William Hughes: “Mr. Chairman, this issue is about common sense. It is not about eliminating crime because there is nothing we can do to…”

“Mr. Chairman, this issue is about common sense. It is not about eliminating crime because there is nothing we can do to eliminate crime. I own weapons. I am a sportsman, a lifetime member of the sporting community in my district, and I do not need an assault, military-type assault weapon, and I say, ``Neither do you, or neither does any other citizen of this country.'' One can argue that we should allow tactical nuclear devices under the second amendment. That is just ludicrous. We have to draw the line somewhere. I say to my colleagues, ``It's a very easy decision for us today. It's whether you are going to stand with the police in this country or whether you're going to stand with the NRA.'' Mr. Chairman, it is an easy choice for me. It has been suggested that eliminating military-type assault weapons will do nothing. Why do we have so many police around this Capitol today here talking about banning assault weapons? It is because they view the assault weapon as their enemy. After all, Mr. Chairman, they are the ones that are facing the assault weapons out there in the communities day in and day out. I say to my colleagues, ``Let's get real around this place. We have seen our communities turned into shooting galleries. They are nightmares. The reason assault weapons are so vicious is because they can kill as many people as can pull a trigger.”