Transcript: Gov. Transcript: Gov.

This transcript is from an interview with Gov. Jared Polis from Colorado, which aired on Sunday, November 27, 2022 on “Face the Nation.”

MARGARET BRENNAN And governor, I am sure you are listening now. So let’s get right to the point. I’m sorry about the horrible shooting at Club Q. It appears that the shooter owned a handgun, and an AR-15-style rifle. Do you think he bought them illegally? Are these ghost guns not yet registered?

COLORADO GOV. JARED POLIS – According to different media outlets, at least one gun was-was a ghost weapon. These facts will be revealed over the next few days and weeks. We are thinking of the victims. They lost five loved ones, and many were left with grievous injuries. A red flag law, which we have in Colorado is another law that could have been applied in this case, but it’s up to the local police to decide how to use it. If someone is a potential danger or signs indicate that they could be, there is a legal way to temporarily expel any weapons. Here’s an example of where it might have been.

MARGARET BRENNAN Is the President right? Are you implying that the President is correct?

GOV. POLIS:  So right now, in Colorado, you could have parents or family members go for an extreme risk protection order or red flag law? It’s quite common. The mother didn’t pursue it in this case. It is possible to have the sheriff agency handle it. In this instance, it was not pursued by the sheriff agency. I’m sure that it will be investigated as to why it wasn’t. Colorado should expand the ability for DAs to seek extreme risk protection orders. This is what I believe we will be looking at. We need to ensure that the law is made public and that people have access to the necessary tools to remove dangerous weapons from someone who is in a mental crisis.

MARGARET BRENAN: Last week you said that you weren’t sure if the shooter was motivated primarily by anti LGBTQ rhetoric or if it was personal motives. Is there any evidence that this was a hate-crime? Does the fact that the shooter identified himself as nonbinary suggest that this is a hate crime?

GOV. POLIS:  Well no, on the second point of the shooters identity has nothing to do with whether a hate crime was committed or not. It is Colorado law that you can only kill five people and you will spend the rest of your lives in prison. The young man who was convicted once, and I believe he will, because the evidence against him is overwhelming, will remain behind bars forever. You can use hate crimes to increase your sentence. The murder will put this person behind bars for his entire life.

MARGARET BRENAN: President Trump has also reaffirmed his call for an assault weapons ban. The details of this case could be more complicated than that. It is possible that a portion of this gun was not registered. You were opposed to an assault weapons ban in the past when you were in Congress in 2013. 2018 is the year you change your position. In 2018, you will be the chief executive of state. Wouldn’t you love to see an assault weapons prohibition?

GOV. POLIS. However, you must also look at all of the causes. Is there a way to increase gun safety? He also had a pistol, as well as a semi-automatic gun. Do we need to have better laws about ghost guns? Are we able to have better access to semi-automatic guns for all? Also, we need to investigate the mental health aspect of this shooting incident and other shooting incidents. How did it slip through the cracks. This must be pursued in relation to the anti-LGBT rhetoric. It is unclear whether this will be the case. There is clearly a lot of rhetoric that divides Americans. We must focus on national healing, bringing people closer together, and treating each other as brothers and sisters.

MARGARET BRENNAN Governor, we are grateful for your time and for listening to us through the technical difficulties and the delay.