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Ted Cruz Comes Out Guns Blazing on ‘Unconstitutional’ Gun Control Proposals

Jan. 6, 2013 3:40pm Mytheos Holt

Newly minted Texas Senator Ted Cruz has barely been in office for a weekend, and has already displayed his characteristic capacity for rhetorical sharpness combined with constitutionalism. Appearing on Fox News Sunday today, Senator Cruz was asked about gun control proposals being offered in the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut shooting, and whether he could support any of them. Cruz’s reply, while empathetic to the victims, was quite firm.

“The reason we’re discussing this is because of the tragedy in Newtown. And every parent – my wife and I, we’ve got two little girls, age 4 and age 2 – every parent was horrified by what happened there. To see twenty children, six adults senselessly murdered, it takes your breath away,” Cruz began, before pivoting to the political question.

“But within minutes,” Cruz continued, “we saw politicians run out and try to exploit this tragedy, try to push their political agenda of gun control. I do not support their gun control agenda for two reasons: Number one, it’s unconstitutional.”

When the host pressed Cruz on whether there was anything he could support, Cruz said he supported using measures to update the Federal database of who was ineligible to own a firearm. However, he took special aim at a proposal by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to create a national registry of who owns guns, saying the Federal government had no business keeping a list of who chooses to exercise their Second Amendment rights.

Watch below:

Cruz’s constitutional critique is a fairly common talking point among Republican legislators. However, coming from Cruz, it may carry additional weight, as the former Texas Solicitor General has won multiple cases arguing before the Supreme Court itself, and clerked for former Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

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Comments (155)

coreyardis
Posted on January 9, 2013 at 12:15am
Dont worry about confiscation, The progressives know that will be bloody. First and foremost they will reinstate the ban on Assault Rifles (whatever that is) and high capacity clips, then implement a limit on the amount of ammo you can purchase at one time or period of time, the next step will be a weapon TAX on all things guns then the one that will make the whole thing a success, They will require anyone who owns a weapon to carry some sort of mandatory Insurance on each weapon. You will be surprised how many people will willingly give up their weapons. I WILL NOT COMPLY!

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Turxx
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 4:33pm
my name is Troy Dulude and I’m from Minnesota. I support the Constitution with every fiber of my being and recognize the Bill of Rights as rights we are born with, not because we are Americans but because we are human beings. I oppose our actions in the middle east, Obama care, gun control, the federal reserve… I believe corporations are not people. I believe the system is corrupt. I believe politicians are not above the law. I believe our president is out of control, as was the previous. The solution starts with your states, demand your states declare sovereignty. This does not mean secede!! It means stick to the Constitution: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people (the 10th amendment). Read the Constitution and stand up for it. Stop voting the same people in who would destroy it or sell you down the river for big bank or big business agenda. Demand change and be ready to fight for it. There has never been a time in our history since the Declaration of Independence where it has been more important to sever political ties, to stand up and shout, “I AM A HUMAN BEING, I AM FREE AND MY VOICE MATTERS!”. This is a republic, our government was designed to represent the majority while defending the minority from oppression. This is America, land of the free and home of the brave. Don’t tread on me.

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butthedd
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 9:59pm
The founding fathers gave us a brilliant constitution to live by and the second amendment is a big part of that. We must retain the right to protect ourselves from ALL attackers foreign and domestic.

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TotallyNotATroll
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 9:27pm
The problem with the mental illness issue on owning a gun is too many psychiatrists make judgements based on the likeability of a patient, unlike most medicine (I want to say real medicine) that uses diagnostic tools such as that giant pumping artery on the side of your head to say you have a neck wound. Rarely is there any actual basis for a psychiatric finding, and you just have to doctor shop to find one that agrees with you.
The other problem is by being overly zealous on this aspect, we scare people away that may have sought treatment for some mental illness, but don’t want to be diagnosed and then lose rights as a result. Many veterans I know personally have fallen into this category, and I can’t say I blame them.
Yes we need to treat the crazies, but we need to be real careful in how we decide who can and can’t own a gun as a result of treatment, and a reasonable person should be able to conclude the same ahead of time, so that people don’t have to be afraid to seek it.

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- Mahdi Al-Dajjal
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 9:09am
  I totally agree that this whole “mental health” issue is a backdoor to confiscation.
  
  They’ll start off slow saying that ONLY people who have been diagnosed with certain mental health issues cannot ever own a firearm and any guns you do own will be confiscated.
  
