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Brzezinski Implores Virginia Gov. McDonnell to Close Gun Show Loophole
Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski broke from the panel discussion Tuesday and implored Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell to close the state’s so-called gun show loophole. The MSNBC panel was discussing lax gun show laws allowing persons to purchase semi-automatic guns with little or no background check performed on them.

Brzezinski, seemingly abandoning journalism in favor of advocacy, tersely asked Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell on camera to close the state’s gun show loophole. “Just close the loophole. Governor Bob McDonnell,” Brzezinski pleaded, staring into the camera as she singled out the state’s chief executive.

Virginia law presently allows private transactions at gun shows to be completed without paperwork. Federal law mandates licenced gun sellers to perform background checks on buyers; private sellers are not obliged by the state to do so.

The segment began with a report of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg revealing that undercover investigators, hired by the city, went to an Arizona gun show and bought semi-automatic pistols even while they claimed they probably wouldn’t be able to pass a background check.

Mayor Bloomberg highlighted the investigation as evidence that tougher federal gun laws need to be passed. The MSNBC panel agreed with him and discussed the ramifications of gun show loopholes.

“It’s easier to buy an AK-47 assault weapon than it is to buy an automobile in some states,” lamented columnist Mike Barnicle. Mika Brzezinski touted her husband’s investigative work, where he apparently filled the trunk of his car with guns at a Virginia gun show with no problem. “90 percent of Americans don’t want this to continue,” reported Joe Scarborough on gun transactions sans background checks.