July 26th, 2015

Governor Perry on SOTU: Gun-free zones ‘are a bad idea’

Today on CNN’s State of the Union, 2016 GOP Presidential Hopeful, Governor Rick Perry (R-TX), joined anchor, Jake Tapper.

For more information, see http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/. Also, text highlights and a transcript of the discussion are below.

MANDATORY CREDIT: CNN’s “State of the Union”

 

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Rick Perry: gun-free zones ‘are a bad idea’

Perry on Trump: we need real solutions, not reality TV

TEXT HIGHLIGHTS

Perry on Trump and border security: “We need a president of the United States that is going to bring this country together.  …after six-and-a-half years of a president who has divided this country along a lot of different lines, we don’t need a Republican divider in chief. And I think that is where a lot of us are coming down, is that after six-and-a-half years of really difficult time for this country, economically, foreign policy-wise, not taking care of our border and securing it, those are some real issues. And Mr. Trump has — he has touched on those, but I think we really have to be wise about how we have this conversation.  We have got to be thoughtful about coming up with real solutions that work, not just throwing ideas out there to get a reaction in an almost reality TV type of way.  I do not get to work on reality TV.  I have to work in the real world.  …there is no doubt that there are some real challenges with the individuals that are coming across the border. …you heard me talking in a — I think a very specific way, in a very focused way, and not painting with a broad brush.  I was not casting aspersion upon the vast majority of the immigrants that come across here.”

Perry’s response to Trump calling him a “hypocrite”: “I went to a lot of people in — throughout years and asked them for their support.  Mr. Trump was not different.  As he has come forward, as we have got to see the real Donald Trump, I have got some real problems with that.  I think that what he is saying and what he is doing is not necessarily moving the cause of conservatism forward. I respect the men and women who are coming to Donald Trump’s events.  I mean, these are Americans that care about the same things that I care about.  But there is only one individual that is going to be standing on that stage that has had the executive experience of dealing with this.”

Perry on the Louisiana shooting, gun control, and the Second Amendment: “…I think we have the laws in place, enforcement of those laws is what seems to be lacking, both in Charleston and here in Lafayette, Louisiana. We see individuals who were obviously mentally impacted.  These were individuals who I think that somewhere, somebody didn’t do their job in the standpoint of enforcing the laws that are only on the book.  I will suggest to you that these concepts of gun free zones are a bad idea.  …if we believe in the Second Amendment, and we believe in people’s right to protect themselves, and to defend themselves and their family, that to tell them that they cannot carry a weapon that they are legally obliged to carry, that they have been through the training for, makes sense to me.  ”

Perry on the Sandra Bland case and whether the police followed protocol: “…obviously, I don’t think they followed protocol.  I think that has been from the very early viewing of that camera that there was not proper protocol followed there.  And this is going to be investigated, as it should.  And transparency is really important in this process.  So that all the citizens of the state of Texas know that this has been appropriately investigated, and if it’s found that the individuals made errors, then that that needs to be addressed and addressed in appropriate way.

FULL TRANSCRIPT

THIS IS A RUSH FDCH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION.  I’m Jake Tapper.

Donald Trump’s rise has left some other candidates in the dust, including, to a degree, former Texas Governor Rick Perry, who places 11th in our new poll. The billionaire was at the border in Perry’s home state this week, highlighting the problem of illegal immigration.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER:  Joining me now is Republican presidential candidate former Texas Governor, Rick Perry.  Governor Perry, thanks so much for joining us.  Trump originally started getting criticism from his fellow Republican candidates after he seemed to suggest that a majority of the illegal Mexican immigrants crossing the border were being sent by Mexico and were criminal, were rapists and drug dealers.  You are the longest-serving governor, I believe, in Texas history. Is that accurate?  Is that an accurate description of the illegal immigrants from Texas — from Mexico?

