1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:04,504 --> 00:00:07,140 [soft music] 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 4 00:00:09,676 --> 00:00:12,746 It was a normal Friday to start with. 5 00:00:18,418 --> 00:00:22,756 You know get the kids up give them their breakfast. 6 00:00:25,258 --> 00:00:27,360 Dylan went to the Sandy Hook School. 7 00:00:30,263 --> 00:00:33,566 That day I put my boys on the bus and 8 00:00:36,202 --> 00:00:37,704 then my friend was calling and she said, 9 00:00:37,771 --> 00:00:40,106 "Nicole, it's a shooting and it's at our school." 10 00:00:46,079 --> 00:00:48,415 It was the day after Thanksgiving. 11 00:00:48,515 --> 00:00:50,784 I was at my family's home in Chicago. 12 00:00:50,884 --> 00:00:56,289 My son was with his father in Florida. 13 00:00:57,891 --> 00:01:01,194 I picked up the phone and there was just this, 14 00:01:03,730 --> 00:01:05,565 this dead silence. 15 00:01:05,632 --> 00:01:09,402 And I said, "Where's Jordan, what happened to Jordan?" 16 00:01:11,237 --> 00:01:15,742 And that's when Jordan's dad said Jordan's been shot. 17 00:01:18,445 --> 00:01:21,614 [gun shoots] 18 00:01:23,416 --> 00:01:27,487 You're 25 times more likely to die by gun violence 19 00:01:27,587 --> 00:01:29,456 in the United States of America 20 00:01:29,556 --> 00:01:33,159 than any other developed nation in the world. 21 00:01:33,259 --> 00:01:36,629 What does this say about us as Americans 22 00:01:38,098 --> 00:01:40,433 if we're just willing to let people die? 23 00:01:40,500 --> 00:01:42,435 Because we're afraid of the NRA? 24 00:01:44,270 --> 00:01:48,141 There's no other single issue lobby in the United States 25 00:01:48,241 --> 00:01:52,178 that has had as much success advancing its agenda 26 00:01:52,278 --> 00:01:55,648 against the wishes of the majority of the country. 27 00:01:57,517 --> 00:02:00,687 - Gun violence is taking lives at a historic rate. 28 00:02:00,787 --> 00:02:02,856 It's only getting worse and worse, 29 00:02:02,956 --> 00:02:06,159 and yet we're focused on the right to bear arms 30 00:02:06,259 --> 00:02:07,594 and not the right to live. 31 00:02:07,660 --> 00:02:09,863 [gunshots] 32 00:02:09,963 --> 00:02:12,699 - The NRA has managed to convince millions of Americans 33 00:02:12,799 --> 00:02:15,268 that when people get killed in gun violence, 34 00:02:15,335 --> 00:02:17,036 that is the price of freedom. 35 00:02:19,806 --> 00:02:22,308 Why has that happened? 36 00:02:22,375 --> 00:02:25,278 We have to start unpacking their myths. 37 00:02:32,852 --> 00:02:34,220 [Man] David Keene. 38 00:02:35,488 --> 00:02:36,289 [Slate Claps] 39 00:02:40,660 --> 00:02:43,229 I'm Dave Keene. 40 00:02:43,329 --> 00:02:45,732 I was president of the National Rifle Association 41 00:02:45,832 --> 00:02:48,134 from 2011 to 2013. 42 00:02:48,201 --> 00:02:49,636 I continue to serve on the NRA board, 43 00:02:49,702 --> 00:02:52,872 as I have since 2000. 44 00:02:52,972 --> 00:02:55,708 I've been in politics in Washington and nationally 45 00:02:55,808 --> 00:02:57,310 for more than 40 years. 46 00:02:58,845 --> 00:03:00,580 I've been involved in one way or another 47 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,716 with every major battle over gun rights in this country. 48 00:03:03,816 --> 00:03:07,487 At the NRA, what you have to do is try to every day 49 00:03:07,554 --> 00:03:10,156 advance and protect the rights of gun owners. 50 00:03:10,223 --> 00:03:14,761 - No, you shall not take the freedoms 51 00:03:14,861 --> 00:03:15,929 bequeathed to us from us. 52 00:03:16,029 --> 00:03:19,365 We will go to the ballot box. 53 00:03:19,432 --> 00:03:20,934 We will demonstrate, we will organize. 54 00:03:21,034 --> 00:03:23,937 We will do everything it is necessary to do 55 00:03:24,871 --> 00:03:25,772 to protect those rights. 56 00:03:25,872 --> 00:03:29,442 [audience applauds] 57 00:03:29,542 --> 00:03:34,614 - Americans came to this country, survived on the frontier, 58 00:03:34,714 --> 00:03:36,082 protected their families. 59 00:03:36,182 --> 00:03:38,618 They knew that if they got into trouble, 60 00:03:38,718 --> 00:03:40,553 help was probably not gonna come. 61 00:03:40,620 --> 00:03:42,922 And so they developed this self-reliance. 62 00:03:43,022 --> 00:03:46,359 Gun control is not simply about guns. 63 00:03:46,426 --> 00:03:52,131 It's about an assault on values and an image of America 64 00:03:53,967 --> 00:03:55,401 that believers in the Second Amendment hold dear. 65 00:03:55,468 --> 00:03:57,470 It's an attack, not just on the guns. 66 00:03:57,570 --> 00:03:58,271 It's an attack on them. 67 00:03:58,371 --> 00:04:00,440 It's an attack on their lifestyle. 68 00:04:00,540 --> 00:04:02,308 It's an attack on the country 69 00:04:02,408 --> 00:04:04,544 and the values that the founders cared about. 70 00:04:04,611 --> 00:04:06,379 It was George Washington who said, 71 00:04:06,446 --> 00:04:08,781 "Every citizen should be armed." 72 00:04:12,719 --> 00:04:15,722 - [Man] The NRA wants you to believe a fantasy 73 00:04:15,788 --> 00:04:18,992 about our founding in which our founding fathers believed 74 00:04:19,092 --> 00:04:22,795 that there should be no regulation of firearms. 75 00:04:27,934 --> 00:04:30,503 That couldn't be further from the truth. 76 00:04:30,603 --> 00:04:32,405 [gun shoots] 77 00:04:32,472 --> 00:04:34,674 It is absolutely clear that our founding fathers 78 00:04:34,774 --> 00:04:36,276 loved gun control. 79 00:04:36,342 --> 00:04:38,811 They in fact had loads of it. 80 00:04:44,117 --> 00:04:47,954 - From our very earliest days in the 1600s 81 00:04:48,021 --> 00:04:50,657 through the 20th century, 82 00:04:50,757 --> 00:04:54,694 there were literally thousands of gun laws, 83 00:04:54,794 --> 00:04:58,998 and they were gun laws of every imaginable variety. 84 00:05:02,635 --> 00:05:04,470 [Sen. Murphy] We had rules on who can own a weapon 85 00:05:04,537 --> 00:05:05,538 and who couldn't. 86 00:05:07,540 --> 00:05:09,475 You had to register your weapon, 87 00:05:09,542 --> 00:05:13,046 you had to register your gunpowder. 88 00:05:13,146 --> 00:05:16,049 You couldn't bring your weapons certain places. 89 00:05:21,321 --> 00:05:23,723 [Spitzer] When we think about the American West, 90 00:05:23,823 --> 00:05:25,558 you think of it as a lawless period 91 00:05:25,658 --> 00:05:27,026 where everybody carried a gun 92 00:05:27,126 --> 00:05:29,629 and that it was guns that won the West. 93 00:05:29,696 --> 00:05:33,566 And that's really not the story of the West at all. 94 00:05:35,735 --> 00:05:38,471 The norm was strict regulation 95 00:05:38,538 --> 00:05:41,407 and prohibition of gun carrying. 96 00:05:41,507 --> 00:05:45,812 That's why in recent years even Justice Antonin Scalia, 97 00:05:45,878 --> 00:05:48,247 a very conservative member of the Supreme Court, 98 00:05:48,348 --> 00:05:49,916 made very clear that the Second Amendment 99 00:05:50,016 --> 00:05:52,685 wasn't an unlimited right. 100 00:05:52,752 --> 00:05:55,421 - How far does that constitutional right go? 101 00:05:55,521 --> 00:05:58,725 - Limitations upon the right to keep and bear arms 102 00:05:58,825 --> 00:06:01,494 are permissible because there were some 103 00:06:01,561 --> 00:06:03,262 that were acknowledged at the time. 104 00:06:05,031 --> 00:06:07,934 [Spitzer] We think today of this great battle 105 00:06:08,034 --> 00:06:09,902 between those who support gun rights 106 00:06:10,002 --> 00:06:12,238 versus those who want stronger gun laws, 107 00:06:12,338 --> 00:06:14,607 but in the first 300 years of our history, 108 00:06:14,707 --> 00:06:16,843 that was not how it was. 109 00:06:18,378 --> 00:06:21,681 [Smyth] When the NRA was founded in 1871 110 00:06:21,748 --> 00:06:25,785 they took no position on gun control whatsoever 111 00:06:25,885 --> 00:06:28,054 because they saw no need. 112 00:06:28,121 --> 00:06:33,092 I started covering the National Rifle Association in 1994. 113 00:06:34,594 --> 00:06:37,296 The National Rifle Association was founded 114 00:06:37,397 --> 00:06:39,966 in order to deal with future possible threats 115 00:06:40,066 --> 00:06:42,769 involving European military forces. 116 00:06:42,869 --> 00:06:45,571 They organized shooting competitions 117 00:06:45,638 --> 00:06:47,640 to improve the skills on the range, 118 00:06:47,740 --> 00:06:50,743 which could then be applied to the battlefield. 119 00:06:50,810 --> 00:06:53,146 [Man] The fact that the high level of marksmanship 120 00:06:53,246 --> 00:06:54,981 is maintained and that a continuous program of training 121 00:06:55,081 --> 00:06:57,650 and education is carried forward 122 00:06:57,750 --> 00:07:01,254 is the result of the work of the National Rifle Association. 123 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:03,489 [Smyth] And that remained their main focus, 124 00:07:03,589 --> 00:07:06,225 riflery and later hunting to expand the shooting sports 125 00:07:06,292 --> 00:07:11,330 for over a century before the NRA changed. 126 00:07:17,437 --> 00:07:18,571 [Reporter] The President's car 127 00:07:18,638 --> 00:07:20,006 is now turning onto Elm Street. 128 00:07:20,106 --> 00:07:21,607 And it will be only a matter of minutes 129 00:07:21,674 --> 00:07:23,676 before he arrives at the Trademark. 130 00:07:23,776 --> 00:07:25,344 [gunshots] 131 00:07:25,445 --> 00:07:27,680 It appears as though something has happened 132 00:07:27,780 --> 00:07:29,515 in the motorcade route. 133 00:07:29,615 --> 00:07:33,686 [Reporter 2] President Kennedy has been assassinated. 134 00:07:33,786 --> 00:07:34,587 It's official now. 135 00:07:36,489 --> 00:07:39,525 - The 1960s is a decade in which the gun 136 00:07:39,625 --> 00:07:41,194 comes to symbolize the chaos and disunity 137 00:07:41,294 --> 00:07:44,597 that the nation is experiencing as a whole. 138 00:07:46,699 --> 00:07:49,869 - For the first time, you get signs 139 00:07:49,969 --> 00:07:52,705 that there's going to be a push for racial equality. 140 00:07:52,805 --> 00:07:55,374 ♪ Black is beautiful 141 00:07:55,475 --> 00:07:57,810 You get signs that there's going to be a push 142 00:07:57,877 --> 00:07:59,679 to say women have equal rights. 143 00:07:59,779 --> 00:08:01,547 And you also see at the same time 144 00:08:01,647 --> 00:08:04,617 this incredible upsurge of dramatic gun violence. 145 00:08:06,152 --> 00:08:08,888 - From the assassination of John F. Kennedy, 146 00:08:08,988 --> 00:08:10,790 to the assassination of Malcolm X 147 00:08:10,857 --> 00:08:12,892 Martin Luther King, Medgar Evers. 148 00:08:12,992 --> 00:08:14,660 [gunshot] 149 00:08:14,727 --> 00:08:17,630 There's also the mass shooting 150 00:08:17,697 --> 00:08:20,066 at the University of Texas, Austin in 1966 151 00:08:20,166 --> 00:08:23,169 that begins the age of mass shootings. 152 00:08:24,904 --> 00:08:26,239 It's a decade that's awash in police violence. 153 00:08:26,339 --> 00:08:29,041 Most of the urban unrest is tied in some way 154 00:08:29,141 --> 00:08:31,644 to firearms and to shootings. 155 00:08:34,580 --> 00:08:39,552 My first true understanding of what gun violence does 156 00:08:41,888 --> 00:08:45,825 was when Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated. 157 00:08:45,892 --> 00:08:50,863 I distinctly remember watching my father be so distraught 158 00:08:53,199 --> 00:08:55,001 and my mother sobbing. 159 00:08:56,602 --> 00:09:00,573 Because he represented freedom. 160 00:09:03,843 --> 00:09:04,510 [Franks] It's not a coincidence 161 00:09:04,577 --> 00:09:07,213 that the assassinations of the 1960s 162 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:10,082 are against people who are representing progress. 163 00:09:13,719 --> 00:09:17,623 Every time it seems that there is some group 164 00:09:17,723 --> 00:09:20,726 that is going to rise up and say, "We are Americans too. 165 00:09:20,793 --> 00:09:23,896 And we deserve the same rights as everyone else." 166 00:09:23,963 --> 00:09:26,098 That's the point at which violence breaks out. 167 00:09:30,736 --> 00:09:32,305 [Spitzer] The upsurge in violence shocks the country 168 00:09:32,405 --> 00:09:37,443 and spurs calls for new, stronger gun laws. 169 00:09:37,543 --> 00:09:39,812 [Pres. Johnson] I call upon the Congress 170 00:09:39,912 --> 00:09:42,648 in the name of sanity 171 00:09:42,748 --> 00:09:47,653 to give America the gun control law America needs. 172 00:09:48,721 --> 00:09:50,289 [rifle shots] 173 00:09:50,389 --> 00:09:54,093 - NRA members and gun rights activists arose in the 1960s, 174 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:56,228 not just in response to the rising tide 175 00:09:56,295 --> 00:09:59,165 of support for gun control, 176 00:09:59,265 --> 00:10:01,167 but also in response to the political 177 00:10:01,267 --> 00:10:04,070 and social movements of that time. 178 00:10:04,136 --> 00:10:08,307 Those movements threatened the status of a lot of white men. 179 00:10:10,743 --> 00:10:14,580 [Keene] It wasn't until what we now call the culture wars 180 00:10:14,647 --> 00:10:18,851 broke out back then that gun ownership 181 00:10:18,951 --> 00:10:22,154 and the Second Amendment became a matter of controversy. 182 00:10:22,254 --> 00:10:24,357 [Shop Owner] Restrictive legislation at the present time 183 00:10:24,457 --> 00:10:27,159 is the initial step to the takeover of this country. 184 00:10:33,132 --> 00:10:35,101 [Keene] At that point 185 00:10:35,167 --> 00:10:37,770 a fight took place within the National Rifle Association. 186 00:10:39,038 --> 00:10:42,508 [Smyth] You had one element focused on the shooting sports 187 00:10:42,608 --> 00:10:45,177 and they were not interested in politics. 188 00:10:47,313 --> 00:10:49,548 You had another element of the NRA 189 00:10:49,649 --> 00:10:51,984 starting to raise the alarm about gun rights. 190 00:10:52,952 --> 00:10:56,555 [Keene] Some NRA members believed the goal 191 00:10:56,656 --> 00:11:00,559 was to abolish firearms in the United States. 192 00:11:00,660 --> 00:11:03,129 They realized unless you do something 193 00:11:03,195 --> 00:11:05,998 you're not gonna have the right to have a firearm. 194 00:11:06,065 --> 00:11:07,733 - We stand in the forefront of millions 195 00:11:07,833 --> 00:11:12,405 of those people in America who like to shoot. 196 00:11:12,505 --> 00:11:15,574 [Igor Volsky] These new voices in the NRA 197 00:11:15,675 --> 00:11:19,812 are led by a man by the name of Harlon Carter. 198 00:11:19,879 --> 00:11:23,582 - We believe that the right to keep and bear arms 199 00:11:23,683 --> 00:11:25,718 is a salient part of the American tradition. 200 00:11:26,986 --> 00:11:32,091 [Volsky] Carter believed that every gun control measure 201 00:11:32,191 --> 00:11:35,027 violated true American identity 202 00:11:35,094 --> 00:11:38,431 and principles of individualism and freedom 203 00:11:39,999 --> 00:11:42,601 and began organizing NRA members. 204 00:11:45,905 --> 00:11:47,273 [Reporter] The NRA has been campaigning 205 00:11:47,373 --> 00:11:49,241 against the gun laws, 206 00:11:49,341 --> 00:11:51,210 fearing it might curtail their members' activities. 207 00:11:51,277 --> 00:11:54,847 [NRA Rep] We have sent a letter to our entire membership. 208 00:11:54,914 --> 00:11:56,282 [Reporter] By sending instructions 209 00:11:56,382 --> 00:11:58,117 on how members were to write their congressmen 210 00:11:58,217 --> 00:11:59,785 the NRA had clearly launched 211 00:11:59,885 --> 00:12:02,788 a very effective lobbying campaign. 212 00:12:02,888 --> 00:12:04,457 - Harlon Carter wanted to take the activities 213 00:12:04,557 --> 00:12:06,859 that the NRA had been supporting 214 00:12:06,926 --> 00:12:09,729 for over a century in the shooting sports 215 00:12:09,795 --> 00:12:10,396 and co-opt all of that activity 216 00:12:10,463 --> 00:12:13,265 into their gun rights agenda. 217 00:12:14,567 --> 00:12:17,903 [Robert Kennedy] The nation and sportsmen 218 00:12:17,970 --> 00:12:19,638 have been subjected to a 219 00:12:19,739 --> 00:12:23,275 massive publicity campaign against this bill. 220 00:12:23,375 --> 00:12:27,713 This campaign has misled thousands of our citizens. 