Ted Poe fears U.S. is moving towards "Mexico Model" of gun control

Texas Rep. Ted Poe (R) spoke to the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday about state gun control laws that he says are taking away citizens' Second Amendment rights. 

Poe said that if government officials had their way then some of them would outlaw the Second Amendment.

“The result would be that the people would have no guns,” Poe said. “The only ones that would have guns would be the government and, of course, criminals who ignore gun laws. I call it the 'Mexico model.'"

Mexico has more restrictions to gun ownership than the United States. 

According to Poe, Chicago and Washington, D.C., also have laws that make it difficult for a citizen to exercise the Second Amendment.

“It’s hypocritical of the gun control crowd in this Chamber to say ‘more guns for me, but not for thee,’” Poe said.

What the government is doing is extremely hypocritical. I understand that there has been more violence lately, but I don't believe it is the guns. No laws should be changed due to recent events. People just need to be more aware.

To fix the violence and gun problem Poe suggested using “Project Exile.” Richmond, Va., has a law that according to Poe works like this.

“If a local or state law enforcement official arrested some criminal for a felony offense but the person also had a gun, the state official could voluntarily transfer the case to federal court because in federal court the person could be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and get an additional five years in the federal penitentiary because the criminal, the drug dealer, had a firearm in their possession,” Poe said.

This law was implemented in 1997, and by 1999 the homicide rates were down in the city by 97 percent, Poe said in his speech.

“Maybe our system should focus on the person who commits the crime with the weapon as opposed to trying to punish really good folks that own firearms and exercise their right under the Second Amendment to bear arms,” Poe said.

This law sounds like it would work. It obviously did in Richmond. The only problem I foresee is states abusing this law and sending too many cases to the federal courts. Although the idea of gun abusers being put in a federal penitentiary makes sense.