Clete Johnson: “I support the assault weapon ban because very simply, I believe that it will save lives. Let me be clear, I do not think…”

“I support the assault weapon ban because very simply, I believe that it will save lives. Let me be clear, I do not think it will reduce crime in America. Hopefully the measures in the crime bill will do that. What this bill does is to reduce the number of victims of violent crime. This measure simply saves lives. The most important thing this bill does is to ban large capacity clips like those used in the recent California schoolyard and New York commuter train killings in which dozens of people died. In fact, the madman in New York was subdued only when he stopped to reload. We cannot stop sick individuals from getting guns, but what we can do is make it harder for them to get weapons equipped to fire dozens of shots without reloading. This is the real effect of this legislation. I support the second amendment. I grew up in a culture that values and respects guns. I enjoy hunting and have guns in my own home for protection. Hunting and home protection are not the issue in this case. Killing people is the issue. I firmly believe that if these guns are banned, the effect will be to reduce the potential for mass killings in America. I will leave Members with this question: If a madman walks into a fast food restaurant where your wife and children are eating, would you rather he have a six-shooter or a weapon that can wipe out every person in the building? That is what this bill is about. I urge its adoption.”