The Obama administration has been criticized for their inaction on gun control during their first term in office. In fact, one of the earliest efforts by Attorney-General Eric Holder back in early 2009 was rebuffed by then White House Chief-of-Staff Rahm Emanuel. In the wake of Newtown he's now calling for "meaningful action".

(CBS News) As the country is still reeling from the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn., Chicago Mayor and former chief of staff to President Obama, Rahm Emanuel, defended the president's position on guns, saying he has always been "very, very clear" on the issue.

"President Obama always stood for getting something done," Emanuel said on "CBS This Morning."

Co-host Norah O'Donnell, however, pointed out that the pro-gun control organization, the Brady Campaign, rated the president with an F grade during his first year in office for allowing guns in national parks and on Amtrak. She also pointed to a book by Danny Kleinmann called Kill or Capture that quoted Emanuel as being extremely angry when Attorney General Eric Holder said that the president backed a ban on assault weapons.

Here's her rather direct question to Emanuel and you'll hear his rather evasive reply.

NORAH O'DONNELL: "I want to ask you about what led us to this point. The assault weapons ban expired in 2004. You were President Obama’s Chief of Staff and in 2009, according to the book Killer Catcher, you were furious with Attorney General Holder who held a press conference in February of 2009 saying that the Obama administration was going to reinstitute, push the assault weapons ban, and that you sent word to Justice that Holder needed to “shut the [fuck] up on guns."