"The reasons behind the Second Amendment are as valid today as they were when the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution. It is part of our tradition to keep as few professional soldiers on active duty as is considered safe and to depend on trained volunteers to fill out the ranks in the event of an emergency. These "minutemen" must be capable of handling firearms if they are to be effective. For this and other reasons, we should take no steps which would infringe the right to keep and bear small arms."
"I donâ??t think the American people are there right now. But with more than 200 million guns in circulation, weâ??ve got so much more to do on this issue before we even reach that. I donâ??t think thatâ??s an option now. But there are certain kinds of guns that can be banned and a lot of other reasonable regulations that can be imposed."