Griffith Supports Resolution to Protect Second Amendment Rights

Statement

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) released the following statement after participating in a press conference on the introduction of a resolution opposing the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (ATT):

"I am proud to serve the Commonwealth of Virginia, which would not ratify the Constitution of these United States until it included the Bill of Rights. That Bill of Rights protects the inalienable rights that this country holds dear, including but not limited to the right to bear arms. Based on George Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights, the Bill of Rights is now looked upon as the very foundation of individual liberty.

"When drafted, the Bill of Rights and the protections it guaranteed were unique in the world. The United States stood alone then, and at odds with the rest of the world. We should not now abdicate our role as the nation that recognizes that individuals are endowed with inalienable rights that cannot be infringed by any government. The United States should remain the lighthouse of freedom, shining a beacon of hope for all the freedom-loving peoples of the world. The Administration should not be participating in any United Nations negotiations that could lead to an international treaty that could undermine that beacon, the Bill of Rights."

BACKGROUND: In the 112th Congress, Griffith cosponsored H.Res.814 to oppose the ATT, and also joined more than 100 House members in sending a letter to President Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton opposing the ATT. Today, a bipartisan coalition of 122 members of the House will reintroduce H.Res.814 as a concurrent resolution, and 28 senators will introduce its companion resolution in the United States Senate.

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