U.S. Representative Richard Hudson, from North Carolina’s 8th Congressional district, released a statement Wednesday in reaction to President Barack Obama’s package on gun control.
“The President’s recommendation to restrict our Second Amendment rights is stunning in both its presumption and blatant disregard for the principles upon which our nation was founded. Not only does enacting potentially unconstitutional measures in response to a tragic incident undermine the rights of every American, but we know these policies don’t work,” Hudson said.
President Obama signed 23 executive orders aimed at gun control on Wednesday and also asked Congress to pass additional gun control laws including ones that would require a background check on all gun sales; restore a ban on “military-style assault weapons;” ban gun magazines with capacities of more than 10 rounds; and toughen penalties on people who sell guns to those who can’t have them.
Hudson said that Obama’s actions were a “hasty solution,” and focusing on protecting people and identifying the reasons for gun violence is more important.
“The fact of the matter is, we cannot regulate people’s actions, no matter how much we attempt to regulate their freedoms. Implementation of the President’s recommendations would disarm the average citizen and open ourselves up to continued acts of violence,” Hudson said.
In a press conference on Wednesday, before Obama signed the executive orders, the president said, “If there is even one life that can be saved, then we’ve got an obligation to try it.”
Obama went on to remind people of the shooting tragedies that have happened and said ” … the right to assemble peacefully, that right was denied to shoppers in Clackamus, Oregon, and movie goers in Aurora, Colorado. That most fundamental set of rights, to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Fundamental rights that were denied to college students at Virginia Tech, and high school students at Columbine, and elementary school students in Newtown and all the families that never imagined that they’d lose a loved one to a bullet … .”
Hudson, a freshman Republican congressman, said that the Newtown community constantly reminds him to question the reasoning behind the tragedy, but “I believe a more thoughtful and extensive conversation is warranted to prevent this from happening again.”
U.S. Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina also disagreed with Obama’s decision. In a statement released Wednesday, Burr said, “I will fight any effort to further infringe on the Second Amendment rights of American citizens, whether it is legislation or executive action by the President. I am open to having a conversation about ways in which our nation can address mental health issues and reduce violence, but I will not stand by while the President and others try to restrict the rights of law-abiding American citizens.”
In a statement released Wednesday, U.S. Senator for North Carolina Kay Hagan said that while she agrees with laws that prevent a shooting tragedy from happening again, she also wants to respect the rights of responsible gun owners.
She also said there needs to be “a serious common sense debate in Congress that looks at access to guns, access to mental health care and violent video games.
“As I have said, I will look at any proposal with an open mind, including the President’s proposals to make schools safer and grant law enforcement additional tools to prosecute gun crime,” Hagan said.
— Staff Writer Laura Edington can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 18, or by email at ledington@civitasmedia.com.
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