Less than a week after Elliot Rodger killed six people in Santa Barbara and left dozens wounded, conservative hero Dr. Ben Carson questioned whether the right to bear arms should include assault weapons.
"I think there's some weapons that probably are not appropriate, like tanks. And I'm not sure that people should have a rocket-launcher in their bedroom," Carson said during a speech at the National Press Club on Wednesday. "But conventional weapons, I don't have any problem with.”
Carson said Americans should be open to engaging in an open dialogue about gun rights. Ultimately, striking an appropriate balance between the right to bear arms and public safety depends upon it.
"What I have said, which some people have misinterpreted, is that in places where there's a lot of crime with assault weapons that keeping the Second Amendment on the table and always protecting it, we should be able to engage in conversations about it," Carson said. "What can we agree on that doesn't violate the Second Amendment but that provides some degree of protection for our citizens. Unless we can talk about these kinds of things we will never succeed with these kinds of things.”
Carson also noted his strong support for the Second Amendment, calling it an “essential part of our constitution” because it gives “the populace the ability to assist the military in case of a foreign invasion but more importantly it's there because if we ever have a rogue government that wants to dominate the people the people will have the ability to defend themselves.”
(H/T: TPM)
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