PERRY:  Well, it is not. And that was one of the reasons that — again, that we pushed back on his statements and that type of casting aspersion, that kind of painting with such a broad brush, when the facts don’t back that up.  We need a president of the United States that is going to bring this country together.  We need a — after six-and-a-half years of a president who has divided this country along a lot of different lines, we don’t need a Republican divider in chief. And I think that is where a lot of us are coming down, is that after six-and-a-half years of really difficult time for this country, economically, foreign policy-wise, not taking care of our border and securing it, those are some real issues. And Mr. Trump has — he has touched on those, but I think we really have to be wise about how we have this conversation.  We have got to be thoughtful about coming up with real solutions that work, not just throwing ideas out there to get a reaction in an almost reality TV type of way.  I do not get to work on reality TV.  I have to work in the real world.

TAPPER:  You were on this very program in 2014 talking about illegal immigrants.  Take a listen:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, 2014)

PERRY:  What we are substantially more concerned about in the state of Texas — and I will suggest to you across this country — are the 80 percent-plus of individuals who don’t get talked about enough that are coming in to the United States illegally and committing substantial crimes. Candy, these individuals are responsible for over 3,000 homicides and almost 8,000 sexual assaults.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER:  Governor, you sound an awful lot like Donald Trump in that clip.

PERRY:  Well, there is no doubt that there are some real challenges with the individuals that are coming across the border. But I think, as you — you heard me talking in a — I think a very specific way, in a very focused way, and not painting with a broad brush.  I was not casting aspersion upon the vast majority of the immigrants that come across here.

TAPPER:  You gave a speech, as I mentioned earlier, as we played the clip from, calling Donald Trump and Trumpism a cancer on conservatism.  He released a photograph of the two of you and said that you are a hypocrite.  He called you a hypocrite because you wanted his support in 2012.  You wanted his money in 2012.  I wanted to give you an opportunity to respond.

PERRY:  I went to a lot of people in — throughout years and asked them for their support.  Mr. Trump was not different.  As he has come forward, as we have got to see the real Donald Trump, I have got some real problems with that.  I think that what he is saying and what he is doing is not necessarily moving the cause of conservatism forward. I respect the men and women who are coming to Donald Trump’s events.  I mean, these are Americans that care about the same things that I care about.  But there is only one individual that is going to be standing on that stage that has had the executive experience of dealing with this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER:  We’re going to take a quick break.  New details about the shooter behind the massacre at the movie theater in Louisiana.  Did he target his victims because they were women?  We will talk about that issue and more with Governor Rick Perry.  Stay with us.  We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER:  Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION. I’m Jake Tapper.

Three people remain hospitalized this morning after the shooting at a Lafayette, Louisiana, movie theater that left two innocent women dead.  Police have not yet defined a motive but a talk radio host who knew the shooter told The Washington Post that he had, “an issue with feminine rights.  He was opposed to women having a say in anything.”  The theater that the shooter targeted was screening the movie Trainwreck a film written by and starring comedian Amy Schumer.  Police say that the shooter did buy his gun legally at a pawnshop in Louisiana — I’m sorry, pawnshop in Alabama rather.  Louisiana Governor and Republican presidential candidate Bobby Jindal was asked whether the shooting presented an opportunity to talk about further restrictions on gun ownership.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BOBBY JINDAL (R), LOUISIANA:  There will be an absolute appropriate time for us to talk about policies and politics.  I’m sure that folks will want to score political points off this tragedy as they try to get off previous tragedies.  Right now let’s focus on these families.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER:  Back with us now presidential candidate Rick Perry. We’ve had yet another massacre this time at a movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana.  I know you oppose greater restrictions on gun control.  But what more can the government be doing to make sure that guns are not falling into the hands of people with obvious mental and emotional problems?

PERRY:  And I think we have the laws in place, enforcement of those laws is what seems to be lacking, both in Charleston and here in Lafayette, Louisiana. We see individuals who were obviously mentally impacted.  These were individuals who I think that somewhere, somebody didn’t do their job in the standpoint of enforcing the laws that are only on the book.  I will suggest to you that these concepts of gun free zones are a bad idea.  I think that you allow the citizens of this country, who have been appropriately trained, appropriately backgrounded, know how to handle and use firearms to carry them.

