In an open letter published Tuesday, Samuel Wurzelbacher, better known as "Joe the Plumber," took a hard stance against gun restrictions in the wake of the Santa Barbara shooting rampage.
"I myself have a son and daughter and the one thing I never want to go through, is what you are going through now," Wurzelbacher wrote, addressing the parents of the victims of the Friday massacre. "But: As harsh as this sounds – your dead kids don’t trump my Constitutional rights."
Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber, in Toledo, Ohio, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. (Madalyn Ruggiero/AP)
Wurzelbacher noted the calls from victims' parents, particularly Richard Martinez, for increased gun control following the tragedy.
"There are no critical words for a grieving father," Wurzelbacher wrote. "(Martinez) can say whatever he wants and blame whoever he’d like – it’s okay by me. You can’t take a step in his shoes – at least I can’t. But the words and images of Mr. Martinez blaming 'the proliferation of guns', lobbyists, politicians, etc.; will be exploited by gun-grab extremists as are all tragedies involving gun violence and the mentally ill by the anti-Second Amendment Left."
Richard Martinez, whose son Christopher was killed in Friday night's mass shooting in Isla Vista, Calif., breaks down as he talks to media outside the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Headquarters on Saturday, May 24, 2014, in Santa Barbara, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
While his tone toward Martinez and other grieving parents softened mid-letter, Wurzelbacher finished on a hard note.
"In conclusion, I cannot begin to imagine the pain you are going through, having had your child taken away from you," Wurzelbacher wrote. "However, any feelings you have toward my rights being taken away from me, lose those."
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