1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,920 Speaker 1: Joining us on the telephone line. Housing Secretary Ben Carson, 2 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: who was at the White House earlier today to meet 3 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:11,120 Speaker 1: with President Trump, who gave remarks in which he called 4 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:16,639 Speaker 1: for there to be bipartisan solutions two the guns mass 5 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:22,079 Speaker 1: shooting epidemic that is running rampant through our country. Mr Secretary, 6 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:23,800 Speaker 1: thank you for calling in. How are we going to 7 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: solve this problem? Well, you know, we're only going to 8 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 1: be able to solve this if we decide that this 9 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:35,800 Speaker 1: is more important to solve than gaining political points. And uh, 10 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: you know, we need to recognize that there's something deep 11 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: going on here. It's not just a matter of guns 12 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:45,200 Speaker 1: being available. Guns have been available for hundreds of years. Uh, 13 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:48,919 Speaker 1: it's what's happening to us as a nation. Where are 14 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: we now getting our moral compass from? And you know, 15 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:56,480 Speaker 1: we're in a pissove throwing out a lot of our 16 00:00:56,560 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 1: beliefs and just sort of floating. And then you also 17 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 1: have a situation, I think where a lot of people 18 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: don't develop deep relationships with other people anymore. There they've 19 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 1: spent so much time on social media. So we're gonna 20 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: have to start being able to talk about these things 21 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:19,839 Speaker 1: without them being taboo. Uh, as far as PC is concerned, 22 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: Housing Secretary Ben Carson joining us on the line. Mr Secretary, 23 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 1: you mentioned social media. The President also alluding to social media, 24 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 1: saying that social media companies have a responsibility to better 25 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 1: to better flag and to monitor uh these types of 26 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:44,320 Speaker 1: postings that could ultimately tip off investigators into potential massacres. 27 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: What role do big what role does big tech play 28 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: in terms of monitoring these types of risks? But I 29 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 1: think you know, big check has to uh be willing 30 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 1: to look at the data and just to ignore it 31 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:08,360 Speaker 1: and recognize that so many of these shooters have obviously 32 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: posted things on the internet, have derived some of their 33 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:18,360 Speaker 1: relationships on the internet. Uh. And and that's part of 34 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:20,800 Speaker 1: the problem that I was talking about before. When we 35 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:27,239 Speaker 1: substitute real human to human relationships with these artificial relationships 36 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:32,640 Speaker 1: through electronic means, it kind of dehumanizes other people. And 37 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 1: when you dehumanize people, makes it much easier for you 38 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: to see them as things and therefore to shoot them. 39 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: In terms of the congressional fix, is there a role 40 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: for Congress to to pass bipartisan legislation as it relates 41 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: to big tech, or as Senator Lindsey Graham and Richard 42 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 1: Blumenthal announcing earlier today bipartisan bill in getting states to 43 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 1: adopt red flag laws that Senator Graham says would help 44 00:02:58,639 --> 00:03:01,920 Speaker 1: assist and encourage eates to get them grants so that 45 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,920 Speaker 1: they can hire a consult with mental health professionals. I 46 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:09,840 Speaker 1: think that would be extraordinarily useful. And this is a time, 47 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:12,640 Speaker 1: you know, it's a tragic time, and you know, our 48 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 1: hearts obviously go out to those families and these that 49 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 1: have been effected. But let's let this go to waste. 50 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 1: You know, red flag loaves I think are very appropriate 51 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,360 Speaker 1: at this point in time. You know, we need to 52 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: keep in mind that the Second Amendment is an important 53 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:32,600 Speaker 1: part of who we are as Americans, but also compassion 54 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 1: and real caring about what's going on with our people 55 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 1: and being able to identify things before tragedies occur is 56 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: something that smart people do. You know, I want to 57 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:46,200 Speaker 1: pick up on that point. Housing Secretary Ben Carson joining 58 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 1: us on the line. There are folks who are in 59 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 1: their car driving home from work as we speak, who 60 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: who respect the Second Amendment but have deep concerns about 61 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: the role that the n r A has played in 62 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: this debate. What do you say to the people. Well, 63 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: I mean, obviously we want to hear all the voices, 64 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: but you know, we don't really want extreme voices on 65 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: the side of this issue. And there there is a 66 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:16,360 Speaker 1: place in our country still for logic and common sense, 67 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 1: and you know, this is one of those places. No one, 68 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: i think any on either side of the aisle wants 69 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:31,280 Speaker 1: to see the Second Amendment removed. But we also want 70 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 1: to be smart enough to say, are there things that 71 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:38,920 Speaker 1: we can be doing in terms of background checks, in 72 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 1: terms of putting information in a secure place where the 73 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:47,360 Speaker 1: police and you know, someone who is a gun dealer 74 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: can't access that information before they put the guns into 75 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:55,839 Speaker 1: the hands of this individual. We could this is something 76 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:58,440 Speaker 1: that we can do. There are hippo laws right now, 77 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 1: but those hippo laws can modified by Congress Housing Secretary 78 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:05,680 Speaker 1: Ben Carson. We've got less than a minute left. You 79 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:09,599 Speaker 1: know you previously being a brain surgeon, doctors don't fight 80 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: over which doctor has the better cure. So why are 81 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:18,080 Speaker 1: politicians on either side fighting over how to get rid 82 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 1: of this epidemic in our country? Because they see it 83 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 1: as a juicy political issue that might get them some 84 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 1: more votes and some more power, and quite frankly, that 85 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 1: to me is the saddest part of working in this town. 86 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 1: Housing Secretary Ben Cars appreciate you calling in to discuss 87 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:42,039 Speaker 1: these topics and more. You can download the Sounds on 88 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:45,120 Speaker 1: podcast on Apple iTunes, at Bloomberg dot com, or by 89 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 1: downloading the Bloomberg Business app. You can also find us 90 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:50,560 Speaker 1: on Radio dot com, I Heart Radio, and Spotify. And 91 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: a reminder that Michael Bloomberg, owner of Bloomberg LP, the 92 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:57,160 Speaker 1: parent company of Bloomberg News, founded and helps fund Every 93 00:05:57,200 --> 00:06:00,359 Speaker 1: Town for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocate aids for 94 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:04,720 Speaker 1: universal background checks and other gun violence prevention measures. I'm 95 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:08,599 Speaker 1: Kevin Cirelli, Chief Washington correspondent from Bloomberg TV and Bloomberg Radio.