Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) believes that President Barack Obama and "most liberal Democrats" really want to repeal the Second Amendment.
On Thursday, conservative radio host Laura Ingraham asked Hatch, "Do you think, if he had his druthers, President Obama would repeal the Second Amendment?"
"I don't think there's any question about it. Most liberal Democrats would," Hatch replied. "I don't know of any liberal Republicans that would, but most liberal Democrats would. They'll mouth that they wouldn't, but look, what are they doing? They want more and more controls."
Hatch has been adamantly against gun-control measures. He opposes bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines as well as increased background checks, a proposal with overwhelming bipartisan support.
"One reason most conservatives are very concerned about universal background checks is that's the beginning of the end of government controlling every aspect of our lives," Hatch told Ingraham.
Obama has never said he's interested in repealing the Second Amendment. During his first term, gun groups frequently warned that the president wanted to take away their firearms, leading to a spike in gun sales and an expansion of the number of gun dealers. Obama never took on gun control during his first term but instead expanded gun rights, supporting a measure that allowed people to carry concealed weapons in national parks.
After the December massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., the president put together a gun-control task force to examine gun-related violence in the United States, but he has not called for an outright ban on firearms.
Taking aim at specific proposals, Hatch said a bill introduced in January by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that would ban certain types of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines was an attempt to outlaw "well over 2,000 various weapons" that have "been used peacefully and properly through the years." The Associated Press recently reported that more than 2,200 types of firearms would in fact be protected under Feinstein's bill.
Nonetheless, Hatch maintained his reservations not only about the efficacy of federal gun-control legislation but also about its intent. Attempts by Democrats to offer gun-control proposals are "really all political," Hatch said. "This president never misses a political advantage."
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