221 00:12:27,780 --> 00:12:29,648 It is a responsibility to think 222 00:12:29,749 --> 00:12:32,051 not only of our own convenience, 223 00:12:32,118 --> 00:12:34,053 but of the tragedy of sudden death. 224 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:36,155 [gunshot] 225 00:12:36,255 --> 00:12:38,924 [crowd chattering] 226 00:12:38,991 --> 00:12:42,061 [Reporter] Senator Kennedy has been shot. 227 00:12:46,966 --> 00:12:50,936 [Reporter] The National Rifle Association of America 228 00:12:51,003 --> 00:12:51,837 is under siege today. 229 00:12:51,937 --> 00:12:54,440 [Matthew Lacombe] After the high-profile 230 00:12:54,507 --> 00:12:57,943 political assassinations, a lot of Americans began 231 00:12:58,010 --> 00:13:00,112 to see the NRA as this organization 232 00:13:00,179 --> 00:13:02,148 that is responsible for preventing 233 00:13:02,248 --> 00:13:04,483 the passage of strong regulations on guns. 234 00:13:07,787 --> 00:13:10,156 [Smyth] Under pressure, the NRA came around 235 00:13:10,256 --> 00:13:14,026 to support the Gun Control Act of 1968. 236 00:13:14,126 --> 00:13:17,663 [audience applauds] 237 00:13:17,763 --> 00:13:19,932 We've come here to the cabinet room today 238 00:13:19,999 --> 00:13:23,769 to sign the most comprehensive gun control law 239 00:13:23,836 --> 00:13:26,539 ever signed in this nation's history. 240 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:30,442 [Volsky] The Gun Control Act of 1968 was a measure 241 00:13:30,509 --> 00:13:32,945 that for the first time 242 00:13:33,012 --> 00:13:36,315 created categories of prohibited purchasers. 243 00:13:38,317 --> 00:13:41,153 [crowd applauds] 244 00:13:44,824 --> 00:13:47,293 [Volsky] There were leaders within the NRA 245 00:13:47,359 --> 00:13:52,331 who didn't have a significant problem with that law 246 00:13:53,032 --> 00:13:54,900 and thought the organization 247 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:58,170 had strayed too far from its original intent 248 00:13:58,237 --> 00:14:00,973 of marksmanship and sports shooting. 249 00:14:04,009 --> 00:14:08,914 They gutted its lobbying shop, fired about 60 individuals. 250 00:14:13,686 --> 00:14:16,322 [Smyth] This was the Old Guard 251 00:14:16,388 --> 00:14:19,558 and they were interested in moving the NRA out of Washington 252 00:14:19,658 --> 00:14:23,529 to shift the focus of the NRA away from politics completely. 253 00:14:23,596 --> 00:14:25,397 [intense music] 254 00:14:26,899 --> 00:14:28,434 Harlon Carter ended up leaving the NRA 255 00:14:28,534 --> 00:14:31,003 and accusing the NRA of betrayal. 256 00:14:32,905 --> 00:14:35,207 He truly believed that gun rights 257 00:14:35,274 --> 00:14:39,411 was the most important issue facing America. 258 00:14:41,046 --> 00:14:43,249 [Williams] There's a deeper history with Harlon 259 00:14:43,349 --> 00:14:46,218 that goes back to a murder he committed 260 00:14:46,285 --> 00:14:48,020 when he was just 17 years old. 261 00:14:50,723 --> 00:14:54,059 He had killed a young Mexican named Ramon Casiano 262 00:14:54,126 --> 00:14:55,127 in an act of vigilantism 263 00:14:55,227 --> 00:14:58,430 for which he will ultimately be convicted of murder 264 00:14:58,530 --> 00:15:01,400 but have that sentence vacated by a judge who felt 265 00:15:01,467 --> 00:15:05,604 the jury had not been properly advised about self-defense. 266 00:15:05,704 --> 00:15:09,475 [Smyth] Harlon Carter changed the vowel in his first name 267 00:15:09,575 --> 00:15:13,212 from "Harlan" to "Harlon" and in doing so 268 00:15:13,279 --> 00:15:17,449 managed to keep his murder conviction quiet for 50 years. 269 00:15:19,919 --> 00:15:23,155 In the 1950s he had been a border patrol officer 270 00:15:23,255 --> 00:15:26,825 and the border patrol chief using truly draconian measures. 271 00:15:27,826 --> 00:15:31,263 [Man] You're talking Harlon about 272 00:15:31,330 --> 00:15:32,731 being able to carry a handgun around in your belt. 273 00:15:32,798 --> 00:15:36,001 And you're saying that is a liberty 274 00:15:36,101 --> 00:15:41,006 that I demand at the expense of 25,000 lives per year. 275 00:15:43,509 --> 00:15:45,077 [Carter] The price of those lives I put up against my right 276 00:15:45,144 --> 00:15:45,844 to the presumption of innocence, 277 00:15:45,945 --> 00:15:48,314 my right against self-incrimination 278 00:15:48,414 --> 00:15:50,015 under the Fifth Amendment, 279 00:15:50,115 --> 00:15:51,850 the right of due process under the Fifth Amendment 280 00:15:51,951 --> 00:15:53,585 that the government can't seize my property 281 00:15:53,652 --> 00:15:55,587 without due process. 282 00:15:55,654 --> 00:15:58,123 Those things are worth all the lives you will ever pay for. 283 00:15:58,190 --> 00:15:59,692 So this man, this former convicted murderer, 284 00:15:59,792 --> 00:16:03,662 this man who advocated extreme positions 285 00:16:03,762 --> 00:16:08,200 as a border patrol chief, this man believed that gun rights 286 00:16:08,300 --> 00:16:12,137 are more important than the toll of gun violence. 287 00:16:12,204 --> 00:16:14,306 - And I respectfully submit to you, 288 00:16:14,373 --> 00:16:16,775 that if we can ever embark upon the principle 289 00:16:16,842 --> 00:16:20,279 that because a liberty might be abused 290 00:16:20,346 --> 00:16:23,549 the government can restrict it, restrain it, or abolish it, 291 00:16:23,649 --> 00:16:25,384 ladies and gentlemen you have lost everything. 292 00:16:25,484 --> 00:16:31,223 [audience Applauds] 293 00:16:32,157 --> 00:16:33,325 [ominous music] 294 00:16:36,729 --> 00:16:39,164 [Anchor] The National Rifle Association convention 295 00:16:39,231 --> 00:16:40,632 in Cincinnati went into overtime last night 296 00:16:40,699 --> 00:16:43,035 a stormy all night session. 297 00:16:44,670 --> 00:16:46,472 [Smyth] Harlon Carter plotted and organized 298 00:16:46,538 --> 00:16:48,140 to take over the NRA. 299 00:16:50,075 --> 00:16:51,910 Back then the NRA elections 300 00:16:52,011 --> 00:16:55,247 were conducted in person at the annual meetings, 301 00:16:55,347 --> 00:16:58,717 and he managed to get more than 500 of his supporters 302 00:16:58,817 --> 00:17:02,421 to travel to Cincinnati for this meeting. 303 00:17:02,521 --> 00:17:03,989 [Man] If you take my rifles, 304 00:17:04,056 --> 00:17:05,591 my shotgun and my pistols away from me 305 00:17:05,691 --> 00:17:07,192 then what are you going to do then after that? 306 00:17:07,259 --> 00:17:09,595 Take the pocket knives, the hunting knives? 307 00:17:09,695 --> 00:17:12,064 You know where's the stopping point? 308 00:17:13,866 --> 00:17:16,769 [Smyth] You had a convention floor that was rowdy. 309 00:17:16,869 --> 00:17:20,606 Carter had deployed his followers in the audience 310 00:17:20,706 --> 00:17:23,275 equipped with walkie talkies 311 00:17:23,375 --> 00:17:26,378 so that he could give his lieutenants the orders 312 00:17:26,445 --> 00:17:28,580 about which way they needed to vote. 313 00:17:32,451 --> 00:17:35,454 The old guard was caught completely unaware 314 00:17:35,554 --> 00:17:37,189 and ill prepared, 315 00:17:39,525 --> 00:17:40,692 and they ended up firing the old guard, 316 00:17:40,759 --> 00:17:44,196 every one of them, one by one, 317 00:17:46,865 --> 00:17:50,602 getting themselves elected as the new leaders of the NRA. 318 00:17:58,444 --> 00:18:01,647 This is the founding of the modern NRA who believes that 319 00:18:01,747 --> 00:18:06,151 almost any form of gun control must be opposed. 320 00:18:06,251 --> 00:18:11,256 Any national gun law no matter how innocent in appearance 321 00:18:11,323 --> 00:18:14,626 no matter how simple it might be 322 00:18:14,726 --> 00:18:19,598 presupposes a still further growth in a centralized 323 00:18:19,665 --> 00:18:24,636 computerized gun control bureaucracy in Washington, DC. 324 00:18:25,104 --> 00:18:27,005 [ominous music] 325 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:31,443 [Smyth] The NRA in '77 326 00:18:31,510 --> 00:18:35,080 implemented a practice of total control. 327 00:18:35,147 --> 00:18:37,783 The entire organization was restructured 328 00:18:37,850 --> 00:18:40,586 so that everything went up the chain of command. 329 00:18:42,154 --> 00:18:44,790 Independent voices would not be allowed 330 00:18:44,857 --> 00:18:47,526 because they had a political gun rights agenda, 331 00:18:47,626 --> 00:18:49,027 and they wanted to make sure 332 00:18:49,128 --> 00:18:52,197 that everything they did supported this agenda. 333 00:18:52,297 --> 00:18:54,166 [gunshots] 334 00:18:54,266 --> 00:18:55,501 [audience applauds] 335 00:18:55,601 --> 00:18:56,702 [Volsky] NRA membership really exploded. 336 00:18:56,802 --> 00:19:01,206 It grew by something over 300%. 337 00:19:01,306 --> 00:19:04,510 [Reporter] This is headquarters in Washington, 338 00:19:04,610 --> 00:19:07,112 plush, computerized, heavily staffed, 339 00:19:07,179 --> 00:19:09,481 well-funded and geared for action. 340 00:19:14,386 --> 00:19:19,858 [Volsky] The NRA began to use the Second Amendment 341 00:19:19,958 --> 00:19:24,897 as the bedrock for arguing against gun control measures. 342 00:19:26,565 --> 00:19:30,302 They're gonna wrap any argument in the American flag. 343 00:19:30,369 --> 00:19:32,704 [Reporter] Here at the organization's convention 344 00:19:32,804 --> 00:19:34,806 there are pamphlets citing the Second Amendment, 345 00:19:34,873 --> 00:19:36,475 posters and booths. 346 00:19:36,542 --> 00:19:37,809 It's all part of the NRA's lobbying effort 347 00:19:37,876 --> 00:19:40,679 against gun control legislation. 348 00:19:42,181 --> 00:19:44,716 [Smyth] The NRA started hiring paid scholars 349 00:19:44,816 --> 00:19:48,754 to start writing articles in law journals to shift 350 00:19:48,854 --> 00:19:51,256 the way the American system of jurisprudence 351 00:19:51,356 --> 00:19:53,525 and the courts look at the Second Amendment. 352 00:19:56,361 --> 00:19:59,231 [Keene] The Second Amendment is not about hunting rabbits. 353 00:19:59,331 --> 00:19:59,831 It's about self-defense. 354 00:19:59,898 --> 00:20:02,334 It's about self-reliance. 355 00:20:02,401 --> 00:20:06,271 It's about all the things that the founders cared about. 356 00:20:06,371 --> 00:20:10,542 Our job is to say, here is a threat to the Second Amendment. 357 00:20:12,377 --> 00:20:15,347 Our members know when they hear that, they rise up. 358 00:20:17,683 --> 00:20:19,618 [Williams] Harlon Carter recognized 359 00:20:19,718 --> 00:20:21,019 the tremendous potential of the NRA 360 00:20:21,086 --> 00:20:23,755 as an organization that can lobby, 361 00:20:23,855 --> 00:20:25,290 an organization that can have political influence, 362 00:20:25,390 --> 00:20:28,360 an organization that can amass a great deal of power. 363 00:20:30,963 --> 00:20:34,199 [Keene] The main sponsor of the Gun Control Act of 1968 364 00:20:34,266 --> 00:20:36,301 was Senator Joe Tydings. 365 00:20:36,401 --> 00:20:39,137 He was supposed to be a slam-dunk candidate for reelection. 366 00:20:41,406 --> 00:20:43,475 Then all of a sudden he found that he was being attacked 367 00:20:43,575 --> 00:20:44,710 by all these gun owners. 368 00:20:46,411 --> 00:20:49,948 Joe Tydings lost, and he lost because of the gun issue. 369 00:20:51,650 --> 00:20:54,319 That was the first political scalp on the wall. 370 00:20:54,419 --> 00:20:58,290 That served as a wakeup call to the political community, 371 00:21:00,058 --> 00:21:02,060 because the difference between gun owners and others 372 00:21:02,127 --> 00:21:05,163 is that gun owners actually vote. 373 00:21:11,970 --> 00:21:13,639 My name is Matt Lacombe. 374 00:21:13,739 --> 00:21:15,340 I'm currently unpacking 375 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:18,410 why the NRA's members are so politically active. 376 00:21:18,477 --> 00:21:22,314 I collected about 80 years of the NRA's magazines. 377 00:21:24,116 --> 00:21:27,519 The American Riflemen is the NRA's official journal. 378 00:21:27,619 --> 00:21:29,187 It's the most widely circulated 379 00:21:29,288 --> 00:21:31,957 firearms-related magazine in the United States. 380 00:21:32,791 --> 00:21:34,626 I digitized those 381 00:21:34,693 --> 00:21:37,362 and used a tool called structural topic modeling, 382 00:21:37,462 --> 00:21:40,866 a fancy computer algorithm to take all the documents 383 00:21:40,966 --> 00:21:44,202 and to group them together into topics. 384 00:21:44,836 --> 00:21:47,205 There was a topic 385 00:21:47,306 --> 00:21:49,207 that was clearly related to the Second Amendment. 386 00:21:50,876 --> 00:21:54,046 Also a topic called Americanism and Guns. 387 00:21:54,146 --> 00:21:56,548 There was also clearly a topic related to crime. 388 00:21:58,150 --> 00:22:00,886 I was then able to plot the substantive ideas 389 00:22:00,986 --> 00:22:03,455 that the NRA pushed over time. 390 00:22:05,490 --> 00:22:08,627 The NRA has played a singular and important role 391 00:22:08,694 --> 00:22:11,630 in cultivating an identity around gun ownership, 392 00:22:11,697 --> 00:22:15,133 in which guns are not simply tools that a lot of folks use 393 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:18,403 but instead are symbols of who they are 394 00:22:18,503 --> 00:22:21,673 what they value and how they view their place in the world. 395 00:22:25,043 --> 00:22:26,978 The NRA has taken this identity around gun ownership 396 00:22:27,045 --> 00:22:29,648 and politically weaponized it. 397 00:22:32,984 --> 00:22:36,922 We see the NRA portraying gun control as threats 398 00:22:37,022 --> 00:22:38,890 to who its members and supporters are. 399 00:22:40,225 --> 00:22:43,862 When people's identities feel threatened 400 00:22:43,929 --> 00:22:46,832 they're much more likely to take action. 401 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:52,771 This gun-centric ideology enabled the NRA 402 00:22:52,871 --> 00:22:56,508 to align with the Republican Party when the time was right. 403 00:22:56,575 --> 00:22:58,510 [Host] David Keene, southern coordinator for Reagan 404 00:22:58,577 --> 00:23:01,113 last year, what do you think the Republican Party 405 00:23:01,213 --> 00:23:03,849 needs to do to resuscitate itself? 406 00:23:03,915 --> 00:23:05,283 [Keene] It should be based on an opposition 407 00:23:05,384 --> 00:23:07,052 to government involvement 408 00:23:07,119 --> 00:23:09,454 and interference with the family and individual life. 409 00:23:09,554 --> 00:23:11,890 [Keene] Ronald Reagan emerged as a hero 410 00:23:11,957 --> 00:23:13,525 to most people on the right 411 00:23:13,592 --> 00:23:15,127 and certainly to most gun owners. 412 00:23:15,227 --> 00:23:18,630 He was of course an outdoorsman himself and a gun owner 413 00:23:18,730 --> 00:23:20,098 and recognized these things. 414 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:23,902 [Pres. Reagan] Tales of Wild West men and women 415 00:23:23,969 --> 00:23:26,104 are woven into the dreams of our youth 416 00:23:26,204 --> 00:23:29,741 and the standards we aim to live by in our adult lives. 417 00:23:29,808 --> 00:23:33,779 You know what they are, words like self-reliance, 418 00:23:33,879 --> 00:23:36,415 personal initiative, those bedrock values 419 00:23:36,481 --> 00:23:37,783 that made America great. 420 00:23:37,883 --> 00:23:39,885 [crowd noises] 421 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:44,956 [Volsky] It is not surprising that the first presidential 422 00:23:45,056 --> 00:23:49,161 candidate that the NRA endorsed was Ronald Reagan, 423 00:23:49,261 --> 00:23:53,799 who came from Hollywood, starred in many cowboy movies. 424 00:23:53,899 --> 00:23:56,501 - You wanted law and order in this town. 425 00:23:56,601 --> 00:23:57,602 You got it. 426 00:23:57,669 --> 00:24:00,439 I'll shoot the first man that starts for those steps. 