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What should America do about gun violence?

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    How can we achieve a balanced approach when examining this issue?

  • Duration 11:27
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Here -- want to bring in now off hey ho who is executive director.

Of the Florida Coalition to Stop Gun Violence joining us from a our wonderful fox affiliate down in Tampa Florida good to see -- hey don't.

Being here.

I do also want to point out to -- -- -- is that we are hoping to get Larry Pratt who is executive director of the Gun Owners of America.

From Springfield Virginia -- having some technical issues with him but we obviously -- want this to be a balanced debate -- doing our best to make it that way.

Mr.

-- what have you -- made so far of what you've heard.

Probably staring up predictably passionate.

Moving to see Gabby Giffords.

Don't we getting anywhere though -- it seems to me win in hearing the same entrenched positions we've heard on both sides.

I think you're correct we're hearing what we've always heard before but.

I think he -- discussion is an -- Slowly and areas that we can think more carefully about.

We heard from -- Lafayette.

The who is obviously the head of the NRA -- -- -- -- -- Who said talking specifically about your background checks he said they should not be.

Mandatory.

Because homicidal maniacs as he put it are still going to get.

Guns.

Is that a -- point that whatever -- you put on the books.

Anybody who really wants to kill is really going to get the -- -- they need to do that with.

Well I think you'll find that people as do.

You know cause horrific crimes did get caught my background checks.

And the idea you -- to get through a background checks because they're not catching these people is ludicrous.

Ludacris Ludacris who -- as I mean it did strike me that eight and it's kinda like saying it.

That we shouldn't although wind speed limits on the roads because idiots is still gonna drive and a hundred miles an Allah might it do you see it that way that it would it would just holding up Lansdale let's not -- there if we go down that road of no background checks that are at gun shows -- not mandatory background check.

Well we have no background checks at gun shows.

In when they do -- private sellers.

But you know we need one thing that we -- it is a more comprehensive.

And inclusive background check.

The checks as something besides.

If -- -- as the person involved ever had a felony conviction.

So you know we can go a long ways if we can expand the background check out.

Now is that the single most important change you would like to see -- -- -- hole what else do you think needs to happen right now.

Well.

Were hoping that a comprehensive background check will be at least one of the things -- will get.

But there are some other things -- were hoping to.

-- get these assault rifles off the street we we have an assault rifle ban and Florida.

It's momentarily but it didn't last very long because they -- given a hearing so we're looking at Korean inducing him.

But there are some things we need to do we need to get these guns off the street.

-- -- Comment -- lot of our viewers weighing in on this as you can imagine NC vet says it enforce existing -- Do not great a burden on lower abiding citizens it seems a lower abiding citizens of being punished.

For the sins of the -- is.

Ramos says told told told congress people will vote the way their biggest donors tell them to which means the only -- that hasn't Johns is universal background checks.

Rubble -- -- build more prisons improve those that use a gun.

In crime in jail what about that argument and I'm -- Lafayette has made it again today quite forcefully.

That we there are plenty of existing laws on the books mr.

hale we simply don't enforce them.

Well that's true a lot of laws are not enforcement where there -- lot of laws that we don't have.

So you know you can't say that it's the old saying you know we have too many gun control laws besides gun control laws don't work.

You know if you don't have any gun control laws they don't work so.

It's it's it's think.

It's the idea of getting a comprehensive.

Approach to all aspects of this problem and to us at least in Florida it's a comprehensive background check.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Aspect of this is well one of our -- writing in -- -- will take.

What are our lead is -- -- understand that the gun in the hand of the bully at sandy hook.

Was not the problem the ball eight with a gun in his hand was the problem let's focus on the -- is.

Instead of ideology obviously getting to the point that that Adam Lanza appeared to have certain.

Mental health issues he was the gunman of course in the -- all full sandy hook.

Massacres of what -- fact that let's bring in doctor Bob Rossi now psychologist would.

Mean here in the studio doctor rusty good to see -- thank -- -- of being hit.

That.

That you know this is it's it's these kind of burden chicken and egg situation we often seem to get down to you know which came first.

But the mentally health.

The mentally -- located.

Does not massacred 26 people at sandy hook unless he has a gun.

So the -- do go together you can't say this is a mental health issue or it's a gun control issue the two -- inextricably linked to nine.

Correct it's both but but from my point of view we we need to prioritize mental how can we need to understand that psychologists today.

Using cognitive behavioral therapy can be effective.

