trying to take gun-control off the table. what little they are saying, both of them differ sharply from positions they once held. it isn't for us to decide what is wide or long when it comes to gun control but that is you to decide. we believe that of you. keeping them honest tonight, both president obama and former governor romney heavy their flip-flop on the show or back away from it. see if you can spot any difference between the 2 met candidates. >> i still believe the second amendment is the right course to preserve and defend and don't believe that new laws are going to make a difference in this kind of tragedy. >> that's mitt romney last night. quote, the president's view is we can take steps to keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them under existing law. did you see much difference? neither did house republican speaker john boehner today. >> has made clear he's not going to use this horrific event to push for new gun laws. i agree. >> such as the ban on assault weapons. it barred the sale of assault rifles, specifically including the ar-15, and high capacity magazines like the 100-shot drum the aurora shooter used. that law, though, had a built-in expiration date eight years ago. four years ago, then candidate obama supported reviving the law. >> the reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural ohio than they are for those plagued by gang violence in cleveland. but don't tell me we can't uphold the second amendment while keeping ak-47s out of the hands criminals. >> he apparently felt the same last year in the wake of the tucson shooting. >> the president, again, since i've been with him in 2004, has supported the assault weapons ban and we continue to do so. >> this year, however, even before the colorado massacre, the white house was already backing away from the issue. >> -- expired in 2004, has the president taken a stand on extending that? >> i'll have to get back to you on that. i don't have any new information on that. >> white house spokesman jay carney says the president continues to support the weapons ban but described it as an issue for the future, not now. carney also said existing laws are enough. if president obama has recently started downplaying the former position as the presidential campaign has gotten started, mitt romney has done a complete 180 on the issue. here's what he said when he was running for governor of massachusetts. >> we do have tough gun laws in massachusetts. support them. i won't chip away at them. i believe they help protect us and provide for our safety. >> that was in 2002 running for governor. governor romney signed a permanent assault weapons law. deadly assault weapons had no place in the commonwealth he said at the time. in the next year in anticipation of a presidential run, he began shifting his position on gun control. he designated may 7th the right to bear arms day in massachusetts and he began quoting the national rifle association. then in 2007, he became a lifetime member. after the nra's endorsement, he said at the time, i'm not sure they'll give it to me, i hope they will. also that year when asked on "meet the press" when he would bring back the federal assault weapons law, decide for yourself. >> i supported the ban. let me describe it. let's describe what it is. i would have supported the original assault weapon ban. i signed an assault weapon ban in massachusetts as governor because it provided for a relaxation of licensing requirements for gun owners in massachusetts, which was a big plus. and so both the pro-gun and anti-gun lobby came together with a bill and i signed that. if there is determined to be, from time to time, a weapon of such lethality that it poses a grave risk, that's something i would consider signing. >> apparently he felt different three years before. back then there were plenty of weapons he considered lethal enough to ban. apparently not anymore. today, both he and the president say existing laws are good enough. raw politic, now. let's talk about it with national correspondent john king and political analysts gloria borger and david gergen. whether they think they're a good idea or not, whenever the subject comes up, it does seem like most of them can not change the subject fast enough. i mean, is it just that divisive an issue? >> well, it can be a tough issue. you have people like the new york mayor michael bloomberg. they have been consistent. they say the country needs to have a conversation about what they would call commonsense gun laws. they view this as taboo. why? because the legend of democratic politics is it's probably one the reasons al gore lost the white house in 2000. his campaign manager, our colleague donna brazile, says not so much. there were other issues as well. al gore lost his home state of tennessee. he lost west virginia. barack obama is looking at a map where he probably needs to win pennsylvania. he would like to win ohio. he would like to keep north carolina and virginia. endorsing new gun controls at this time by most democrats is considered too risky so they'd rather change the subject. >> david it does seem like the conversation on guns is just frozen. >> it's terrible. listen, there was a president named bill clinton who had the guts to stand up on these issues. he did it in 1993. signing the brady law. 1994, he added another law. then he came up with the bullet law. three laws. and he got re-elected. he showed some leadership. we don't see that today. >> gloria, you take a look at the polls regarding gun control and there has been a huge shift among americans over the past two decades from one side of the issue to other. is there a sense on what's driving that change? >> as david was saying, you might go back to 1994, when bill clinton and the congress actually passeded that ban on assault weapons, which has since expired. and when they passed that ban on assault weapons, then gun owners decided, and the nra decided, they needed to make sure that what that ban expired, that nobody would renew it. and it became a single issue for an awful lot of voters. and then also i think, anderson, you look at the sort of anti-government attitudes now that seem to be on the increase. we see that with the rise of the tea party for example. and if you're anti-big government, then you don't want government getting in the way of your second amendment rights. so i think you take all these things together. and the political issues that john was talking about, particularly in rural america, and among blue collar voters. and you say it's a formula for