427 00:24:00,505 --> 00:24:02,073 [gunshot] 428 00:24:02,140 --> 00:24:05,343 [Volsky] He personified this myth that the NRA told 429 00:24:05,444 --> 00:24:09,915 that the country is built on individualism, 430 00:24:09,981 --> 00:24:14,519 on manifest destiny, and that those notions 431 00:24:14,619 --> 00:24:16,254 were rooted in firearm ownership. 432 00:24:16,321 --> 00:24:18,690 [Man] The NRA are the type of people 433 00:24:18,790 --> 00:24:20,025 who stand for this country. 434 00:24:20,125 --> 00:24:21,927 [Man 2] They are patriotic Americans 435 00:24:21,993 --> 00:24:24,262 interested in preserving our heritage and our American way. 436 00:24:24,329 --> 00:24:26,832 [Reporter] It was an appreciative crowd 437 00:24:26,932 --> 00:24:28,600 that heard President Ronald Reagan today 438 00:24:28,667 --> 00:24:30,368 reinforce their philosophy 439 00:24:30,469 --> 00:24:32,838 and tell them what they wanted to hear. 440 00:24:32,938 --> 00:24:35,207 [Reagan] We will never disarm any American 441 00:24:35,307 --> 00:24:39,110 who seeks to protect his family from fear and harm. 442 00:24:39,177 --> 00:24:41,546 [audience applause] 443 00:24:44,649 --> 00:24:46,885 [Williams] The story of Reagan and the NRA 444 00:24:46,985 --> 00:24:50,388 really it goes back to 1967. 445 00:24:50,489 --> 00:24:52,624 Reagan had been governor of California 446 00:24:52,691 --> 00:24:54,392 during the passage of the Mulford Act. 447 00:24:56,328 --> 00:24:58,563 [Caroline Light] The Mulford Act criminalized the open carry 448 00:24:58,663 --> 00:25:04,402 of firearms and was designed specifically to disenfranchise 449 00:25:04,503 --> 00:25:07,739 and to disarm members of the Black Panther Party 450 00:25:07,839 --> 00:25:13,478 for Self-Defense, because they were demonstrating in public 451 00:25:13,545 --> 00:25:15,814 carrying firearms openly 452 00:25:15,881 --> 00:25:19,417 to shed a spotlight on police violence 453 00:25:19,518 --> 00:25:22,754 against black and brown people in California. 454 00:25:22,854 --> 00:25:25,824 [Man] You have no right to take my gun away from me. 455 00:25:25,891 --> 00:25:29,861 - There is absolutely no reason why out on the street today 456 00:25:29,928 --> 00:25:32,764 a civilian should be carrying a loaded weapon. 457 00:25:33,665 --> 00:25:35,700 [Williams] Throughout our history 458 00:25:35,767 --> 00:25:38,270 the fear that African-Americans 459 00:25:38,370 --> 00:25:40,906 could have access to firearms and use those firearms 460 00:25:41,006 --> 00:25:44,442 to the detriment of whites is pervasive. 461 00:25:47,112 --> 00:25:50,015 So what you see from the very beginning in American history 462 00:25:50,081 --> 00:25:54,252 are very stringent laws to prevent the ownership of firearms 463 00:25:54,352 --> 00:25:56,621 by people of color, like The Black Codes, 464 00:25:58,790 --> 00:26:01,626 and this is gonna be a theme that will run 465 00:26:01,726 --> 00:26:05,697 all the way up into the 1960s when we get The Mulford Act. 466 00:26:09,968 --> 00:26:12,938 - The NRA helped draft the legislation itself 467 00:26:13,038 --> 00:26:15,307 to make sure those new laws were passed. 468 00:26:17,409 --> 00:26:21,146 - Ultimately the motivation behind their support 469 00:26:21,246 --> 00:26:22,948 it really boils down to race. 470 00:26:23,048 --> 00:26:24,649 Many argue that this isn't really an attempt 471 00:26:24,749 --> 00:26:27,919 to deal with the issue of guns as much as it is an attempt 472 00:26:27,986 --> 00:26:30,488 to scapegoat communities of color for the violence 473 00:26:30,589 --> 00:26:32,657 that's overtaking the nation in that moment. 474 00:26:35,226 --> 00:26:38,830 [Light] It's all part and parcel of a longer arc 475 00:26:38,930 --> 00:26:42,500 of the NRA's support for the criminalization 476 00:26:42,601 --> 00:26:45,937 of certain populations' access to firearms. 477 00:26:47,772 --> 00:26:50,976 [Williams] In the 1980s this fear overtakes the nation, 478 00:26:51,076 --> 00:26:53,845 and Reagan will campaign successfully 479 00:26:53,945 --> 00:26:55,947 on this idea that Americans aren't safe, 480 00:26:56,014 --> 00:26:58,850 that you need to reinvest in law and order. 481 00:26:58,950 --> 00:27:00,952 - Guns don't make criminals. 482 00:27:01,019 --> 00:27:04,689 Hardcore criminals use guns, and locking them up, 483 00:27:04,789 --> 00:27:07,325 the hardcore criminals up, and throwing away the key 484 00:27:07,425 --> 00:27:09,260 is the best gun control law we could ever have. 485 00:27:09,327 --> 00:27:11,796 [audience applauds] 486 00:27:11,863 --> 00:27:13,865 [Reporter] NRA spokesmen acknowledged 487 00:27:13,965 --> 00:27:17,002 that part of their new membership comes not from sportsmen, 488 00:27:17,102 --> 00:27:17,836 their traditional members, 489 00:27:17,936 --> 00:27:20,171 but from people worried about crime. 490 00:27:20,271 --> 00:27:22,974 - Crime is the important thing. 491 00:27:23,041 --> 00:27:24,976 I think that's what the people are interested in. 492 00:27:29,814 --> 00:27:33,118 [Williams] Gun rights activists concerned about crime 493 00:27:33,184 --> 00:27:36,354 always decouple that conversation from the poverty 494 00:27:36,454 --> 00:27:39,290 that accompanies the decline of American cities. 495 00:27:39,357 --> 00:27:42,894 Industry is moving out of the inner city to the suburbs. 496 00:27:42,994 --> 00:27:44,896 People have less space 497 00:27:44,996 --> 00:27:48,400 and they're competing for fewer resources and fewer jobs. 498 00:27:48,500 --> 00:27:50,802 Those pressures create a powder keg in American cities. 499 00:27:53,138 --> 00:27:54,839 [Greg Jackson] Where you see gun violence 500 00:27:54,906 --> 00:27:58,376 that's most rampant, root causes are most rampant. 501 00:27:58,476 --> 00:28:02,580 The response in our country has been 502 00:28:02,681 --> 00:28:05,016 to intensify our law and order approach. 503 00:28:06,685 --> 00:28:10,188 [Woman] It cannot be that every black male 504 00:28:10,255 --> 00:28:12,590 between 18 and 25 belongs to a gang. 505 00:28:12,691 --> 00:28:14,893 And yet when you see an arrest invariably 506 00:28:14,993 --> 00:28:15,927 that's what you see. 507 00:28:17,529 --> 00:28:20,865 [Jackson] The '80s and '90s showed us that 508 00:28:20,932 --> 00:28:22,000 you can't meet a public health crisis 509 00:28:22,067 --> 00:28:25,170 with criminal law enforcement and carceral strategies 510 00:28:25,236 --> 00:28:27,839 and expect it to work. 511 00:28:27,906 --> 00:28:31,376 Even in current times we always start with 512 00:28:31,443 --> 00:28:34,345 how do we manage a threat versus how do we save lives 513 00:28:34,412 --> 00:28:37,048 of those who are most impacted. 514 00:28:38,883 --> 00:28:43,121 Right now black youth are 14 times more likely to be shot 515 00:28:43,221 --> 00:28:45,790 or killed by firearms than white youth in America. 516 00:28:47,392 --> 00:28:48,793 And as a survivor of gun violence 517 00:28:48,893 --> 00:28:50,361 I've seen that people in our communities 518 00:28:50,428 --> 00:28:53,131 are the ones paying the price 519 00:28:53,231 --> 00:28:54,799 for this quote unquote "freedom" 520 00:28:54,899 --> 00:28:58,069 that advocates from the NRA are talking about. 521 00:28:58,570 --> 00:29:01,473 [subway running] 522 00:29:01,573 --> 00:29:03,975 [Anchor] It is Christmas Eve in New York 523 00:29:04,075 --> 00:29:06,111 and the talk of the town is not peace on earth 524 00:29:06,211 --> 00:29:07,779 but the violence among us. 525 00:29:07,879 --> 00:29:09,714 This time in the subways, where a vigilante and his gun 526 00:29:09,781 --> 00:29:12,217 brought terror this past weekend. 527 00:29:12,283 --> 00:29:15,653 [Smyth] There are a number of cases that are instrumental 528 00:29:15,754 --> 00:29:18,623 in the beliefs of the modern NRA. 529 00:29:18,723 --> 00:29:21,459 One of them was the Bernard Goetz shooting. 530 00:29:21,559 --> 00:29:22,560 [Reporter] A passenger on the New York City subway, 531 00:29:22,627 --> 00:29:25,897 a white man, said four black teenagers 532 00:29:25,964 --> 00:29:29,067 wielding screwdrivers pressed him for $5. 533 00:29:29,134 --> 00:29:32,403 He shot all four then fled through the subway tunnel. 534 00:29:32,470 --> 00:29:34,239 [Reporter] The shot severed Darrell Cabey's spinal cord 535 00:29:34,305 --> 00:29:36,908 paralyzing him for life. 536 00:29:38,777 --> 00:29:43,081 [Smyth] The NRA defended Mr. Goetz as a way of 537 00:29:43,148 --> 00:29:46,684 putting their own stamp on gun rights through his case. 538 00:29:46,785 --> 00:29:49,020 [Reporter] The National Rifle Association today 539 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:51,923 began running ads in New York City newspapers, 540 00:29:51,990 --> 00:29:55,093 ads that say law-abiding citizens have the right 541 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:58,363 to protect themselves because the city no longer does. 542 00:29:58,463 --> 00:30:00,265 - The greatest single deterrent to crime 543 00:30:00,331 --> 00:30:03,334 is an armed citizen. 544 00:30:03,434 --> 00:30:05,503 [Williams] Bernie Goetz is hailed as a hero 545 00:30:05,603 --> 00:30:07,872 and lost in that conversation was the fact 546 00:30:07,972 --> 00:30:10,341 that Bernie Goetz was carrying that gun illegally. 547 00:30:10,441 --> 00:30:13,011 - Four young blacks wounded by a white gunman 548 00:30:13,111 --> 00:30:13,878 and the cheering hasn't stopped. 549 00:30:15,647 --> 00:30:18,383 - We're tired of being pushed around. 550 00:30:18,483 --> 00:30:21,953 [Woman] Three cheers for him. Three cheers. 551 00:30:23,488 --> 00:30:24,989 [Williams] People see him as a vigilante, 552 00:30:25,056 --> 00:30:27,158 who's had enough and is going to fight back, 553 00:30:27,225 --> 00:30:28,893 guns down these four teenagers 554 00:30:28,993 --> 00:30:30,628 including famously saying to one of them after he shot him, 555 00:30:30,695 --> 00:30:33,865 "You don't look like you're hurt too bad, 556 00:30:33,965 --> 00:30:34,866 here's another one." 557 00:30:37,001 --> 00:30:39,804 I remember how I felt going into the city after that 558 00:30:39,871 --> 00:30:41,739 and it felt like it was open season. 559 00:30:44,175 --> 00:30:45,143 You had to think differently 560 00:30:45,210 --> 00:30:49,814 about the way that you showed up in public places. 561 00:30:49,881 --> 00:30:50,982 It was clear in the way that people 562 00:30:51,049 --> 00:30:55,820 talked about that case what the line of demarcation was. 563 00:30:55,887 --> 00:30:57,322 And it was the fact that Bernie Goetz 564 00:30:57,388 --> 00:30:59,924 who was white, shot four black teenagers. 565 00:31:02,193 --> 00:31:06,497 Society bought the narrative that was promoted by the NRA 566 00:31:06,564 --> 00:31:09,834 that armed white men could solve the problems of America 567 00:31:09,901 --> 00:31:12,337 in going out and killing the bad guys. 568 00:31:16,674 --> 00:31:20,011 In that moment, Wayne LaPierre rises to national attention 569 00:31:20,078 --> 00:31:24,449 when he petitions to vacate Bernie Goetz's conviction, 570 00:31:24,549 --> 00:31:26,451 because he argues that Bernie Goetz 571 00:31:26,551 --> 00:31:28,019 had acted in self-defense. 572 00:31:29,287 --> 00:31:32,023 [Wayne LaPierre] Any firearm has a legitimate self-defense 573 00:31:32,090 --> 00:31:34,425 purpose when a criminal is trying to rape, rob, 574 00:31:34,525 --> 00:31:36,027 or injure the victim. 575 00:31:38,529 --> 00:31:41,399 [Rob Pincus] Wayne LaPierre was hired by Harlon 576 00:31:41,466 --> 00:31:45,136 Carter as a lobbyist. He wasn't a diehard gun rights guy. 577 00:31:45,236 --> 00:31:48,206 He wasn't the guy that wore the NRA patch on his sleeve. 578 00:31:50,074 --> 00:31:52,443 He was a mild-mannered, educated guy 579 00:31:52,543 --> 00:31:55,246 who could walk into a room and present an argument 580 00:31:55,313 --> 00:31:58,316 for gun rights issues without being intimidating 581 00:31:58,416 --> 00:32:01,452 without being bombastic, without being flamboyant. 582 00:32:01,552 --> 00:32:03,121 [LaPierre] If you really want to get at gun crime, 583 00:32:03,221 --> 00:32:03,988 you've got to narrow the focus 584 00:32:04,088 --> 00:32:07,158 put in some tough mandatory sentences 585 00:32:07,258 --> 00:32:08,459 and go after the bad guys. 586 00:32:10,128 --> 00:32:11,462 [Pincus] I'm a gun rights advocate 587 00:32:11,562 --> 00:32:12,497 and I'm the executive vice president 588 00:32:12,597 --> 00:32:14,265 of Second Amendment Organization 589 00:32:14,332 --> 00:32:15,500 and I've been in the firearms industry 590 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:17,168 for a little over 20 years. 591 00:32:17,268 --> 00:32:19,003 [gunshots] 592 00:32:19,103 --> 00:32:21,839 In the gun community when we talk about gaining ground, 593 00:32:21,940 --> 00:32:24,142 one of the things that Wayne LaPierre has done 594 00:32:24,242 --> 00:32:27,345 for us very, very effectively was to make it much easier 595 00:32:27,445 --> 00:32:29,080 to get a concealed carry permit. 596 00:32:30,281 --> 00:32:32,984 [Anchor] Tomorrow sweeping new state laws take effect 597 00:32:33,084 --> 00:32:35,620 that will make it significantly easier for many people 598 00:32:35,687 --> 00:32:38,489 in Florida to obtain permits to carry concealed weapons. 599 00:32:40,658 --> 00:32:42,293 [Keene] The first state 600 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:44,696 that allowed concealed carry was Florida. 601 00:32:48,599 --> 00:32:50,435 Then Wayne LaPierre said, 602 00:32:50,501 --> 00:32:52,470 "Let's get concealed carry across the country." 603 00:32:52,537 --> 00:32:54,105 [Reporter] The new law to allow citizens 604 00:32:54,172 --> 00:32:55,540 to carry concealed handguns. 605 00:32:55,640 --> 00:32:56,541 [Reporter 2] Texans were given the right 606 00:32:56,641 --> 00:32:58,476 to carry concealed handguns. 607 00:32:58,543 --> 00:33:00,044 [Reporter 3] Thousands of concealed handgun applications. 608 00:33:00,144 --> 00:33:02,480 [Reporter 4] 700,000 applications for permits 609 00:33:02,547 --> 00:33:04,449 will come in to sheriff's offices. 610 00:33:06,317 --> 00:33:08,286 [Cassandra Crifasi] Over the last several decades, 611 00:33:08,353 --> 00:33:11,055 we've seen a shift from most states 612 00:33:11,155 --> 00:33:13,558 not issuing a license to carry a concealed firearm, 613 00:33:13,658 --> 00:33:16,527 now to every state doing so. 614 00:33:18,329 --> 00:33:20,031 - Right to carry is sweeping across the land. 615 00:33:22,633 --> 00:33:25,336 [Pincus] It became a concealed carry revolution. 616 00:33:26,471 --> 00:33:29,407 [gunshot] 617 00:33:29,507 --> 00:33:31,242 To get a concealed carry license 618 00:33:31,342 --> 00:33:33,411 requires some training that you have to undergo. 619 00:33:33,511 --> 00:33:35,980 [gunshots] 620 00:33:36,047 --> 00:33:37,682 You have to pass a test. 621 00:33:39,517 --> 00:33:41,519 But now we have 21 states 622 00:33:41,586 --> 00:33:45,156 that don't require any form of license to carry a firearm. 623 00:33:45,223 --> 00:33:46,924 [Anchor] Tomorrow anybody in Kansas 624 00:33:47,025 --> 00:33:48,993 can carry a concealed weapon and won't need 625 00:33:49,060 --> 00:33:51,396 a permit or the training to buy the gun. 626 00:33:51,496 --> 00:33:55,266 [Keene] It's called Constitutional Carry. 627 00:33:55,366 --> 00:33:58,002 [Franks] It's a great piece of branding by the NRA 628 00:33:58,069 --> 00:34:00,705 to take a concept like permitless carry 629 00:34:00,772 --> 00:34:04,108 and to say we're going to call that Constitutional Carry. 630 00:34:04,208 --> 00:34:06,611 [Anchor] Texas Senators have just passed permitless, 631 00:34:06,711 --> 00:34:08,179 or what's known as constitutional carry. 632 00:34:08,246 --> 00:34:12,216 You wouldn't have to get a license, no training required, 633 00:34:12,283 --> 00:34:14,452 and there would no longer be a test. 634 00:34:14,552 --> 00:34:17,955 - We're going to take the notion of no regulation whatsoever 635 00:34:18,056 --> 00:34:19,724 and we're gonna call that constitutional. 