Louie Gohmert: Assault weapons could also mean hammers

"I refuse to play the game of 'assault weapon,'" Gohmert said

Published January 4, 2013 10:11PM (EST)

Louie Gohmert says he won't "play the game" of defining an assault weapon because the term is so broad it can mean lots of weapons, such as hammers and machetes.

On the "Dennis Miller Show," guest host Larry O’Connor asked Gohmert about Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., who commented yesterday: "I really don’t know why people need assault weapons.”

"Why would anyone need an assault weapon as they’re defining it?" O'Connor asked.

"I refuse to play the game of 'assault weapon,'" Gohmert said. "That’s any weapon. It’s a hammer. It’s the machetes. In Rwanda that killed 800,000 people, an article came out this week, the massive number that are killed with hammers. Homemade bombs, those kinds of things. The issue is why should you have the right to bear arms, why should you have the right to free speech even though I don't like what you're saying?"

Here's the audio, via ThinkProgress:


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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Assault Weapons Ban Dianne Feinstein Gun Control Gun Violence Louie Gohmert Video