Top Republican Backs Ban On Assault Weapons
BURNETT: New tonight, a top republican backing an assault weapons ban, congressman Mike Turner representing Dayton. His daughter was across the street when the massacre took place. Tonight, in addition to an assault weapons ban, Turner is calling for magazine limits and red flag legislation that would take guns away from people in mental crisis. Manu Raju is out front. Manu, look, Turner obviously personally touched by this, but going very much against the mainstream Republican Washington grind in taking this stand, will anyone else follow?</s>MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Probably not, Erin. Republicans in the Senate are taking a different tack. They are now under the direction of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who had a conference call with top Republican chairman yesterday. I'm told laid out a path forward that he wants his colleagues to take and it is not moving forward anything close to either an assault weapons ban or the universal background checks legislation that Democrats have been demanding and they're not even talking about bringing the Senate back during this August recess to act more on gun measures. Instead, they're looking at other things, including that red flag legislation that you discussed, but also dealing with mental health issues and potentially looking at violent video games as the President himself raised concerns about in his address yesterday. Republicans looking at possibly legislating on that issue. Now, I am told that Mitch McConnell does not want to move on any legislation if it does not have the backing of the President or backing of a number of his Republican senators. So that's one reason why you're seeing resistance from the Senate Majority Leader over the demands. The Democrats were increasing their pressure, saying that they need to keep the focus exclusively on McConnell to bring up that House bill for a vote. But, Erin, even if that House bill did come for a vote, it is almost certain to fail in the Republican-led Senate. So it's unclear what legislation ultimately could become law with these two parties at loggerheads about the way forward, Erin.</s>BURNETT: All right. Thank you, Manu. And out front now, our Senior Political Commentator Rick Santorum, former Republican Senator from Pennsylvania and former Republican Congressman Scott Rigell original from Virginia. Congressman, so let me start with you. Do you think Mitch McConnell is not on the right side here in terms of not moving anything forward?</s>FORMER REP. SCOTT RIGELL (R-VA): Mitch McConnell has consistently opposed anything that makes sense and I'm convinced that he's the leading opponent to any type of rational legislation. The President himself has given himself a little bit of room with the red flag laws and I think that that's going to make some sense that only 14 states have red flag laws. Sadly, my own State of Virginia is not among them. But I'm convinced that that's common ground, but even that common ground may not make it through Mitch McConnell's Senate.</s>BURNETT: And what's the reason you think that he just says no? As a personal belief, he doesn't think there should be anything or --</s>RIGELL: Well, my own experience with the NRA is this, I proposed in 2013 some very, I think, benign legislation with respect to gun traffickers and straw purchasers. I mean, these are by definition criminals and they shouldn't have guns. And we did bicameral or actually bipartisan legislation that would have addressed this. And I was vehemently opposed by the National Association for Gun Rights and also the National Rifle Association. That's when I dropped my life membership of the NRA. I'm a gun owner, I have 12 guns. I have an AR-15. I don't consider it to be an assault weapon. I mean I consider it to be no more lethal than a hunting rifle. But that doesn't prohibit me from advancing common sense legislation, including the red flag law. So I'm hopeful that President Trump finally will lead in this area and really forced Mitch McConnell to do the right thing.</s>BURNETT: Senator Santorum, what do you say about Mitch McConnell and his absolute refusal to do this? I mean, let's just be honest, he's buying out the clock. There's a part of Mitch McConnell that is hoping that six weeks when everybody comes back from recess people have moved on.</s>FORMER SEN. RICK SANTORUM (R-PA): Well, no, look, Mitch McConnell is doing what every good leader does. He listens to the people in his caucus and determines what they want. I mean that's what a leader leads, but also you don't lead very long if you're leading in a way that your caucus doesn't want to go. And Manu said it, even if the bill came up, it wouldn't pass because Republicans would overwhelmingly vote against it. So what you're saying is it's Mitch McConnell. It's not Mitch McConnell. It's the fact that Republicans who represent a bunch of states who these types of laws are not popular aren't going to vote for it.