636 00:34:19,791 --> 00:34:21,592 [applause] 637 00:34:21,692 --> 00:34:23,361 [Crifasi] One of the most rigorous recent studies 638 00:34:23,428 --> 00:34:25,129 that investigated what happened when these laws changed, 639 00:34:25,229 --> 00:34:30,134 found that violent crime increased between 13 and 15%. 640 00:34:33,471 --> 00:34:38,409 - If you suggested to Harlon Carter that by 2020 641 00:34:40,244 --> 00:34:41,979 carry laws of one form or another would be in effect 642 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:45,149 in all 50 states, he would've said you're crazy. 643 00:34:45,249 --> 00:34:46,384 But they are. 644 00:34:48,252 --> 00:34:49,654 [Pincus] Because of the work that the NRA has done 645 00:34:49,754 --> 00:34:51,989 we have this huge number of people 646 00:34:52,090 --> 00:34:54,325 who now have guns in their everyday life. 647 00:34:54,425 --> 00:34:55,827 It's not just Saturday afternoon at the competition. 648 00:34:55,927 --> 00:34:58,596 It's not just hunting season. 649 00:34:58,663 --> 00:35:01,632 You're literally carrying a gun around on earth every day. 650 00:35:01,732 --> 00:35:04,635 To work, to the store, dropping your kids off at school, 651 00:35:04,735 --> 00:35:06,404 with the idea that you're gonna be able to use it 652 00:35:06,471 --> 00:35:09,340 to defend yourself or other people in an emergency. 653 00:35:10,475 --> 00:35:13,678 [Light] The NRA has managed to promote this ideal 654 00:35:13,778 --> 00:35:15,780 of guns everywhere, 655 00:35:15,847 --> 00:35:20,651 that more guns are going to provide more safety. 656 00:35:22,687 --> 00:35:25,523 [Williams] The NRA then begins pushing for legislation 657 00:35:25,623 --> 00:35:27,425 that would encourage people 658 00:35:27,492 --> 00:35:30,328 not only to be able to carry it but to be able to use 659 00:35:30,428 --> 00:35:33,631 guns to defend their lives without fear of being prosecuted. 660 00:35:35,633 --> 00:35:38,803 [Light] If you look at Stand-Your-Ground Laws, any person 661 00:35:38,870 --> 00:35:43,374 who feels themselves under threat can use lethal violence. 662 00:35:43,474 --> 00:35:45,443 [gunshots] 663 00:35:45,510 --> 00:35:50,481 Stand-Your-Ground Laws have proliferated across 33 states. 664 00:35:51,215 --> 00:35:53,050 The National Rifle Association 665 00:35:53,151 --> 00:35:57,054 was a key element in the passage of those laws. 666 00:35:58,956 --> 00:36:00,525 [Jackson] In all states where Stand-Your-Ground Laws 667 00:36:00,625 --> 00:36:03,161 have been passed we've seen gun-related deaths 668 00:36:03,227 --> 00:36:05,296 and homicides increase. 669 00:36:06,831 --> 00:36:09,200 This violence continues to rage forward 670 00:36:09,300 --> 00:36:12,236 and we're watching individuals in our community being slain. 671 00:36:17,708 --> 00:36:21,212 Jordan was very compassionate and very, very sensitive. 672 00:36:25,349 --> 00:36:29,554 He had a lot of wisdom, a great deal of understanding 673 00:36:29,654 --> 00:36:32,523 and trying to figure out the world around him. 674 00:36:36,861 --> 00:36:40,064 The man who murdered my son 675 00:36:40,164 --> 00:36:45,102 was claiming that he feared for his life, 676 00:36:45,203 --> 00:36:47,838 that my son had a gun or stick 677 00:36:47,905 --> 00:36:50,841 and he needed to defend himself. 678 00:36:50,908 --> 00:36:53,578 And the Stand-Your-Ground Law 679 00:36:53,678 --> 00:36:55,947 gave him the ability to be able to do that. 680 00:36:56,047 --> 00:36:59,116 [Woman] Oh my god somebody's shooting. 681 00:36:59,217 --> 00:37:01,452 [Reporter] Jordan Davis was shot and killed here 682 00:37:01,552 --> 00:37:02,253 at Baymeadows in Southside 683 00:37:02,353 --> 00:37:04,922 during an argument over loud music. 684 00:37:06,624 --> 00:37:08,192 [Reporter 2] Dunn admitted to firing his weapon 685 00:37:08,259 --> 00:37:09,794 but said he did it in self-defense 686 00:37:09,894 --> 00:37:11,963 after he says he was threatened by the teens. 687 00:37:13,598 --> 00:37:15,366 [Reporter 3] No gun was found in the teens' SUV. 688 00:37:17,969 --> 00:37:21,806 [Rep. McBath] That man was using his implicit bias 689 00:37:21,906 --> 00:37:26,711 and his racism as a means to act out 690 00:37:26,777 --> 00:37:31,482 his violent tendencies towards my son and his friends. 691 00:37:31,582 --> 00:37:35,786 Because you can shoot to kill and ask questions later 692 00:37:35,886 --> 00:37:38,322 based upon a perception of threat under Stand-Your-Ground. 693 00:37:42,426 --> 00:37:47,398 Having just watched the same scenario with Trayvon Martin 694 00:37:48,666 --> 00:37:52,303 I even had discussions with Jordan about Trayvon's murder. 695 00:37:53,838 --> 00:37:57,308 And Jordan said, "Mom why did that man, 696 00:37:57,408 --> 00:37:58,643 why did he kill Trayvon? 697 00:37:58,743 --> 00:38:01,812 Trayvon wasn't doing anything wrong?" 698 00:38:03,948 --> 00:38:05,016 And I remember saying to him 699 00:38:05,116 --> 00:38:08,786 "Baby, you've got to be careful." 700 00:38:11,622 --> 00:38:13,190 As a young black man 701 00:38:13,291 --> 00:38:15,426 somebody will take out a gun and shoot you. 702 00:38:18,462 --> 00:38:21,632 And there the very discussion I had with my child 703 00:38:23,601 --> 00:38:24,435 became his own reality. 704 00:38:32,977 --> 00:38:35,813 Every single moment that we ignore 705 00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:40,651 what is happening in our streets with our laws, people die. 706 00:38:43,521 --> 00:38:48,893 - I, William Jefferson Clinton, do solemnly swear 707 00:38:48,993 --> 00:38:51,395 that I will faithfully execute 708 00:38:51,495 --> 00:38:53,464 the office of President of the United States. 709 00:38:56,033 --> 00:38:58,402 [Lacombe] In the early 1990s the Democrats have control 710 00:38:58,502 --> 00:39:02,406 of Congress and they decide to pursue gun regulations. 711 00:39:03,541 --> 00:39:06,043 [Pres. Clinton] What's the point of being President 712 00:39:06,143 --> 00:39:09,246 if you can't help improve the lives and futures of people? 713 00:39:09,847 --> 00:39:12,216 [audience applauds] 714 00:39:12,316 --> 00:39:13,918 [Clinton] Laws can help. That's why I wanna take 715 00:39:14,018 --> 00:39:15,753 these assault weapons off the street. 716 00:39:15,853 --> 00:39:20,491 To regulate how we deal with this craziness of violence. 717 00:39:21,659 --> 00:39:23,494 [Keene] The '90s were a time of turmoil because of 718 00:39:23,561 --> 00:39:27,698 the Clinton administration's assault on firearms rights. 719 00:39:30,534 --> 00:39:33,704 [Clinton] I thought we weren't asking for that much. 720 00:39:35,940 --> 00:39:39,510 [Melzer] Clinton introduced a couple pieces of legislation. 721 00:39:39,577 --> 00:39:42,446 One was the 1993 Brady Bill, which established 722 00:39:42,546 --> 00:39:46,717 background checks, named after Reagan's press secretary 723 00:39:46,784 --> 00:39:48,519 Jim Brady, who was shot along with Ronald Reagan. 724 00:39:48,586 --> 00:39:51,922 [Reporter] The new Brady Law could be a turning point 725 00:39:52,022 --> 00:39:55,126 in the fight against gun violence in America. 726 00:39:55,226 --> 00:39:59,130 - 87% of gun owners support this legislation. 727 00:39:59,230 --> 00:40:01,966 And you begin to wonder, "Well who then does 728 00:40:02,066 --> 00:40:04,535 the National Rifle Association represent?" 729 00:40:05,436 --> 00:40:07,371 [Melzer] Next Bill Clinton introduced 730 00:40:07,438 --> 00:40:09,473 the Federal Assault Weapons Act. 731 00:40:09,573 --> 00:40:10,975 [Man] Weapons designed exclusively 732 00:40:11,075 --> 00:40:12,543 for the purpose of killing people 733 00:40:12,610 --> 00:40:14,745 should be banned except for military personnel. 734 00:40:16,614 --> 00:40:19,583 [Clinton] When I was growing up all we had was 735 00:40:19,650 --> 00:40:23,821 hunting and fishing. This is our culture. 736 00:40:23,921 --> 00:40:25,489 And part of my political base 737 00:40:25,589 --> 00:40:29,894 when I was elected President was working class whites. 738 00:40:31,595 --> 00:40:36,467 I thought, we can fix this without interfering 739 00:40:37,735 --> 00:40:39,336 with hunting and self-protection. 740 00:40:39,437 --> 00:40:43,073 - We have taken this important part of the life 741 00:40:43,140 --> 00:40:47,077 of millions of Americans and turned it into an instrument 742 00:40:47,144 --> 00:40:49,480 of maintaining madness. 743 00:40:49,580 --> 00:40:51,816 [Reporter] Public support for an assault weapon ban 744 00:40:51,916 --> 00:40:55,686 is overwhelming, as much as 70% in some polls. 745 00:40:55,786 --> 00:40:58,989 The trick is translating that into votes on the House floor. 746 00:41:04,195 --> 00:41:06,931 [Smyth] LaPierre was elected to take over the NRA 747 00:41:06,997 --> 00:41:09,467 as the highest-paid executive and try to defeat 748 00:41:09,533 --> 00:41:12,670 any efforts to pass gun reform. 749 00:41:12,770 --> 00:41:14,371 [LaPierre] This is a campaign 750 00:41:14,472 --> 00:41:17,975 for eliminating the Second Amendment entirely. 751 00:41:18,042 --> 00:41:21,779 Unless we fight it, that's America's future. 752 00:41:21,846 --> 00:41:25,382 And it starts with a simple step like a simple gun ban 753 00:41:25,483 --> 00:41:28,152 that too many are too cowardly to fight. 754 00:41:29,687 --> 00:41:31,455 [Smyth] LaPierre started talking about something 755 00:41:31,522 --> 00:41:33,023 called "the slippery slope". 756 00:41:34,859 --> 00:41:38,629 That even the most seemingly benign form of gun control 757 00:41:38,696 --> 00:41:42,132 would eventually lead toward greater gun control 758 00:41:42,199 --> 00:41:45,236 and ultimately disarmament. 759 00:41:46,871 --> 00:41:48,405 [Pincus] The Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 760 00:41:48,506 --> 00:41:52,409 is the indicator that, Oh if we don't stand up 761 00:41:52,510 --> 00:41:54,078 and really assert ourselves, 762 00:41:54,178 --> 00:41:55,679 if we don't really do something about this 763 00:41:55,746 --> 00:41:58,682 we're gonna potentially lose everything. 764 00:41:58,749 --> 00:42:01,051 [Volsky] Wayne LaPierre began penning 765 00:42:01,151 --> 00:42:06,056 incredibly incendiary communications to NRA members. 766 00:42:07,858 --> 00:42:10,394 [Man] Mr. LaPierre talks about this administration - 767 00:42:10,494 --> 00:42:13,664 They'll stop at nothing, even murder 768 00:42:13,731 --> 00:42:16,834 federal agents wearing Nazi helmets 769 00:42:16,901 --> 00:42:18,669 that attack law-abiding citizens. 770 00:42:18,736 --> 00:42:22,873 [Smyth] The NRA's absolutist unyielding positions 771 00:42:22,940 --> 00:42:25,910 was too much for many people then in the GOP 772 00:42:26,010 --> 00:42:28,245 including even Ronald Reagan. 773 00:42:28,345 --> 00:42:32,449 I support the Brady Bill and I urge Congress to enact it. 774 00:42:34,251 --> 00:42:37,288 [Melzer] Former President George Bush Sr. resigned his NRA 775 00:42:37,388 --> 00:42:41,292 membership in response to LaPierre's rhetoric. 776 00:42:43,193 --> 00:42:44,929 [Reporter] Former Presidents Reagan, Carter, and Ford 777 00:42:45,029 --> 00:42:47,131 all signed a letter urging House Members 778 00:42:47,231 --> 00:42:49,466 to vote for the Assault Weapons Ban. 779 00:42:49,567 --> 00:42:51,302 [Clinton] No good member of the House or Senate 780 00:42:51,402 --> 00:42:54,805 no Republican or Democrat, no rural legislator 781 00:42:54,905 --> 00:42:59,810 should ever fear losing their seat for voting for this bill. 782 00:42:59,910 --> 00:43:00,978 [House Speaker] Recorded vote. 783 00:43:01,078 --> 00:43:05,816 The Yeas are 216 the Nays are 214, and the bill is passed. 784 00:43:06,750 --> 00:43:08,719 [applause] 785 00:43:08,786 --> 00:43:11,055 [Lacombe] They passed the Brady Law of 1993, 786 00:43:11,121 --> 00:43:13,223 and then they passed as part of a broader crime package 787 00:43:13,290 --> 00:43:15,993 the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994. 788 00:43:16,093 --> 00:43:19,663 [crowd applause] 789 00:43:21,432 --> 00:43:23,834 [Keene] It was an assault on an entire part 790 00:43:23,934 --> 00:43:27,338 of the population on their vision of what America is. 791 00:43:29,974 --> 00:43:33,510 And that's why the NRA's job is to ring the bell. 792 00:43:36,614 --> 00:43:39,149 [Man] We need to make sure that come November 793 00:43:39,249 --> 00:43:42,987 these traitors are defeated, humiliated at the polls 794 00:43:43,087 --> 00:43:46,256 and never serve in public office again. 795 00:43:46,323 --> 00:43:50,694 [Volsky] In this election cycle the NRA perfected their 796 00:43:50,794 --> 00:43:55,699 well-oiled lobbying machine and powerful grassroots army. 797 00:43:55,799 --> 00:43:59,103 [Lacombe] The NRA had developed scorecards that rate 798 00:43:59,169 --> 00:44:02,172 political candidates making it very easy for its members 799 00:44:02,272 --> 00:44:05,709 to find who it was endorsing and to act on that. 800 00:44:05,809 --> 00:44:09,680 [Keene] Your congressmen is A-rated or F-rated. 801 00:44:09,780 --> 00:44:11,882 They go out and they vote. 802 00:44:11,982 --> 00:44:15,819 They turned out in huge numbers in the '94 election. 803 00:44:15,886 --> 00:44:18,822 That was the year that guns made a difference. 804 00:44:18,889 --> 00:44:20,224 [Anchor] Welcome again to CNN's 805 00:44:20,324 --> 00:44:22,893 continuous coverage of Election '94. 806 00:44:22,993 --> 00:44:25,729 [Man] This is an earthquake. This is a tidal wave. 807 00:44:25,829 --> 00:44:26,563 [Anchor 2] It's happening in the House. It's happening 808 00:44:26,664 --> 00:44:29,533 in the Senate. The sands are shifting 809 00:44:29,633 --> 00:44:32,002 right out from under the Democrats' feet. 810 00:44:32,069 --> 00:44:33,737 [Reporter] Republicans take over the Senate. 811 00:44:33,837 --> 00:44:36,006 [Anchor 3] CNN estimating that the Republicans will take 812 00:44:36,073 --> 00:44:37,741 more than enough seats to take control of 813 00:44:37,841 --> 00:44:40,411 the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. 814 00:44:42,312 --> 00:44:45,315 [Reporter 2] Day breaks in Washington, D.C. as voters 815 00:44:45,382 --> 00:44:47,418 across the country wake to the scale of the beating they've 816 00:44:47,518 --> 00:44:49,820 given President Bill Clinton and his Democratic Party. 817 00:44:55,859 --> 00:44:59,396 God they took it out on us. The NRA claimed to have 818 00:44:59,496 --> 00:45:03,434 defeated 19 members of the House when we lost the House. 819 00:45:04,435 --> 00:45:06,737 And we lost 54. 820 00:45:10,507 --> 00:45:12,443 I woke up in a cold sweat thinking about 821 00:45:12,543 --> 00:45:15,946 how I'd let the country down. 822 00:45:17,214 --> 00:45:18,015 I'm sorry I mean we got - 823 00:45:18,082 --> 00:45:20,784 the NRA beat the Speaker of the House. 824 00:45:20,884 --> 00:45:22,920 [Reporter] Tom Foley, 30 years in Congress 825 00:45:23,020 --> 00:45:24,788 is the first Speaker of the House 826 00:45:24,888 --> 00:45:26,523 voted out of office since Abraham Lincoln's time. 827 00:45:26,590 --> 00:45:29,259 [Clinton] What does that tell you? 828 00:45:29,359 --> 00:45:31,295 There's a difference between having popular support 829 00:45:31,395 --> 00:45:34,298 and voting support. 830 00:45:34,398 --> 00:45:37,301 We can't just depend on an opinion poll. 831 00:45:37,401 --> 00:45:39,970 The NRA made guns a voting issue. 832 00:45:40,070 --> 00:45:42,473 [audience applause] 833 00:45:42,573 --> 00:45:44,641 [LaPierre] You launched a political revolution 834 00:45:44,742 --> 00:45:47,277 that changed the face of Congress 835 00:45:47,377 --> 00:45:51,782 and rewrote Bill Clinton's idea of American history. 836 00:45:51,882 --> 00:45:55,252 [applause and cheers] 837 00:45:55,319 --> 00:45:56,820 - Not only was the NRA very successful 838 00:45:56,920 --> 00:46:02,259 in flipping party control in the '94 election, 839 00:46:02,326 --> 00:46:06,897 it also put a 10-year limit on the Assault Weapons Ban 840 00:46:06,964 --> 00:46:09,333 so that it automatically lapsed after 10 years, 841 00:46:09,433 --> 00:46:11,668 and that was the price that they paid 842 00:46:11,769 --> 00:46:14,505 in order to get that bill through Congress. 