On the recordJuly 22, 1998
I say to fellow Senators, don't be fooled by this amendment. For the first time, we take the victim, the person who has had his or her firearm stolen, and we make them the criminal. For the first time, we say you can become a Federal criminal without ever being involved in the crime. That is what this amendment does. Don't fall for the analogy of the pit bull. If the pit bull is chained in the backyard, and there is a fence around the yard, and the yard is locked and somebody gets in that yard and inside the circle of the pit bull and is injured, it is not the owner's fault. That is the law. I hope you can join with me in opposing this. Don't make the victim the criminal. Don't say that the person should become a Federal criminal who is not even associated with the crime.
Source
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