Mike Groll / AP

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivers his third State of the State address at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed “the toughest assault weapons ban in the nation” in his State of the State address Wednesday afternoon – a response to the mass shootings in Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn., and the shooting deaths of firefighters in upstate New York.

“We must stop the madness,” Cuomo said.

“This is not about taking away peoples’ guns,” said Cuomo, adding that he’s gone hunting and owns a shotgun. “It is about ending the unnecessary risk of high-capacity assault rifles.”

Cuomo previously described New York’s assault weapons regulations as having “more holes than Swiss cheese.”

The governor proposed a seven-point plan that includes the elimination of all high-capacity magazines, regardless of the date of manufacture. New York law currently prohibits magazines that hold more than ten rounds, but excludes magazines made prior to 1994.

Cuomo also proposed background checks for all gun sales between private parties, as well as stricter penalties for the illegal purchase of weapons and measures to ensure that guns stay out of the hands of mentally ill individuals.

Even before the governor spoke, the topic stirred debate in New York, which is one of seven states that currently restrict the purchase and possession of assault weapons. The others are California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Maryland according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which supports gun control measures. 

“New York’s assault weapons ban is, as he noted, riddled with loopholes, and it’s important to approach that with a fresh eye,” said Benjamin Van Houten, a managing attorney at the Law Center. “Currently California has the strongest state assault weapons ban, but I’m really encouraged by what the governor was saying today.” 

After Cuomo told a radio interviewer in December that “confiscation could be an option,” gun rights activists posted a petition to the White House’s web site calling any legislation restricting the sale and ownership of semi-automatic firearms “a clear violation of our rights as a free people.” The petition had 7,973 signatures as of late Wednesday morning.

Cuomo's aides have reportedly said the confiscation idea won't work, and he hasn't mentioned it since the radio interview.

Cuomo’s speech comes as lawmakers in other states and at the federal level direct more attention to the issue of gun control.

In Washington, Vice President Biden held the first in a series of gatherings at the White House aimed at trying to create a consensus on what to do about gun violence. 

“The president is going to act,” Biden said while meeting with gun control proponents at the White House. “There are executive orders, executive action that can be taken.”

In Colorado, which is still reeling from the movie theater shooting that left 12 dead, Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, has urged legislators to take up the issue of gun control. The Associated Press reported that gun rights advocates planned a rally outside the state Capitol Wednesday, a day ahead of Hickenlooper’s own State of the State address.

An FBI review of all 2011 homicides for which data was available found that 67.8 percent of them involved firearms – 72.5 percent of which were handguns.

On Monday, more than one hundred New York state legislators called for new laws that would cut down on gun violence. Their proposed package calls for universal background checks on all gun sales, a more stringent ban on assault weapons, and a ban on the sale and possession of magazines that hold more than ten rounds of ammunition.

Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos announced his own gun proposal on Saturday, suggesting mandatory sentences for possession of an illegal weapon and increased penalties for carrying a firearm in certain areas, like on school grounds.

“No new package of gun safety laws can be truly effective without including provisions that go after illegal guns and punish the people who use them against others,” Skelos said in a press release.

A spokesman for the governor knocked down Skelos’ proposal because it did not call for an outright ban on assault weapons.

“Any gun policy that doesn’t ban assault weapons ignores the reality of gun violence and insults the common sense of New Yorkers,” spokesman Josh Vlasto said.

Cuomo's efforts may be aided by the fact he is riding a wave of popularity. A Siena College poll conducted in November found that Cuomo is viewed favorably by 72 percent of New Yorkers.

Vice President Joe Biden keeps the hits coming after his knockout debate last night.

Tonight, Ed welcomes Richard Wolffe, Vice President and Executive Editor of MSNBC.com and MSNBC Political Analyst, on the education of Congressman Paul Ryan.

The war on women was alive and well last night, with revealing answers to a question about abortion.  Terry O'Neill, President of the National Organization for Women, joins me, next.

