0 backs up todd akin's disgusting claim. >> a woman's body has a way of shutting down so the pregnancy would not occur. he is partly right on that. i'm an ob/gyn doctor. >> karen finney on the gop's newest charge on women. howard dean gives us the outlook on filibuster reform. and the trillion dollar coin. >> you guys have a position on this trillion dollar coin business? >> it's just crazy enough to work. chris nowinski of the sports legacy institute lays out the next steps in taking on brain injuries in the nfl. good to have you with us, folks. thanks for watching. president obama says the country needs the take immediate action on gun violence. it looks like he'll get a comprehensive plan on his table next week. vice president joe biden held another round of meetings today on gun reform. today the meetings were with representatives of the video game industry. biden says the conversation was for instance, even nra members overwhelmingly support changes to background check laws. 74% want everyone purchasing a gun permit to undergo a background check with no loopholes. this is from republican pollster frank luntz, and was taken long before the shootings in newtown, connecticut. plenty of gun owners are on board with changing the status quo. right now there are basically three major firewalls to sensible and safety laws in this country being changed. if you want to ban assault weapons in this country, i think first you have to deal with the gun nuts. and we're going to have a special segment on them coming up later on in the program. now, this crowd is convinced that the government wants to ban everything, in fact even get rid of hunting. now the next firewall of course is the republican party. to date, not one republican lawmaker is open to considering a ban on assault weapons like we had before. these republicans, quite frankly, are too afraid to go up against the third firewall, and that would be the national rifle association. the nra met with vice president biden and his team. instead of having a meaningful conversation, nra president david keene said this on the "today" show -- >> if you're look at the problem, which is to prevent this sort of thing, what you want to do is do those things that will actually make a difference. we have a profound disagreement with this administration, first of all, on what would make a difference. we don't think that a ban on so-called assault weapons, which hasn't worked in the past, is going to work this time. >> the nra is committed to injecting poison into the conversation, as i see it on gun reform. david keene knows he is not telling the truth. we know for a fact mass shootings in this country were dramatically lower during the ten years of the assault weapons ban. mass shootings have gone up since 2004, reaching a horrible peak last year. but as long as the nra keeps lying, they believe they will block any meaningful legislation whatsoever. >> do you have the support in congress to block any federal ban on assault weapons in the coming year? >> i do not think that there is going to be a ban on so-called assault weapons passed by the congress. >> david keene is dripping with confidence for a guy who claims the nra doesn't have a lot of power in washington. >> i don't know that the nra is that powerful. i do think that those americans who believe strongly in the second amendment and their right to own privately and use firearms for legitimate purposes is a huge number of people who really care about these issues. we try to provide leadership to those folks. we try to represent them before the congress and elsewhere. >> this is another big lie. the nra does not work on behalf of average gun owners in america. the "huffington post" reported today on the masters who are served by the nra. since 2005, the nra has raised anywhere from $14 million to $39 million from the biggest names in the gun industry. here is what all that cash pays for. the nra successfully lobbied for the end of the assault weapons ban. since 2004, rifle production in the united states has increased by almost 38%. more guns equals more money. all of those assault rifles, well, they need a lot of extra bullets, don't they? midway usa is one of the biggest distributors of high capacity magazine clips. those clips are used in guns like the bushmaster and the glock. the weapons used in places like newtown and tucson, arizona. midway usa is the most generous gun industry supporter of the national rifle association. the company has donated $7.7 million to the nra since 1992. keep this in mind the next time you hear david keene or wayne lapierre say that we just can't ban high capacity magazines. so here is where we are. the obama administration knows that it's got a difficult fight on its hands. this is why the latest gun reform task force has been so wide reaching. the white house is hoping to overwhelm the nra by building a massive coalition of groups committed to change. what's doable? >> i think a lot is doable. there has been a real tipping point in this country that sees mass shootings happen more and more frequently and on a greater scale. people who have been doing this for much of their professional life say there has never been a moment like this. >> so what is doable? what is number one? is it the background checks? >> i think that this is one of those times when good policy and good politics actually come in the same package. it's a good time for that. background checks are something that most people already take. but 50% of the gun sales in this country may not be subject to them because they're sold over the internet or at a gun show by an unlicensed private seller. only dealers have to give background checks. and dealers don't like that very much. >> so feasibly, that would be the easiest thing to implement, comprehensive background checks, because some people already get checks. so the infrastructure is in place there? >> the infrastructure is in place. 