Be bold, be courageous. Americans are counting on you. Thank you. Giffordss testimony was followed by an intense day of questioning including Patrick Leahy and dick durbin taking on the head of nra. Wayne la pierre. Should we have mandatory background checks at gun shows for the sales . If you are a dealer, thats already the law. Thats not my question. Im not trying to play games here. If you could, just answer my question. I do not believe the way the law is working now unfortunately that it does any good to extend the law to private sales in collectors. Worry all due respect that was not the question asked. I think it is the answer. We have to get in the real world on what works and doesnt work. My problem with background checks is you are never going to get criminals to go through several background checks. Mr. La pierre, thats the point. The criminals wont purchase the guns because there will be a background check that stop them from the original purchase. You missed that point completely. Its basic. I think you missed let there be order. Please wait. I said earlier, there will be order. Joining me now from washington is connecticut senator Richard Blumenthal who said as a member of the judiciary committee, senator, thank you for your time. How would you describe what played out today . Is it progress or maybe a clear picture of how strongly both sides feel and maybe there is no room here to budge. Both really. Progress because its a First Step Towards marking up that which the chairman said what happened this spring. Probably next month. Second, it illustrated the gaps in views and also the Common Ground in so far as enforcement of existing laws as well as new laws to make sure there is enforcement. Particularly by background checks. I am hopeful there will be Common Ground to fill the socalled gun show loophole and the private sales that constitute 40 of all purchases of hand guns and all firearms across the country. They now have no background checks. Also ammunition background checks that can fill a very urgent need. The black hole, if you will, of prevention. Other measures like trafficking and purchases and so forth. From the testimony from wayne la pierre, we knew going in he would take opposition to universal background checks that many thought would be the least controversial move that perhaps we would see made in the conversation of gun control here. You say you believe there is Common Ground with enforcement of existing laws. That seems to be the sole focus. Me in clearer terms where you saw or see immediate progress. The clock is ticking here. Wey have breaking news in phoenix. Three people injuried in a shooting. You have a young girl, a teenager who performed in the president s inyaugration who was gunned down as an innocent bystander of the violence that is ongoing from the streets of chicago. Where did you see the Common Ground specifically with the head of the nra . More complete information going into the National Data bank that is used for the background checks. Everyone agrees that criminal convictions ought to be accurately and fully conveyed to the department of justice. So the background checks can include people who are seriously mentally ill. People who are drug addicts and people who are domestic abusers. So we can keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people. That was one of the common themes. What about any advancement on the conversation of banning assaultstyle weapons or militarystyle weapons . The two sides are far apart. I support a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines. 26 innocent Beautiful People in newtown would likely be alive if that kind of stronger gun violence measure would be taken earlier. Moving forward, we need to make sure that new stoun a call to action not just a place, but a promise that we will transform the action and agenda. Senator blumenthal, thank you for your time. Let me bring in our panel. The cofounder on the violence, democratic strategist and secretary to president clinton. Let me start with you here. We saw the exchanges with senator durbin and leahy with the nra president. We know emotions run high on this topic. As i pointed out and im sure you have heard today, you have this incident in alabama, a man barricading himself and perhaps firing and taking a kid hostage. The chicago shooting. Breaking news right now out of phoenix. I dont want to be pessimistic, but both sides have their view and were not seeing any budging or are you seeing something im not . I think you are exactly right. Both sides definitely are stuck in their ways on this. You saw the nr achieve, wayne la pierre dig in and senator durbin who by the way was the senator from illinois who represents chicago. Sticking to his opinions on this. The one thing i will note is what the senator mentioned with background checks. Thats the only thing that is gaining traction and resembling bipartisan traction. That could be the rallying point where people say we need to strengthen this in an actual piece of legislation. The rest such as an assault weapon ban and extended magazines does not seem possible. Let me play another excerpt of what wayne la pierre had to say in the hearing today. Proposing more gun laws while failing to enforce the thousands we already have is not a serious solution for reducing crime. Lawabiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violent or deranged criminals nor do we believe government should dictate what we can lawfully own and use to protect our families. Does he have a fair point . There existing laws and when you look at people prosecuted for lying on background checks t amounts to 0. 