Political Quotes

“Well, except the bill also applies to any advertising. It is not limited to the Internet. I would apply to a listing on Craigslist, to a listing in the local newspaper. If an individual wanted to sell his or her firearm and advertised in any way, they would potentially be guilty of a felony for not going through the Federal background check. What I would suggest--and I want to be respectful of my time because I think I am nearing the conclusion of it--what I would suggest is all of us want to stop violent crime. In drafting this substitute, what a number of Senators endeavored to do is look at the most effective proposals to do exactly that: to stop violent crime. My view is, if you have a violent criminal, we should come down on them like a ton of bricks. But at the same time we should be especially careful to safeguard the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. The Second Amendment is a critical part of the Bill of Rights, and each of us has taken an oath to defend the Constitution--an oath that I know every Senator takes quite seriously. I would suggest there is no evidence to support the claim that regulating millions of law-abiding citizens, who do not currently pose a threat, would be remotely effective to stop violent crime. What it would do is increase the pressure substantially for a national gun registry. I would suggest, instead, the contrast between this substitute and the Democratic bill is striking.…”