843 00:46:16,006 --> 00:46:17,674 [Anchor] Now the Assault Weapons Ban, 844 00:46:17,775 --> 00:46:20,844 The ten-year-old law expires at midnight tonight. 845 00:46:20,944 --> 00:46:22,679 Is there any question in your mind 846 00:46:22,780 --> 00:46:23,847 that the lifting of the ban will in fact 847 00:46:23,947 --> 00:46:27,684 cause more of these weapons going on the streets? 848 00:46:27,785 --> 00:46:29,153 - Oh, there's no question 849 00:46:29,253 --> 00:46:30,754 that there'll be more weapons on the streets. 850 00:46:30,821 --> 00:46:33,323 Right now the companies are taking orders. 851 00:46:34,958 --> 00:46:36,860 [Franks] The NRA profit from this idea that the 852 00:46:36,960 --> 00:46:39,930 assault weapon is something that was banned by those 853 00:46:39,997 --> 00:46:42,299 liberals that were coming to take your guns. 854 00:46:42,366 --> 00:46:44,101 Thank goodness that ban is no longer in effect. 855 00:46:44,168 --> 00:46:45,936 You never know when it's gonna come back. 856 00:46:46,003 --> 00:46:48,939 So everybody come out and get a gun like this. 857 00:46:51,975 --> 00:46:54,211 - And I remember Christmas advertisements, 858 00:46:54,311 --> 00:46:58,115 discount prices on AR-15s. 859 00:46:58,182 --> 00:47:01,351 Buy your bargain assault weapons for Christmas. 860 00:47:03,987 --> 00:47:07,891 [Spitzer] The NRA and gun companies really begin to market 861 00:47:07,991 --> 00:47:12,296 assault weapons specifically their military features. 862 00:47:12,362 --> 00:47:15,799 You can accessorize different stocks, different grips, 863 00:47:15,866 --> 00:47:19,570 threaded barrels, removable magazines, 864 00:47:21,538 --> 00:47:25,075 and that means much more profitability for the gun industry. 865 00:47:26,510 --> 00:47:28,245 [Smyth] These weapons proliferated. 866 00:47:28,345 --> 00:47:32,382 The AR-15 became as the NRA dubbed it, "America's rifle". 867 00:47:34,418 --> 00:47:35,919 [Spitzer] But then you begin to see 868 00:47:36,019 --> 00:47:37,154 these weapons used in mass shootings. 869 00:47:37,221 --> 00:47:40,424 [Man] A gunman appeared at the front of one of the theaters 870 00:47:40,524 --> 00:47:42,426 and then he opened fire. 871 00:47:42,526 --> 00:47:45,395 At least 50 people were hit. 872 00:47:47,698 --> 00:47:51,168 - If you look at high-fatality mass shootings 873 00:47:51,235 --> 00:47:54,838 there are studies that show yes, they have increased 874 00:47:54,905 --> 00:47:57,407 since the Assault Weapons Ban lapsed. 875 00:47:59,209 --> 00:48:02,012 - In the face of these tragedies, the arms industry 876 00:48:02,079 --> 00:48:03,614 is uniquely protected no matter how negligent 877 00:48:03,714 --> 00:48:06,416 or reckless their practices might be. 878 00:48:08,252 --> 00:48:10,888 [Keene] We did, I think in one of our great victories 879 00:48:10,954 --> 00:48:13,056 save the firearms industry. 880 00:48:13,123 --> 00:48:17,394 There was a move to hold firearms companies 881 00:48:17,461 --> 00:48:21,231 liable in court for the misuse of a firearm. 882 00:48:23,066 --> 00:48:25,035 We got Congress to pass an act that would prevent that. 883 00:48:27,070 --> 00:48:29,439 [Franks] Because of this law you don't get products 884 00:48:29,539 --> 00:48:32,476 that are designed for safety. 885 00:48:32,576 --> 00:48:34,411 You don't get products that are designed 886 00:48:34,478 --> 00:48:37,881 to stop people from using them for improper means. 887 00:48:37,948 --> 00:48:41,418 You get a blank check to an industry 888 00:48:41,485 --> 00:48:45,055 to advertise in the most irresponsible ways, 889 00:48:45,122 --> 00:48:46,390 to market themselves to kids. 890 00:48:53,497 --> 00:48:56,800 [Keene] If those frivolous lawsuits had not been stopped 891 00:48:56,900 --> 00:48:59,069 gun companies would have gone out of business. 892 00:49:00,504 --> 00:49:03,240 The NRA was key 893 00:49:03,307 --> 00:49:06,476 to the survival of American firearms manufacturers, 894 00:49:06,576 --> 00:49:07,477 more than the other way around. 895 00:49:07,577 --> 00:49:10,247 So they ought to be grateful, 896 00:49:10,314 --> 00:49:12,249 but we don't get our money from them, primarily. 897 00:49:15,452 --> 00:49:17,020 [Men chanting] This is my rifle. 898 00:49:17,120 --> 00:49:19,189 [Man] It's been tested in every theater of war 899 00:49:19,289 --> 00:49:20,924 for the last 50 years. 900 00:49:20,991 --> 00:49:22,526 [Men chanting] My rifle is my best friend. 901 00:49:22,626 --> 00:49:26,029 [Man] Through the dust, the rain and the snow 902 00:49:26,129 --> 00:49:27,097 it's battle tested. 903 00:49:28,632 --> 00:49:31,301 And it's in a class all by itself. 904 00:49:31,368 --> 00:49:33,937 [Men chanting] This is my rifle. 905 00:49:34,004 --> 00:49:35,105 [Man] This is Colt. 906 00:49:38,709 --> 00:49:40,377 [Rep. Jason Crow] I believe in the right to have 907 00:49:40,477 --> 00:49:43,680 self-defense, but you don't need an assault weapon 908 00:49:43,780 --> 00:49:47,284 or 1000 rounds or armor-piercing bullets to do that. 909 00:49:49,619 --> 00:49:51,955 My name is Jason Crow. 910 00:49:52,022 --> 00:49:52,856 I'm the Congressman from Colorado's 911 00:49:52,956 --> 00:49:55,058 sixth congressional district and I represent 912 00:49:55,158 --> 00:49:59,029 many of the families of the Aurora theater shooting, 913 00:49:59,129 --> 00:50:01,565 the Columbine tragedy. 914 00:50:01,665 --> 00:50:05,002 I served overseas in three combat tours 915 00:50:05,068 --> 00:50:06,703 in Iraq and Afghanistan. 916 00:50:06,803 --> 00:50:10,540 There is a big reason why I didn't carry an assault weapon 917 00:50:10,640 --> 00:50:12,576 in the woods when I was deer hunting. 918 00:50:12,676 --> 00:50:14,177 And there's also a really good reason 919 00:50:14,244 --> 00:50:15,579 why I didn't have my deer hunting rifle 920 00:50:15,679 --> 00:50:18,181 or my duck hunting shotgun 921 00:50:18,248 --> 00:50:20,650 when I was in Iraq and Afghanistan. 922 00:50:20,717 --> 00:50:23,420 Because the weapons that I carried in Iraq and Afghanistan 923 00:50:23,520 --> 00:50:25,088 were weapons of war. 924 00:50:25,188 --> 00:50:26,256 [gunshots] 925 00:50:26,356 --> 00:50:29,659 They were designed to inflict terrible damage on humans 926 00:50:29,726 --> 00:50:32,496 and to take human lives 927 00:50:32,562 --> 00:50:34,564 and to do that with remarkable efficiency. 928 00:50:34,664 --> 00:50:37,701 From every little element, from the magazine capacity 929 00:50:37,768 --> 00:50:41,705 to the muzzle velocity to the type of round that's used 930 00:50:41,772 --> 00:50:45,108 everything is designed with that singular purpose in mind. 931 00:50:45,208 --> 00:50:47,778 The specifications and the technical aspects of weapons 932 00:50:47,878 --> 00:50:50,414 mean a lot. So nobody's ever gonna tell me that 933 00:50:50,514 --> 00:50:51,948 there's no such thing as an assault weapon 934 00:50:52,049 --> 00:50:55,552 because there's no basis in truth for that. 935 00:50:55,619 --> 00:50:57,554 [sirens] 936 00:50:57,621 --> 00:51:01,458 Whether it's in El Paso with an AK-47 or in Aurora 937 00:51:01,558 --> 00:51:03,794 we know what has occurred. 938 00:51:07,631 --> 00:51:11,401 And it's not gonna stop unless we do something to stop it. 939 00:51:20,710 --> 00:51:24,147 [Nicole Hockley] December 2012 everything changed. 940 00:51:29,152 --> 00:51:31,054 Dylan was six so he loved school 941 00:51:31,121 --> 00:51:32,155 and didn't want to go at the same time. 942 00:51:34,658 --> 00:51:39,162 We had this routine that every day we would do a countdown. 943 00:51:39,262 --> 00:51:42,165 So Monday was five days school, two days no school. 944 00:51:42,265 --> 00:51:45,001 Tuesday was four days school, two days no school. 945 00:51:47,671 --> 00:51:50,173 And as the bus was coming around the corner 946 00:51:52,776 --> 00:51:55,178 and the kids were all lining up 947 00:51:56,646 --> 00:51:59,015 Dylan just looked at me 948 00:51:59,116 --> 00:52:00,684 and he said, "Last day school, Mommy." 949 00:52:00,784 --> 00:52:02,853 And I said, "That's right, D. 950 00:52:02,953 --> 00:52:06,123 One day school, two days no school." 951 00:52:06,189 --> 00:52:08,091 And he just kind of nodded at me 952 00:52:08,158 --> 00:52:09,860 and said, "Last day school." 953 00:52:11,995 --> 00:52:15,298 And literally across the driveway 954 00:52:15,365 --> 00:52:17,467 where I was standing with my boys, 955 00:52:17,534 --> 00:52:19,836 the shooter had probably already killed his mother 956 00:52:19,936 --> 00:52:22,672 in the house directly across the driveway from mine. 957 00:52:25,142 --> 00:52:27,511 And I've thought, if I'd looked up at a window 958 00:52:27,611 --> 00:52:28,845 would I have seen him looking down? 959 00:52:28,945 --> 00:52:32,883 Is there something I could have done 960 00:52:34,484 --> 00:52:36,486 to stop him from then driving to the school? 961 00:52:37,354 --> 00:52:39,389 Only a few minutes later probably. 962 00:52:40,657 --> 00:52:42,292 [Woman] Sandy Hook school, 963 00:52:42,359 --> 00:52:44,895 I think there's somebody shooting in here. 964 00:52:44,995 --> 00:52:49,900 [Reporter] 154 bullets fired in less than five minutes 965 00:52:51,401 --> 00:52:53,637 from the Bushmaster assault rifle. 966 00:52:55,138 --> 00:52:57,340 [Reporter 2] The gunman killed 26 people, 967 00:52:57,407 --> 00:53:00,710 20 of them children as young as five. 968 00:53:05,549 --> 00:53:08,218 - The majority of those who died today were children, 969 00:53:10,520 --> 00:53:11,321 beautiful little kids 970 00:53:11,388 --> 00:53:13,323 between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. 971 00:53:16,726 --> 00:53:19,930 As a country we have been through this too many times. 972 00:53:21,765 --> 00:53:23,400 [Sen. Murphy] In the days following the shooting 973 00:53:23,500 --> 00:53:25,702 we thought the world had changed. 974 00:53:25,769 --> 00:53:29,706 We thought everyone had woken up to the idea that we had 975 00:53:29,773 --> 00:53:31,374 to get serious about preventing another slaughter like this. 976 00:53:31,441 --> 00:53:35,345 And we thought that the silence from the gun lobby 977 00:53:35,412 --> 00:53:38,682 and from the NRA meant that they were contemplating 978 00:53:38,748 --> 00:53:42,352 how far they were willing to go to compromise. 979 00:53:43,587 --> 00:53:46,356 [Smyth] The NRA didn't say anything, which has been their 980 00:53:46,423 --> 00:53:50,560 practice after almost every mass shooting in the modern era. 981 00:53:50,627 --> 00:53:52,462 [Crowd chanting] Shame on the NRA. 982 00:53:52,562 --> 00:53:55,232 [Reporter] For four days after the killings in Newtown, 983 00:53:55,298 --> 00:53:56,967 it had nothing to say, 984 00:53:57,067 --> 00:53:58,368 nothing on its website, on Facebook or on Twitter. 985 00:53:58,435 --> 00:54:01,738 [Reporter 2] The White House says that President Obama 986 00:54:01,805 --> 00:54:04,574 is supporting new legislation banning assault weapons, 987 00:54:04,641 --> 00:54:07,777 closing the gun show loophole for buying guns, 988 00:54:07,877 --> 00:54:10,647 as well as a ban on high capacity ammunition clips. 989 00:54:10,747 --> 00:54:12,215 - And then they announced 990 00:54:12,282 --> 00:54:13,316 they were having a press conference. 991 00:54:13,416 --> 00:54:15,619 - For the first time, the National Rifle Association 992 00:54:15,719 --> 00:54:17,787 is responding to the Newtown attack. 993 00:54:18,922 --> 00:54:20,423 [Keene] It was our assumption 994 00:54:20,490 --> 00:54:22,425 that we were up against a very big fight. 995 00:54:22,492 --> 00:54:27,397 So we had to be able to rally our people. 996 00:54:28,498 --> 00:54:29,466 - Like all Americans 997 00:54:29,566 --> 00:54:33,003 we've been discussing all of the various options 998 00:54:33,103 --> 00:54:34,904 that are available to protect our children. 999 00:54:34,971 --> 00:54:37,407 And at this point we would like 1000 00:54:37,474 --> 00:54:39,175 to share our thinking with you. 1001 00:54:46,416 --> 00:54:46,983 Good morning. 1002 00:54:49,786 --> 00:54:54,024 Some have tried to exploit tragedy for political gain. 1003 00:54:55,525 --> 00:54:57,827 We have remained respectively silent. 1004 00:54:58,795 --> 00:55:01,831 Now we must speak. 1005 00:55:03,967 --> 00:55:05,368 [Smyth] I wondered what he was going to say, 1006 00:55:05,468 --> 00:55:07,370 and if he was going to say something 1007 00:55:07,470 --> 00:55:09,606 to attempt to validate the emotions 1008 00:55:09,673 --> 00:55:11,508 that were swirling around the nation 1009 00:55:11,608 --> 00:55:13,543 about this heartbreaking tragedy. 1010 00:55:15,312 --> 00:55:19,449 - The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun 1011 00:55:20,650 --> 00:55:22,018 is a good guy with a gun. 1012 00:55:23,687 --> 00:55:25,655 - And to me that's like, come on. 1013 00:55:25,722 --> 00:55:28,058 [Woman] Reckless behavior coming from the NRA. 1014 00:55:28,158 --> 00:55:30,894 - For people to stand there and say, 1015 00:55:30,994 --> 00:55:33,730 "No we need more guns." 1016 00:55:33,830 --> 00:55:36,499 It was extremely disheartening. 1017 00:55:36,566 --> 00:55:38,134 [Man] NRA, stop killing our children. 1018 00:55:38,201 --> 00:55:41,304 It is the NRA and assault weapons 1019 00:55:41,371 --> 00:55:43,707 that are killing our children. 1020 00:55:43,807 --> 00:55:46,076 [Smyth] He essentially blamed the victims, 1021 00:55:46,176 --> 00:55:48,745 that the teachers themselves of this elementary school 1022 00:55:48,845 --> 00:55:50,847 should have been better prepared. 1023 00:55:50,914 --> 00:55:54,651 And the vision that LaPierre put out was one that's 1024 00:55:54,718 --> 00:55:57,654 consistent with everything I knew about the modern NRA, 1025 00:55:57,721 --> 00:56:01,424 but they had never before said it so clearly and so plainly 1026 00:56:01,524 --> 00:56:04,561 out loud because they were afraid it would be too unpopular. 1027 00:56:04,661 --> 00:56:07,764 [LaPierre] We need to have every single school in America 1028 00:56:07,864 --> 00:56:12,268 immediately deploy a protection program proven to work. 1029 00:56:12,369 --> 00:56:15,438 And by that I mean armed security. 1030 00:56:17,374 --> 00:56:21,444 [bagpipes play "Amazing Grace"] 1031 00:56:24,013 --> 00:56:27,417 [Nicole] After the service we did our first interviews 1032 00:56:29,018 --> 00:56:32,422 with media. One of the first questions was, 1033 00:56:33,957 --> 00:56:35,125 "What is your response to Wayne LaPierre 1034 00:56:35,225 --> 00:56:38,862 saying this morning that the only thing 1035 00:56:38,928 --> 00:56:41,131 to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun?" 1036 00:56:41,231 --> 00:56:44,534 And I said, "Who's Wayne LaPierre?" 1037 00:56:46,202 --> 00:56:49,806 And all I could think was, whoever he is 1038 00:56:49,906 --> 00:56:53,476 that is one of the most absurd statements I've ever heard. 1039 00:56:54,744 --> 00:56:58,548 We can't just arm everyone and expect a safer society. 1040 00:56:59,716 --> 00:57:01,751 [ominous music] 1041 00:57:01,818 --> 00:57:06,756 That was my introduction to the NRA in this battle. 1042 00:57:08,391 --> 00:57:09,759 - All of us need to demand a Congress 1043 00:57:09,826 --> 00:57:13,963 brave enough to stand up to the gun lobby's lies. 1044 00:57:16,666 --> 00:57:17,634 [Reporter] Victims of gun violence 1045 00:57:17,734 --> 00:57:21,504 and their families demonstrated on Capitol Hill. 1046 00:57:21,604 --> 00:57:25,742 [Man] We're here from Tucson, from Aurora, from Columbine - 1047 00:57:25,809 --> 00:57:29,512 names that have become iconic in America's bizarre 1048 00:57:29,612 --> 00:57:31,514 and shameful epidemic of gun violence. 