2 or something ridiculous. If we pursue the laws on the books, would that help this situation . Tamron, as you know, im a gun owner and the nra doesnt speak for me or the majority of gun owners. Nine out of ten people poled support the president s common sense initiatives for reducing injuries and deaths from guns. What la pierre is saying is such misinformation. The existing law is that criminals and terrorists and even gang members and Mexican Drug Cartel s can go to 33 states and thousands of gun shows and buy guns legally without detection. Without a background check or even proof of id. Law enforcement is going along with existing law. That is hands off guns. What we need to do is figure out how criminals and the mentally ill and terrorist groups are getting guns. You have to start with a background check and consumer protection. There existing laws on the books right now that are not being it seemed when you look at the data pursued to the fullest. No, thats totally disingenuous. Is that the fbi has to destroy gun purchase records after 24 hours. The bureau of tobacco alcohol and firearms cant even regulate gun shows. The database is not sufficient. It could be. If Law Enforcement was made or ally. Think about this. Sports men like duck hunters agree they shouldnt have more than three rounds in their shotguns and thats a law to get a duck hunting license. Congress said its perfectly okay to have 100round clips to kill people. I want to read this from chris murphy that he wrote. The National Rifle association cent countless cycles and million was dollars casting itself a a political juggernaut that president s should defy at their own peril. For the longest time it worked. Not anymore as it turns out. The tiger is made of paper. Is the senator right in this assertion when right now just the idea of a universal background check which is supported in the polling and opposed by the nra, that is something we may not see passage. Let alone the more significant and harder battle over the ban of assault weapons . The senator is right on. We went through an election where they were outspent by special interest. Take ohio where the senator was reelected. He was opposed by the nra and the Koch Brothers and he won. You dont need to have more money. You just need enough money. When an issue like this breaks through to the public consciousness, the special interest that threatened to target you for defeat somehow loses a lot of their luster. Their Campaign Spending and contribution wont be enough to outmatch your popular polling as the gentlemen from hand gun control mentioned. 9 out of 10 would like to see background checks. 7 out of 10 nra members would like to see background checks. What gives wayne la pierre the confidence to go before the hearing and say no vote is Something Like this. The Washington Post reported what he planned to say. There was an opportunity for the four million moms and dads that he refers to, members of the nra to call him and say no, we are okay with at least this action. I think lets break it down to senate math. He would like to think that he can threaten democrats with a failure at reelection time. If hes successful in doing that, he can pick off enough to avoid a 60vote closure vote. He would like to think there enough moderate republicans and there a couple left that he could scare into towing the line so they too would not go along with the 60vote closure. Thats the math going on here. He is trying to say i will block you, chairman. I will block your legislation. He can only do that if he can block a 60vote closure number and thats the game. That is the game in its entirety right now. I want to play what gale trotter testified to. She is a gun advocate and a senior fellow at the empty womens forman. The fear that perhaps hovers over some lawmakers and you have this woman talking about in her opinion or her mind how guns are the equalizers for women who live in fear. I will play the interesting remark. Guns make women safer. Over 90 of Violent Crimes occur without a firearm. That makes guns the great equalizer for women. Her comments may ring true for her, but we know that that you are using fear to prove your point. You have a sheriff in the midwest who is in hot water involved in a controversy because he reported a message telling people 911 may not get us there in time because of budget cuts so get yourself a gun. Take a gun safety class and arm yourself and protect yourself before we get there. You may have to do the job. There is a lot of fear or the use of fear that what if someone comes through your door. How do you provide logic when fear is something that is unseen and used in politics all the time . Right. I thought her testimony was one of the most trusting on the panel given in the past, women in particular have been the strongest supporters for gun control. Especially coming to washington and lobbying on that behalf. When you look at the nr as power and the fear that they install in a lot of members of congress, they have the money to back it up. They can spend millions of dollars in the elections and the Gun Control Group cannot answer back. With that money from people, for whatever reason beyond the Second Amendment and you are right to have a gun in your home, i think those people are also operating on a fear not this clinging to your guns or whatever people like to start fights over the issue, they make folks believe this is the equalizer. When the day of reckoning comes and this scary person comes in your home, this is the equalizer. This woman is stating 90 occur without a firearm, but the majority of women that are hurt, its by someone you love. Do you stop loving or stop having a significant other in your . I dont think thats necessarily the case. It is not the case. We know thats not the case, but that argument presents. The nra represents a wide swath of gun owners. A lot of them disagree with the stuff wayne la pierre has said and the female testified on the panel. Strength through solidarity. You look at the opposition and the gun people supportive of gun control and they are splintered. They have money and solidarity. Thats what makes them so powerful. Lastly, i have to ask you, do you believe those who want to see a Gun Legislation passed are doing enough outreach to people who feel that they have a right and