getting nothing done. >> john, for the politics, for president obama, is that particularly sensitive? mostly among white working class voters? >> exactly. you know looking at the 2012 map it will be much tougher than 2008. so one of the ates president obama, he turned north carolina from red to blue. turned virginia from red to blue. turned colorado where this tragedy occurred, the most recent tragedy, from red to blue. he needs to keep nevada in play. all of those states, it's risky to be for gun control. those blue collar voters gloria talked about, if he loses white union voters, that puts michigan at risk, could put wisconsin at risk. if you're looking at this issue and looking ahead to the presidential election, it's simply keep your hands off. yes, the president did promise back in 2008 he would push some new gun control laws but he never has and he's not about to now. >> you look at mitt romney's, i guess you would call it evolution on this issue from massachusetts campaign to today. what are the politics for him as he moves forward? >> well, he's got his base to worry about. he wants to get a high turnout from his base. when he was governor of massachusetts, said, you know, we have to have a ban on assault weapons. he said it was good for massachusetts. now because he's chasing after his base, he's run away from that position. president obama campaigned in 2000 8. said he would get a new assault weapons ban. one that gloria just said expired. he would renew it. and here, today, his press secretary is now telling -- the gun laws on the books today are s sufficient. >> you could make the case if he wants to consolidate his base what he ought to do is extend the assault weapons ban, which he has not done. but he's worried about those independent voters. 55% of them say they care more about the gun owners than curtailing gun ownership, right? so this is where he's living right now. to attract those independent voters. i would argue on a congressional level it's really important to congressional democrats in the south. but i think the president has a little bit more wiggle room here than he thinks. particularly if he's trying to consolidate his base. >> it's not my job to take a position one way or another on this subject. but just how neither side wants to have this discussion. both sides are just kind of wanting to move away and stay off it as much as possible. david gergen, gloria borger, john king, thanks. we have more to tell you about the survivors of the aurora shooting. we continue to focus on the survivors and the victims. we're going to talk to the father of this man, alex sullivan, who was killed on friday. it was his 27th birthday. sunday would have been his first wedding anniversary. we're also going to introduce you to a little girl, a baby-sitter named kaelin. she tried to save the life of another child killed in the shooting. >> there's no words to describe what was going through my mind. i thought i was going to die. you see us, at the start of the day. on the company phone list that's a few names longer. you see us bank on busier highways. on once empty fields. everyday you see all the ways all of us at us bank are helping grow our economy. lending more so companies and communities can expand, grow stronger and get back to work. everyday you see all of us serving you, around the country, around the corner. us bank. you won't just find us online, you'll also find us in person, with dedicated support teams at over 500 branches nationwide. so when you call or visit, you can ask for a name you know. because personal service starts with a real person. 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[ male announcer ] this is our beach. ♪ this is our pool. ♪ our fireworks. ♪ and our slip and slide. you have your idea of summer fun, and we have ours. now during the summer event get an exceptionally engineered mercedes-benz for an exceptional price. but hurry, this offer ends july 31st. for an exceptional price. male spirit present.trong it's the priceline negotiator. >>what? >>sorry. he wants you to know about priceline's new express deals. it's a faster way to get a great hotel deal without bidding. pick one with a pool, a gym, a great guest rating. >>and save big. >>thanks negotiator. wherever you are. ya, no. he's over here. >>in the refrigerator? chances are, you're not made of money, so don't overpay for motorcycle insurance. geico, see how much you could save. welcome back christian bale, star of "the dark knight rises," was in aurora, visiting people injured. there's a picture of christian bale with a man shot in the leg. saying words cannot express the horror he feels. amid all the grief and pain in aurora, there are some stories of survival. we want to tell you some of those stories tonight as we continue to focus and remember the victims. the youngest victim, veronica moser-sullivan, was just 6 years old. a vibrant little girl with -- well, obviously her whole life ahead of her. that horrible night at the movie theater, the night veronica was killed and her mother was critically injured, a 13-year-old girl named kaelin, veronica's baby-sitter, desperately tried to save the little girl's life. at just 13 years old, kaelin showed tremendous courage, even though she thought she herself was going to die. poppy harlow has her story. >> we just put kaelin into your hands, lord, your loving, merciful -- >> reporter: prayers for 13-year-old kaelin, a survivor. >> he just kept firing, and then he would stop like he was reloading. and he kept firing at anyone he saw. i thought i was going to die. >> reporter: you thought you were going to die? >> i've never had that feeling before in my life and it's the scariest feeling. to think that you're going to die. >> reporter: kaelin watched as three people with her at the batman screening were shot, including the 6-year-old girl she regularly baby-sat, veronica moser-sullivan. >> i felt like it was partly my job to protect her. and even if i wasn't her baby-sitter, i would still feel the same because she was just -- she was just a child. >> reporter: lying on the theater floor, she called 911. >> i put my hand on veronica's like rib cage to see if she was breathing but she wasn't breathing so i started freaking out. and then they told me to do cpr and i told them i couldn't because her mother was on top of her and couldn't move. >> reporter: veronica's mother, ashley, was shot in the neck and abdomen. she lived. veronica did not. >> she liked to draw. and she liked to look at the -- i had a bunny -- well, i have a bunny in my