Gov. Rick Perry (R-Texas) clashed with Gov. Dannel Malloy (D-Connecticut) over a hot issue in both states: gun control.
In the wake of the Newtown shootings, Malloy has been able to push gun control laws through the Connecticut Legislature and said he is in favor of universal background checks because guns have been ending up in the wrong hands.
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says background checks on gun purchasers should be expanded. (AP)
Texas Gov. Rick Perry: “The Second Amendment is pretty much a good amendment, and we support it in the state of Texas.” (AP)
“We have a federal problem in the sense that we are rejecting the idea that we should have tighter controls on who has a gun,” Malloy said as the two governors appeared on CNN Sunday. “We should not be assigning or allowing folks who have mental health challenges currently to acquire guns. We should not have a system that allows people who have extensive criminal records to get around the background checks.”
Perry disagreed with Malloy about needing more legislation at the federal level and said, “the Second Amendment pretty much is a good amendment, and we support it in the state of Texas.”
Perry also said strict gun-control legislation has driven gun manufacturers away from some states and into others – including Texas.
“You’re seeing those manufacturers leaving the Northeast, because of the taxation, the regulations and just the attitude towards manufacturers of weapons,” Perry said. “We invited Magpul into Texas. So you’re seeing a shift of these manufacturers out of states that don’t want them there.”