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Morning News

Texas State Representative Hupp Describes New Gun Laws as 'Waste of Legislative Paper'

Aired May 8, 2000 - 10:20 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The National Mall in Washington will host a huge gun control event this Sunday on Mother's Day. It's called the Million Mom March. Organizers say thousands of mothers and their families will gather to pressure Congress to enact what they call, quote, "common sense" laws, including licensing and registering gun owners. Rallies will be held in other cities as well across the country.

Last hour on MORNING NEWS, We spoke to the organizer of the Atlanta march. For the other side of the gun control debate, we turn to Suzanna Gratia Hupp, one of the nations leading advocates of an individual's right to carry a concealed weapon. Ms. Hupp is a Texas state representative and a survivor of the 1991 massacre at Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas. She joins us live from there this morning.

Good morning to you.

SUZANNA GRATIA HUPP (R), TEXAS STATE HOUSE: Good morning and thank you for having me.

HEMMER: You had an intensely personal experience nine years ago. Remind us again of that tragic day.

HUPP: Well, to put it in a nutshell, I was with my parents at a local cafeteria. A man drove his truck into the cafeteria and began methodically executing people. And when all was said and done, 23 people were dead, including my parents. And the guy himself ended up putting the gun to his own head.

I was very angry at my legislators because I felt they had legislated me out of the right to protect myself and my family. My gun was 100 yards away in my car completely useless to me.

HEMMER: Why did you leave it there?

HUPP: At that time in the state of Texas, there was no such thing as concealed carry. If you were carrying it, you were carrying it illegally. And I had become concerned about losing my license to practice chiropractics. You know, looking back, that was an incredibly stupid decision.

HEMMER: You have a major problem with the Million Mom March to take place this weekend. What is wrong with enacting new legislation to help control gun violence in America?

HUPP: Well, I think those folks are very well intentioned but just terribly misguided. I have a 4-year-old, I have a near 2-year- old, and I know from personal experience that by the very definition, the only people who obey those laws are the good guys. The bad guys don't obey the laws. Those things are an absolute waste of legislative paper.

HEMMER: Why the objection, though -- trigger locks, background checks. What's the problem with enacting a few of these?

HUPP: Well, definitely two separate things there. The trigger locks -- let me first say that I have trigger locks on all of my guns at home. I think any responsible parent does take those measures. But you know what? I used to be single and lived by myself. And requiring trigger locks automatically jumps the price of a gun up. I know for a fact that, for instance, five-gallon buckets kill more children than guns do, and yet nobody's talking about enacting some sort of a locking mechanism on those.

When it comes to background checks and other legislation, I have to go back and think to myself, you know, these folks that are talking about enacting this legislation took an oath of office to protect the Constitution -- to protect and uphold the Constitution. And without sounding too cliche, what part of "shall not be infringed" don't they understand?

HEMMER: Well, Ms. Hupp, let me -- it seems to me that the debate will rage on for a long time...

HUPP: You bet.

HEMMER: ... on both sides. And it also seems to me from a distance that both sides, all they're trying to do is protect people in America and help save lives. How in the world are we ever to reach common ground on this issue where everyone can agree and, indeed, lives are saved? What's the solution there?

HUPP: Well, I do think it's important to remember that these folks do not represent necessarily the majority. And, quite frankly, even if they do represent the majority, the Bill of Rights was put into place to protect the individual from the majority. One place that we can come together is in teaching children the danger of guns. I think the Eddie Eagle program is an out standing program that teaches little children: stop, don't touch, leave the area, tell an adult.

HEMMER: Will you be in Washington this weekend?

HUPP: You bet.

HEMMER: Suzanna Gratia Hupp from Texas...

HUPP: Thank you very much.

HEMMER: ...thanks for talking with us. HUPP: Thank you.

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