Barr ’08

Bob Barr recently spoke at the College of New Jersey about Second Amendment rights.  This Signal article highlights his presentation to their College Republicans organization.

“The Bill of Rights is probably the most magnificent piece of writing set down by the hands of man,” Barr said about the Bill of Rights. “It has withstood the test of time.  It’s very viable and respected, though not by the current administration.”

Barr also criticized the unitary executive theory practiced by the current administration.

On the right to keep and bear arms:

The Second Amendment, according to Barr, is essentially about the right of the people.

Being on the board of the National Rife Association, Barr explained the importance of the Second Amendment around the country, particularly in New Jersey, which is very “pro-Second Amendment,” he joked, eliciting laughter from the audience.

Barr referenced the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, where the term “assault weapons” was used by pro-gun control politicians regardless of the fact that assault weapons were already unlawful and “by and large, assault weapons are not in the hands of citizens.”

As an advocate of the Bill of Rights, it is important to get people to think of the Second Amendment as a reflection of fundamental freedom, according to Barr.

“If we allow ourselves to be drawn into arguing just about guns and ammunition, it’s very easy to lose that argument,” he said.