Rick Perry believes the gun-control laws in Washington, D.C. are unconstitutional. “I think it’s an infringement on your Second Amendment,” the Texas governor told me before speaking at the Conservative Political Action Convention (CPAC) in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.
I asked the former Republican presidential candidate for a brief interview as he was walking out of the media room. Knowing he was a gun owner and avid shooter, I told him that I got my first gun the day before.
“I read your article,” Mr. Perry said, referring to the “Emily Gets Her Gun” series about the hurdles in getting a legal handgun in the District. “I followed you while you were getting it.”
“You did?” I asked, very surprised.
“Yes ma’am. It was really interesting,” said the cowboy-boot wearing governor. “How much time?”
“Three days off work, almost $500 and three months,” I answered. “What do you think of the gun laws in D.C.?”
“I think they are very onerous so you won’t get a gun,” said the Lone Star state chief executive. Referring to the District city council politicians, he said, “They’ve made these rules and regulations and the cost very prohibitive so that Americans cannot have a gun. And that’s their point. That’s their effort.”
In the New Hampshire debate in New Hampshire last month, the moderator asked the GOP candidates what they would be doing on a Saturday night if not at the political forum. The Texas governor answered that he would “probably be on the shooting range.”
At CPAC, Mr. Perry said of his political future. “I haven’t left the fight. I reloaded my mag, and I’m just fighting on a different front.” He may be out of the nation race, but he is probably having a lot more fun hitting real targets.
“Emily Gets Her Gun” is a series following senior editor Emily Miller as she tries to legally get her hands on a gun in the nation’s capital. You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
