“When it comes to Constitutional rights, what matters is what the Bill of Rights says. It doesn’t matter what might be popular at the moment,” said presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas.) in response to a reporter’s loaded question at the NRA’s annual meeting Friday about how he could go against public opinion on gun control.
“We’ve seen regimes across the face of the earth, come and take away people’s guns, strip away their rights to defend themselves,” Cruz continued. “And sometimes it’s been very popular. And yet, it is an inevitable prelude to tyranny.”
“Our country was founded on a radical proposition – which is that our rights don’t come from government, they come from God,” said Cruz. “Thomas Jefferson said the Constitution serves as chains to bind the mischief of government. And the entire reason for the 2nd Amendment is not for hunting, its not for target shooting, those are both wonderful, its great to go with your family, with your kids… but that’s not what the 2nd Amendment is for.”
“The 2nd Amendment is there so that you and I can protect our homes, and our families, and our children, and our lives. And its also there as a fundamental check on government tyranny,” he said.
The 2nd Amendment “ultimately is not subject to public opinion polls. It’s subject to the express protections of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution,” concluded Cruz.