Paul Ryan defends his tax plan but not very convincingly. David Cay Johnston, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, and author ("The Fine Print: How Big Companies Use ‘Plain English’ To Rob You Blind") takes a crack at Ryan’s “six study” lie.

Social media commentary was fairly closely divided on who did better in Thursday night's vice presidential debate, according to NBC Politics' computer-assisted analysis of more than half a million Twitter and Facebook posts during and after the debate — and people's opinions either way largely came down to what they thought about Joe Biden's hyperkinetic performance.

Analysis through noon ET Friday suggested that a plurality of commenters thought Biden did better than Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin:

Crimson Hexagon Inc. and NBC Politics

M. Alex Johnson is a reporter for NBC News. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

That works out to a 53 percent to 47 percent edge for Biden among commenters who expressed clear opinion.

(NBC Politics analyzed 517,000 posts using a tool called ForSight, a data platform developed by Crimson Hexagon Inc., which many research and business organizations have adopted to gauge public opinion in new media. It isn't the same as a traditional survey, which seeks to reflect national opinion; instead, it's a broad, non-predictive snapshot of what's being said by Americans who follow politics and are active on Facebook, Twitter or both at a particular moment in time, and why they're saying it.)

More social media analysis from NBC Politics

Explainer: Can you scientifically quantify social media opinion?

Generally speaking, pro-Biden comment was straightforward: He did better than Ryan, and he may have helped to make up some of the ground President Barack Obama was perceived to have lost in his debate last week with Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney:

Twitter.com — 9:25 p.m. ET

Facebook.com — 11:28 p.m. ET

But pro-Ryan commentary was very different. Even people who thought he did better were likely to characterize their opinions in reaction to Biden, rather than highlight what impressed them about Ryan — much of whose favorable sentiment was expressed as annoyance at the vice president.

Biden plays aggressor in debate as Ryan argues GOP case

A representation of key words in comments that said Ryan did better illustrates the degree to which his performance was defined in relation to Biden's. Notice that the word "Biden" is fully as prominent as the word "Ryan":

AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

An American Airlines employee works in the airlines control tower at JFK International airport in New York on Aug. 1, 2012.

One of the things that makes Mitt Romney’s 47 percent comment stand out is that it flies in the face of what we really know about most Americans and our work ethic. 

As you probably know, Romney was recently caught telling a group of wealthy donors back in May, "There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what.  All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it." 

Romney calls almost half of the American population "dependent," "victims" who "believe that they are entitled" to the basic necessities.  Keep that in mind as you read this next statistic: 

90 percent of wage and salary workers were offered paid or unpaid leave in 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Only 21 percent used that leave.  You can see the whole study here. 

These are working Americans who were offered some form of time off and didn't take it.  And it’s not because they didn’t get paid.  During an average week, 57 percent used only their paid leave.  40 percent used unpaid. 

This Halloween when the streets of your hometown look more like Sesame Street then suburbia, there is one person to thank: Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

During the first presidential debate in Denver on October 3, Mitt Romney decided to discuss his plan to cut what he considers non-essential items to the budget.  "I’m going to stop the subsidy to PBS.  I’m going to stop other things," Romney said.  "I like PBS, I like Big Bird."

Social media immediately picked up on the "zinger" by Romney with Big Bird continuing as a trending topic even hours after the debate.   A week later, with the media's focus shifted towards the upcoming VP debate, new job numbers and information out of Libya, the backlash about Big Bird still continues to have a lasting impact.  Big Bird has inspired memes, Democratic campaign ads, and t-shirts.  The famous Bird even made his way onto Saturday Night Live. 

On October 31, the impact of Mitt Romney’s statement will be seen clearly.

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his wife Callista deliver a tribute to President Ronald Reagan during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Clint Eastwood gave an unforgettable performance before Mitt Romney took the stage at the Republican National Convention in August, but many viewers were disappointed that the rumors of a hologram version of President Ronald Reagan taking the stage were untrue.

But next year, we may get a glimpse of the Gipper-gram! 

