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State Rep: 2nd Amendment is not Immaculate Conception

Posted at 12:42 PM, Jun 21, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-21 20:35:54-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- In an impassioned press conference on the lawn of the Indiana Statehouse, State Representative Ed DeLaney called for Republican legislators to "stand up to the NRA."

"The Republicans are afraid they're going to lose some votes in a primary," DeLaney said. "They have to choose between death and primary, OK? It's really that simple. So far they've made the choice that winning their primary is what matters."

DeLaney also discussed the case of James Howell, the man arrested on his way to an L.A. gay pride festival with weapons.

"[Howell] had an NRA license plate," he said. "He was making his point. We need to make our point. They don't run this country and they don't run this state. ... The group that matters is the ordinary Republican voter and the ordinary Republican legislator has to say 'Enough death. Enough death.'"

DeLaney also compared limitations on the First and Fourth amendments with the Second Amendment.

"The Second Amendment is not the Immaculate Conception," he said. "The First Amendment -- free speech -- I could be held for libeling somebody. I could be charged millions of dollars for libeling somebody. The Fourth Amendment, the Supreme Court said on search and seizure, I could be stopped on the street for pretty much no reason and be searched. But somehow the Second Amendment has become sacred."

Watch DeLaney's full press conference in the video player above.