CNN "Anderson Cooper 360" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Lucy McBath

Interview

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COOPER: Joining me now is Georgia Representative Lucy McBath, whose 17-year-old son was shot and killed back in 2012 while sitting in a car with a group of friends at a gas station.

Congresswoman McBath, I appreciate you being with us. You ran for Congress, in part because of the killing of your son in 2012. With today's Executive Action, do you think the President is moving fast enough when it comes to gun control?

REP. LUCY MCBATH (D-GA): Well, what I know is that President Biden understands the pain of losing someone, and it was definitely apparent in the Rose Garden today as he spoke directly to survivors like myself and advocates, he made it clear that this administration -- his administration is willing to fight to keep all of our families safe.

And of course, we know that this is a -- this is a problem that is going to take some time to dampen. It's going to take some time to create an environment in which people feel safe in their communities, and so everything that he is doing is tangible.

These are tangible actions that we know right now are building a really strong foundation, of course, which Congress, we have to build upon this foundation. But these are tangible efforts that he is willing to put, you know, forth right now, he and Vice President Harris to make sure that we're keeping our families safe.

COOPER: Obviously, as a candidate, President Biden made a lot of promises around gun reform legislation from reinstating an assault weapons ban, for appealing liability protections for gun manufacturers. Obviously, he hasn't moved on those proposals.

And given, you know, the situation that he's in, you know, his position that legislating is, quote, "a matter of timing." How patient are you willing to be?

MCBATH: In this culture of gun violence, which has been building and building for years, Anderson, it is going to take some time, it is not going to happen overnight. And every piece of policy that we put forth, every move that we make, everything that we do each and every single day is building a culture for safer communities, and he is acting to save lives.

But Congress, we are the ones that have to act. We are the ones that are responsible and accountable for our constituents, so it is up to us to do right by Americans and put forth these life-saving measures. That's our responsibility.

COOPER: Do you have any hope of Congress actually doing anything?

[20:30:00]

MCBATH: Yes, I do. The fact that I was able to lead a letter with my colleagues that we were able to appropriate and secure $25 million to study the effects of gun violence, do that research, collect that data to substantiate the policies that we need to put forth to save lives. We are moving forward. But, you know, sometimes we have to lose forward. But we are moving forward and we're building a community of activists and movement builders on the ground and, you know, gun violence prevention organizations and my colleagues that are not willing to lay down on this. We are not giving up.

COOPER: Congressman McBath, I appreciate your time and I'm so sorry for your loss.

MCBATH: Thank you so much.

COOPER: Thank you.

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