1049 00:57:31,614 --> 00:57:33,183 [Reporter] In Congress the leader of Senate Republicans 1050 00:57:33,283 --> 00:57:35,585 joined the chorus of politicians 1051 00:57:35,652 --> 00:57:39,355 who are suggesting that something needs to be done. 1052 00:57:39,456 --> 00:57:41,090 - As we continue to learn the facts, 1053 00:57:41,157 --> 00:57:43,026 Congress will examine whether there is an appropriate 1054 00:57:43,126 --> 00:57:45,028 and constitutional response 1055 00:57:45,128 --> 00:57:47,964 that would better protect our citizens. 1056 00:57:48,031 --> 00:57:49,532 [Peter Ambler] Americans watched Congress, 1057 00:57:49,632 --> 00:57:54,204 they watched the Senate. Surely Democrats and Republicans 1058 00:57:54,304 --> 00:57:56,539 would come together to put something in place. 1059 00:57:59,476 --> 00:58:01,211 - We thought we could get a restriction 1060 00:58:01,311 --> 00:58:04,781 on assault weapons passed. That became unachievable 1061 00:58:04,848 --> 00:58:08,551 and we were left with this expansion of background checks. 1062 00:58:08,651 --> 00:58:11,988 Joe Manchin, coming from a pretty conservative state, 1063 00:58:12,055 --> 00:58:13,823 and Pat Toomey, a Republican 1064 00:58:13,890 --> 00:58:15,792 coming from a pretty conservative state, 1065 00:58:15,859 --> 00:58:19,395 got together at considerable political risk to themselves 1066 00:58:19,496 --> 00:58:22,966 and wrote a compromise that would save lives. 1067 00:58:24,501 --> 00:58:26,836 - Truly the events at Newtown changed us all. 1068 00:58:26,903 --> 00:58:28,638 Nobody here with a good conscience could sit by 1069 00:58:28,705 --> 00:58:32,408 and not try to prevent a day like that from happening again. 1070 00:58:32,509 --> 00:58:34,644 - I don't consider criminal background checks 1071 00:58:34,711 --> 00:58:36,646 to be gun control. I think it's just common sense. 1072 00:58:39,249 --> 00:58:43,753 [Ambler] The NRA during that period had an ironclad grip 1073 00:58:43,853 --> 00:58:47,056 on our political system when it came to the question 1074 00:58:47,156 --> 00:58:50,660 of guns and gun violence in America. 1075 00:58:52,362 --> 00:58:55,098 [Reporter] How are you, Congresswoman? 1076 00:58:55,198 --> 00:58:56,866 - [Ambler] It takes the courage and resilience 1077 00:58:56,933 --> 00:59:00,270 of somebody like Gabby Giffords to take them on. 1078 00:59:02,939 --> 00:59:06,075 I started in her office January 3 of 2011. 1079 00:59:07,777 --> 00:59:08,945 Five days later she was shot in the head 1080 00:59:09,045 --> 00:59:11,614 from three feet away. 1081 00:59:11,714 --> 00:59:14,083 [Reporter] Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has been shot. 1082 00:59:14,183 --> 00:59:16,719 [Reporter 2] Five victims are dead at the scene. 1083 00:59:16,786 --> 00:59:20,623 - Eventually made a miraculous recovery 1084 00:59:20,723 --> 00:59:23,860 and went on not only to fight for her life 1085 00:59:23,927 --> 00:59:27,697 but to contribute to public service once again. 1086 00:59:29,799 --> 00:59:35,471 - I've known days of pain and uncertain recovery, 1087 00:59:37,373 --> 00:59:41,477 but confronted by despair, paralysis and aphasia, 1088 00:59:43,046 --> 00:59:45,248 I put one foot in front of the other. 1089 00:59:47,317 --> 00:59:50,320 [Ambler] In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting, 1090 00:59:50,420 --> 00:59:52,889 on the two year anniversary of Gabby being shot, 1091 00:59:52,956 --> 00:59:55,124 we threw ourselves into working to pass 1092 00:59:55,224 --> 00:59:57,894 the Manchin-Toomey expanded background checks bill. 1093 01:00:00,930 --> 01:00:03,933 - Violence is a big problem. 1094 01:00:04,634 --> 01:00:08,938 Too many children are dying. 1095 01:00:09,472 --> 01:00:11,941 Too many children. 1096 01:00:13,309 --> 01:00:16,746 We must do something. 1097 01:00:17,447 --> 01:00:20,950 Today I struggle to speak, 1098 01:00:21,017 --> 01:00:22,685 but I have not lost my voice. 1099 01:00:24,921 --> 01:00:26,522 [Nicole] We never thought 1100 01:00:26,623 --> 01:00:30,193 background checks were going to be easy to pass, 1101 01:00:30,293 --> 01:00:33,162 but there was the will of the people 1102 01:00:33,262 --> 01:00:36,165 and the polls and the way people were speaking out. 1103 01:00:38,001 --> 01:00:40,937 - We hear all the time that no one agrees on anything 1104 01:00:41,004 --> 01:00:44,941 and why even bother? But it's really a false narrative. 1105 01:00:45,008 --> 01:00:48,044 I'm a gun owner, I regularly go to the range 1106 01:00:48,144 --> 01:00:49,879 and try to keep my skills up. 1107 01:00:49,979 --> 01:00:51,447 I believe that people should be able to own guns, 1108 01:00:51,514 --> 01:00:55,385 but we need to do a hell of a lot better job 1109 01:00:55,485 --> 01:00:57,320 to make sure that people who shouldn't have them 1110 01:00:57,387 --> 01:00:58,888 don't get them. 1111 01:00:58,988 --> 01:01:00,723 [Crowd] ♪ Shame, shame, shame, shame ♪ 1112 01:01:00,823 --> 01:01:03,793 - The NRA just does not represent gun owners anymore. 1113 01:01:04,994 --> 01:01:05,795 My passion is hunting, 1114 01:01:05,862 --> 01:01:10,967 and half of all NRA members are hunters. 1115 01:01:11,034 --> 01:01:13,236 Why is an organization that claims to represent gun owners 1116 01:01:13,336 --> 01:01:16,039 working against any effective safety measure 1117 01:01:16,139 --> 01:01:18,908 capable of keeping American children safe? 1118 01:01:19,008 --> 01:01:22,211 We all want to see kids not get killed in schools. 1119 01:01:22,311 --> 01:01:24,747 We all want to see crime be lower. 1120 01:01:24,847 --> 01:01:28,184 We all want to live in a better, more perfect union. 1121 01:01:29,719 --> 01:01:31,854 By making guns so partisan and saying 1122 01:01:31,921 --> 01:01:33,756 politicians are trying to steal our guns, 1123 01:01:33,856 --> 01:01:37,193 the NRA is preventing a larger conversation from happening. 1124 01:01:38,695 --> 01:01:40,430 - More than 80 percent of US adults 1125 01:01:40,530 --> 01:01:44,100 support requiring background checks for all gun sales. 1126 01:01:44,200 --> 01:01:45,601 And there is no difference 1127 01:01:45,702 --> 01:01:47,270 between gun owners and non-gun owners 1128 01:01:47,370 --> 01:01:49,338 or by political affiliation. 1129 01:01:49,405 --> 01:01:53,776 [Sen. Leahy] Every American abhors the recent tragedies. 1130 01:01:55,378 --> 01:01:57,113 [Keene] I remember talking to Joe Manchin. 1131 01:01:57,213 --> 01:01:59,015 He bragged that he'd gotten a new shotgun and I said, 1132 01:01:59,082 --> 01:02:01,451 "Well, what happens if the guy on the neighboring farm 1133 01:02:01,551 --> 01:02:04,020 wants to buy the old one? You don't need it anymore. 1134 01:02:04,087 --> 01:02:06,389 How's he going to like it when you say, 1135 01:02:06,456 --> 01:02:07,457 'We got to get in the car and drive 25 miles 1136 01:02:07,557 --> 01:02:10,460 to a federal firearms dealer. 1137 01:02:10,560 --> 01:02:13,629 And then we got to do a background check on you.' 1138 01:02:13,730 --> 01:02:15,465 Is that going to make him happy? 1139 01:02:15,565 --> 01:02:17,300 And is he going to be any happier when he finds out 1140 01:02:17,400 --> 01:02:19,969 the reason he has to do it is because of you?' 1141 01:02:20,069 --> 01:02:23,573 [Nicole] It was bizarre to get to the actual vote 1142 01:02:23,639 --> 01:02:28,411 and feel that that was a victory. 1143 01:02:29,412 --> 01:02:32,081 And then to start hearing that 1144 01:02:32,148 --> 01:02:33,783 we might not have the numbers. 1145 01:02:33,883 --> 01:02:35,752 [Sen. Biden] The question is on the amendment, 1146 01:02:35,818 --> 01:02:37,487 the clerk will call the roll. 1147 01:02:37,587 --> 01:02:41,491 [Clerk] Mr. Alexander, Ms. Ayotte, Ms. Baldwin. 1148 01:02:41,591 --> 01:02:44,827 [Nicole] Sitting up in the gallery 1149 01:02:44,927 --> 01:02:48,798 you knew where your no votes were cause they wouldn't even - 1150 01:02:51,134 --> 01:02:53,169 They obviously couldn't look at themselves in the mirror. 1151 01:02:53,269 --> 01:02:54,937 They couldn't look at us. 1152 01:02:55,004 --> 01:02:57,306 We had senators who cried in front of us 1153 01:02:59,075 --> 01:03:00,309 and then voted against us. 1154 01:03:02,111 --> 01:03:05,181 [Clerk] Ms. Heitkamp, no. 1155 01:03:05,281 --> 01:03:08,117 Mr. McCain, aye. 1156 01:03:09,285 --> 01:03:13,022 Mr. Chambliss, no. 1157 01:03:15,992 --> 01:03:20,029 - A few minutes ago, a minority in the United States Senate 1158 01:03:20,129 --> 01:03:23,132 decided it wasn't worth it. 1159 01:03:25,001 --> 01:03:27,503 They blocked common sense gun reforms 1160 01:03:27,603 --> 01:03:30,840 even while these families looked on from the Senate gallery. 1161 01:03:32,475 --> 01:03:34,343 [Nicole] I felt that we'd failed. 1162 01:03:34,443 --> 01:03:39,382 I had failed Dylan. I couldn't even do this for him. 1163 01:03:39,482 --> 01:03:42,151 I couldn't save him and I couldn't even get 1164 01:03:42,218 --> 01:03:45,454 one measly little policy passed 1165 01:03:45,521 --> 01:03:48,357 that might help someone else. 1166 01:03:50,193 --> 01:03:52,795 - Everybody talked about how we were gonna change something. 1167 01:03:52,862 --> 01:03:55,231 - To see nothing happen was just a blow. 1168 01:03:55,331 --> 01:03:57,900 - So all in all 1169 01:03:58,000 --> 01:03:59,368 this was a pretty shameful day for Washington. 1170 01:04:01,003 --> 01:04:03,306 - If this, if the death of 20 children 1171 01:04:03,372 --> 01:04:07,076 can't motivate people to take action, what will? 1172 01:04:09,212 --> 01:04:12,882 [Sen. Murphy] We thought that we were gonna get all of these 1173 01:04:12,982 --> 01:04:15,885 changes in gun laws to make our communities safer. 1174 01:04:15,985 --> 01:04:19,388 But what we found out is that that's not how politics works. 1175 01:04:19,488 --> 01:04:22,358 The NRA had been organizing for 40 years 1176 01:04:22,425 --> 01:04:25,361 to get ready for that moment in 2013. 1177 01:04:25,428 --> 01:04:29,098 They were ready for those parents who came to Washington, 1178 01:04:29,198 --> 01:04:29,999 and they beat them. 1179 01:04:32,235 --> 01:04:35,571 [Nicole] When we started I knew nothing about the NRA 1180 01:04:35,671 --> 01:04:40,042 and I had no idea what a powerful lobbying group they were 1181 01:04:40,109 --> 01:04:42,778 and how insidious they can be. 1182 01:04:42,879 --> 01:04:45,214 You know, hearing the lies that they would tell. 1183 01:04:45,281 --> 01:04:48,784 You're not just up against smart political thinking, 1184 01:04:48,885 --> 01:04:49,952 you're up against people that are just gonna say 1185 01:04:50,052 --> 01:04:53,589 whatever they need to say in order to get what they want. 1186 01:04:55,057 --> 01:04:58,628 - We've all been under attack since the Connecticut tragedy, 1187 01:04:58,728 --> 01:05:02,231 by those who would exploit the victims of a madman 1188 01:05:02,298 --> 01:05:04,533 to advance their own anti-Second Amendment agenda. 1189 01:05:04,600 --> 01:05:07,203 But the United States Senators 1190 01:05:07,270 --> 01:05:10,039 realized that their constituents actually do count. 1191 01:05:12,642 --> 01:05:15,044 [Ambler] The NRA was not interested in compromise. 1192 01:05:15,111 --> 01:05:16,879 They were not interested in solutions. 1193 01:05:16,946 --> 01:05:18,447 They were interested 1194 01:05:18,547 --> 01:05:22,151 in a dark cynical vision for this country. 1195 01:05:22,251 --> 01:05:23,319 - By the time it was over, 1196 01:05:23,419 --> 01:05:27,657 we had a million new members and we had turned the tide. 1197 01:05:29,225 --> 01:05:33,996 [audience applause] 1198 01:05:35,598 --> 01:05:37,233 [Man] Please welcome our executive vice president 1199 01:05:37,300 --> 01:05:39,101 Wayne LaPierre. 1200 01:05:39,168 --> 01:05:44,006 - The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, 1201 01:05:46,075 --> 01:05:46,509 is a good guy with a gun. 1202 01:05:46,609 --> 01:05:50,479 [audience applause] 1203 01:05:52,281 --> 01:05:54,250 [Spitzer] When Wayne LaPierre spoke in the aftermath of the 1204 01:05:54,317 --> 01:05:58,020 Sandy Hook shooting, his comments were very much aimed 1205 01:05:58,120 --> 01:06:00,690 at the more extremist gun rights community 1206 01:06:00,790 --> 01:06:05,261 that is the base of support for the NRA. 1207 01:06:05,328 --> 01:06:08,030 There's an old axiom in politics that 1208 01:06:08,130 --> 01:06:12,501 a small but a highly motivated minority can often win 1209 01:06:12,601 --> 01:06:15,838 the day over a large but fairly apathetic majority. 1210 01:06:15,938 --> 01:06:19,275 And that's pretty much the tale of the NRA. 1211 01:06:19,342 --> 01:06:23,145 [LaPierre] By almost every measure we are less free today 1212 01:06:23,212 --> 01:06:27,683 than we were a decade ago, in ways our forefathers 1213 01:06:27,783 --> 01:06:31,687 could never have conjured in their worst nightmares. 1214 01:06:31,787 --> 01:06:34,390 [Melzer] Attacking gun safety groups as folks who 1215 01:06:34,490 --> 01:06:38,661 fundamentally pose a threat to the future of the country. 1216 01:06:38,728 --> 01:06:42,365 This is the culture war that the NRA has been fighting for 1217 01:06:42,465 --> 01:06:45,568 decades now and that Donald Trump took up. 1218 01:06:45,668 --> 01:06:50,706 [crowd applause] 1219 01:06:52,208 --> 01:06:53,909 [Anchor] Some big guns backing Donald Trump. 1220 01:06:54,010 --> 01:06:54,643 This afternoon the National Rifle Association 1221 01:06:54,710 --> 01:06:57,747 endorsed him for President. 1222 01:06:57,847 --> 01:06:59,081 [LaPierre] Oh my gosh I mean here's somebody 1223 01:06:59,181 --> 01:07:02,585 that really understands. Let's go after the bad guys 1224 01:07:02,685 --> 01:07:04,720 and leave all the good people alone. 1225 01:07:04,820 --> 01:07:09,759 - The Second Amendment is under a threat like never before. 1226 01:07:11,260 --> 01:07:13,095 [Volsky] When Donald Trump ran for President, 1227 01:07:13,195 --> 01:07:15,398 the NRA believed that they were looking into a mirror 1228 01:07:15,498 --> 01:07:19,101 because Donald Trump personifies the playbook 1229 01:07:19,201 --> 01:07:24,106 that the NRA has successfully been using for decades. 1230 01:07:26,609 --> 01:07:28,677 - Hillary Clinton wants to abolish the Second Amendment, 1231 01:07:28,744 --> 01:07:30,413 just remember that. 1232 01:07:30,513 --> 01:07:33,282 - Our right to gather, our right to speak, 1233 01:07:33,382 --> 01:07:35,251 our financial freedom. 1234 01:07:35,351 --> 01:07:37,953 All of it in decline. 1235 01:07:39,755 --> 01:07:42,625 [Keene] In 2016 from the Trump and the NRA standpoint, 1236 01:07:42,725 --> 01:07:44,393 you're talking about the same people. 1237 01:07:44,460 --> 01:07:47,129 The people that came out in those small towns 1238 01:07:47,229 --> 01:07:47,963 were our people. 1239 01:07:48,064 --> 01:07:50,299 [Smyth] Trump represented something 1240 01:07:50,399 --> 01:07:52,134 they had never seen before. 1241 01:07:52,234 --> 01:07:56,405 Mitt Romney, McCain, H.W. Bush, even George W. Bush 1242 01:07:58,074 --> 01:07:59,442 didn't speak that kind of language. 1243 01:07:59,542 --> 01:08:01,444 - The National Rifle Association endorsed me 1244 01:08:01,544 --> 01:08:04,046 and they endorsed me early, long time ago. 1245 01:08:04,113 --> 01:08:05,147 [audience applause] 1246 01:08:05,247 --> 01:08:08,150 [Spitzer] They contributed $31 million to his campaign, 1247 01:08:08,250 --> 01:08:13,222 poured around $70 million into the 2016 elections overall. 1248 01:08:15,791 --> 01:08:17,159 [Keene] We decided that if he was gonna have any chance 1249 01:08:17,259 --> 01:08:21,297 in the fall that it was the one bet that had to be placed 1250 01:08:21,397 --> 01:08:22,431 and we placed it. 1251 01:08:22,498 --> 01:08:26,235 So we all worked together to create a tsunami of rural 1252 01:08:26,302 --> 01:08:30,439 small town votes that might not otherwise have occurred. 1253 01:08:30,506 --> 01:08:32,675 - And lo and behold, the gamble paid off. 1254 01:08:32,775 --> 01:08:34,410 [audience applause] 1255 01:08:34,477 --> 01:08:36,445 - Thank you. 1256 01:08:39,682 --> 01:08:41,584 [LaPierre] It wouldn't have happened without us. 1257 01:08:43,452 --> 01:08:47,356 Without us, we wouldn't have had President Trump. 