasers knowing that the people are not the ultimate users of the gun, it's very hard to go after them in court. most gun dealers in the course of a year, 85% or more don't sell a single gun used in a crime but a small number do sell huge numbers of weapons used in crime and the bill that i have introduced would repeal that immunity, would make that industry liable for bad practices and negligence and they ought to be held to the same standard as the car industry , the tobacco industry , every other industry in america.

>> let me bring in you. let me tell you we're absolutely sad for your family and loss of noah and hearing other proposals, bipartisan proposals. you heard congressman schiff there. what gives you hope? you testified at hearings in connecticut last week calling for an assault weapons ban . what gives you hope what you would like to see in action will happen?

>> well, i think we have reached critical mass . and i'm hoping that that incident in sandy hook , this horrible tragedy is going to be the tipping point. and it's time to close the loopholes and i agree that it requires comprehensive approach. the problem is multifaceted as the congressman said. multifact multifactorial. we can't look at just one aspect but i agree the immunity issue is definitely of concern because it's come to signify impunity, not just immunity. it's evolved to impunity and at the peril of public safety .

>> right now, as mentioned, there is a group of bipartisan senators as well looking at we reported a number of options but the list could possibly not include a ban on assault weapons . if that is the case, if we don't see this ban that you so desperately desire to be part of the law, how will you feel?

>> well, i think sometimes change effective change can be incremental.

>> okay.

>> and slow. and we all have to be patient in order to see it happen. but i believe ultimately change is at hand.

>> all right. there was an article i read today about the -- if you will, the face of this battle over what to do regarding gun violence and on one side you have mothers like yourself who have lost children in horrific situations and then on the other side you have, for example, a woman who testified at one of the hearings saying that how would she feel as a mom needing to protect the children and not have the assault weapon she can legally possess to protect the family and two faces emerging. one like yours and one as we saw represented in the earring there. that brings a lot of emotions to hand but what would you say days and weeks passed since the loss of your baby, of your child to those who are still not convinced?

>> well, all they have to look is at these tragedies that keep occurring. and the number of deaths to gun violence is just staggering. and i don't feel that an assault weapon is needed for prohome. i think that's overkill. i just don't feel that it's persuasive argument.

>> congressman snichiff, what kind of support do you think you'll get? you have gun manufacturers providing money to nra. it is not the members that keep the coffers plump. it is the gun manufacturers here. we also know, for example, in minneapolis, the police and sheriff's departments are looking at whether or not gun manufacturers are supporting some of these proposals and if they don't they may stop purchasing the guns. but your bill in particular, what kind of support, bipartisan support do you think you'll get?

>> well, i hope we can gather bipartisan support. it is a tough fight just as it is with the assault weapons ban but i feel the same way as mrs. pozner. people don't need an assault weapon to protect them in their homes and much more effective to have a shotgun in the house. we don't want the police outgunned on the street and don't want to go through the wrenching traumas, horrible tragedies in this country. if there isn't a time like now to act, i don't know when there is and i still have great hope that we can move both an assault weapons ban as well as remove this unique immunity and impunity that the gun industry enjoys. and advance universal background checks . preclude these extended ammunition clips only good for killing lots of people in a short amount of time.

>> thank you both for your time and veronica, our thoughts and prayers with you and all of those families.

>> thank you.

>> thank you.