Patti Mason, Livingston, Texas asks:
I would like to know what your stance is on the 2nd Amendment, especially in regard to remarks you made earlier about you not being sure if ownership of certain weapons should be allowed in certain areas. In my opinion, and in most of 2nd Amendment supporters’ opinions, “shall not be infringed” means just that. If your stance has changed, I would like to know why and when.
Dr. Ben Carson:
Actually, my stance has never changed. My stance was articulated in an awkward way early on, when I entered the political fray, I subsequently learned that when you talk about things like the 2nd Amendment, your first statement is, “The 2nd Amendment cannot, in any way, be compromised.” It is such an important part of our freedoms. It was Daniel Webster who said that people of America would never suffer under tyranny because they are armed, and I believe that with all my heart and would never compromise the 2nd Amendment.
What I did say is that I would prefer not having a situation where dangerous weapons fell into the hands of unstable people, because then they’re likely to wreak havoc with them. But, you know, that’s way down the line in terms of things that I think are important, and I simply, early on, didn’t recognize that you can’t assume that people know what you’re talking about.