Cruz, Feinstein Spar as Panel Passes Gun Ban

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Thursday to ban certain types of assault weapons, following a heated exchange between GOP freshman Sen. Ted Cruz and committee chairwoman, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

The committee’s 10-8 vote to ban the sale and manufacture of 150 different kinds of semi-automatic weapons came shortly after Feinstein let the Texan know she didn’t need a lecture on the Constitution.

“I’m not a sixth grader,” said Feinstein of California, when Cruz questioned her position on the Second Amendment.

Cruz, former state solicitor general, had asked Feinstein that if certain guns could be banned despite the Second Amendment, could constitutional rights be eroded which would otherwise be protected under the First and Fourth Amendments.

“I'm not a lawyer, but after 20 years, I’ve been up close and personal to the Constitution. I have great respect for it,” Feinstein shot back. “It’s fine you want to lecture me on the Constitution.”

The bill was the fourth piece of gun-control legislation recently passed by the committee, with one measure requiring universal background checks for gun-buyers and others cracking down on gun trafficking and straw purchases.

Some Democrats worry that the assault weapons ban would doom the other bills if they came to the floor as a package, given the intense opposition from Republicans, The Hill reported.