74% of nra members think giving everybody a check is a good idea because most nra members are law abiding citizens. they take background checks and pass them. they know it takes 90 seconds. it saves a lot of lives. why wouldn't everyone else have to take one as well? >> you heard mr. keene talk about they belong strongly in the second amendment, that there are enough americans out there that believe strongly in the second amendment. >> no, i think they're right. >> to the point where they downtown want to make any changes is what i mean. >> no, not at all. and this sort of exacerbates a problem that the nra has. the place where the leadership is is far away from where the nra rank and file actually is. the overwhelming majority of nra members, 87% believe in the following statement. you can protect the second amendment, and also do much more to keep people who should not have guns from having them -- criminals, domestic abusers, the seriously mentally ill. there is no contradiction in those two things. everybody basically believes that except for the nra's washington lobbyists. >> all right. a lot of people choosing upsides and weighing in on this. your group has seen a surge in membership since the shootings took place in newtown last month. it's a growing coalition, no doubt. is it enough to push back against the nra? are you winning this war? and it is a war in a sense, a war of opinions, to win over the hearts and minds of people that this is a time in american history that we need to move on the second amendment, and it has to be i guess you could say upgraded. >> well, i loved watching the nra brag that they brought in 100,000 new members since the newtown shooting, because we brought in more than 400,000 new members since the newtown shooting. and these are people who are representative of the country and of the average nra member. this is not their problem. there has been a broad and durable consensus for more than a generation that people should have the right to have a gun in their home, protect themselves and go hunting. nobody is disputing that. the question is whether people who are already prohibited from having guns should have a system in place that stops them from getting them. >> okay. so the background checks you say are doable. what about the magazines? >> i think that's doable as well. it's harder because people don't like bans in this country. but the truth is the thing that makes mass shootings mass shootings is somebody can fire as fast as they can pull the trigger, and they don't have to reload. >> phil gingrey in the news today says he is willing to listen to a high capacity magazine ban. is this an opening? >> oh, sure. and we meet with senators and members of congress every day. >> what do they say to you? >> what they say to you privately is very different from what they're saying publicly. and what they say to you privately is look, i get it. this is a real problem. we got to deal with it. i got a lot of nra money and a lot of nra members sloshing around in my district, and i have to explain this to them, but i'm going to find a way. >> vice president biden seems to be very determined. i mean, he has been so intense on this, there would be egg on his face if something didn't happen, i think. and i think he is more than well intended. are you hearing from anyone, any of the people who have been to these meetings as to whether they believe something is going to get done? >> well, sure. we've been in there a couple of times now, and we absolutely believe, first of all, that he is the right person to be doing this. he was instrumental in passing some of the really good gun laws we passed in this country the last time we did it. >> well, he wrote the clinton crime bill. >> during the clinton administration. he is very close to law enforcement. he is from kind of the heart of the country, and he understands -- he understands how people think about this issue. and basically, people want their kids to be safe. they don't want felons getting guns. and in fact, we know how to stop that from happening if the nra's washington leadership would just get out of the way. >> you say that lawmakers are saying to you different things than what they're saying in the public? >> oh, sure. >> but they got to vote. would there be enough votes to pass the assault weapons ban as it was written in '94? >> anybody who tells you that they know that is kidding themselves. i don't know that that is the fact. but, you know, i think we're going to be working very hard every day to make the case that we don't have to live in an america where 20 kids my son's age are lined up against a wall and shot. >> how much does president obama have to spend on this subject state of the union february 12th? >> i don't have a number of minutes in mind, but i think he is going to spend a good long time. a good thing to do is look at president clinton's last state of the union speech, his valedictory before he left. he spent minute after minute after minute talking about everything he accomplished and all of the things that were yet to be done on gun issues. that man is remembered very well in this country, and i think president obama will be remembered very well, along with vice president biden, for taking this on and making it a part of their legacy. >> mark glaze, thank you so much. remember to answer tonight's question at the bottom of the screen. share your thoughts with us on twitter @edshow and an twitter. we want to know what you think. next up, extremists who think they speak for all gun owners in america. they don't. we'll visit the fringe and speak about guns, slavery and g. gordon liddy when we come back. the capital one cash rewards card gives you 1% cash back on all purchases, plus a 50% annual bonus. and everyone likes 50% more... 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[ frank ] raley's, bel air, and nob hill. for food, for family, and now, something extra -- for you. coming up, republican congressman phil gingrey says his former colleague todd ache aakin was partly right about rape i'll talk to karen finney about the gop's troubling views. and later, new information about the death of legendary football player junior seau draws now questions about the safety of athletes. what can the nfl do to protect its players? you can listen to my radio show on sirius xm radio monday through friday noon to 3:00 p.m. share your thoughts with us on facebook and on twitter using #edshow. eathing better. so now i can be in the scene. