Senator Joe Donnelly is sharing his opinion of the new assault weapons ban proposed by Senator Dianne Feinstein last week. In a written statement the Indiana Democrat voiced his opposition to the ban:
"I am a strong
supporter of the Second Amendment and my voting record shows that I have stood
time and again to protect the rights of law-abiding gun owners. Like all
Americans, I was shaken to my core by the senseless murders of 20 children last
month in Connecticut. It is only reasonable for all of us to ask, ‘What can we
do to make sure this never happens again?'
In 2007, just weeks
after 32 people at Virginia Tech were murdered by a single gunman, Democrats
and Republicans came together to improve the National Instant Criminal
Background Check System, which is used to check the backgrounds of most
prospective gun buyers. That system still does not work as well as it should
and should be examined again in the coming weeks.
Whether a gun owner
or not, a city-dweller or not, a Democrat or a Republican, everyone would agree
that we can take steps to reduce violent crime without sacrificing the Second
Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. My concern is not those who follow
the law, but those who do not. I will give serious consideration to proposals
that would keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill without
infringing on the rights of law-abiding gun owners."
Congress is considering new gun laws following the mass shooting in Newtown, CT and a push from the White House.
A senate committee met Wednesday with former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and NRA representatives in hearings on gun control.
