Washington, D.C. – Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn released the following statement today after President Barack Obama announced a series of proposals to protect our children and communities by reducing gun violence:
“I applaud the President for his leadership on this issue, and I hope Congress will work with him in a bipartisan way to advance these proposals. This is about common sense. This should be about our children. This should be about mental health. This should be about whether or not it makes sense for individuals to be able to walk the streets with weapons that are made for war. This is also about whether or not we will have background checks to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of felons and the mentally ill. This should not be any kind of a question about constitutional rights. The First Amendment guarantees free speech, but it does not give one the right to yell fire in a crowded theater. What this ought to be about is a discussion of how we maintain Second Amendment rights while keeping people secure in their homes and our children safe in their classrooms. I look forward to working with the President and my colleagues in Congress on this vitally important issue.”
Click here to watch my interview with Thomas Robert on MSNBC (January 16, 2013)