Political Quotes

“I thank Senator Blumenthal. I think that is critically important here. I would answer it in two ways. The first is to underscore your point. Our Nation's set of State- based firearms regulations are only as strong as the weakest link. We can have the strongest laws in Connecticut, but guns, terrorists, and would-be criminals don't observe State boundaries. If you are intent on committing a heinous crime, you probably also have the means to figure out how to get around one State's tough gun laws. Senator Durbin was here earlier talking about the fact that a large number of the weapons that are used in Chicago to commit murders--60- some odd shootings over Memorial Day weekend alone--come from outside the State of Illinois. Illinois has some pretty tough gun laws, but Indiana doesn't. So you can get to Indiana from Chicago in a heartbeat, and you could pick up a firearm online or at a gun show, or you can go to a pretty miserably regulated gun dealer and bring what effectively are illegal weapons back to Chicago. Yes, we are talking about a Federal law because this cannot be a State-based solution. Through the Chair, that being said, as Senator Blumenthal knows, State laws do have an effect. That is helpful in showing, through this body, that we are not powerless, that if we pass these laws and apply them on a national basis, it will have an effect. In Connecticut, we have seen a 40-percent reduction in gun crimes since these laws went into effect.…”