CNN "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees" - Transcript: "Interview with Gov. Mike DeWine"

Interview

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COOPER: Do something is what some of the crowd were yelling. Governor DeWine has now proposed red flag laws that he supported in the past, increased resources for mental health care, increased penalties for crimes committed with guns and increased background checks for all firearm sales in Ohio with some exception like gifts between family members. Governor DeWine joins me now. Thank you so much for being with us, Governor.

GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): Thank you.

COOPER: How likely is it that the proposals you've put forward might actually pass the state legislature? Because Governor Kasich has, you know, had proposed some of these same things toward the end and they didn't go anywhere.

DEWINE: Anderson, I think we can get them all passed. It's not going to be easy, but when I propose them, you know, the tape you played was on Sunday night. A tragedy, of course, occurred Sunday morning. On Tuesday morning I made proposals, put a package together. Some of these things frankly we've been working on for sometime. But it was time to get them out.

You know, if you take, for example, what you refer to as the red flag law, we like to call it a personal protection order. But what's different between what I have proposed and what Governor Kasich has proposed is we spent about three months working with our Second Amendment friends to try to come up with something that would assure due process, that no one's gun would be yanked away from them except by going into court and proving that they were a danger to themselves or a danger to others.

We think we've got a very good proposal. We think we're going to get good support from our Second Amendment friends on that. And we think we can get it done.

COOPER: I mean, it's been pointed out before. I mean, you're obviously kind of walk -- threading a needle here. You're walking, you know, a fine line between, you know, some sort of action on guns and the concerns of gun owners in your state. Were you disappointed that the President seems to have already backed off of talk of what he termed meaningful background checks?

DEWINE: Let me be real frank, Anderson. You know, I'm really focused on what we can do in Ohio. This morning, Mayor Nan Whaley and I were together. We put together a group of pastors, ministers in Dayton, over 100 of them. We did that so I could explain to them what my proposals were and they're comprehensive.

As you said, they involve a lot of different things. Certainly help with people to identify people who have a mental health problem early, early on, as a key component of that. But we have very good support from that group. And it's a very diverse group. It was every religion, frankly, in the Dayton area. So, we're building a grassroots support.

And I think that, you know, as we explain and people see the actual language and legislators can look at this and see that, look, there is a protection in there. You do have to go to court. The burden is upon the prosecutor to prove that this person is a danger to themselves or danger to others, and to prove the other elements that are in there.

COOPER: Right.

DEWINE: I think people will say, look, that is due process. And I can accept that because --

COOPER: Well, let me ask you --

DEWINE: -- our friends for the Second Amendment, everybody agrees, we have some people out there, Anderson, who we got to separate from their guns. I mean, for their own protection and for the protection of others, I think everybody agrees with that. The question is how we do it.

COOPER: Right. I understand you saying obviously you're the governor of Ohio, you got a lot to focus on. You were a senator, though, and as a citizen of the country, is there something that can only be done at the national level that you would like to see done at the national level?

Because back when you were in the Senate, I think in the 1990s, you supported the assault weapons ban, waiting period at gun shows. I know back then you got an F-rating from the NRA and they now -- they back you in your -- you know, to become governor. They actually endorse you. So you've -- you had an evolution on that. But at the national level, is there something you would like to see done --

DEWINE: Well, I would say --

COOPER: -- that would help you in the state?

DEWINE: I don't know if anything would help us or not help us. I mean, I'm focused on what I can get done here. If you look, though, at issues such as number of rounds allowed or if you look at issues such as what kind of guns are allowed, you know, those -- if they're going to be addressed and they should be addressed that protects people's constitutional rights, but if you're going to address them at all, it seems to me it has to be done at the national level.

[20:45:09] COOPER: Governor DeWine, I appreciate your time. Thank you.

DEWINE: Thank you.

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