rue and she always liked to look at the bunny. >> reporter: you okay? take your time. her pastor calls her a girl with a servant's heart. >> she's the type of kid that would come in the room and say, "what can i do to help?" you know, how can i give of myself? a young kid. that really can't be taught. >> reporter: how has this changed your life? >> there's certain things i can't, like, hear, or certain things i can't look at or certain things that i can't do or even wear. >> reporter: like what? >> like the clothes that i wore that night. i don't want to put those on again. popping sounds. or like banging. if it sounds a certain way. and i can't really look at popcorn. >> reporter: i know you want to say something to ashley, the mother of veronica, the little girl you tried to help. >> all i want right now is to go visit ashley. >> reporter: kaelin may not have been physically wounded but she still bears the scars. poppy harlow, cnn, aurora, colorado. >> kaelin seems amazing. said she either wants to be an actress or a doctor. she said she didn't know what doctor she wanted to be before this tragedy but now she wants to help people in the icu. alex sullivan died in theater nine. it was his 27th birthday. he'd gone to the film to celebrate. he was just two days shy of his first wedding anniversary. another young life cut far too short. his family began a frantic search. they rushed the staging area for information. his father, tom sullivan, on friday, carried a photograph of his son. >> this is him. his name's alex sullivan. today's his birthday. >> alex with an "x"? >> yes. >> how old is alex? >> 27. we're looking for him. he's not on any list yet. >> he was at the movie? >> at the movie to celebrate, as i said, his 27th birthday. earlier that night, here's what alex tweeted. one hour till the movie it it's going to be the best birthday ever. alex did not survive theater number nine. i spoke to his father, tom sullivan, earlier. first of all, i'm just so sorry for your loss. i cannot imagine what you and your family are going through right now. i've read so many words describing alex. people saying he was full of love. always laughing. a big heart. how do you describe him? what do you want people to know about him? >> well, i mean, that's it. from when he was a baby, that's what we used to say to each other. he was my best buddy in the whole world. and we said that back and forth till, you know, even last week, you know, that's how we referred to each other. everybody i went, i mean, i always went with him places. people would say, tom, when i see you, you know, you're always with your kids. and i said, well, you know, that's why you have them. i mean, they're supposed to be with you. and that's what we did. we went everywhere. >> it was alex's 27th birthday. he was celebrating by going to see that movie, right? >> well, they always -- we always have gone to the movies on his birthday. we started back when he was 6 years old. we went and saw "the rocketeer." after the movie was over, they had a special at pizza hut that he would get a special little kid's mug and a hat and all of that, and we went to the pizza hut and they were all out of the promotion. so he was really disappointed. but him and megan, his sister, were so hungry, we decided just to order a large pizza and we shared it. >> and -- >> but we always go to the movies. several years after that, yeah, several years after that, we went to -- on his birthday, went and saw "jurassic park." and when the raptors come out, i have never even to this day had my hand squeezed as hard as it was when those raptors were running around. and he was so scared. and that was the only movie that he'd never sat all the way through. we ended up running up to the top the theater and spending the rest of the movie peeking around the corner, trying to see it. and when that movie was over, we went across the parking lot to the red robin and had his birthday dinner over there. which is where he was -- you know, all of his friends were with him at the movie there. he enjoyed, you know, even when he was 9 years old his birthday with people from red robin. >> it was not only alex's birthday. he was also getting ready, i understand, to celebrate his first wedding anniversary. i think it was going to be on sunday to his wife cassandra. >> it was sunday. >> how is she doing? >> she's coping. she's coping. >> is there anything else you want people to know, that you want to say? we've been trying over the last couple of days just to talk to as many family members as possible and just remember as many -- and celebrate the lives of the 12. and i just wanted to give you an opportunity. if there's anything else you want people to know. >> well, he was just such a fun guy. and he was so empathetic, you know, to people. and cared about people. and don't be surprised if at some point somebody that you're talking with, you'll say something about alex, and they'll say, you mean that big guy in from colorado who was the movie guy and loved hockey and all of that? and you'll say yeah. well, i know him. you know, i met him. i mean, we're get things that we -- we got a fruit basket from a company that he only worked for for three months. and they didn't want to let him go but the business was doing so poorly they couldn't afford him. and that was eight years ago. i mean, he affected, you know, that employer so much that, you know, we've got a fruit basket at our house. i mean so don't worry, you'll run into someone who knows him and they'll tell him all about him. i mean, he's just the best. as i say, my best buddy in the whole world. >> on sunday, there was a memorial service and i found one of the things most moving is when they read out the names of each person and the crowd roared back "we will remember you." and so that is my hope and my prayer. we will remember alex and all the others. tom, i appreciate you being on. thank you. >> oh, yeah. we well never forget him. >> tom, thank you. tom sullivan. amid the tragedy in colorado, some incredible stories of survival and friendship. best friends stephanie davies and ali young seen here with president obama stuck together during the rampage. stephanie applied pressure to ali's gun wound. you hear a lot about miracles. with the idea of hybrid technology... it's already ingrained in our dna. during the golden opportunity sales event, get great values on some of our newest models. this is the pursuit of perfection. why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? 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