Piers Morgan isn't the only CNN host pushing a ban on semi-automatic
guns. Fareed Zakaria hammered "anomalous" U.S. gun laws on Thursday
afternoon and pointed to other countries for the strict gun control that
America should strive for.
"And I think that Sandy Hook has been a huge turning point and there is a shift of consciousness. We are becoming more aware of just how anomalous the U.S. is," said the host of CNN's foreign affairs show Fareed Zakaria GPS. "So
the real challenge here is going to be to take this shift in national
consciousness and actually drive it through to make it a shift in
policy."
[Video below. Audio here [1].]
What's the "policy" Zakaria wants? "It's not very complex," he
maintained. "Australia put in place a ban on all automatic and
semi-automatic weapons. Gun homicide in Australia has gone down 60
percent. Why? Because there's a real ban. They didn't have 600
exemptions like our '94 assault weapons ban had. So we know what to do."
Zakaria appealed to the "courage" of politicians to enact stricter gun
laws: "The government could do this very effectively. The question is
will our politicians have the courage to protect our children?"
A transcript of the segment, which aired on CNN Newsroom on January 10 at 3:08 p.m. EST, is as follows:
[3:08]
BROOKE BALDWIN: Joining me now from New York is CNN's Fareed Zakaria of
Fareed Zakaria GPS. Fareed, I was thinking about this before. You and I
haven't even talked since the shootings in Sandy Hook. 20 kids, six
adults shot dead. We haven't spoken since the President declared these
tragedies have to end. Do you think, Fareed, do you think that the Vice
President is right? Has something changed because of this, keeping in
mind we've had these debates before, and nothing seems to have really
happened.
FAREED ZAKARIA: The country is clearly changing, Brooke. And I think
that Sandy Hook has been a huge turning point and there is a shift of
consciousness. We are becoming more aware of just how anomalous the U.S.
is. We have 30,000 gun deaths a year, most countries have a few
hundred. We have 10,000 gun homicides a year. England and Wales have, I
think it's 35 or 40. We are beginning to realize that. The question is,
will the political system change? There is still such a powerful lobby.
There so many entrenched interests that have gutted, that have
traditionally gutted any effort. First of all, they block it, and then
if it happens they gut it and riddle it with exceptions and loopholes.
So the real challenge here is going to be to take this shift in national
consciousness and actually drive it through to make it a shift in
policy.
BALDWIN: Riddled with holes, and Mayor Bloomberg calling it like Swiss
cheese. We mentioned the Vice President just yesterday. He alarmed gun
defenders by saying a gun control package might include an executive
order. An executive order. That seemed to strike some as ominous, but
our legal analyst Jeff Toobin tells us it's not a big deal. Listen.
(Video Clip)
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN senior legal analyst: President Obama on his own by
executive order cannot impose an assault weapons ban. Because Congress
has to do that. Only Congress can pass a law. All an executive order can
do is use power that Congress has already given to the President in a
different law.
(End Video Clip)
BALDWIN: So you have a limit to what the President can do himself, and
as soon as you say the two words "gun control," as you pointed out a
moment ago, you have members of Congress, they start fleeing for the
exits. Is the problem too big for our government, Fareed?
ZAKARIA: I don't think it's too big for our government. I think it's
too big for our politicians, by which I mean we know what the solution
is. This is actually one of these cases where people say it's very
complex. It's not very complex. Australia put in place a ban on all
automatic and semi-automatic weapons. Gun homicide in Australia has gone
down 60 percent. Why? Because there's a real ban. They didn't have 600
exemptions like our '94 assault weapons ban had. So we know what to do.
The government could do this very effectively. The question is will our
politicians have the courage to protect our children?
BALDWIN: Tell me about your special this Sunday, speaking of challenges
the President faces, right? You've assembled some major heavy-hitters
to talk about some of those challenges facing President Obama during
term number two.
ZAKARIA: Well you know, he is only the 17th president to have a second
term. And these generally don't go so well. So what I did was we talked
to former secretaries of state, secretaries of treasury, chiefs of
staff, and asked what would you do to make this a successful second
term? And they've got some surprising answers.
BALDWIN: What would you do? Fareed Zakaria, thank you. Programming
reminder, Fareed's special memo to the President airs Sunday at 10 a.m.
and 1 p.m. Eastern.