MSNBC Interview - Transcript

MSNBC INTERVIEW WITH REP. CAROLYN MCCARTHY (D-NY) AND NEW YORK CITY MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I)
SUBJECTS: SERVE AMERICA ACT, GUN CONTROL LEGISLATION INTERVIEWER: ANDREA MITCHELL

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MS. MITCHELL: And nearly $6 billion Serve America Act that President Obama will sign into law today will triple the size of the AmeriCorps program and make it easier for volunteers to pitch in. New York City is taking the lead with its own push to make volunteering easier.

Let's bring in New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy. The congresswoman was the main sponsor of the House version of the bill.

Welcome, both.

First you, Mr. Mayor, what can New York do? What is New York doing? And how important is volunteerism in the overall scheme, especially now, in America?

MAYOR BLOOMBERG: Well, an awful lot of people want to help, Andrea, and they just don't know how to help. That's the biggest thing. We have a lot of organizations trying to provide services. A lot of people that want to get together and help them do that, but they don't know each other and so we've got a central registry now, where people can call one number. We'll make sure that they are vetted so that the agency that uses them doesn't have to worry about security reasons. And then we'll let -- give them a list of things that they can do. They'll look at their skill sets and they'll find organizations that need those skill sets.

And it could be from tutoring a middle school kid to painting a roof white so that the energy building -- that building uses is a lot lower. It can be planting trees. It can be teaching, trying to get the elderly to take their flu shots. There's a whole list of things that we can do, and it's tougher -- in tougher times, it's even more needed.

MS. MITCHELL: Congresswoman, you were the chief sponsor. There's going to be a big event at the White House later today with Senator Ted Kennedy.

Let's talk about education and how volunteerism can help with the public schools in particular.

REP. MCCARTHY: Well, when you think about how many people we have retired today that have those skills to be able to mentor school children in underserved areas I think is wonderful. You have people that worked in the world of science and math -- to let them use their expertise to our students.

So as the mayor has said, and what he kicked off yesterday in New York, was a tremendous opportunity when we had over 1,000 volunteers show up, and these people want to give. And we found that throughout the nation, people do want to help their community and this is going to be a perfect opportunity.

Also, when you think about the service that President Obama called. We had President Kennedy back in my time, asking the country to serve, to do more, and now we have President Obama saying the same thing and to have this bill named after Ted Kennedy, I think is a wonderful idea and I think it's a great testimony to all the work that he's done over the years.

MS. MITCHELL: Now, the two of you have also teamed up on an issue of great passion, great emotion, which is gun control. Congresswoman McCarthy, we first met when you were mourning the terrible loss in your family after the gunman on the train shot your husband and son, and you became an advocate. You were elected to Congress on this issue, yet right now, Barack Obama says it's not the right time politically to reinstitute the assault weapon ban.

Mr. Mayor, first to you -- why not go after the assault weapon ban? President Calderon in Mexico is calling for it. Ninety percent of the weapons used in the drug cartel crimes south of the border are said to have originated in the United States.

MAYOR BLOOMBERG: Andrea, I see no reason not to go after it, and if you do polling, you find that 82 percent of NRA members, 82 percent of gun owners think that assault weapons don't -- aren't needed for hunting and should be banned. We have a crazy law in America where you have to have a background check if you buy guns from a dealer, but not if you go to a gun show. If we take away a gun dealer's license, the gun dealer can then sell his or her inventory on the streets -- no questions asked -- to criminals and to children.

You know, we have federal laws that prohibit the sale of guns to those that have criminal records and to kids, and yet, we don't do anything to -- or enough to enforce those laws and instead of 32 people getting killed one time at Virginia Tech, I think the anniversary was just the other day, but today about 34 people get killed across this country every single day, almost all with illegal handguns and we don't seem to do anything about it and I think it's a perfect issue for the president to get behind and to be a real leader here.

MS. MITCHELL: And Mr. Mayor, you mentioned Virginia Tech, Columbine anniversary was yesterday. Only weeks ago, we had the killings of police officers in Pittsburgh and in Oakland.

Congresswoman McCarthy, is there any chance that something will be done in Congress? And also, the gun show loophole, which is sitting out there?

REP. MCCARTHY: Well, I happen to believe very strongly that we have to keep trying. When you talk about, unfortunately, the shootings, the anniversary at Virginia Tech, I was able to get a bill passed, you know, the NICS, the National Instant Background Check System improved. So that was a small step.

This week, we're going to be introducing the gun show loophole bill and as the mayor had said, there is no reason in the world why anyone that's buying a gun at a gun show shouldn't go through a background check. New York State did it. It's still working fine. We still have the gun shows, but everyone goes through a background check.

The assault weapons, I still believe that that's a bill that should be put forward so that we are seeing today our cops out being gunned again. If anybody cares to remember, that's why we had the bill originally with assault weapons, because our police officers were being outgunned.

When you see the amount of guns now, assault weapons and other ammunition going to Mexico, obviously, it's very easy trade. We need to do something, and I'm hoping that President Obama will use the power of his office to push this forward.

MS. MITCHELL: Congresswoman McCarthy, Mayor Mike Bloomberg, good to see you both. Thanks so much. The $6 billion -- nearly $6 billion Service America Act being signed into law today, and we'll all be watching.

END.

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