Carl Levin Quotes

If it was up to me, no one but law enforcement officers would own hand guns.

Semi-automatic weapons have no socially redeeming purpose.

I understand the Second Amendment. I respect the Second Amendment. I think we need to use common sense tools to keep the American people safe, to keep our streets safe.

Nothing in the opinion, should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.

I see no reason why on the street today a citizen should be carrying a loaded weapon.

There's simply no reason for a civilian to own a military-style assault weapon. It's no different than why we outlaw civilian ownership of rockets and landmines.

We simply want gun legislation in this country that allows law-abiding citizens to still own guns or prevents people with a history of mental illness or a history of a criminal background from owning a firearm.

In my opinion, the only people who should have handguns are the police.

The presence of a firearm makes us all safer.

I've come to the conclusion that military style weapons really don't have any place in our society. We ought to reinstate the assault weapons ban that served us well for 10 years from 1994 to 2004.

I strongly believe that the Second Amendment creates an individual right to possess and use guns for purposes of both hunting and self-defense.

There is no reason for a civilian to have an automatic weapon.

I support an assault weapons ban, and I'll tell you why. We already have one in California, so I don't support doing anything above what we do in California.

Gun bans disarm victims, putting them at the mercy of murderers or terrorists who think nothing of breaking the gun laws.

Reasonable regulations regarding the ownership of weapons are appropriate.

Our experience in Hawaii has shown that we can place common sense limits on gun sales, demonstrate our respect for gun owners, and, most importantly, help ensure the safety of our residents.

I do not believe in people owning guns. Guns should be owned only by the police and military. I am going to do everything I can to disarm this state.

I don't think there's any reason on Earth why people should have access to automatic and semiautomatic weapons unless they're in the military or in the police.

If, indeed, a firearm were more dangerous to its possessors than to potential aggressors, would it not make sense for the government to arm all criminals, and let them accidentally shoot themselves? Is this absurd? Yes, and yet the government, of course, is arming criminals.

Respecting the Second Amendment does not mean abandoning common sense. The right to own guns in this country must remain, while we also must strengthen our laws to prevent mass shootings.

There is no reason for anybody to have an assault weapon.

There is no reason for anyone in this country, anyone except a police officer or a military person, to buy, to own, to have, to use a handgun... and the only way to do that is to change the Constitution.

When you have a high-volume magazine or an assault weapon, you're not hunting deer or protecting your home; you're out to hunt people.

The gun issue is a big, unresolved issue in this country right now. I think it's out of control.

The right to bear arms? What about the right to live?