know they have a right to own a gun, but perhaps are in the middle and willing to look at legislation and feel like they are under siege by those in the northeast or liberals. Is there enough outreach at this point . I think there is enough outrage among the gun owning community. The majority of nra members support a check and a ban on high capacity ammunition clips and they need to call the Congress Today and say we support this. The nra leadership represents the gun industry. The Capitol Management and Remington Smith and wesson and bushmast bushmaster. Thats where the money comes from. The nra members pay 35 to be a member and it costs 100 for the membership. Thats a loss leader. Its just so the nra leadership can say we have numbers, but its the gun industry who is unregulate and gives tens of millions to the nra and buying off congress. Its time for congress to find their backbone. It is a point im happy you made regarding gun manufacturers and the amount of money they put into the everyday moms and dads that they like to refer to. Thank you very much for your time. Its a pleasure. A 15yearold High School Band majorette performed at somebody president obamas festivities has become a latest shooting victim. She was shot in the back tuesday in a park. Authorities say she was one of about a dozen teens standing under a canopy during heavy rain when a man ran towards the fence and opened fire. A teen boy was also shot in the lug. He belonged to the king college band that performed at inaugural events in d. C. Duvall patrick appoints his top aide to be john kerrys interim replacement two africanamerican senators will be serving at the same time. The announcement is after barney frank openly campaigned for the seat. Do you agree with patrick . Should he pick barney frank . Its our gut check. Senator Lindsay Graham is threatening to block chuck hagels confirmation. Fresh from yesterday. Ahead of tomorrows hearing. We will play the comments for you and joining the conversation, a lot of you sent us tweets in the first 18 minutes of the show. You can mind me and my team. This is 100,000. We asked total strangers to watch it for us. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Ill be right back. They didnt take a dime. How much in fees does your bank take to watch your money . If your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. Ally bank. Your money needs an ally. Id like to thank eating right, whole grain, multigrain cheerios mom, are those my jeans . [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who dont. Multigrain cheerios we are waiting for senator john kerry to deliver farewell walks after being confirmed yesterday as the new secretary of state. Kerry is expected to speak in about ten minutes. Duvall patrick named an interim replacement. His former chief of staff will serve until a special election is held in june. Working with and indeed learning for the congressional delegation and president obama, i know i can help move forward the interest of this great state in this temporary period and i look forward to this honor of service. Joining me now, politics reporter for boston globe. Thank you for your time. Lets get into the decision by Duvall Patrick. The govern nor was close about his Decision Making process and he did name a short list. A lot of names were out there. He chose someone loyal to him. Policywise, there is no daylight between them. The governor likes personal and inspiring stars that he has. Mo cowan has been a trusted aide, someone he relied on and rolling out ambitious policy agenda pieces. We know that barney frank sought this interim appointment on a couple of shows on msnbc and released a statement saying i know mr. Cowan is committed to working hard and in socially fair and economically efficient matter on pending budget issues. I look forward to the election and providing president obama the support he deserves in carrying out the mandate he received in november. Part of the reason is because of the fiscal issues we are facing with sequestration and toxic fiscal issues. And some of the push. Sorry there a reason he wanted that . I cant read into Barney Franks mind, but certainly the people who supported him felt strongly about that. The push back you are hearing today including from people within the base is he chose somebody who is rewarded a long time loyal staffer and not pick somebody who in a short period can hit ground running and understands the legislative process and the barney frank camp felt he can get in there and be a player. Lets look at the timeline for the special election and we cant forget the scott brown factor. What can you update us on with that . I lot of reports on what scott brown will report. They will hear something early next week and is it is it t still seems like he is going to run. You keep hearing the doubts and the longer he stayed out, the more the doubts what is the main reason or what you would hear would be the primary reason he would not seek that seat . Only that the typical thing, massachusetts is a difficult state for a republican to win. Its less difficult in state elections for governor where the National Issues are not at play and the National Republican party as a different overall make where it tens to be moderate to liberal. Republicans just have a chance for that. Governor patrick who has been popular is not running again when his term expires. That would be the other option. Thank you very much for joining us. We appreciate it and we will be talking with you much more. Governor patricks choice to fill john kerrys senate seat is the focus of our gut check. Barney frank said he wanted it. Im not going to be calling. I told the governor i can do that. So do you think governor patrick should have picked barney frank instead . How you can weigh in on the hot topic and the u. S. Economy shrinks for the First Time Since the recession end. What does that mean . We will get the first read with our Senior Editor mark murray. The white house