Video: Poll: Most Americans support universal background check

>>> is swanson.

>>> welcome back. president obama may have previewed some of what he will say on immigration an guns touz's state of the union address while speaking just in the past hour at a conference the house democratic caucus .

>> we need to get immigration reform done. and i'm going to be pushing hard to get it done. early. and we've got to be mindful about steps we can take to end the cycle of gun violence in this country.

>> those comments come as a new poll on both issues is released today. on gun control , quinnipiac poll shows americans support background checks for all buyers, 92% in favor. 7% stand opposed. on immigration reform , 56% favor allowing immigrants to stay and be given a path to citizenship. 10% say those immigrants should be allowed to stay and not allowed to be citizens. 30% say those immigrants should be made to leave. joining me now is keith boykin and lois romano . thank you both for joining us.

>> hey, tamron.

>> 92% support this as far as ban on high capacity magazines, 56 pst, ban on assault weapons , 56%. how does the nra stand in opposition to let's just single out universal background check ?

>> they can't. i mean --

>> they have.

>> they are but they can't continue. 89% of republicans actually support this idea of universal background checks and wayne lapierre himself when he was testifying about this on behalf of the nra years ago said he was in favor of universal background checks so at least have some consistency about this. clearly, the american people are standing in favor of this. how can 435 people in the house of representatives stand in the way of what the overwhelming majority of the american people want?

>> with that said, looking again at legislation, we have talked a lot about what this does to this country, how it makes us feel. we know this but it has to move along to some kind of legislation in your opinion from what we have seen thus far, and combined with this poll, is that the heart of what we're looking at eventually, universal background check ? major legislation that comes out of this?

>> ultimately, i think there's a compromise and mental health care, service pros vided.

>> sure.

>> a background check . i think they're going to try to do high capacity magazines. i don't know if they get the assault weapons ban but a majority of americans support that. that's the trickier question. i can't imagine nothing will happen on this. even michelle obama going to meet with the victim who was killed after being -- performing at the inauguration last week so i think that the american people are seeing this day after day an they want some action.

>> lois, when the same poll asked which person or group better reflects your views on guns, 43% said president obama . best reflects their views on guns. 46% say the nra does. reconcile that with universal background checks being supported 92%. how does this make sense?

>> you know, i can't answer that. there was a lot of other numbers in this poll that kind of contradicted each other, too. you know, i will say that, you know, that there's probably a good half of the country that thinks that president obama is very liberal. and so, somewhere in there they're equating that he wants a lot more than just universal background checks . that he's asking for more to be banned and so that they fall somewhere in the middle between he and the nra .

>> as i mentioned, the state of the union tuesday. the president during his inauguration address mentioned newtown but did not go in to great detail. we have seen him on the road now for the first time outside of washington, d.c. when he went to minneapolis. but with the state of the union address and hearing a little bit of what we heard today, how does he wrap it all up? not in a tidy bow but one to get some kind of legislation and pressure on congress now? as the clock is ticking here because he -- with budget issues and immigration , a lot going on here.

>> well, he asked for as much as he can get. i'm willing to bet he's going to have some newtown parents there sitting in the box with mrs. obama. and basically, this is a negotiation as keith said so he'll ask for everything on this and then hope to, you know, come out some place in the middle. i'll tell you agreeing with keith a lot of republicans now are for universal background checks and they believe that's the one thing to get. that's low-hanging fruit. i'm not sure the high clip magazines can get through but i think the universal checks can get through this congress.

>> on to immigration and keith mentioned the poll shows 56% favor allowing illegal immigrants already in the united states to stay and be given a path of citizenship but i want to bring up the number who's best handling immigration . 46% say president obama . 41% say republicans in congress. that is awfully close. is this due to marco rubio and some of the backtracking, flip flopping, whatever term you choose to associate with it? but the change in the republican party .

>> i think it's because there are two different policies goal being reflected in immigration discussion. one about securing the borders and the sense republicans are stronger on that. whether or not that's the sense. and one about a pathway for citizenship of people here and there's a sense that the democrats are stronger on that so i think that the public is weighing the two options. think they that the president is best candidate and person for dealing with immigration of people here and republicans may be better for border security and the president has to show the cards on that, too.

>> we hear democrats like yourself saying fewer people are sneaking in to the country and no proof the administration is weaker or weak on immigration or illegal immigration .

>> that's a hard argument to make, too. the truth is more deportations under this administration but that's something the democrat -- the president doesn't want to tout because that offends a lot of latinos.

>> is the it the rubio effect? you have this article, "time" cover they call marco rubio the republican savior. i think two weeks ago it was chris christie . now mark rubio. he tweeted out, there's only one savior and it is not me. i love that he needed to tell us but --

>> he's playing a role. i also suspect that this poll was taken after the eight senators came out in a very bipartisan fashion, you know, and rubio was there and john mccain was there. so i think the republicans , the smart republicans , of which rubio is one, are seeing, you know, they just came out of a very bruising election and just slaughtered among latinos and i think they're out there all the time. they're beating the drums. yes, rubio is a big part of that.

>> you called him the lynchpin in this effort.

>> i didn't call him that. senator flake did. jeff flake . he said that basically the gang of eight that have gotten together has to stay together for any legislation to pass. and he said that he believed that, you know, they were really fortunate to have rubio signed on because he was the lynchpin in the effort. meaning, you know, if he speaks everyone listens.

>> you are right. good thing you know your article better than i do. i just put whole words in your mouth.

>> that's all right.

>> it sounded good either way .

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/50734663/

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