Last week, Ed was disappointed by President Barack Obama's performance in the first presidential debate.

Tonight, in the first and only vice presidential debate, it was a very different reaction from Ed.

"I thought Joe Biden made up a lot of ground," Ed said in his first reaction on MSNBC to tonight's vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan.

He continued: "I have a sense that the liberal community is going to be very satisfied with what Joe Biden delivered tonight.  He was detailed, he was passionate, he made people believe he that he cares about the country and had confidence in which way this administration wants to take the country." 

"He talked about the progress that has been made and talked about the tough decisions that had to be made and the decisions that were made were the correct decisions.  I think that's what the base wanted hear tonight and they got it from Joe Biden."

Alaska Sea Life Center

Meet Mitik.

Mitik, a 15 week old orphaned baby walrus, was rescued off the coast of Alaska, and brought to his new home today, at the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn. 

Because walruses are social animals, Mitik's rescuers believe the Aquarium is a perfect fit for the 234-pound baby.  He'll join two other walruses--  Nuka and Kulu, already in residence.

Check out Chris Jansing's report on Mitik's incredible journey:

Last night, Republican Sen. Scott Brown and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren shed the discussion on Warren's heritage from their talking points.  Brown touted his voting record, but lost his footing when asked about women's rights and issues.

Sen. Brown is pro-choice; he's stood against violence against women. There's been no doubt, as Warren put it, "that Senator Brown is a good husband and a good father to his daughters."

But she reminded the audience that this election is about everyone's daughter – underscoring why Brown's votes against equal pay for women and insurance coverage for birth control and preventative services is unacceptable.

Check out Warren's take (in the embedded video) on why women’s rights can't afford to be picked apart.

Bleacher Nation

Can the Nats do it without Stephen Strasburg?

The nation's capital is enjoying its first taste of playoff baseball in 79 years. But that could all come to a screeching halt now that the team faces a do-or-die elimination game against the St. Louis Cardinals tomorrow night.

Of course, the first question that comes up if you're a Nats fan is, "Would things be different if Stephen Strasburg was allowed to pitch?"

Strasburg, the 2009 #1 draft pick and the best Nats pitcher by a lot, was shut down in the regular season by team General Manager Mike Rizzo after pitching nearly 160 innings this year. The Nationals want to be very careful with their prized pitcher who is coming off major arm surgery.

As Rizzo said, "We'll be back, and doing this a couple more times.''

But will they? There are no guarantees in sports. Injuries happen. Overachievers regress. Opponents figure out your weaknesses. Why wouldn't the Nats put themselves in the best position to win when given the chance?

Many baseball fans say the Washington Nationals deliberately left their best stuff at home. It's not unlike the criticism President Obama received for not taking it to Mitt Romney (or talking up his own achievements) in their first debate meeting.

In another encouraging takeaway for Democrats, NBC/WSJ found that Democrats’ ground game may be paying dividends in early voting.

Obama is winning Ohioans who have already cast their ballot by a 63-37 percent margin, and they make up 1 in 5 of the poll’s respondents.

Early voting began the day before the first debate, giving Romney an opportunity to potentially bank some ballots ahead of Election Day with his strong performance, but it seems from NBC’s results that Obama still has the edge there.

Some 92 percent of voters also said their minds were made up before the debate, suggesting that Romney may have somewhat small — though still significant — base to court in the final weeks.

Meanwhile, if you really want to make your head spin with relevant but sometimes contradictory polling information but always brilliant analysis, check out Nate Silver’s column today.

Last night, the Discovery Channel aired a special on the gun culture in America. They spent some time with Republican political activist and gun enthusiast Ted Nugent.

The special seemed comical to say the least, and really didn't  take "an inside look at American gun culture" as it was supposed to. It really just gave an inside look at Ted Nugent’s gun culture.

The average outdoors men isn’t out shooting a .50 caliber Machine Gun at 4 inch thick steel doors:

The average hunter out there also isn’t firing a chainsaw shot gun…