Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen (Tenn.) said Wednesday that Americans have "a right to bear arms," but added that the Supreme Court needs "better justices" to interpret the Second Amendment to allow for "reasonable restrictions."
CNN host Wolf Blitzer asked Cohen whether the Second Amendment should be repealed after former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens wrote a New York Times op-ed titled, "Repeal the Second Amendment." Stevens characterized concerns that led to the adoption of the amendment as "relic[s] of the 18th century."
Cohen did not give a direct answer, but indicated that he believes the Second Amendment should stay.
"We need better Supreme Court judges who can interpret the Second Amendment in a way that is in keeping with that the American people want," he said. "You know, I think that there's a right to bear arms, of individuals to protect their homes."
Cohen then referenced a right-to-carry bill that he helped pass as a state senator in Tennessee "because people ought to have a right to protect their home."
The congressman then added that "reasonable restrictions" should still be implemented for certain weapons, naming the AR-15 and AK-47 as two examples. He then referenced District of Columbia v. Heller, a landmark Supreme Court case from 2008 in which the court established that Washington, D.C.'s total effective ban on the ownership of handguns was unconstitutional and that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual the right to keep and bear arms.
"Even in the Heller decision of 2008 which was awful, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court said there could be restrictions," he said. "So no, I think the Supreme Court needs better justices who interpret the Second Amendment in the way it should be interpreted."
"But it won't be repealed," Cohen said of the Second Amendment.