  Then they’ll say that if you’ve ever suffered from depression you cannot own a firearm and must turn in your guns.
  
  Then, they’ll say that if you ever had ADHD, AUTISM, and a few others, you cannot ever own a firearm and must turn in any guns you do own.
  
  Then, its only a matter of time before they declare that ANY mental health issue of ANY kind is an automatic ban to gun ownership.
  
  After that, they’ll start changing the definition of “mental health issue” to include if you’ve ever had any COUNSELING of any kind (marital issues, grieving issues, parenting issues, etc), then THAT becomes a reason why you cannot own a gun of any kind and must turn in any guns you own.
  
  Once they get their foot in the door (using a tragedy of some kind as a spring board), it’s only a matter of time before they’re completely inside, taking over the whole place and starting to order people around.
  
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Arshloch
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 1:02pm
If ever a can needed to be ‘kicked down the road’ it’s the one dianne frankenstein uses daily. A kick in time saves mine.

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lgccac
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 8:17am
We are so very proud of Senator Cruz here in Texas. Imagine, someone who actually believes in and supports the Constitution.

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Stab_friendly
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 8:04am
Who is exploiting Newtown for political gain? One of the oldest political tricks is to claim your opponent is doing something that you are doing. It’s like Fox “opinionated” News calling out the liberal media when they are the most politically slanted so called news network along side MSNBC. Cruz is just another divisive politician using any media outlet he can for his own political gain.

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Penn
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 7:54am
In a society where every day hundreds of unborn babies are murdered without a though, where a meglomaniac without restraint orders the execution of enemies by remote control while eating his pie, the hypocrites who make up our ruling class are using this tragic incident for THEIR protection and control of us. If weapons are taken from the American people our subjugation will be complete.

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LameLiberals
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 7:44am
Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Mike Lee ARE THE ONLY TRUE CONSTITUTION congressman in either the HOUSE or the SENATE. All the others are ether full blown RINOs like Bohener, Every Bush, McCain, Snowe, Collins, etc OR a play lip service to 2nd/4th amendment by voting for Patriot Act and NDAA like Michille Bachman and several more. I hope the country splits up into separtate countries because I would be proud to live under a president Lee, Cruz or Hill. Stick a fork in the USA – it is over.

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FightingBear
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 7:00am
It certainly doesn’t fit the agenda so it will never be talked about/reported on but the drugs that this guy was taking or recently stopped taking more than likely played a large role in this massacre. (Based on the history of these types of shootings.

Here is a columnist who is asking the right questions…. but they will never be answered…because of the gun control agenda of the left. It is simply too inconvenient to put the blame anywhere other than on the weapon that was still in the back seat of his car when they found him dead in the school.

http://www.wnd.com/2013/01/the-giant-gaping-hole-in-sandy-hook-reporting/

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azghost
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 6:59am
Notice how the killings happen at a “gun free zone”? I don’t think we need gun control we need “politician control” !

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- jettson
  Posted on January 7, 2013 at 9:22am
  Absolutely Right. We must follow the constitution no matter what. We all have to make a stand. We will not let them change the law to fit there agenda. People we have to stop the fools that are destroying our country. We need more people like Senator Cruz.
  
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orecon
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 3:22am
It should be noted that Kehoe could have legally owned a fully automatic machine gun in 1927, so his choice to use explosives was not based on unavailability of ” military type rifles”. Today a Fully automatic rifle cannot be legally manufactured for civillian use or sale. Tommy Guns were quite popular with prohibition era gangsters.

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orecon
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 3:21am
The Bath School disaster is the historical name of the violent attacks perpetrated by Andrew Kehoe on May 18, 1927 in Bath Township, Michigan that killed 38 elementary school children and six adults, and injured at least 58 other people.[Note 1] Kehoe first killed his wife, fire-bombed his farm and set off a major explosion in the Bath Consolidated School, before committing suicide by detonating a final explosion in his truck. It is the deadliest mass murder in a school in United States history.”
The banning of certain firearms from law abiding citizens will not stop the determined mass killer. The mall shooting in Oregon and the Newtown school shooting both ended when the shooters were confronted by men with guns, the difference in deaths can be attributed to the fact that in Oregon a concealed carry permit holder was on site and did not have to arrive on scene to respond. Both killers took their own lives when guns were pointed at them. Newtown police were brave and responded as well as humanly possible, but they could not be everywhere at once. Gun free zones are nothing more than free fire zones.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103186662
http://www.arniebernstein.com/bath_massacre__america_s_first_school_bombing_109464.htm

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