Heritage President-elect Jim DeMint appeared today on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” discussing everything from his decision to leave the Senate to how lawmakers should approach issues of gun violence in the wake of the Newtown, CT, shooting.

DeMint urged the country to “step back and dig down” in response to the tragedy — and emphasized the need to have a thoughtful conversation before making snap judgments about what to do.

The interview runs about 10 minutes.