Former congressman Ron Paul (R., Texas) gave a rambling response to a question about whether he supported pushes for gun control on Wednesday, saying the "real killing's going on is our guns in our military going overseas."
Paul added that "we're putting weapons in the hands of ISIS." He concluded he did not support the gun control legislation currently being proposed because it would do nothing to reduce violence in America despite previously saying he supported gun control.
CNN host Wolf Blitzer prompted the answer when he asked Paul about his stance on congressional Democrats' battle for gun control laws.
This was his full response:
Well, I still believe in the Constitution, and I believe in the Second Amendment, but I'm for gun control. Where the real killing's going on is our guns in our military going overseas and bombing and killing, starting wars that aren't necessary, and selling weapons. We're selling—We're putting weapons in the hands of ISIS, you know, in Syria. Those are the real guns of war that we should be dealing with, and of course, if we're really worried about guns on the streets, why has it been totally ignored—a lot more people are dying in our inner cities.
Crime on weekends is just out of control, so we need more, you know, police activity to try to protect some people, but property management, that is, preventing the rights of an individual to own a piece of property, whether it's a knife or a gun, is protected, and that shouldn't be the issue. I do not think it will achieve anything, and since I'm one that's very much in favor of non-aggression and violence, I would be for it if I thought it reduced the violence. But it will not, and therefore I will defend the Second Amendment.