Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)
WASHINGTON – Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY 23) is holding firm to his belief that the federal government should not ban the AR-15 or any other assault-style rifle.
Reed, who represents Chautauqua County in the House and who’s received an “A+” rating from the National Rifle Association, said he is in full support of Second Amendment rights.
During a conference call with regional media on Tuesday, Reed again said that lawmakers need to focus on public policy that addresses mental illness and other causes of gun violence, rather than just outlaw or restrict gun access to law abiding citizens.
“In some of the most heinous crimes the consistent theme is people with mental disease. That’s the commonality in those situations. Obviously they’re horrific and they need to be dealt with and that is why that needs to be a priority,” Reed said. “But if you look at the other perpetrators, a lot of the gun violence is perpetrated by criminals, by repeat offenders, by people that are involving weapons in drug activity. So that is why this is a bigger issue that just one item of banning X-weapon and infringing on the second amendment rights of everyone else. This is about trying to really move the needle and solving the problem of what is causing this gun violence in the first place.”
The Corning Republican also didn’t shy away when asked about campaign contributions he receives from the NRA and other groups that want to fight gun legislation.
“We do have support from folks who stand with us on the Second Amendment. So that doesn’t surprise me that those types of donations would be some how identified in regards to the NRA support – things that we have received over the years,” Reed said. “The bottom line is, my position on the Second Amendment is the position I have had and I will continue to hold. I think because of that position, that gathers support in terms of people that will stand with us in regards to campaign contributions and elsewhere.”
According to a report from WGRZ, Reed of Corning has collected $10,950 from the NRA since first being elected in 2010.
Reed’s comments came nearly a week after a former student at a Broward County, Florida high school shot and killed 17 people, using an AR-15 rifle. The rifle is also the model that was used in the Las Vegas shooting on Oct. 1, 2017 that left 58 people dead and 851 injured.
It’s not the ….GUN….if you put a gun on a table it just sits there..untell …..SOME ONE….picks it up..
until. smh.
also, it’s a lot easier to stop someone with a handgun than an AR-15.
come on man, it’s simple, really.
it’s not the gun is such an antiquated idea.
come up with something better at least.
Tom, you need to rethink the whole second amendment thing when you know it was written when the weapons were muskets. These kids are scared and they have a right to be and they also have a right to feel safe in school. If we wind up with armed teachers, your position will have contributed to it. I spent my life in public education, and i can assure that creating armed camps in schools is no solution. It sends a message to children that schools are war zones. And the availability of mental health care has been woefully underfundedc since we closed all the institutions in the 60s and 70s. That is part of the problem, but certanly not the whole story. Psychiatrists odds of making decisions about who is a danger to themselves or others is exactly the same as the coin flip.
I have as much respect as a life long democrat can have for your efforts to make Washington work on a bipartisan basis. You are part of an essential group who are really trying and making some inroads. But your stand on guns causes me to wonder how much the NRA contributed to your campaign. I grew up in Steuben County and my father hunted and had guns. I get that attitude that prevailsi among your constituency.
I am sick to think that children are dying so that the gun industry can flourish. It’s that simple. Enough.
Jane Murphy
Jmurphy37@stny.rr.com