Chet Edwards: “I come from rural central Texas. It is a land where guns and hunting are a way of life. I believe in the 2d amendment.…”

“I come from rural central Texas. It is a land where guns and hunting are a way of life. I believe in the 2d amendment. But my colleagues, the constitutions was never intended to make efficient killing machines out of drug dealers, criminals and crazed individuals. To my rural and conservative colleagues, I urge them to consider this bill. Less than 3 years ago, like many of my colleagues, I thought mass killings were a big city problem, not a rural one. Yet since then in my rural district, George Hennard gunned down 23 innocent victims in a neighborhood cafeteria and David Koresh built a brutal arsenal that became part of a terrible tragedy. I have said very little about these tragedies in public, but today, in good conscience, I must plead with my colleagues to learn the lesson I have painfully learned. Mass murders can occur anywhere, anytime, in good, decent cities, urban, rural or suburban. I know we cannot stop all crazed individuals, such as Hennard and Koresh, from killing, any more than speed limits can stop all traffic deaths. But common sense dictates we can and we should make it more difficult for killers to get their hands on weapons that can kill so many, so fast. Surely in a civilized society, the right to bear arms does not mean that Al Capone, David Koresh, George Hennard or anyone like them should be able to legally buy any weapon of mass destruction.”