Hearings by the Senate Judiciary committee. This morning, as we go through the papers, we want to hear from you. Your views on guns in america, whether they have changed since the newtown, connecticut, shootings . 202 is the area code. You can also contact us via social media. You can leave comments at twitter. Continue the conversation on facebook. And send us an email. Of thethe front page Washington Times this morning in the center is the president of the National Rifle association and Wayne Lapierre on your right. In the york post this morning is a juxtaposed are these juxtaposed photographs. Wayne lapierre and Gabrielle Giffords shown. And in the new york daily news, the same photographs. On our Facebook Page, lots of comments already on this issue. Honey says those are some of the comments on our Facebook Page, where there is also a poll on whether your views on gun control and changed since the newtown shootings. Executive Vice President of the eight nra Wayne Lapierre at yesterdays. [video clip] its an honor to be here on behalf of 4. 5 million moms, dads, sons, daughters in every state across our nation who make up the National Rifle association of america. There are 4. 5 million active members of the nra. They are joined by tens of millions of supporters throughout the country. It is on behalf of those millions of decent, hard working, lawabiding citizens that i am here today to give voice to their concerns. The title of todays hearing is what should america do about gun violence . We believe the answer is to be honest about what works and honest about what does not work. Teaching safe and responsible gun ownership works. The nra has a long and proud history of doing exactly that. Our Child Safety Program has taught 25 million Young Children that if they see a gun, they should do four things. Stop, dont touch, the area, call an adult. As a result of this and other privatesector programs, fatal firearms accidents are at the lowest level in 100 years. The nra has over 80,000 certified instructors to teach our military personnel, Law Enforcement officers, and hundreds of thousands of other american men and women how to safely use firearms. We do more and spend more than anyone else on teaching a safe and responsible gun ownership. Host from politico and in usa today so there was a hearing yesterday as well in newtown, connecticut. Bob in romney, west virginia, on our independent line. Have your views changed . Caller not really. I believe there are more People Killed by automobiles than buy guns. Its people that kill people, not guns. Common sense tells you that. Host roseanne is in san diego, california, democrat. Caller no, my views have not changed. Im so proud of Gabrielle Giffords. It was inspiring and really sad to see what happened to her because of somebody else is go but elses gun. I hope this congress will have the courage to stand up for what is right. People do have a right to their guns, thats for sure. If i dont know why they would need a 100round magazine. But the rest of us have a right to live. Somewhere in there, both of those have to come together. I just Hope Congress will do something substantial for the rest of us. Thank you. Host bill in wichita, kansas, republican. Caller no, they have not changed really. Lifetime nra member. I gave in a little bit on the background check. Most of my friends dont agree with me, but i think they need to do something there. Im not sure what the answer is. But this has gotten out of hand. We had an incident where i live two day ago. Threee teenagers, 14, 15, and 16, kicks in the door and murdered a guy babysitting his sisters twin babies. These are babies killing babies. Them kids were not even old enough to buy ammunition. It most likely will turn out to be a stolen gun. Like the other guy said, its not the gun, its the people. I have a 14 the idea of a 14yearold having a gun, something has gone haywire. Host you say you are a lifetime member of the nra. What do you think of Wayne Lapierre and his leadership . Caller number one, in my opinion. The only thing where i am wavering right now, i went to a gun show a couple weeks ago, not to purchase a gun, just to watch people. It was a onehour rout wait just to get in. Once i got inside, i walked around. I saw people that, in my opinion, and maybe im being judgmental, but they should not be able to go up and buy a gun from an individual and walk out of that show with a gun. Whether its a pistol, a rifle, shotgun. So i am wavering on that. I dont know what the answer is to that. Host what made you judged those people that were buying the guns . Caller their dress code. I would not allow my three kids to address the way they were dressed. Im a little oldfashioned. The person that i saw trying to make a deal to buy a gun, he did not buy it because the guy would not sell it to him for what he wanted for it. He probably found a gun that he needed. Obviously, he was not a hunter. I guess i may be being judgmental. Host that was bill in wichita. Washington times editorial this morning they won in the legislative battle thats the Washington Times this morning. On the front page of the baltimore sun, the lead story is the Baltimore County police chief james johnson, the chief calling for stricter gun laws. A new senator from texas, ted cruz, is on the Judiciary Committee. He referred to baltimore in one of his statement. [video clip] those urban centers that have the strictest gun bans, for example chicago, unfortunately suffers from 15. 9 murders per 100,000 citizens, according to statistics. If your city of baltimore has 31. 