STATEMENT OF JOAQUIN JACKSON
Recently, some misunderstandings have arisen about a news interview in which I participated a few years ago. After recently watching a tape of that interview, I understand the sincere concerns of many people, including dear friends of mine. And I am pleased and eager to clear up any confusion about my long held belief in the sanctity of the Second Amendment.
In the interview, when asked about my views of “assault weapons,” I was talking about true assault weapons – fully automatic firearms. I was not speaking, in any way, about semiautomatic rifles. While the media may not understand this critical distinction, I take it very seriously. But, as a result, I understand how some people may mistakenly take my comments to mean that I support a ban on civilian ownership of semiautomatic firearms. Nothing could be further from the truth. And, unfortunately, the interview was cut short before I could fully explain my thoughts and beliefs.
In fact, I am a proud owner of such rifles, as are millions of law-abiding Americans. And many Americans also enjoy owning fully automatic firearms, after being cleared by a background check and meeting the rigorous regulations to own such firearms. And these millions of lawful gun owners have every right – and a Second Amendment right – to own them.
As a hunter, I take great pride in my marksmanship. Every hunter should practice to be skilled to take prey with a single shot, if possible. That represents ethical, humane, skilled hunting. In the interview several years ago, I spoke about this aspect of hunting and my belief that no hunter should take the field and rely upon high capacity magazines to take their prey.
But that comment should never be mistaken as support for the outright banning of any ammunition magazines. In fact, such bans have been pursued over the years by state legislatures and the United States Congress and these magazine bans have always proven to be abject failures.
Let me be very clear. As a retired Texas Ranger, during 36 years of law enforcement service, I was sworn to uphold the United States Constitution. As a longtime hunter and shooter, an NRA Board Member, and as an American – I believe the Second Amendment is a sacred right of all law-abiding Americans and, as I stated in the interview in question, I believe it is the Second Amendment that ensures all of our other rights handed down by our Founding Fathers.
I have actively opposed gun bans and ammunition and magazine bans in the past, and I will continue to actively oppose such anti-gun schemes in the future.
David Codrea has his say, Sebastian opines that something like this might very well be too costly a venture during an election cycle when the NRA will need all it can get and then some in the fight to prevent another Clinton from disgracing the White House, and here's my take:
The fuss over evil black rifles and full capacity magazines certainly appears to be a generation-specific one when it comes to supposed Conservative, 2nd Amendment devotees. That is not to say we should grin and bear it, and I for one am simply far too tired of hearing one Fudd after another looking for a reason to exclude AR's or full-caps from a hunters toolbox.
Yes, Mr. I-was-a-highly -decorated-and-much-respected Texas Ranger, a one-shot-one kill is of course preferable but what in the name of all that's holy does this have to do with someones preference to employ FULL-CAPACITY...NOT HIGH CAPACITY by the way, magazines?
Re-swearing your allegiance to the Constitution without understanding the onus of HI-CAP simply puts you in line with most of law enforcement and the many Zumbo-like cretins who'd tell us what to do and when to do it because, after all, they happen to know better.
Anyone affiliated with the NRA should be summarily dismissed for such blithering nonsense. You are entitled to your opinion, but in this instance your opinion sucks so why not simply resign and save us a lot of grief.
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