Democratic Representative Charlie Rangel spoke to the Daily Caller on Tuesday, in regards to a recent scandal involving four NYPD officials who were arrested for accepting bribes in exchange for police escorts and gun licenses, among other perks.
When asked by The Daily Caller his thoughts on the difficulty of getting a concealed carry permit in New York City and how rare it is for such permits to be issued by the NYPD, Rangel replied, “I’m glad to hear you say that very few people get it.”
“We don’t need that many guns,” he continued. “I didn’t know that briberies were involved in getting a gun, and that is wrong, but overall, if it is difficult to get a concealed weapon permit, I’m glad to hear that.”
Rangel went on to say that his own law-abiding constituents in Harlem shouldn’t have to carry guns for their own protection. However, the same rules don’t apply to the political elite.
“Law-abiding citizens just shouldn’t have to carry a gun. You’re not gonna push me in that direction,” he said, standing just five feet from a Capitol Police officer, who stood at his post by the House Speaker’s Lobby.
TheDC noted to Rangel he and other members of Congress are protected by armed members of the U.S. Capitol Police.
“Well that’s a little different. I think we deserve–I think we need to be protected down here.” Rangel laughingly insisted.
Rangel never bothered to explain why average citizens shouldn’t be armed in public, while members of his protected class are exempted. That’s because there isn’t a good explanation. There’s no way for a politician like Rangel to argue that people don’t need guns without sounding like an out of touch elitist.
