Tim Kaine Quotes

We need to ban assault weapons. We need to ban the high-capacity clips and magazines. We need serious background information, system upgrade.

You have deranged people throughout the country unfort unately, and they are part of the problem. …I see no reason to have a Bushmaster (assault weapon) in the hands of a deranged person.

Obviously, we think it's important to make sure that firearms do not get in the hands of people who are criminals, convicted felons or adjudicated as mentally ill.

The number of people in America killed by firearms is extraordinary compared to other nations, and I don't think we're a bloodthirsty country. We need to look at everything we can do to safeguard our people.

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.

If I'm able to communicate one thing to adults, it would be this: it should not be easier to purchase a gun than it is to obtain a driver's license, and military-grade weapons should not be accessible in civilian settings.

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.

The vast majority of people who have guns never hurt anybody.

Background checks, waiting periods, reports of transfers, and access to mental health records have not stopped the legal sale of firearms to legitimate buyers.

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.

Expanding background checks will help create a uniform standard for all gun purchases and prevent criminals and the dangerously mentally ill from obtaining powerful weapons.

There should be a background check every time a firearm is transferred. You shouldn't be able to go to a gun show and buy guns without a background check. There are Internet gun sales, classified ads in the newspapers - and you can buy guns without background checks.

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.

We in Congress must take action to keep assault weapons and high-capacity clips out of the hands of those who are so dangerous or deranged or deluded that they can snuff out the life of innocents on a whim.

We've got to get the gun out of the hands of people who are supposed to be on neighborhood watch.

As a strong supporter of our 2nd Amendment rights, I believe tougher enforcement of our nation's existing gun laws must be done before any more laws are enacted and put on the books.

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

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.

We are alarmed that a known or suspected terrorist can go to a federally licensed firearms dealer where background checks are conducted, pass that background check, legally purchase a firearm, and walk out the door.

Do we really need to arm our citizens with machine guns or semiautomatic weapons? And don't we need to make sure that people who do own guns are qualified to own them?

I've told town hall participants and reporters in the media that we can protect the Second Amendment and also protect people's lives.

I do believe that we should keep guns out of the hands of terrorists, would-be terrorists, and a lot of other people.

If you're too dangerous to buy an airplane ticket, you're too dangerous to buy an assault weapon. And, when we talk about the Second Amendment - I support the Second Amendment - but the Second Amendment was created and designed to prevent tyranny and not to encourage terror.

While law enforcement officers are working hard in Illinois to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, they face a nearly impossible task because of weak gun laws in surrounding states.

Congress can pass reasonable gun safety legislation and save lives. We have a duty to the American people to do our job.