Washington DC – -(Ammoland.com)- During the Jan. 30 2013 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said pointedly, “I have an AR-15 at home and I haven’t hurt anybody.”
He said this after explaining that he supports private ownership of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds: making it clear that a mother at home with her children might need far more than the 5 or 6 bullets a revolver holds to defend herself and her family.
Graham was referencing Melinda Herman, the Loganville, GA mother who slid into a crawl space with her children to escape a burglar–a burglar she shot repeatedly with a .38 Special revolver but could not kill.
Said Graham: “My basic premise is one bullet in the hand of a mentally unstable person or a convicted felon is one too many. Six bullets in the hands of a mother protecting her twin 9-year olds may not be enough.”
After this, Graham turned his attention to the AR-15. He did this by recalling the L.A. riots in 1992 to show how Americans have to take precautions–to be prepared–for when unpredictable episodes of lawlessness and chaos arise.
Said Graham: “I have an AR-15 at home and…I think I would be better off protecting my business or my family if there was a law and order breakdown in my community.” He added, “I don’t think that makes me an unreasonable person.”
Kudos to Senator Graham for his reasoned defense of the 2nd Amendment in general, and of the firepower citizens need to defend themselves in specific.
About:
AWR Hawkins writes for all the BIG sites, for Pajamas Media, for RedCounty.com, for Townhall.com and now AmmoLand Shooting Sports News.
His southern drawl is frequently heard discussing his take on current events on radio shows like America’s Morning News, the G. Gordon Liddy Show, the Ken Pittman Show, and the NRA’s Cam & Company, among others. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal (summer 2010), and he holds a PhD in military history from Texas Tech University.
If you have questions or comments, email him at awr@awrhawkins.com. You can find him on facebook at www.facebook.com/awr.hawkins.