TAPPER:  I don’t know that a law would have kept a gun out of the hand of the shooter in Lafayette.  But, you seem to be suggesting that a solution to the problem would be to allow patrons in the movie theater to bring guns with them into the movie theater.

PERRY:  I think that it makes a lot of sense to send a message across this country.  If we — if we believe in the second amendment, and we believe in people’s right to protect themselves, and to defend themselves and their family, that to tell them that they cannot carry a weapon that they are legally obliged to carry, that they have been through the training for, makes sense to me.

TAPPER:  That makes more sense than trying to keep a gun out of the hand of the person who had been involuntarily committed to begin with?

PERRY:  I didn’t say — I didn’t say that there’s one more important than the other I shared with you.  I think that the laws are on the books to keep individuals, you know, obviously I think that’s what’s happened in these two cases.  And we need to enforce the laws that are on the book.

TAPPER:  I want to ask you about Sandra Bland, the African-American woman in Texas who died in her cell after being held there for three days following a stop for not signaling.  You’ve made it a point in your campaign to reach out to African-American voters, to reach out to Latino voters, this is obviously an issue that many African-Americans are talking about and focused on right now.  Here’s some of the video from the dash cam from that stop.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POLICE OFFICER:  Get out of the car now!

SANDRA BLAND:  Why am I being apprehended?  You’re trying to give me a ticket for your failure?

POLICE OFFICER:  I said get out of the car.

BLAND:  Why am I being apprehended?  You are going to open my car door.

POLICE OFFICER:  I am giving you a lawful order (INAUDIBLE).  I’m going to drag you out of here.

(CROSSTALK)

BLAND:  So you are threatening to drag me out of my own car?

POLICE OFFICER:  Get out of the car!

BLAND:  And did you consult me?

(CROSSTALK)

POLICE OFFICER:  I will light you up.  Get out!

BLAND:  Wow.

POLICE OFFICER:  Now!

BLAND:  Wow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER:  And the autopsy result has concluded that she did kill herself in the cell, but beyond what happened in the cell just looking at this dash cam video as the former governor of Texas, as somebody who was in charge and command of State Troopers what’s your reaction to the behavior of that State Trooper?

PERRY:  Well, obviously, I don’t think they followed protocol.  I think that has been from the very early viewing of that camera that there was not proper protocol followed there.  And this is going to be investigated, as it should.  And transparency is really important in this process.  So that all the citizens of the state of Texas know that this has been appropriately investigated, and if it’s found that the individuals made errors, then that that needs to be addressed and addressed in appropriate way.

TAPPER:  The FBI director said this week that ISIS is now a bigger threat than al Qaeda.  You have called for boots on the ground to fight ISIS.  How does your service, you flew jets in the Middle East, how does it shape your attitudes when it comes to deploying troops abroad?

PERRY:  Well, not only has my time wearing the uniform of the country as a pilot in the United States Air Force helped paint my world view but also being the Commander in Chief for the last 14 years of the Texas National Guard. They got deployed into combat zones multiple times.  I visited with them over in Iraq and Afghanistan on more than one occasion.  I wrote a letter a week to a mom, to a family member, to a loved one, from 2003 to 2010, Jake, of a Texan who lost their life in this war against terror.  I know the cost of war.  I know, I’ve seen it on the face of these young warriors and on their families.  And before we ever send our young men and women into combat, we need to use every tool that we have —

TAPPER:  You’re talking about sending troops to Syria and Iraq to fight ISIS.  You think that we’ve exhausted every measure possible before doing that?

PERRY:  Well, I don’t have all of the intelligence at this particular point in time.  But I would suggest to you that we need a coalition of those Gulf States, of Saudi, of Jordan, of the Egyptians, the Turks, the Israelis —

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER:  Right but you called for American troops.  You called for American troops.

PERRY:  But we would be a part of that.  I don’t — our special operators would be a part of that.  We cannot affect ISIS without having personnel on the ground in a direct combat role.  But before we do that we need to make sure that we do have a coalition together.

TAPPER:  Governor Rick Perry.  Thank you very much.  We’ll see you out on the campaign trail.  Thanks for talking to us today.

PERRY:  Thank you, Jake.

 

END INTERVIEW