As Congress contemplates new restrictions on the Second Amendment, we must not fall into the trap of hastily adopting proposals that offer Americans no additional safety, nor should we take action that would trample on the rights of those who merely seek the right to protect their homes and their families.
Recent history demonstrates that a ban on firearms, so-called “assault weapons,” do not make us any safer. The assault weapons ban that went into effect in 1994 is widely accepted as ineffective in reducing gun violence. Weapons included in the 1994 ban were never used in more than a modest fraction of all gun murders in the first place, and though the number of assault weapons owned by private individuals has risen in recent years, our nation’s murder rate is at historic lows. Criminals, by their very nature, have no respect for the law and that is why I do not believe an outright ban will do anything more than restrict the rights of law-abiding individuals.
Concerning universal background checks, a truly universal background check would require a person to run a check on his son, daughter, or spouse prior to giving that family member a gun. This serves no purpose in reducing gun violence. I will not support such an extreme plan, nor will I support any plan that allows the government to implement a registry of firearms.
We must make sure that current laws are enforced and that weapons stay out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. I will not, however, further restrict the Second Amendment or its contribution to the free exercise of all our constitutional rights.
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) today released an annual report outlining initiatives and accomplishments from 2012 and 2013, many of which led him to receiving rankings as one of the top Senate conservatives by National Journal, Club for Growth, and the American Conservative Union. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) joined Sens. Jim Moran (R- Kan.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) in leading a bipartisan group of 50 U.S. Senators in reiterating to President Obama that the Senate overwhelmingly opposes the ratification of the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and will not be bound by its obligations. Read More
Dear Friends, As you are aware, the Senate spent the majority of this past week debating and voting on amendments to gun legislation, S. 649, the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013. While many efforts were made to address gun violence, a majority of the restrictions presented were all predicated on one assumption that some how we think that the criminal element will single out this one law to comply with. Read More
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) released the following statement today on his amendment votes to gun-control legislation currently before the Senate: Read More
