OUR THANK. YOU AND SCENES OF SCHOOLS CROSS THE COUNTRY ARE NOW WALKING AT A CLASSROOM PROTEST AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE. AND LAWMAKERS REFUSAL TO IMPLEMENT BROADLY SUPPORTED GUN LEGISLATION. AND ABC NEWS WASHINGTON POST FOUND THAT 98% OF AMERICANS SUPPORT UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS. AND 86% PERCENT PER SUPPORT RED FLAG LAWS THAT WOULD ALLOW LAW ENFORCEMENT TO TEMPORARILY CONFISCATE GUNS FROM PEOPLE TEMPTED TO BE DANGEROUS. SOME REPUBLICANS SAY THEY'RE WILLING TO TALK TO DEMOCRATS JUST FIND OUT IF BIPARTISAN SOLUTIONS ARE WITHIN. REACH RACHEL SCOTT HAS THE LATEST. MARYLAND JOINS ME FOR MORE ON. THIS >> WE ARE SEEING A GLIMMER OF HOPE ON THIS, SOME BIPARTISAN GROUPS OF ABOUT TEN MEMBERS MEETING BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. IT WAS SIGNIFICANT. I WILL SAY THE REPUBLICAN SENATE LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL GAVE HIM THE GREENLIGHT. OBVIOUSLY NOTHING IS GOING TO GET DONE ON CAPITOL HILL UNLESS THE LEADERS ON BOTH PARTIES SIGNED OFF ON THE TALKS. I DON'T IMAGINE THAT IF ANYTHING GETS DONE IT WILL BE SWEEPING. IT WILL PROBABLY BE PRETTY NARROW IN SCOPE. STILL, EVEN IF THEY WERE TO PASS SOMETHING NARROW IN SCOPE, SOMETHING MODEST, IT WOULD BE THAT ALONE WOULD JUST BE SUCH A SEA CHANGE. SO I THINK THAT EVERYBODY HERE IN WASHINGTON IS KIND OF HOLDING THEIR BREATH SEEING IF ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN, BECAUSE AT LEAST BOTH SIDES ARE TALKING. MEANWHILE FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP, SENATOR TED CRUZ, ANOTHER PROMINENT REPUBLICANS ARE SCHEDULED TO SPEAK AT AN NRA CONVENTION HOUSTON TODAY. WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THAT? >> YEAH LIKE YOU SAID, FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP IS THE HEADLINER. HERE HE IS REALLY THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER. THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF ATTENTION JUST ON EVERYTHING THAT IS SAID, JUST DAYS AFTER THE SHOOTING JUST A FEW HUNDRED MILES FROM WHERE IT HAPPENED. GOVERNOR ABBOTT, TEXAS GOVERNOR ABBOTT DID PULL OUT OF HIS PUBLIC REMARKS. HE'S NOW JUST SENDING A VISIT TO VIDEO MESSAGE. BACK AT SENATOR CRUZ STILL SLATED TO SPEAK. A NUMBER OF OTHER REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS WILL BE THERE. THOUSANDS OF ADVOCATES AND NRA MEMBERS. WE'RE ALSO EXPECTING SIGNIFICANT PROTESTS. GUN SAFETY ADVOCATES WILL BE. PRESIDENT THEY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEIR PRESENCE KNOWN AND I THINK THAT ALL EYES ARE GOING TO BE ON THAT CONVENTION, AS PEOPLE WANT TO SEE WHAT THAT LARGE LOBBYING GROUP IS WILLING TO TALK ABOUT, AND WHEN ANSWERS THEY HAVEN'T THEY'RE CONTINUING TO BE PRESSED ABOUT WHETHER THEY WOULD GET BEHIND OR SUPPORT, OR AT LEAST NOT GET IN THE WAY OF ANY KIND SAFETY MEASURES. >> NOW, MARY ALICE, TEXAS GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT BLAME TO THE MASS SHOOTING A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. BUT ADVOCATES POINT OUT, THAT HE HAS DIVERTED STATE FUNDS AWAY FROM AGENCIES THAT OVERSEE MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS, AND THE NONPROFIT GROUP MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA FOUND THE TEXAS RANKED LAST IN THE NATION WHEN IT COMES TO ACCESS TO MENTAL CARE. SO, HOW ARE LAWMAKERS ADDRESSING THAT SIDE OF THE ISSUE? >> YEAH, DIANE, THIS IS KIND OF A SAD IRONY IN ALL OF. THIS WE SO OFTEN HEAR REPUBLICANS SAY THIS IS THE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM, MENTAL HEALTH EPIDEMIC. AND YET WE ARE NOT SEEING MONEY SPENT TO SUPPORT THAT THEORY, TO SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. NOT ONLY IN TEXAS, BUT REALLY ACROSS THE COUNTRY. OWNERS ON THE STATS WITH YOU, THEY ARE JUST REALLY STARK. REALLY TOUGH. 38 MILLION PEOPLE LIVE IN TEXAS, IN A COUNTY WHERE THEY'RE MORE ACCESS TO GUNS, IT IS EASIER TO GET AGAIN THEN MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. AND IT IS REALLY AN ISSUE NATIONWIDE. AT LEAST 1500 COUNTIES IN THE U.S., HAVE MORE FIREARM DEALERS THEN MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS. THAT IS ACCORDING TO FEDERAL DATA. THERE ARE 570 COUNTIES WITH ABSOLUTELY ZERO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE PROVIDERS. AND IN 41 COUNTIES, TAKE A LISTEN TO THIS. 41 COUNTIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AT LEAST TEN TIMES AS MANY GUN DEALERS AS MENTAL CARE PROVIDERS. SO WE JUST CONTINUE TO SEE, IN RELATIVE COMPARATIVE TERMS, SO MUCH EASIER ACCESS, SO MUCH JUST AN EASY ACCESS TO WEAPONS AND SUCH A HARD TIME FINDING METAL SERVICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. AND LIKE YOU SAID, ESPECIALLY IN TEXAS. EVEN IF PEOPLE WANTED TO GET HELP, EVEN IF THEY WANTED TO GET HELP FOR THEIR LOVED ONES, IT CONTINUES TO BE SU