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. if you're still having difficulty breathing, ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. get your first full prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. thanks for staying with us tonight. if we want sensible gun legislation in this country and we need to understand what we're really up against, what is the mentality out there? that means talking about people like james yaeger. he is a gun enthusiast. and former military contractor in iraq. he threatened to, quote, start killing people if the president issued an executive order on gun control. we asked him to come on our program tonight. at first he agreed, but then he said his lawyer was against it. tonight, "talking points memo" reports that the tennessee -- the state of tennessee suspended yaeger's carry permit. now he is trying to tone his message down a bit. >> i do not condone anybody committing any kind of felonies unless it's necessary. right now it is not necessary. start working out. start stretching. start practicing. >> yeager is not alone. he is just one in a crowd of extremists who think that they speak for all gun owners across america and second amendment lovers. right wingers at "the drudge report" compared the president to hitler and stalin. really? yeah. another gun advocate used slavery to make his case against gun control. >> if african-americans had been given the right to keep and bear arms from day one of the country's founding, perhaps slavery might not have been a chapter in our history. >> we'll talk more about slavery and guns in a moment. >> first, you should know larry ward is pushing a national gun appreciation day. it's on the weekend before martin luther king day. ward claims this is the first gun appreciation day. but we found gun appreciation days dating back to 1995. this was the year the oklahoma city bombing, right after congress passed the assault weapons ban. by the way, that's convicted felon g. gordon liddy at the podium. remember, he told people to, quote, go for a head shot if the atf agents came to take their guns. his brand of crazy is alive and well. >> they want to pick on the bastard child of the bill of rights which is the second amendment, and it's not going to happen, not on my watch. >> obama operatives in the congress have introduced more than ten bills that would end the second amendment as we know it. >> they don't need much to take advantage of a tragedy to further their political goals. >> i can't do this. and it's just endless. >> this is just total absolute freaking tyranny. >> if you don't belong in the nra, you need to get on the phone and use your credit card and become a member within the next 24 hours. you're going have to go in the nra, whether you like it or not. ♪ i'll give you my semiautomatics when you pry them from my cold dead hands ♪ >> let's turn to michael eric dyson, msnbc political analyst and professor of sociology at georgetown university. professor, the rhetoric is getting hot. >> yep. >> is it good for the discussion? is it good for america? can we make any sense out of this? >> the ratcheting up of this conversation is dangerous. it really presages i think an all-out war against vulnerable people who are rendered even more vulnerable because gun nuts think they have to be armed, aiming at targets that are already marginal in this culture in terms of their standing. and they pick the groups that are least likely to offer rebuttal to them. for instance, speaking about african-american people or talk about women and latinos, these minority groups are not more likely to be viewed as legitimate possessors of guns to begin with. so when you ratchet the conversation up to this degree and you falsely claim that these people are the people you have to be concerned about, and obama is trying to reject the second amendment and the people who look like him are the problems, this is a deeply classed, gendered, racialized assault upon people and upon people of good will in america who simply want to have sensible and sane gun policy in the place of this maniacal focus of the defense of the gun. >> is it a special level -- is it at a new level when "the drudge report" which is accessed by millions of conservatives in this country to see murderous individuals such as stalin and hitler and the president of the united states, the inference there being aligned with these men? >> of course. >> these psychopaths of another generation. >> yes. >> what has the president of the united states done to deserve that, number one? and secondly, how are people supposed to respond to that? are they looking for a reaction? are they stirring the pot by doing something so outrageous as that? >> well, first of all, the president has done nothing more than exist. that is the problem. the right wing in this country has taken out -- has in one sense become so outraged with obama's presence that they will go to any length possible to try to eradicate, erase, or somehow undermine him, to try to convince americans that he is not one of us, that he is trying to take our rights away, our guns away, and therefore take this country away. and what we, the right wing have to do is to take it back. and even extra legal measures here, even though this man in this report was calmed down a bit by his lawyers and he retracted a bit, the reality is they are willing to go to extraordinary lengths to prove that obama is the enemy of all that is good. and the parallel, drawing the parallel between obama and hitler and stalin and the like is playing fast and loose with the truth. but you know most people in america don't have the kind of refined political sensibilities that allowed them to interpret facts for themselves. they are just led on by the images. and the very thing that hitler was brilliant at, that is manipulating imagery to drum up and gin up the emotions of people is what they're doing. they're talking against hitler, and yet they're using some of his same tactics. >> a former president of the nra says tougher laws discriminate against certain guns. here it is. >> banning people and things because of the way they look went out a long time ago. but here they are again. the color of a gun, the way it looks. >> your reaction to that. >> first of all, that's ludicrous. to try to draw a parallel between color discrimination and applying that to guns is a reaching very far. the metaphor fails. the analogy doesn't walk on all fours. the problem here is that most of the people who are against sensible, sane policy, who are in the embrace of the nra and who believe that the possession of a gun is the be-all and end-all of all society are the problem here. no one is trying to take guns. no one is trying to reject the possibility that americans can own guns be. the worship of guns at the altar of the gun is the problem here. >> sure. >> and drawing a parallel between martin luther king jr. and, you know, his birthday and the appreciation for guns, let's be honest. martin luther king owned a gun early on in his career before ruston came to montgomery, taught him the ways of nonviolence. he put the gun down. he subjected himself to the force of every evil in the country. martin luther king would never substantiate the claim that we must own guns. he said put them down. >> michael eric dyson, you answered my final question. it is great to have you with us tonight on this very intense subject. next, we'll hear more from phil gingrey. this time he is out defending todd akin's views on rape. karen finney will weigh in. and why senate majority leader harry reid is the most important man in washington right now. stay tuned. these mr. clean guys, they're like a clean team.