And we need to prioritize mental health we need to expose kids in high school and parents so that we can have make a difference make a -- -- this problem then but what bothers me is the fact that we have.

Personality disturbances in our society these folks have not yet gone into.

A psych hospital they have not yet been arrested so they're out there.

And I think we should make it harder for these types of people to get weapons.

Then you have so when you stop down this road.

They're all very he important privacy issues that you have to deal with -- as well sure does I mean if if I have if I have the flu.

Do I have to go to the doctor know if I'm if I'm -- if I'm for having suicidal thoughts should I have to go to the doctor should I be rounded up and made to go and see a psychologist.

Well your questions are good ones but we can't have just specific questions.

To this problem we're never gonna have a perfect law we never get that solved all the problems of mentally ill or personality disturbance is out there we can't do that.

However what we can do.

Is try to prioritize mental health make people realize that today kids can get help.

We can identify most of those shooters is a profile all the shooters and we know that there.

Angry it generates into rage the rage gets into an explosive personality and and they want to -- -- At the world OK we know this so what can we do to prevent that.

And what can we do to prevent these types of people from getting weapons that are automatic weapons or semiautomatic weapons that will kill many people -- it seems like we need a balanced approach here.

Obviously I know would you -- doing do we need to bounce approaches this in your eyes all about it.

All about gun control or does does -- would you like to see reforms of the mental health laws as well do you accept that that's an issue here.

Well it can't be about gun control in Florida we have no gun control.

As as the NRA have passed their farm preemption law where state without a single tank gun control law and also.

The NRA can rightly say.

Florida is now safe for guns and besides.

A gun control laws don't work.

But do you accept that meant that fed needs to be.

That given -- we have seen in all the recent mass shootings we have some pictures.

All of that just to remind our viewers all of those involved in them out of lands up in sandy hook if we can put these up -- -- -- -- huge show.

Virginia Tech.

James Holmes.

Jared -- Aurora Colorado and the Gabby Giffords shooting respectively.

There was a mental health issue.

With -- each all of those mass killers.

So it's not just -- -- back.

That kind of checks are assault weapons -- is it is would you concede also backed tackling the mental health issue in this country.

Absolutely but if what's behind the background check if you.

If you pass the background check because you had -- a felony conviction.

What's behind.

That's no felony conviction all kinds of problems.

So we knew it we do need more.

Background checks and need to be more inclusive list of a person's behavior.

And other another problem since a lot.

-- -- that's instead to be a very good point doctor Rossi that background checks are exist at speak precisely.

To the mental health issue do you know.

No they don't anyone since -- if you're checking somebody's background he might find out if they had any mental health issues.

We know it that the problem is that in some cases it will but in many cases probably most cases.

These folks in our society had not yet been in this like continental they have not yet gone through psychotherapy if you will they have not yet been -- -- -- How -- -- but don't -- helped me understand how do we go back.

Finding these people what are what are we wind monitoring everybody we got drones up in the sky now checking anybody who's doing something we -- -- and we go around them.

I don't understand how we how we cap and I agree that -- -- what I need to but how we can get from eighty to be if somebody doesn't wanna go to be.

I think I can answer that question actually my suggestion would be if we're gonna prioritize mental health and not minimize it.

We need exposure at the middle school and high school to what we can do -- psychologists to identify kids and most of the parents know who's who's a -- to teachers and parents -- K -- know who's all alone -- depressed agitated acting out explosive personalities and they know that right.

But they're not going for assistance so -- they don't get help.

How can a psychologist.

Gives them.

So if we if we change our system and we can we make people realize what we can do today.

Just like when ended with physical science where we we take a look at exercise and what we can do going forward with changing our diet and so forth.

In mental help there are many things we can do from a cognitive standpoint to make a significant difference and are we gonna do that only gonna take this stigma away for medical help.

-- we just gonna continue down this road and and avoid the whole mental health process.

All right mr.

hale -- I've got to let you godaddy -- down in Tampa but -- just give me final.

-- -- What you want to see essentially is background checks that's the one thing that you believe would make a difference to the a -- of gun violence in Florida and that boy in the in this country as a whole.

A background check and a couple -- the problem of Florida.

And there's so available that is a background -- -- who have put down what does the background check do when guns are so readily available everywhere.

All right mr.

-- -- who is the executive director of the Florida coalition.

To stop gun violence it's been a president told you so thank you very much indeed.

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