During a campaign stop in famously independent New Hampshire on Sunday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz trumpeted his support for guns, telling a crowd that he’s "pressing" for the Senate Armed Services Committee to hold hearings to consider allowing soldiers to carry their personal concealed firearms on military bases,
Politico reports.
"I think it's very important to have a public discussion about why we're denying our soldiers the ability to exercise their Second Amendment rights," Cruz told a crowd of 120 gun owners at a hunting club in the town of Litchfield. Attendees included leaders from Gun Rights Across America, the New Hampshire Firearms Coalition and the Women’s Defense League.
Only law enforcement and security personnel are permitted to carry weapons on a military post. Soldiers are
strictly prohibited from being armed on post.
Mass shootings at military bases have fueled gun activists to call for allowing soldiers to carry firearms on the job, something that "would give them a better ability to defend themselves," according to Politico.
But military generals counter that only military police should be armed, arguing that more guns would lead to more violence, particularly considering the number of soldiers struggling with mental health issues following combat.
The ban was enacted under President George H.W. Bush.
A proud constitutionalist and a libertarian who is popular among members of the tea party, Cruz is rallying hard for support from Second Amendment proponents.
He told the New Hampshire crowd that he’s not afraid to stand up for the Constitution, offering as an example his leadership in blocking new gun control laws following the massacre of 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012.
Last week, according to
U.S. News & World Report, Cruz also sent out an email to his supporters, writing that "the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution isn't for just protecting hunting rights, and it's not only to safeguard your right to target practice. It is a Constitutional right to protect your children, your family, your home, our lives, and to serve as the ultimate check against governmental tyranny — for the protection of liberty."