Political Quotes

“I rise today as a member of the Sportsman Caucus in strong opposition to H.R. 4296, the so-called assault weapon ban. I am a firm believer in the second amendment right to keep and bear arms. While many in Congress feel the way to control crime is to eliminate guns, I do not. In my judgment, eliminating guns will not alleviate the crime epidemic. The cause of the outbreak is the criminal. I believe we can better deter criminals by imposing strict penalties for those who commit crimes. Ultimately, the most effective way to deter crime is to send a message to the criminal that the punishment will be severe and swift. Mr. Chairman, this legislation is just another example of political posturing by the U.S. Congress. More people are killed each year with fists and feet than with these so-called assault weapons. The vast majority of murders involve handguns or some other form of a gun, but not assault weapons. According to FBI statistics, fists and feet represent about 5 percent of all homicides while assault rifles account for less than 1 percent of all murders. There are a number of methods which cause injury or death to another individual. Knives, ropes, bullets, fists, feet, blunt objects, and motor vehicles have all led to the deaths of far too many people in our society. Yet I do not believe anyone here would advocate the banning of these items. No, instead we would seek to appropriately punish those individuals involved in these heinous crimes.”