Christie: Talking gun control is not enough

(CBS News) Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., called for a comprehensive approach to reducing gun violence Wednesday on "CBS This Morning," saying, "If all we talk about is just controlling guns, which we should talk about, then we're not doing enough."

Christie said, "In New Jersey, we have the second toughest gun laws in America already," but suggested that restrictions on firearms are insufficient.

The governor decried the "stigma about mental illness treatment in this country" that prevents mentally ill people from seeking help as one contributing factor to gun violence.

He also spoke to the need to "talk about substance abuse" and examine the "violence in these video games," adding, "I don't allow 'Call of Duty' in my home."

Asked by "CBS This Morning" co-host Norah O'Donnell why he did not address gun control in his State of the State address on Tuesday, Christie said it was just a matter of prioritizing.

"In a half-hour address, you pick and choose what you're going to talk about," explaining that the ongoing recovery from Superstorm Sandy took precedence.

Christie added even if his harsh words for House Republicans when decided to postpone a vote on the Sandy relief package offended members of his own party, "I don't worry about that." 

"Sandy is and was above politics, and should be. And if my party is not putting it above politics, they're gonna hear from me about it."

He continued, "In the end, the decision that I criticized was one that the speaker made," but said, "I think we have the whole House of Representatives listening to us now."

Christie -- whose tenure has been marked by several big initiatives passed with bipartisan support -- offered some advice to a perennially fractious Washington, explaining, "The idea of divided government is you're not going to get everything you want"

"That's the art of compromise," he said. "You have to be willing to listen."

He also laughed off the notion that his popularity scared Democratic Newark Mayor Cory Booker away from challenging him in the 2013 governor's race, saying, "I think that Cory made the decision that he can best serve the people of this state...running for the United States Senate" in 2014.

Praising Booker as a "friend," Christie said that he and the mayor have "worked well together over time."