Following this week's emotional address from President Obama on guns, Melissa will begin the morning by discussing the extent of Second Amendment rights. Lucia McBath, who was present for President Obama’s address, will join Melissa for a discussion about her experience as an activist after she lost her son to a shooting.
Then Melissa and her panel will talk about the impact of guns on domestic violence and why the two are often addressed as separate issues.
Also we’ll go live to South Carolina where several GOP presidential candidates are attending a forum on poverty. We’ll talk to the man credited with helping the GOP focus on fighting poverty.
Plus we’ll take a look a closer look at what it means to defy the government and who’s allowed to do it. We’ll have the latest on a group of armed protesters who have occupied a federal building on a wildlife refuge in Oregon and the Alabama judge opposing same-sex marriage.
And we’ll examine the intersection of second amendment rights and race. What happens when black and white activists march with weapons in an open-carry state?
Joining our Saturday morning conversation will be:
- Dr. Jonathan Metzl, Director, Vanderbilt University, Research Director, The Safe Tennessee Project
- Vince Warren, Executive Director, Center for Constitutional Rights
- Lucia McBath, Mother of Jordan Davis and Faith and Outreach Leader, Everytown for Gun Safety
- Melissa Mark-Viverito, Speaker of the NYC Council
- Arkadi Gerney, Senior Fellow Center for American Progress
- Arthur Brooks, President, American Enterprise Institute
- Angy Rivera, Undocumented Youth Advice Columnist
- Jeanne Theoharis, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Brooklyn College
- Paul Berry, Congressional Exploratory Candidate
- Wesley Lowery, Political Reporter, The Washington Post (REMOTE)
- Sam Andrews, former Oath Keepers member
- Ariell Johnson, Founder and President, Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse
To prep for our discussions, feel free to check out:
- Barack Obama: Guns Are Our Shared Responsibility
- National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey
- The New Crackdown on Migrant Families
- Why the Government Owns So Much Land in the West
- The Oath Keeper Who Wants to Arm Black Lives Matter
- 'Oath Keepers' Member Explains Why He's in Ferguson
Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Saturday at 10am ET on MSNBC. Join the conversation—share your thoughts about these issues on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.