1258 01:08:47,456 --> 01:08:50,426 I mean there's not another organization in the country 1259 01:08:50,493 --> 01:08:53,762 that is directly responsible because of the influence 1260 01:08:53,829 --> 01:08:56,699 we all have as American citizens 1261 01:08:56,799 --> 01:08:58,467 that stand for the Second Amendment. 1262 01:09:00,302 --> 01:09:03,439 [Rep. Crow] You see the gun lobby try to wrap this issue 1263 01:09:03,506 --> 01:09:05,875 in the rhetoric of patriotism and freedom. 1264 01:09:05,975 --> 01:09:08,677 That language is incredibly troubling to me. 1265 01:09:08,777 --> 01:09:12,281 I especially take it personally when I see militia groups 1266 01:09:12,348 --> 01:09:13,115 dressed up like commandos, 1267 01:09:13,182 --> 01:09:16,452 carrying assault weapons on our streets. 1268 01:09:16,519 --> 01:09:19,355 [Smyth] Not only is the United States one of the only 1269 01:09:19,455 --> 01:09:24,126 advanced nations that allows for civilian ownership of guns 1270 01:09:24,193 --> 01:09:26,695 without licensing or registration, 1271 01:09:28,397 --> 01:09:30,299 but it's even permissible to walk around 1272 01:09:30,366 --> 01:09:33,302 during a political protest with loaded AR-15s. 1273 01:09:35,804 --> 01:09:38,240 [Crifasi] We're seeing more and more firearms openly 1274 01:09:38,340 --> 01:09:43,078 at demonstrations or rallies as a way to intimidate. 1275 01:09:43,179 --> 01:09:45,514 [Man] And we may be scary to some people 1276 01:09:45,581 --> 01:09:48,083 but that's because we don't know what's gonna happen 1277 01:09:48,184 --> 01:09:51,086 and it's our right in this country to do this. 1278 01:09:52,922 --> 01:09:55,758 [Crifasi] The NRA has shifted the pendulum so far 1279 01:09:55,858 --> 01:09:58,427 that there's a group of folks at the extreme 1280 01:09:58,527 --> 01:10:02,164 that think that the right to own guns as an individual 1281 01:10:02,231 --> 01:10:03,566 gives them the right 1282 01:10:03,666 --> 01:10:05,501 to do whatever they want with those guns. 1283 01:10:07,369 --> 01:10:11,340 [LaPierre] We stand and we fight like hell for freedom. 1284 01:10:11,407 --> 01:10:15,277 The revolution to take America back starts here. 1285 01:10:15,377 --> 01:10:17,613 [crowd yelling] 1286 01:10:17,713 --> 01:10:19,615 [Franks] Now you have a version of the Second Amendment 1287 01:10:19,715 --> 01:10:23,619 that says, I can stop you from speaking. I can stop you from 1288 01:10:23,719 --> 01:10:27,556 participating in democracy. I can stop democracy itself. 1289 01:10:27,623 --> 01:10:30,359 And I am honoring the constitution by doing so. 1290 01:10:30,426 --> 01:10:32,261 - I want you to fight back. 1291 01:10:32,361 --> 01:10:33,462 I want you to raise hell. 1292 01:10:33,562 --> 01:10:36,799 [Trump] We fight like hell and if you don't fight like hell, 1293 01:10:36,899 --> 01:10:38,801 you're not gonna have a country anymore. 1294 01:10:38,901 --> 01:10:40,703 [mob yelling] 1295 01:10:40,769 --> 01:10:43,105 [Lacombe] It's hard to imagine the support that Trump got 1296 01:10:43,205 --> 01:10:45,374 for his efforts to overturn the election 1297 01:10:45,441 --> 01:10:47,209 being there without the foundation 1298 01:10:47,276 --> 01:10:50,946 laid by the NRA as an organization. 1299 01:10:52,448 --> 01:10:54,783 [Spitzer] Whether it's the NRA or Donald Trump, 1300 01:10:54,883 --> 01:10:58,821 when you build and feed your organization members 1301 01:10:58,921 --> 01:11:02,124 such a steady diet of that kind of messaging, 1302 01:11:02,224 --> 01:11:05,327 it could explode into disorder and violence. 1303 01:11:05,427 --> 01:11:07,496 [gunshots] 1304 01:11:09,832 --> 01:11:14,336 - In Kenosha, an armed citizen sent out a Facebook message 1305 01:11:14,436 --> 01:11:16,405 saying, we need all the armed citizens to come out 1306 01:11:16,472 --> 01:11:21,176 and resist this Black Lives Matter demonstration in response 1307 01:11:21,277 --> 01:11:24,680 to the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake, 1308 01:11:24,780 --> 01:11:27,182 a 29 year old Black man. 1309 01:11:28,484 --> 01:11:30,286 [Man] ♪ Black lives matter 1310 01:11:30,352 --> 01:11:32,187 [Crowd] ♪ Black lives matter 1311 01:11:32,288 --> 01:11:36,025 [Franks] So Kyle Rittenhouse hears that there are 1312 01:11:36,125 --> 01:11:40,429 protests going on and thinks, "I should take up weapons 1313 01:11:40,496 --> 01:11:44,600 to defend this other place and their property," 1314 01:11:44,667 --> 01:11:48,704 that that would be a patriotic thing to do. 1315 01:11:48,804 --> 01:11:50,439 And does in fact do that. 1316 01:11:50,506 --> 01:11:52,207 [Reporter] 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse 1317 01:11:52,308 --> 01:11:55,044 killed two protesters and left one injured. 1318 01:11:55,144 --> 01:11:57,546 [Lt. Gov. Barnes] What do you think is going to happen 1319 01:11:57,646 --> 01:12:01,016 if you have an agitated man with a long gun walking down the 1320 01:12:01,116 --> 01:12:03,552 streets thinking that he's some sort of peacekeeper? 1321 01:12:04,787 --> 01:12:07,022 [Williams] Why is there no attempt to deal with this person 1322 01:12:07,122 --> 01:12:10,893 who's obviously carrying a gun? It's because that narrative 1323 01:12:10,993 --> 01:12:13,395 that the NRA has been so effective at promoting 1324 01:12:13,495 --> 01:12:16,999 has really taken root in American society and culture. 1325 01:12:19,034 --> 01:12:21,970 [Clinton] The NRA believes the deaths of innocent people 1326 01:12:22,037 --> 01:12:26,041 is just a necessary price to pay 1327 01:12:26,141 --> 01:12:29,411 for people to exercise their freedom. 1328 01:12:29,511 --> 01:12:34,483 And you see what the logical conclusion of that is, 1329 01:12:36,685 --> 01:12:37,386 that we don't really have 1330 01:12:37,486 --> 01:12:39,488 mutual responsibilities to each other. 1331 01:12:43,692 --> 01:12:45,828 It's a very high price. 1332 01:12:47,863 --> 01:12:50,899 [Williams] The NRA talks about being fundamentally concerned 1333 01:12:50,999 --> 01:12:55,003 about American Liberty. Is it the liberty to own a gun 1334 01:12:55,070 --> 01:12:58,273 and to pass laws that give people really the opportunity 1335 01:12:58,374 --> 01:13:00,909 to treat neighborhoods like hunting grounds? 1336 01:13:01,009 --> 01:13:03,512 Or is it this idea that we ultimately want to protect life 1337 01:13:03,579 --> 01:13:07,449 and create a standard of living for everyone in this nation? 1338 01:13:08,584 --> 01:13:11,120 - The American Dream of wanting to live peacefully 1339 01:13:11,220 --> 01:13:14,356 and wanting to enjoy life and wanting to go to school 1340 01:13:14,423 --> 01:13:16,759 and become educated and raise your children 1341 01:13:16,859 --> 01:13:19,128 and have a healthy safe life, 1342 01:13:23,432 --> 01:13:24,933 and not be attacked. 1343 01:13:37,780 --> 01:13:41,817 [Fred Guttenberg] My girl, my 14-year-old baby, 1344 01:13:41,917 --> 01:13:46,422 I sent her to school. She was supposed to be safe. 1345 01:13:46,488 --> 01:13:50,426 My job is to protect my children 1346 01:13:50,492 --> 01:13:53,762 and I sent my kid to school. 1347 01:13:53,829 --> 01:13:56,465 [Reporter] A heartbreaking day in Florida and sadly 1348 01:13:56,565 --> 01:13:59,902 an all-too-familiar one. 17 people are now confirmed dead. 1349 01:14:03,138 --> 01:14:07,176 [Guttenberg] In the morning sometimes things get so crazy 1350 01:14:07,276 --> 01:14:10,512 and I don't always get to say, "I love you". 1351 01:14:10,612 --> 01:14:14,917 I don't remember if I said that to Jamie yesterday morning. 1352 01:14:19,087 --> 01:14:21,423 Jamie loved to dance 1353 01:14:21,490 --> 01:14:24,159 and I loved to watch my daughter dance. 1354 01:14:25,627 --> 01:14:30,532 She would have been an amazing person to watch grow up. 1355 01:14:33,802 --> 01:14:35,170 I won't get to do that now. 1356 01:14:40,209 --> 01:14:44,513 - Don't tell me there's no such thing as gun violence. 1357 01:14:44,613 --> 01:14:46,181 It happened in Parkland. 1358 01:14:49,151 --> 01:14:51,053 [Rep. McBath] It's with the Parkland shooting 1359 01:14:51,153 --> 01:14:56,024 that I absolutely lost it 1360 01:14:56,124 --> 01:14:58,060 because those children were the same age as Jordan. 1361 01:14:58,160 --> 01:15:00,229 As I watched them running 1362 01:15:00,329 --> 01:15:03,632 out of their high school for their lives. 1363 01:15:05,701 --> 01:15:08,537 [Anchor] President Trump is now publicly demanding stricter 1364 01:15:08,637 --> 01:15:12,908 gun control in a break with the NRA and fellow Republicans. 1365 01:15:13,008 --> 01:15:14,743 - I watched on television, 1366 01:15:14,843 --> 01:15:18,080 President Trump was at a round table discussion. 1367 01:15:18,180 --> 01:15:19,748 - It doesn't make sense that I have to wait till 1368 01:15:19,848 --> 01:15:23,585 I'm 21 to get a handgun but I can get this weapon at 18. 1369 01:15:23,685 --> 01:15:25,053 I don't know. 1370 01:15:25,153 --> 01:15:26,421 - You underestimate the power of the gun lobby. 1371 01:15:26,522 --> 01:15:28,690 - They have great power over you people. 1372 01:15:28,757 --> 01:15:30,592 They have less power over me. 1373 01:15:30,692 --> 01:15:33,428 [Rep. McBath] And I remember distinctly when President Trump 1374 01:15:33,529 --> 01:15:36,198 said, "You don't need to be afraid of the NRA." 1375 01:15:36,265 --> 01:15:37,933 And they're all sitting there shaking their heads 1376 01:15:38,033 --> 01:15:40,102 like yes, yes and I thought, 1377 01:15:40,202 --> 01:15:42,871 okay maybe something's gonna be done. 1378 01:15:42,938 --> 01:15:44,606 - Don't worry about the NRA, they're on our side. 1379 01:15:44,706 --> 01:15:47,676 You guys, half of you are so afraid of the NRA. 1380 01:15:47,743 --> 01:15:49,845 There's nothing to be afraid of. 1381 01:15:49,912 --> 01:15:51,780 [Reporter] President Trump held a late night meeting 1382 01:15:51,880 --> 01:15:54,249 with the National Rifle Association then tweeted, 1383 01:15:54,349 --> 01:15:57,619 "It was a good, great meeting in the oval office." 1384 01:15:57,719 --> 01:16:00,556 [Anchor] President Trump dialed back an earlier and 1385 01:16:00,622 --> 01:16:02,291 and stronger call he had made 1386 01:16:02,391 --> 01:16:05,127 to raise the age limit for buying some guns. 1387 01:16:05,227 --> 01:16:06,695 [Keene] In President Trump's case 1388 01:16:06,762 --> 01:16:08,297 he obviously empathized on some of these things 1389 01:16:08,397 --> 01:16:12,734 as do all of us, but then upon reflection 1390 01:16:12,801 --> 01:16:13,535 he realized that maybe what he said 1391 01:16:13,602 --> 01:16:16,305 wasn't what he really wanted to do. 1392 01:16:16,405 --> 01:16:22,044 He knew what we did in that 2016 cycle. 1393 01:16:22,110 --> 01:16:26,481 He was grateful for it and remains grateful for what we did. 1394 01:16:26,582 --> 01:16:29,985 He had our support and he had our back. 1395 01:16:30,085 --> 01:16:35,057 - The NRA had a seat at the table in the White House. 1396 01:16:35,123 --> 01:16:38,660 So at this point, nothing was going to be done. 1397 01:16:39,127 --> 01:16:41,997 - It all hit me. 1398 01:16:42,097 --> 01:16:45,667 My daughter didn't need to die. 1399 01:16:45,767 --> 01:16:49,438 These shootings are predictable and they're preventable. 1400 01:16:49,504 --> 01:16:53,675 The NRA knows it, but they're okay with it. 1401 01:16:56,244 --> 01:16:58,113 It's a cost of doing business. It's an opportunity for 1402 01:16:58,180 --> 01:17:03,151 the NRA to turn around and say, the only way is more guns. 1403 01:17:04,820 --> 01:17:06,521 And I just said to my friends and my family, 1404 01:17:08,090 --> 01:17:09,958 "I'm gonna break the fucking gun lobby." 1405 01:17:18,266 --> 01:17:22,137 Every single person up here today, all these people 1406 01:17:22,204 --> 01:17:25,674 should be at home grieving, but instead we are up here 1407 01:17:25,774 --> 01:17:27,709 standing together because if all our government and 1408 01:17:27,809 --> 01:17:31,380 President can do is send thoughts and prayers, then it's 1409 01:17:31,480 --> 01:17:35,684 time for victims to be the change that we need to see. 1410 01:17:35,784 --> 01:17:38,353 [crowd applause] 1411 01:17:42,057 --> 01:17:44,693 - Anybody can make a positive change, 1412 01:17:44,793 --> 01:17:47,129 and I mean, we were kids. 1413 01:17:47,195 --> 01:17:51,233 I am Emma González, I now go by X González. 1414 01:17:51,333 --> 01:17:54,069 Young people took control of the narrative 1415 01:17:54,169 --> 01:17:57,005 and told our stories honestly. 1416 01:17:57,072 --> 01:17:59,808 - Politicians funded by the NRA telling us nothing 1417 01:17:59,875 --> 01:18:01,910 could have ever been done to prevent this. 1418 01:18:02,010 --> 01:18:03,679 We call BS. 1419 01:18:03,745 --> 01:18:05,747 [crowd cheers] 1420 01:18:05,847 --> 01:18:08,417 As a kid, being able to look at the politicians 1421 01:18:08,517 --> 01:18:11,987 and tell them you made a mistake and it hurt people. 1422 01:18:12,054 --> 01:18:14,723 That was something that a lot of people really understood. 1423 01:18:14,823 --> 01:18:17,259 [Crowd chanting] ♪ We want change and we want it now ♪ 1424 01:18:17,359 --> 01:18:19,661 ♪ We want change and we want it now ♪ 1425 01:18:19,728 --> 01:18:21,263 ♪ This is what democracy looks like ♪ 1426 01:18:21,363 --> 01:18:24,599 - Young people became the new messengers 1427 01:18:24,700 --> 01:18:25,834 for gun control in America. 1428 01:18:25,901 --> 01:18:30,739 - They say a good guy with a gun stops a bad guy with a gun. 1429 01:18:30,839 --> 01:18:31,840 We call BS. 1430 01:18:32,841 --> 01:18:36,712 - When I gave that speech and it exploded 1431 01:18:36,778 --> 01:18:38,847 we all realized we actually had the eyes of the nation 1432 01:18:38,914 --> 01:18:44,419 on our social media. And I started reaching out to people. 1433 01:18:44,519 --> 01:18:47,255 We're gonna start this. Let's look into how we can 1434 01:18:47,355 --> 01:18:49,791 make March For Our Lives a non-profit. 1435 01:18:49,891 --> 01:18:50,559 Let's get a board. 1436 01:18:50,625 --> 01:18:53,428 Let's have the kids be in charge. 1437 01:18:53,528 --> 01:18:55,797 [Reporter] Thousands of students are expected 1438 01:18:55,897 --> 01:18:59,301 to walk out of their schools against gun violence. 1439 01:18:59,401 --> 01:19:02,304 [kids chanting] 1440 01:19:02,404 --> 01:19:04,639 [González] All of a sudden we went from 1441 01:19:04,740 --> 01:19:07,075 this organization that was barely existing 1442 01:19:07,142 --> 01:19:09,878 to seeing marches happening all over the world. 1443 01:19:09,945 --> 01:19:11,613 [Reporter 2] Here they are flooding the streets 1444 01:19:11,713 --> 01:19:14,116 of Boston, Massachusetts, in Philadelphia 1445 01:19:14,216 --> 01:19:15,817 and in Los Angeles. 1446 01:19:15,917 --> 01:19:16,952 [Crowd chanting] ♪ You are responsible ♪ 1447 01:19:17,052 --> 01:19:18,286 ♪ You are responsible 1448 01:19:21,757 --> 01:19:24,826 [Nicole] My kid couldn't do this, but these kids, 1449 01:19:24,926 --> 01:19:28,296 this happened to them and they were able to stand up 1450 01:19:28,396 --> 01:19:32,300 in that moment and say, "No way, this is not right." 1451 01:19:32,400 --> 01:19:34,402 And they don't have to control what they're saying 1452 01:19:34,469 --> 01:19:38,507 or be likable or moderate. 1453 01:19:38,607 --> 01:19:40,842 They're just gonna say exactly what they think. 1454 01:19:40,942 --> 01:19:45,080 - This is our opportunity to talk to President Trump, 1455 01:19:45,147 --> 01:19:48,283 Senator Marco Rubio, and all other members of the 1456 01:19:48,350 --> 01:19:49,951 United States government that are being funded by the NRA. 1457 01:19:50,018 --> 01:19:53,855 Now is the time to get on the right side of this. 1458 01:19:53,955 --> 01:19:56,992 - The NRA is so good at threatening people because they 1459 01:19:57,092 --> 01:20:00,695 have so much money and power. Interviewers would be like, 1460 01:20:00,796 --> 01:20:02,964 "And you're not scared to take on the NRA?" 1461 01:20:03,031 --> 01:20:04,833 No, because we have no money from them. 1462 01:20:04,933 --> 01:20:09,871 We were experiencing a problem and vocalizing solutions. 