CNN This Morning
October 27, 2023
8:26 a.m. Eastern
CONGRESSMAN JARED GOLDEN (D-ME): I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war like the assault rifle used to carry out this crime. (editing jump) I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles.
PHIL MATTINGLY: That was Democratic Congressman Jared Golden of Maine reversing his long-held stance against the federal assault weapons ban after the shooting that left 18 people dead and 23 injured in his hometown of Lewiston. Now, Golden is one of only five Democrats to oppose a federal ban last July when it passed the House. It, of course, then died in the Senate. Joining us now to discuss, CNN political analyst Natasha Alford as well as CNN political commentator Alyssa Farah Griffin. Natasha, I'm trying to -- I was saying about this last night with the team, putting this into perspective, Jared Golden is someone who is a frontline Democratic members, doesn't really ever listen to what Democratic leadership says -- does his own thing, which is in part why he continues to get reelected but can be often frustrating to kind of mainstream Democrats. That's a big deal even if it doesn't mean that it's a kind of sea change for everyone.
NATASHA ALFORD, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah, I mean, I think it shows the power of when pain hits your constituency, right? And so it's one thing to talk about theoretically protecting the Second Amendment. It's a different thing when you have to look at those families in the eye and say that it was my stance -- my legislative stance that kept change from happening. So it may not be a sea change, but I think it's an excellent example of having the moral courage to say, "I was wrong," and that we can do something differently, which is very different from Mike Johnson who's saying, "Thoughts and prayers -- it's going to be faith that changes this nation." It can be faith and legislation which makes a difference.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Keep in mind, the politics of this were fairly bold of him. He -- he sits in a district that was an R plus five district. It's the only district that Donald Trump carried in New England. And it's a very pro-Second Amendment area, this kind of more rural part of Maine in New England. So it is a bold step for him to come out and support this. I do still believe it's dead on arrival in the Senate, but what's interesting is Chris Murphy who -- Democratic Senator who has long been a gun reform champion -- has suggested --
POPPY HARLOW: Since Sandy Hook.
GRIFFIN: Since Sandy Hook. He's suggested something that I could see getting a little bit of steam, which is basically stricter background checks for assault weapons. That's something that's a step away from a full-on ban which is dead on arrival with any Republicans.
HARLOW: I was going to say, let's listen to Susan -- Senator Susan Collins of Maine. She was asked about this yesterday.
SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): I think it is more important that we ban very high capacity magazines. (editing jump) There's always more that we can do.
HARLOW: She was being asked about an assault weapons ban and what she thought -- she focused on high-capacity magazines but also said there's always more we can do, but, I mean, Republicans have been pretty clear -- most of them -- they're not going to go any further than the bipartisan bill that was passed last year on guns.
ALFORD: Yeah. And even that -- that was breaking 30 years of gridlock, right, 30 years -- that's a lifetime of no significant legislation that made a difference. But I do think it's important to listen to those places where politicians are willing to compromise, right? So if not a ban, then let's think about why we're giving the everyday American so much ammunition. Why would you need those things? When you look at the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, there is investment in mental health -- which is what Republicans tend to lean towards as the solution as opposed to Democrats who want to focus on gun control. But there's also a focus on closing certain loops in background checks. So I think that if you really dig into that bipartisan act, there may be places to move the ball a little bit forward with both parties.
GRIFFIN: And President Biden called the Safer Communities Act the most significant bipartisan gun reform in decades. But I tend to think that anytime these mass shootings happen, our hearts break -- we have these same kind of dialogues in Washington -- very little seems to change. I tend to think that state legislatures are where there's going to be more impact. There's always seems to be something that, you know, a caveat of why the laws wouldn't have helped in this state. So I could see that as being something that gets momentum. Is Maine going to look at why some of these, you know, red flags weren't in place. That may be where we're more likely to see change in the Congress.
MATTINGLY: Yeah, it's an interesting point because Maine Democrats had pushed and gotten some of a pretty significant package of gun restrictions to the state house earlier this year, but most of it had been blocked. Obviously, we all know kind of where Maine sits in that.