Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.) said last week that Russia supports the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution because Americans are "doing nothing but killing each other every day."
Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, spoke at the University of Pennsylvania, where he described Russia's aim to "pit us against each other, to exploit our divisions," the Daily Wire reports.
Schiff was talking about Russian use of social media to influence the 2016 presidential election in the United States and the impersonation of various political groups, including Black Lives Matter. The Democratic lawmaker then claimed Russia is a big proponent of the United States' Second Amendment
"Fascinatingly, they [Russians] also trumpeted the Second Amendment. Apparently, the Russians are very big fans of our Second Amendment," Schiff said. "They don't particularly don't want a Second Amendment of their own, but they're really glad that we have one. The Russians would be thrilled if we were doing nothing but killing each other every day and sadly we are."
Schiff's remarks were greeted by some laughter from the audience.
The right to self-defense and protection of property is in fact a constitutional right guaranteed to Russian citizens, but Russian legislation on gun control is relatively restrictive, according to the Library of Congress. Legal firearm ownership requires a license and is restricted to Russian citizens older than 18 years of age with a registered permanent residence. Firearms are limited for the purposes of self-defense, hunting, and sports activities.