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NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox on the push for greater gun control.
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-- Meanwhile President Obama will take his push for stricter gun control measures on the road next week he plans on traveling to Minneapolis Monday.
To meet with local law enforcement and elected officials -- if that's Chris Cox executive director of National Rifle Association is -- for legislative.
-- -- Thanks for joining us tonight.
Thanks for having me or say your thoughts upon hearing -- this.
School shooting this armed guard in a school actually thwarted what could have been an even bigger tragedy this is what the NRA has suggested really from.
The get -- -- sadly the new town tracking right.
Well you're right -- and what we should all agree on is that we need to keep our kids safe there's.
A good way of do and at which is with armed security and there's a bad way of trying it and that's putting a sticker and a window that says no guns allowed.
That doesn't work it's not a serious solution.
And we call elected officials all over the country to join us about a third of the schools have armed security -- -- do a better job of making that number larger.
Bigger picture here Chris what your thoughts on how the country's mood how the sentiment has changed.
The interest in reforming gun laws in this country because it.
This rash of violence especially in schools.
-- I think that people want serious solutions the national rifle association's wants to help have a meaningful conversation about how we keep our kids safe.
We talked about armed security that certainly a part of it but there's two other parts of -- that are important.
We need to address -- broken mental health system and then there's people who were sick that not all people with mental problems are violent.
But the ones -- or need to get medication they need to get help and if they can't get help they need to be civilly committed and put into protective environment and other thing we need to deal with.
This crime and we can talk about background check systems and all these other things but.
Criminals don't go through background check system they need to go to the prison system and they need to stay there but that's going to require some political backbone.
And -- determination to prosecute criminals and sadly under this administration it's just not happening.
I have to tell you in our short conversation Chris just hearing you refer to kids safety and mental health.
It sounds like the NRA's really sort of change the way it approaches the subject.
That.
Or not at all we've always been about safe and responsible gun ownership that we put -- 45 million kids do it Eddie eagle.
Children's safety program and we have the lowest farm accident rates in a hundred years we have.
Tens of thousands of certified instructors who teach safety and responsibility everything we do.
Is about safe and responsible gun ownership we're just about serious solutions to the underlying problem.
And not papering over and over him with feel good legislation that won't keep our kids say.
So gun control obviously front and center especially just yesterday.
Mister -- here obviously speaking.
The gun show loophole the background checks I know clearly you're against it but.
Would you go with -- given the current state of affairs.
-- what we support background checks on retail sales that we've supporter I'm -- -- shows.
-- the problem at gun shows is there's a lot of misinformation most of the sales at gun shows.
Our retail sales what they're talking about -- private individuals and if you think that.
The drug dealer and Chicago.
Is gonna go in the Wal-Mart or go into a gun show and do -- transfer through legal means.
You should probably be mentally adjudicated and added -- the system yourself it's not a serious solution.
All it's gonna do is create.
Criminal criminals out of -- -- people transferring transferring legal farms is just not a serious solution to the problem in Newtown Connecticut.
The best background check system in the world would not have prevented that tragedy because those guns were stolen.
We need to address mental health we need to address the crime problem right but how do you a little law -- -- -- out there criminals hands.
There's a very good way and that sending the message of the criminal element that if you misuse a firearm you're going to jail.
They're not gonna respond they don't fear a background check because they don't go through background checks.
They still their guns they get them on the black market but what they do responses the present system and we need to send a message to the criminal element.
That not all criminals.
-- out committing murders but the ones who wore need to get the message that if you commit a crime with a -- you're dealing drugs with a gun.
You're gonna go to jail you're gonna be prosecuted risk isn't all -- and doing a good news dot hello government doing -- OK see you want to see the government failing here.
If there's -- there's a 35%.
Decrease per capita and prosecution of our of crimes committed with firearms that simply unacceptable it's a collapse in prosecution.
President Obama has overseen the largest collapse in ten years.
They need to get -- -- need to tell US attorneys they need to tell Eric Holder to get serious about prosecuting criminals that misuse firearms and not focus on law abiding people who aren't the problem.
Appreciate the conversation Chris Cox.
Thanks or.