1463 01:20:12,207 --> 01:20:14,509 - Senator Rubio can you tell me right now 1464 01:20:14,609 --> 01:20:17,179 that you will not accept a single donation from the NRA? 1465 01:20:17,279 --> 01:20:20,348 [audience applause] 1466 01:20:20,448 --> 01:20:22,150 - They were afraid of us. 1467 01:20:24,386 --> 01:20:26,988 [Jackson] What was encouraging about March For Our Lives 1468 01:20:27,055 --> 01:20:29,891 is that they opened the door for folks 1469 01:20:29,991 --> 01:20:33,128 who were impacted by violence of all walks of life, 1470 01:20:33,195 --> 01:20:35,897 to take the mic and start to tell their stories. 1471 01:20:37,165 --> 01:20:38,233 - Everyday shootings. 1472 01:20:38,333 --> 01:20:39,734 [Crowd] Everyday shootings. 1473 01:20:39,835 --> 01:20:40,836 - Are an everyday problem. 1474 01:20:40,902 --> 01:20:41,903 [Crowd] Are an everyday problem. 1475 01:20:42,003 --> 01:20:45,507 - It's time to care about all communities equally. 1476 01:20:45,574 --> 01:20:46,975 It's time to stop judging youth that look like me 1477 01:20:47,042 --> 01:20:50,412 or my brother and that come from impoverished communities 1478 01:20:50,512 --> 01:20:52,714 any different than anyone else. 1479 01:20:52,814 --> 01:20:54,549 [González] We are trying to stop gun violence 1480 01:20:54,649 --> 01:20:57,586 in all of its forms. You have to address the system 1481 01:20:57,686 --> 01:21:00,822 on the whole, and gun violence is an epidemic. 1482 01:21:00,889 --> 01:21:02,757 It should be treated like an epidemic. 1483 01:21:02,858 --> 01:21:04,759 - What are you asking for here in Washington? 1484 01:21:04,860 --> 01:21:06,194 - An assault weapons ban, 1485 01:21:06,261 --> 01:21:09,197 prohibition of sales of high capacity magazines. 1486 01:21:09,264 --> 01:21:10,932 - You're not saying no guns, right? 1487 01:21:11,032 --> 01:21:13,001 - We're not saying no guns. We are saying we want 1488 01:21:13,068 --> 01:21:15,604 to regulate semi-automatic weapons 1489 01:21:15,704 --> 01:21:18,073 and accessories that make them fully automatic. 1490 01:21:18,173 --> 01:21:19,241 [crowd cheers] 1491 01:21:19,341 --> 01:21:22,444 - We need to focus on changing the conditions that foster 1492 01:21:22,544 --> 01:21:25,413 violence and trauma. That's how we will 1493 01:21:25,513 --> 01:21:28,116 transform our communities and uplift our voices. 1494 01:21:28,216 --> 01:21:32,254 [crowd cheers] 1495 01:21:32,354 --> 01:21:36,391 - The young leaders were instrumental in 1496 01:21:36,458 --> 01:21:40,028 breathing new life into the gun reform movement. 1497 01:21:42,430 --> 01:21:45,400 When there's limited opportunity to tighten gun laws, 1498 01:21:45,467 --> 01:21:49,037 we have to ask ourselves what power do 1499 01:21:49,104 --> 01:21:53,975 non-legislative actors have to help us solve this problem? 1500 01:21:56,077 --> 01:21:59,881 - Dick's Sporting Goods says thoughts and prayers 1501 01:21:59,948 --> 01:22:01,983 are not enough. The chain will stop selling 1502 01:22:02,083 --> 01:22:05,220 assault style rifles at its 600 nationwide stores. 1503 01:22:05,287 --> 01:22:08,556 It's also ending the sale of firearms to buyers under the 1504 01:22:08,623 --> 01:22:12,460 age of 21 and will no longer sell high capacity magazines. 1505 01:22:14,296 --> 01:22:14,829 [Ed Stack] If these kids are brave enough to organize 1506 01:22:14,930 --> 01:22:17,265 and do what they're doing, 1507 01:22:17,332 --> 01:22:18,900 then we should be brave enough to take this stand. 1508 01:22:18,967 --> 01:22:19,634 - No chance you're gonna reverse this? 1509 01:22:19,734 --> 01:22:21,303 - Never. 1510 01:22:21,403 --> 01:22:22,837 [Reporter] First it was Dick's Sporting Goods 1511 01:22:22,938 --> 01:22:25,006 and now Walmart. Walmart said they will no longer 1512 01:22:25,106 --> 01:22:30,278 sell guns or ammunition to anyone under 21 years old. 1513 01:22:30,345 --> 01:22:32,113 [Reporter 2] At least 16 companies 1514 01:22:32,180 --> 01:22:34,849 now say they cut ties with the NRA. 1515 01:22:34,950 --> 01:22:37,519 - When you saw the rhetoric that the NRA had 1516 01:22:37,619 --> 01:22:39,521 we could not have our brand attached. 1517 01:22:39,621 --> 01:22:41,122 [Chip Bergh] It was the Parkland shooting 1518 01:22:41,189 --> 01:22:43,325 that really got to the tipping point. 1519 01:22:43,425 --> 01:22:45,460 We needed to take a position. 1520 01:22:47,162 --> 01:22:48,964 [Melzer] The general public cried out for change 1521 01:22:49,030 --> 01:22:53,435 and that led to tremendous progress at the state level. 1522 01:22:55,170 --> 01:22:56,671 - In Florida, its Republican governor Rick Scott 1523 01:22:56,771 --> 01:22:58,873 broke with the President and with the NRA. 1524 01:22:58,974 --> 01:23:00,976 [Reporter] The so-called Marjory Stoneman Douglas 1525 01:23:01,042 --> 01:23:02,043 High School Public Safety Act 1526 01:23:02,143 --> 01:23:06,514 raises the minimum age to buy a rifle from 18 to 21. 1527 01:23:06,614 --> 01:23:08,616 - The School Safety Act put in place red flag laws, 1528 01:23:08,683 --> 01:23:11,519 extreme risk protection orders. 1529 01:23:13,521 --> 01:23:17,492 It started spreading gun legislation all over the country. 1530 01:23:17,559 --> 01:23:20,495 [Reporter 2] Despite being the newest target of the NRA 1531 01:23:20,562 --> 01:23:21,629 Vermont's gun-owning Republican governor 1532 01:23:21,696 --> 01:23:24,332 says he's not backing down. 1533 01:23:24,399 --> 01:23:26,201 [Reporter 3] Getting a gun in Illinois 1534 01:23:26,301 --> 01:23:27,569 just got a little harder. 1535 01:23:27,669 --> 01:23:30,372 Governor Bruce Rauner signed two gun measures. 1536 01:23:30,472 --> 01:23:31,906 [Reporter 4] The governor says she is proud 1537 01:23:32,007 --> 01:23:34,175 that Oregon passed gun control legislation 1538 01:23:34,242 --> 01:23:35,577 since Florida's mass shooting. 1539 01:23:35,677 --> 01:23:39,147 [crowd cheers] 1540 01:23:39,214 --> 01:23:41,216 - And then we started pushing the importance 1541 01:23:41,316 --> 01:23:42,150 of midterm elections. 1542 01:23:44,586 --> 01:23:48,256 [crowd cheers] 1543 01:23:49,858 --> 01:23:52,427 - Register, speak out, vote. Because what if 1544 01:23:52,527 --> 01:23:55,597 checking a box could save a life? 1545 01:23:55,697 --> 01:23:58,400 [González] Elected officials are not in charge. 1546 01:23:58,500 --> 01:24:01,536 We can vote them out whenever we want to. 1547 01:24:03,271 --> 01:24:05,273 We had candidates running primarily 1548 01:24:05,373 --> 01:24:09,277 on gun violence prevention, like Lucy McBath. 1549 01:24:09,377 --> 01:24:11,613 - I was afraid. 1550 01:24:11,713 --> 01:24:15,450 - I will always just be a mother on a mission. 1551 01:24:15,550 --> 01:24:17,118 [audience applause] 1552 01:24:17,218 --> 01:24:19,621 I'd never run for a federal office before 1553 01:24:19,721 --> 01:24:21,423 but I felt it was more of a tragedy 1554 01:24:21,523 --> 01:24:24,392 not to even try to save people's lives. 1555 01:24:26,561 --> 01:24:29,764 And that even if I didn't win, making sure that people 1556 01:24:29,864 --> 01:24:34,302 know this has to be an issue that you go to the polls on. 1557 01:24:34,402 --> 01:24:38,606 This has to be an issue that you stand righteously on. 1558 01:24:38,706 --> 01:24:41,976 This has to be an issue that is not going away. 1559 01:24:43,545 --> 01:24:45,046 [Rep. Crow] I'm a first time candidate. 1560 01:24:45,113 --> 01:24:46,648 I've made this a part of my campaign 1561 01:24:46,748 --> 01:24:49,150 because I'm frankly not willing to sit back 1562 01:24:49,250 --> 01:24:51,219 and let this become a new normal. 1563 01:24:52,420 --> 01:24:54,656 - When you know that something is right and you know 1564 01:24:54,756 --> 01:24:56,658 that there needs to be change. 1565 01:24:56,758 --> 01:24:59,160 Sometimes you just have to jump in. 1566 01:25:00,728 --> 01:25:02,564 [Guttenberg] Americans for the first time 1567 01:25:02,630 --> 01:25:06,334 were given the chance to respond to candidates 1568 01:25:06,434 --> 01:25:10,505 with clear plans and messages, being given the chance 1569 01:25:10,605 --> 01:25:14,442 to say, yeah, we want this done. 1570 01:25:16,311 --> 01:25:18,847 [Ambler] We ran campaigns from coast to coast. 1571 01:25:18,947 --> 01:25:21,749 We endorsed in dozens and dozens of races, 1572 01:25:21,816 --> 01:25:25,186 spent millions of dollars. 1573 01:25:25,286 --> 01:25:29,357 We elevated gun safety as a primary voting issue 1574 01:25:29,457 --> 01:25:30,658 for the American electorate. 1575 01:25:33,094 --> 01:25:35,296 [González] We saw on election night 1576 01:25:35,363 --> 01:25:37,265 all of the counties and all the states 1577 01:25:37,332 --> 01:25:38,867 flipping from the NRA owned. 1578 01:25:38,967 --> 01:25:42,537 It was wonderful to watch those returns 1579 01:25:42,637 --> 01:25:44,105 come back around the country. 1580 01:25:44,172 --> 01:25:44,806 [Anchor] This morning, Lucy McBath 1581 01:25:44,873 --> 01:25:47,809 was declared the official winner. 1582 01:25:49,811 --> 01:25:52,480 - We managed to help beat 40 NRA-backed 1583 01:25:52,547 --> 01:25:55,884 Republican incumbents and elect in their place a 1584 01:25:55,984 --> 01:25:59,120 gun safety majority to the House of Representatives. 1585 01:25:59,187 --> 01:26:02,223 - This is your night. Your democracy. 1586 01:26:02,323 --> 01:26:04,959 - Tonight we begin a new era that puts people first 1587 01:26:05,026 --> 01:26:08,229 and recognizes our shared destiny. 1588 01:26:08,329 --> 01:26:09,364 [applause] 1589 01:26:09,464 --> 01:26:11,299 [Rep. McBath] There is a sea change that's happening 1590 01:26:11,366 --> 01:26:15,503 with all the young people that are marching forward. 1591 01:26:15,570 --> 01:26:20,508 They're going to the polls as a one issue voter, 1592 01:26:21,009 --> 01:26:23,077 and that's guns. 1593 01:26:23,178 --> 01:26:25,380 - When I say guns, you say laws. Guns. 1594 01:26:25,480 --> 01:26:26,414 [Crowd] Laws. 1595 01:26:26,514 --> 01:26:27,415 - Guns. [Crowd] Laws. 1596 01:26:27,515 --> 01:26:29,083 [Crowd] Vote them out. 1597 01:26:29,184 --> 01:26:30,685 [Clinton] There is a critical mass now of people 1598 01:26:30,752 --> 01:26:32,420 who at least know they won't get beat 1599 01:26:32,520 --> 01:26:37,258 for doing the right thing, unlike what happened in 1994. 1600 01:26:38,526 --> 01:26:39,928 And they know we've got a chance 1601 01:26:40,028 --> 01:26:41,329 to have a civilized conversation about it. 1602 01:26:41,396 --> 01:26:44,332 That's a big plus and we owe it to them. They did that. 1603 01:26:46,668 --> 01:26:48,937 I couldn't do it in my time, but I tried. 1604 01:26:52,840 --> 01:26:56,211 [Keene] Anybody that thinks the NRA is gonna disappear 1605 01:26:56,277 --> 01:26:58,379 has got another thing coming, 1606 01:26:58,446 --> 01:27:00,381 because every time they've thought 1607 01:27:00,448 --> 01:27:02,617 that was about to happen, it didn't. 1608 01:27:02,717 --> 01:27:03,751 And it's not going to now. 1609 01:27:12,060 --> 01:27:14,362 The Second Amendment believer, whether he's an 1610 01:27:14,429 --> 01:27:18,199 NRA member or not will rise up once that bell's 1611 01:27:18,266 --> 01:27:20,902 been rung and do whatever's necessary 1612 01:27:20,969 --> 01:27:23,905 to guarantee the continuation of those rights. 1613 01:27:29,711 --> 01:27:31,613 - Think about what would have happened 1614 01:27:31,713 --> 01:27:34,716 if the revolution at the NRA didn't take place. 1615 01:27:36,417 --> 01:27:39,754 What if they had become an important community organization 1616 01:27:39,821 --> 01:27:42,290 and a place for people who cared about the skills 1617 01:27:42,390 --> 01:27:44,325 associated with firearms? 1618 01:27:45,460 --> 01:27:50,298 Would we have the division that we have right now? 1619 01:27:56,571 --> 01:27:58,339 The politicization of the NRA 1620 01:27:58,439 --> 01:28:02,510 did signal the end of rational conversation about guns. 1621 01:28:04,445 --> 01:28:08,916 [Siler] Any organization that will not bend or compromise 1622 01:28:08,983 --> 01:28:11,419 is going to break and that's what we have in the NRA. 1623 01:28:13,087 --> 01:28:14,622 Children are dying in our schools as we speak 1624 01:28:14,689 --> 01:28:16,457 and nobody is representing gun owners 1625 01:28:16,524 --> 01:28:19,527 in the conversation about how to make that better. 1626 01:28:19,627 --> 01:28:24,432 [gentle music] 1627 01:28:26,100 --> 01:28:27,669 [Crifasi] I want us as gun owners to be 1628 01:28:27,769 --> 01:28:30,371 part of the solution, part of the conversation 1629 01:28:30,471 --> 01:28:33,975 so we can co-create strategies that are respectful 1630 01:28:34,042 --> 01:28:35,877 of the culture of gun ownership in this country 1631 01:28:35,977 --> 01:28:38,780 but also have an evidence base 1632 01:28:38,846 --> 01:28:41,649 so that we can reduce the burden of gun deaths in the US. 1633 01:28:43,484 --> 01:28:46,621 [Jackson] By letting an organization like the NRA 1634 01:28:46,688 --> 01:28:48,122 have such a big role in the debate, 1635 01:28:48,189 --> 01:28:50,792 they're dominating the discussion. 1636 01:28:50,858 --> 01:28:53,227 When in reality, this is a public health crisis 1637 01:28:53,328 --> 01:28:54,896 and requires community leaders and survivors 1638 01:28:54,996 --> 01:28:57,532 to be leading the discussion. 1639 01:28:57,632 --> 01:28:58,132 [Crowd] ♪ Hey hey, ho ho 1640 01:28:58,199 --> 01:28:59,734 ♪ The NRA has got to go 1641 01:28:59,834 --> 01:29:02,370 ♪ Hey hey, ho ho 1642 01:29:02,470 --> 01:29:04,005 ♪ The NRA has got to go 1643 01:29:04,072 --> 01:29:08,076 [Rep. McBath] We the activists, we're the Davids 1644 01:29:08,176 --> 01:29:11,746 to the Goliath of the NRA gun lobby leadership. 1645 01:29:11,846 --> 01:29:15,249 And just as David took down Goliath 1646 01:29:15,350 --> 01:29:17,585 we too will take down the gun lobby. 1647 01:29:19,654 --> 01:29:21,923 [Giffords] These are scary times. 1648 01:29:22,023 --> 01:29:25,093 It will be a long hard haul. 1649 01:29:26,661 --> 01:29:28,763 Now is the time to come together. 1650 01:29:28,863 --> 01:29:30,431 Be courageous. 1651 01:29:33,835 --> 01:29:38,106 - What I want people to do is care, learn, 1652 01:29:38,206 --> 01:29:42,944 be angry, and then use that rage to become courage 1653 01:29:43,044 --> 01:29:45,880 to take action and do something, 1654 01:29:45,947 --> 01:29:49,517 to say, this is not okay and I'm not just gonna be apathetic 1655 01:29:49,584 --> 01:29:51,285 and let it continue happening and saying, 1656 01:29:51,386 --> 01:29:54,722 it's never gonna touch me. Because it will. 1657 01:29:54,789 --> 01:29:57,725 And you have the power to do something about that. 1658 01:29:57,792 --> 01:29:59,460 [González] One of the most basic ways 1659 01:29:59,560 --> 01:30:04,732 that we are capable of making an impact is voting. 1660 01:30:04,799 --> 01:30:07,135 Let the politicians in your area know 1661 01:30:07,235 --> 01:30:09,737 that you are paying attention to what's going on 1662 01:30:09,804 --> 01:30:11,973 and a lot of people working together on that 1663 01:30:12,073 --> 01:30:14,542 can make a huge difference. 1664 01:30:18,146 --> 01:30:19,814 [soft music] 1665 01:30:19,914 --> 01:30:21,549 - My strength comes from Jamie. 1666 01:30:21,616 --> 01:30:25,553 I've lost this capacity for fear and anxiety. 1667 01:30:27,221 --> 01:30:29,724 We can't be afraid of the NRA anymore. 1668 01:30:29,791 --> 01:30:34,328 Too many people have died, and now it is time to fix this. 1669 01:30:38,466 --> 01:30:41,002 [Giffords] We are at a crossroads. 1670 01:30:41,102 --> 01:30:45,973 We can let the shooting continue, or we can act. 1671 01:30:47,442 --> 01:30:50,511 We can protect our families, our future. 1672 01:30:50,611 --> 01:30:52,814 We can vote. 1673 01:30:52,914 --> 01:30:56,017 We can be on the right side of history. 1674 01:30:56,117 --> 01:31:00,688 Please join us in this fight.