3 murders per 100,000 t citizens. Contrasts with my hometown of houston which does not have strict guncontrol laws like the jurisdictions i was talking about, then as a murder rate of 9. 2 per 100,000 of citizens. Our capital of austin as a murder rate of 3. 5, 1 10 that of baltimore. In light of the evidence, what Empirical Data supports your contention that restricting the rights of lawabiding citizens to possess firearms would decrease crime rather than making them more vulnerable to be assaulted by violent criminals, which i would suggest has happened . We know that 2 million predicted purchasers were stopped from obtaining firearms prohibited purchasers. From 1994 through 2009. Senator, your homicide statistics would be much greater often missed from this conversation is the medical intervention that takes place today at the emt level in appeal to the shock Trauma Centers that are very robust today, the statistics would be much higher. Host a tweet rick in louisville, ohio, independent. What are your views on gun control and have they changed . Caller we have the people that are killing these people and we have the actual guns. They both lead us back to Ronald Reagan and his conservatism. Ronald reagan did not like the middleclass or union jobs. What happened in the past 30 years, the family has dissolved. Kids are now being influenced by outside sources, the media, hollywood, or whatever. This is how these kids involved. But the guns go back to Ronald Reagan and the conservatives needed a base. To build their base, they had to go to racism. When reagan went to philadelphia, mississippi, part of the base of the Republican Party is done. Were talking about immigration, thats how he got elected. When you look at the base of the Republican Party and you look at the nra, it evolved into this. The only conversation were having right now because of 20 dead white kids in connecticut. In every gunshot wound in costs 20,000. Theres 20,000 or 30,000 black kids killed in the inner city because the widest people in this country are being manipulated by the radical white ring rightwing to vote for them. Host we will move on to an gayle king in louisiana, a democrat. What are your views on gun control and. Moving on to gylayle in louisiana. Caller im actually in houston, texas. Host i apologize. Tell us your views on gun control and whether they have changed. Caller no, my views have not changed. As long as people like Wayne Lapierre, the republicans and democrats afraid to lose their office, men, women, boys, girls, as long as theres money involved, it will never change. Thank you. Host smitty is in farmington, new mexico on our republican line. Caller thank you. That person who was talking about Ronald Reagan and guns, he was off the wall. Host why dont you tell us your views on gun control . Caller my views have not changed. I think people need to be able to defend themselves. The woman with the two kids who had an intruder with a crowbar after her, ask her whether she thinks people ought to have guns. She shot the guy five times and he was still coming. He probably needed an automatic with about nine shots. The whole intent of the leftwingers in washington is to register guns, if they can get everybody to have to report where they buy them. Supposedly, they were erasing that stuff after they did. Anybody who believes that, give me a break. If you think the government can control guns, how have they been doing with drugs over the last 50 years . Host are you a gun owner . Caller i would not say yes or no on the air, because there are people listening. I guess i am a little paranoid. It is nonsense. The first step is taking every by his guns away from them, to get them all registered. That way they know where they are and they can, get them. Theyve been doing best 50 to 100 years. It would like to turn this country into a socialist country. Just a look at fabian socialism. Host this is rob, an independent in michigan. Good morning. Caller good morning. Wakeup, america. This is not something we can look to our country to help us with. It comes from an home at home, thats where it starts. Wheres our National Guard in these schools . Host you would support National Guard in the schools . Caller surprise visits were not hurt. Host robert, are you a gun owner . Caller i dont think it matters. Host jimmy says those are more of our facebook comments. You can take the poll on our Facebook Page or you can continue the conversation thats going on right now on that page. Dana milbanks column in the Washington Post that is this morning in the Washington Post. Edward from miami on the independent line. Good morning. What are your views on gun laws and have they changed since newtown . Caller yes, thanks for taking my call. As far as what happened in connecticut, i am sick that these children could be gunned down like this. And the progun lobbyists still not changed their stance. It is disgusting. We need strict guncontrol. We need the same control that we have on our cars. We need to have been registered and insured and we need to do that now. Host antonio in anaheim, democrat. Caller good morning. I feel we should take the votes to the people. The republicans are not for the Big Government and everything. Lets take the assault weapons ban to the people and let them vote on it. If they say we dont want the government to tell us what to do. And let the nra to the same thing, lets take the vote to the people. Host how do you think they would vote . Caller the polls say that people are for guncontrol and an assault weapons ban. So the republicans to listen to the people. The same thing will happen to them in 2016. The Republican Party will end up disappearing. Host thanks for calling. The