</s>BURNETT: So what I'm curious about though, Senator Santorum, look, there's all kinds of ways to parse this and talk about which states you've got a point. But when you talk about leadership, you could say, "OK, that's what is caucus will do." Or you could say leadership has to do with the American people want. USA Today just released a poll, 67% of Americans want Senate bills passed with background checks that the House passed and that includes the majority of Republicans. So one could argue this is for Mitch McConnell to stand up and say, "This is what the American people want." Get on board. I mean, you may not agree with them but that would be a profile in courage, wouldn't it?</s>SANTORUM: Well, look, I don't think those polls are really worth too much. I mean, the fact to the matter is every commercial purchase in the United States of America is subject to a background check. I mean you have private purchases in some states are not but --</s>BURNETT: Twenty-two percent of gun sales in this country are not subjects for background checks, it's a lot.</s>SANTORUM: Again, all commercial purchases are. I mean, it's private sales that are not and not in all states. So, again, I think the reality is that we need to start looking at the person who's involved with the shooting, and that's what those red flag laws are about and if you listen to what Manu said, Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell are looking at red flag laws, not a federal law, but to encourage states to pass red flag laws that have due process that actually lead to treatment of people who may be suspected of having mental illness. Those are the kinds of responsible things that I think can be passed in a bipartisan way, that actually get to the problem.</s>BURNETT: Could be passed, I mean, I just have to say in a lot of these cases like who picks up a red flag and then I get it, you don't want to go around due process but you got to go through a court. I mean, I know neither one of you agree with what congressman Turner is saying. But all of these things are fine, but the ultimate reality is if you have a gun, you can do something and if you don't have a gun, you can't.</s>SANTORUM: Well, yes, the fact to the matter is we've had hundreds of millions of guns in this country for a long, long time. But in the last 20 years, we've had more mass shootings than ever and you can say, "Well, what's changed?" What's changed is higher rates of depression, more family breakup, violent video games. You look at the things that have changed over the last 20 years.</s>BURNETT: And higher powered rifles that did not exist before.</s>SANTORUM: Well, that's not true. I mean, those high powered rifles have existed for a long time as Scott said.</s>BURNETT: OK, but they have gotten - come on, Senator.</s>SANTORUM: No, Scott said, "Look, these are all -" as he said it, "I have an AR-15 too." It's a semi-automatic weapon. It may be easier to handle, but it's no more firepower than the other semi-automatic weapons.</s>BURNETT: OK. I know you both have AR-15s, you both support that you don't want them banned, as Congressman Turner now does. But when the Second Amendment goes in front of Supreme Court and they say anyone with a common gun should be allowed. The one thing that all these mass shootings have in common, the common gun are these assault weapons.</s>SANTORUM: Actually, very, very few crimes occur in this country with assault weapons and rifles.</s>BURNETT: Mass shootings, Senator, mass shootings.</s>SANTORUM: Again, very, very few crime. Those crimes --</s>BURNETT: Mass shootings, but nobody wants mass shootings and this is the gun that is used for them.</s>RIGELL: Why don't we - we can focus --</s>BURNETT: Congressman, go ahead.</s>RIGELL: I think we can focus on what is common ground and common ground starting right with President Trump is the red flag laws. Only 14 states, as I mentioned, have red flag laws, Virginia is not among them. I'd like to see Virginia lead in this area and I'd like to see the president lead in this area. Go ahead and introduce legislation. Go ahead and get behind the legislation that Senator Graham and Senator Rubio have already advanced. That is something practical that can be done. Because if we're not careful, all we're going to hear from the NRA is, "We can't do anything. We can't do anything." The NRA is morally, in my view, and intellectually bankrupt. They don't advance anything of any substance, whatever. It's all no. So we're not going to get this done with any help from the NRA. And frankly, we're not going to get this done with any help from Mitch McConnell. With all respect to the Senator, I very much disagree that the Senator McConnell is just reflecting the will of his of his conference. I don't think that is the will of the conference. So I think he is bending to the will of the NRA. That's my view.</s>BURNETT: All right. We'll leave it there. Thank you both very much. And OUTFRONT next, a new poll tonight shows Elizabeth Warren building serious momentum after the last debate among Democrats. So how much of a threat is she now to Joe Biden? And 2020 candidate Steve Bullock is out front, a red state governor who has stood up to the NRA. So why aren't more Republicans and Democrats willing to do the same?