Senator Susan Collins on the Gun Control Bill

Maine has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the country and the lowest rate of violent crime. That makes any issue related to gun control difficult. My family had hunting rifles in the closet when I was growing up, and I believe in the Second Amendment. But I also think we need guns out of the hands of criminals and those who are mentally ill.

I knew I might pay a political price for supporting this legislation. My hope is that I can convince people that I’m right—or at least that I took the time to study it. What’s unbelievable are the ads that came out against me. I’m used to negative ads; as a moderate Republican, I’ve always been targeted. But this took the prize. Not only did the ad misrepresent my position on the Second Amendment, it ends by saying the person I sound like is Barack Obama. Then there’s a picture of my face morphing into his, which is truly quite a trick.