Jimmy Carter sees "no threat" to 2nd Amendment from March for Our Lives youth
Former President Jimmy Carter said he watched "with great attention" as various March for Our Lives rallies, led by Florida school shooting survivors, unfolded across the U.S. on Saturday.
"I think the commitment of the young people to undertake this challenge, which is a great challenge, over the opposition of most of the members of Congress and state legislatures and so forth, has the prospect of being successful," Carter told "CBS This Morning" co-host Norah O'Donnell in a wide-ranging interview.
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The Nobel Peace Prize recipient said there's "no doubt" about the "sincerity" of the Parkland school shooting survivors.
"I just hope and pray that they will be persistent in their commitment, and they will continue to use their influence on adults who have reached voting age already, and when they reach voting age, that they will continue to be willing to turn out of office the people that have abjectly submitted themselves to the domination of NRA," Carter said.
Carter said the NRA "represents the gun manufacturers and sellers," not "the average hunters" or people who use guns for defense.
"So I think the distortion of the Second Amendment has been a mistake," Carter added. "There's no threat to the Second Amendment among the desire of the young people to have good background checks before you can buy a weapon and to do away with the rapid-fire military weapons that we have authorized."
In his new book, "Faith: A Journey for All," one of the topics Carter addresses is what he calls the "unwarranted influence" of gun lobbyists in Washington. He writes:
"I have owned and used weapons since I was big enough to carry one, and now own a handgun, four shotguns, and two rifles. I use them carefully, for harvesting game from our woods and fields and during an occasional foray to hunt with my family and friends in other places. But many of us who participate in outdoor sports are dismayed by some of the more extreme policies of the NRA and by the timidity of public officials who yield to their unreasonable demands. Heavily influenced and supported by the firearms industry, its primary client, the NRA has been able to mislead many gullible people into believing that all weapons are going to be taken away from us, and that homeowners will be deprived of the right to protect ourselves and our families. There are no real threats to our 'right to bear arms,' as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution."
Last month, the NRA said it stands by its opposition to a ban on semi-automatic firearms and accessories and opposes higher age limits for gun purchases, saying such legislation would not "prevent criminal activity and simply punishes the law-abiding for the criminal acts of others."
"The NRA supports efforts to prevent those who are in danger to themselves or others from getting access to firearms. At the same time, we will continue to oppose gun control measures that only serve to punish law-abiding citizens, these are not mutually exclusive or unachievable goals," the organization said in a February statement.
Watch more of the interview in the video below, as Carter talks about North Korea, Russia, and what he's learned in writing about "so many different meanings of faith."
