Political Quotes

“let us get it clear what this debate is about. The question is whether we should try to stop crime or whether we should stop the ownership of firearms, and the first point that needs to be made is, if this legislation is far overbroad, as was mentioned by one of the previous speakers, it is not just 19 assault, battlefield-type weapons we are talking about. It is legitimate weapons being used for sporting, and hunting, and target purposes. I recently visited with the police in my hometown in Idaho, and I asked them directly whether they thought that a gun control measure like this would impact their ability to control crime, would cause criminals not to have guns, and they indicated to me, no, they did not feel that that would be the case. And then recently the National Association of Police Chiefs surveyed their membership. Resoundingly they answered that this kind of legislation will not keep guns out of the hands of criminals. What will it do? It will keep guns out of the hand of law-abiding citizens. It is those who obey the law who would not have the guns, and it is those who break the law who will have the guns.”