Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, told Newsmax on Thursday that new gun control legislation floated in Congress after a series of mass shootings across the U.S. "won't work" because they already haven't.
"Most of these measures are in place in some of our cities and states throughout the country. And where they have been implemented, we've seen some of the highest gun-related incidences in crimes carried out," Arrington said during his "American Agenda" appearance.
"So, there really is no correlation there. I think people, unfortunately, want to feel like they're doing something," he continued. "But feel-good measures and actually making a difference and protecting our schools and our children are two very different things."
According to the National Rifle Association, Chicago's murder rate surged 50% in 2020, the highest number of gun-related homicides on record, despite some of the strictest gun control laws in the country.
Similarly, homicides increased by 41%, and shootings increased by a whopping 95% in New York City during the same year.
With that in mind, Arrington pointed out that raising the age of owning semiautomatic rifles to 21 would be a mistake, as "18 to 21-year-olds are some of the hottest targets of mass shootings."
"These are citizens who can be tried as an adult. They can be in our armed services. They can enter into a contract. They could get the death penalty under the laws of this land, but they can't have a gun to protect themselves against people hell-bent on murder like the young man there in Uvalde," the Texas congressman explained.
"I think the Second Amendment right applies to all law-abiding citizens, and I think where you want to have a discussion about safeguards and maybe tightening up things or more scrutiny, that should be done state-by-state ... and every state may have a different approach," he added.
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