lead editorial this morning in the New York Times in other news come from politico a new poll. Scott brown leading ed markey slightly. Brown entered the massachusetts special election with a slight lead over the democratic establishment candidate according to a poll released wednesday by a democratic firm. Next call on whether or not your views have changed on gun control comes from rick in idaho on the republican line. Good morning. Caller good morning. Im a retired gunner from the u. S. Marine corps. I have a simple solution appeared this is what leadership has to say. By executive order of the president of United States, when a criminal commits such a crime as children being slaughtered, those criminals need to be put in the gas chamber within 30 calendar days of their conviction. We nee to start treating murderers like murderers and quit changing the guncontrol laws. W 98 of. Ho are in compliance with 98 of americans are in compliance with guncontrol laws. So you put the person in the gas chamber within 30 days. Theres the answer. We need good leadership and the white house such as john mccain for president. We would not have these problems. Put the murderers in the gas chamber. Theres your answer. Have a great day. Host a tweet the chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the senator patrick leahy. Heres a little bit of him from yesterday. [video clip] lets make it easier. Talk about gun shows. Should we have mandatory background checks at gun shows for the sale of weapons . If you are diller, that is already the law. Thats not my question. Please, im not trying to place questions, mr. Lapierre. Senator, i do not believe the way the law is working now, unfortunately, that it does any good to extend a lot to private sales between hobbyists and collectors. So you dont support mandatory background checks at the gun shows . We do not, because the fact is the law right now is a failure of the way its working. You have 76,000 people that have been denied under the present law. Only 44 were prosecuted. You are letting them go. Theyre walking the streets. In 1999 you said no poles anywhere for anyone. But now you do not support background checks for all buyers of firearms . News said no loopholes. This administration is not prosecuting the people they catch. 23 states are not even putting the mental rackets of those deemed mentally incompetent. In the incompetent it is assumed you dont prosecute and they try to buy guns, even if you catch them and let them walk away, you assume they will not get a gun. They are homicidal maniacs and they are mentally ill. We all know that homicidal maniacs, criminals and the insane dont abide by the law. With all due respect, that was not the question i asked, nor did you answer. I think it is the answer host , honestly from faceboo. Xavier says you can go to facebook and continue that conversation and also take part in our poll there on whether your views unchanged on guncontrol. From the Washington Post this morning, this picture taken from cspan2 of senator kerry giving despair will address. In the senate yesterday of course you can watch that full speech at cspan. Org. Newton wanted online anytime you want. Now secretary of state Hillary Clinton john kerry. Massachusetts governor picks a former aide to phil john kerrys seat. His name is mo cowan, selected seat. Mporarily fill the there is the new senator from massachusetts, mo cowan. And this article, obamas poll ratings by highest in four years. In about a halfhour or so, we will switch topics. We will go to the washington auto show, the annual show being held at the Washington Convention center. You can see a live picture on the screen. We will be turning our attention to the automobile industry. That is in about a halfhour. We just wanted to let you know what is coming up. After that, we will be ending of the washington journal a little early today because former senator chuck hagel as his nomination hearing beginning at 9 30 a. M. Eastern time by the Senate Armed Services committee. We will be going live to that so you can see that full hearing as well. In jackson, michigan on our democrat line, gene. Have your views changed since newtown . Caller yes, it has. We need National Standardized background checks. Here in michigan, you have to be better educated and have a cleaner background to get a real estate license or a Liquor License or supplier license. Those three licenses are much tougher to get than a concealed weapons permit. It just shows where some of the priorities are placed. And the supplier license, that is a license that you get from bull Lottery Commission the Lottery Commission to put on a Charity Poker games. They want their Lottery Program to be squeaky clean, because thats a really tough license to get. Is tony andxt missoni i florida on our independent line. Good morning. Caller good morning. My primary feeling is that nobody has assigned the initial claim regarding your account. Regarding newtown, connecticut. The mother knew that her son was unbalanced, get the guns were not locked up out of his reach. Its always been my feeling that the primary responsibility for a gun owner is to make sure that those guns are kept under control. If she had done that, 20 kids would never been killed and six adults. Host your conclusion caller responsibility. Most gun owners are responsible people. We know the danger of owning a firearm. Host have your views changed at all since newtown . Caller a National Program to make sure that people cannot buy guns at gun shows may be an answer. But the criminals will still be able to get guns anytime they want to. Theres no hold up for criminals to g