Lewis: I Don’t Think My Push for More Gun Control Has Anything to Do With the Constitution

On Wednesday’s broadcast of “CNN Tonight,” Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) stated that while he believes in the Second Amendment, he doesn’t believe his push for stricter gun control laws has anything to do with the Constitution.

After playing a clip of Lewis speaking in favor of stricter gun control laws, anchor Don Lemon asked Lewis, “So you don’t think this has anything to do with the Constitution anymore, do you?”

Lewis answered, “No. I believe in the Second Amendment, but there are people who say we cannot change things, we cannot make guns safe for people. At the same time, they don’t even believe in the First Amendment. There are people who are saying that the time is not right. Martin Luther King Jr. said on one occasion, at the height of the civil rights movement, the time is always right to do right.’ I don’t understand how, as elected officials, we can be at home with ourselves when we live in a society where our fellow citizens have been mowed down by guns. It’s not safe to go to school, to go to a church, a mosque, a temple, a synagogue, to go to a movie, go to a dance. What type of society are we living in? Member of Congress, as I said earlier today, we’re called to lead, to be a headlight and not a taillight. It’s time for us to be brave, courageous, and do the right thing. Democrats and Republicans must come together. The American people want us to fix the gun laws.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett