Upon arriving in Washington, D.C. just hours before his swearing-in, Congressman-elect Joseph P. Kennedy III spoke about his upcoming term in Congress and how he’ll work to reform the nation’s gun laws.
Speaking with the Boston Herald, Massachusetts Congressman Kennedy said that in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy that gun legislation reform “is something I certainly feel strongly about.”
“I know there’s been a lot of leadership already on it. I’d love to support those efforts, and if that means taking a strong leadership role, I’d be honored to do it.”
Kennedy said he supports reinstating the assault weapons ban, closing the gun-show loophole and making it harder for mentally ill criminals to get weapons.
“Obviously this country has had too many moments of late where these horrific tragedies — after which we say ‘never again’ — keep happening. We as a society have to take a long look and say, ‘What can we do to prevent another tragedy from taking place?’ ”
Gun control hits a little closer to home for Kennedy, considering his grandfather Robert F. Kennedy and great-uncle President Kennedy were both killed by gunmen.
Aside from gun control, Kennedy also spoke to the recent drama in Congress regarding the ‘fiscal cliff.’ Said Kennedy, “Hopefully everybody can take a step back and learn from what’s happened over the last 24-48 hours and the frustration so many members of the public and Congress felt.”
“There’s really no excuse for that. We know there are deadlines coming up.”
With beginning his new term as Congressman, Kennedy is reviving the Kennedy legacy in Congress, one that has been empty since 2011 when his cousin Patrick Kennedy stepped down from his Rhode Island seat. Kennedy’s father Joseph P. Kennedy II served as a Massachusetts congressman from 1987 to 1999.
Speaking to his famous political lineage, Kennedy said, “The lesson I’ve learned most from them and other members is there’s absolutely no substitute for hard work.”
16 Comments
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Madeliene | Jan 06, 2013, 03:45 PM EST
Joe, your Uncle Ted's car has killed more people than my LEGAL Gun!
Madeliene | Jan 06, 2013, 03:18 PM EST
If you only knew how sick we are here of Kennedy's and Clintons! Joe was good, JFK was the last good Kennedy, and there are NO good adult Clintons!
McNamara31 | Jan 06, 2013, 11:58 AM EST
BippyBellito "Kennedy Kowards" you say? Does that include Joe jr. who died flying a mission during the war, or JFK who saved his men on PT 109 or Robert who was assassinated after his brother, and went in race knowing very well an assassins bullet could kill him too. All families have saints and sinners and should each be judged for the entirety of their lives, not by one page in the book. These were very wealth men. They could have decided to sit around a play golf all day; instead they changed history.
alisaann | Jan 05, 2013, 02:16 PM EST
GREAT....because SOMETHING has GOT TO BE DONE....and as a KENNEDY, this CONGRESSMAN knows what's it's like to LOSE someone to GUN VIOLENCE. alisa
BippyBellito | Jan 05, 2013, 01:37 PM EST
Joe Kennedy comes from a long line of Kennedy Kowards. He is the Classic "do as I say, not as I do" Ass Clown who is surrounded by armed guards whenever he goes anywhere. He fits right in with the Proncing Queen, Obama, and the Bull Dyke Clinton. Aurora Colorado already has...and has had...as did Connecticut the most stringent of gun control laws already on the books. Outlaws could care less about laws. Kennedy is a FRAUD.
bobby | Jan 05, 2013, 12:37 PM EST
Four shot dead in hostage situation in Aurora, Colorado The gunman killed three people at the house in Aurora before he was shot dead by police. Here we go AGAIN......
Smyrnian | Jan 05, 2013, 05:22 AM EST
Just what we need, another lefty Kennedy. This one looks like he is about 12 years old.
irishpjk | Jan 04, 2013, 10:17 PM EST
Wasn’t Joe Kennedy the one doing commercials for Chávez? Nothing will give me more pleasure than supporting anything or anyone that is opposite to what wants and supports. The first thing I am going to do is buy a gun before they outlaw that
irishpjk | Jan 04, 2013, 10:16 PM EST
wtf. Wasn’t Joe Kennedy the one doing commercials for Chávez? Nothing will give me more pleasure than supporting anything or anyone that is opposite to what wants and supports. The first thing I am going to do is buy a gun before they outlaw that
kaydog1 | Jan 04, 2013, 04:42 PM EST
Well, I've looked at his speech, and even though he SAYS that he is all about gun control, there is not one word in there about President Obama's programs of "Fast and Furious" and "Project Gunwalker". Now these programs involved the US Federal Gov't Dept of Justice (under Eric Holder) sending at least two thousand weapons (some fully automatic) down to the drug cartels in Mexico. The Mexican Govt has said upwards of one hundred thousand guns were smuggled ther with the help of our own Federal Govt. The Mexican Govt says that upwards of two thousand of their citizens have been killed so far by these weapons, and it is established that at least three US Law Enforcement agents have been killed by the Dept of Justice-smuggled weapons. So what has this yet-another-Kennedy have to say about THESE guns, and THESE deaths, and the Obama/Holder responsibility for spreading these guns around? NOTHING. No, young Joe just wants to ride the coattails of Sandy Hook for some free Democrat-style publicity, not actually ask about anything that might involve Mr Obama and his henchmen. This is just more empty talk from just-another-Kennedy.
kaydog1 | Jan 04, 2013, 04:25 PM EST
I
irishpjk | Jan 04, 2013, 01:07 PM EST
I did you didn't like so its gone.
Portia_O'Neill | Jan 04, 2013, 12:57 PM EST
What makes Joe Kennedy III so unique among the dynastic Kennedys is that he's a Protestant. His mother is a Protestant and so is Joe's wife-and she's the daughter of a minister. Joe's father, Joe Kennedy II, served in Congress over the objections of his ex-wife. In the last month Joe III's mother made public statements about her son's election that were somewhat negative. So far, Joe III has done a stellar job defying his mother and I wish him all the best.
irishpjk | Jan 04, 2013, 12:39 PM EST
wtf. I think he is just another liberal jumping in to score points while Sandy Hook is still hot. Yes guns are used to murder but some of the people who use them should not even be out on the street. Will he consider golf clubs as well? it might prevent someone like his cousin Michael Skakel from using one to murder a neighbor, or what about hammers like the guy that killed his Grandmother and was let out of jail to kill again only this time he had an illegal gun on firemen.
TisEyerish | Jan 04, 2013, 11:50 AM EST
Jaysus...another damned Kennedy in office? Just when you think you've gotten rid of the blight, it springs up again. When are people going to actually clue in to the fact that this whole family suffers from a lack of morals and can't be trusted in politics?
FastEddy | Jan 04, 2013, 11:14 AM EST
Can't hang his hat on that one ... He and everyone in the Kennedy clan have "permits"