On the recordFebruary 7, 2000
I regret I have to stand up here again with my colleagues and defend the second amendment because we should not have to do that. I am honored to do it, but it is one of our amendments. It is No. 2 in the Constitution. I find myself wondering why so many of our colleagues come here over and over again to try to take second amendment rights away. The right to keep and bear arms is one of the most fundamental rights we possess. You can't pick and choose which amendment you support in the Constitution, nor should you pick and choose what paragraph you support in the Constitution. If it is in the Constitution, we ought to abide by it and honor it. The framers knew it, and that is why they placed the second amendment right up there at No. 2 in the Bill of Rights. They did not want the Federal Government to interfere with this basic right. It was part of the Bill of Rights for the people, and it was No. 2.
Source
govinfo.gov
