News

McDonald tells Asheville paper he supports gun rights

By Bill Moss, Published: January 13, 2013

Henderson County Sheriff Charlie McDonald won't be joining the small but persistent faction asking local government boards to crack down on gun sales.

The Asheville Citizen-Times interviewed area law enforcement chiefs and found most don't favor banning assault rifles, a demand a group of anti-violence residents brought over the past 10 days to the Hendersonville City Council, the Henderson County Board of Commissioners and the Flat Rock Village Council.
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20130113/NEWS/301130077/Local-lawmen-against-assault-weapon-ban
"I'm a real strong proponent of the Second Amendment, and I think we need to be careful on going on emotional, gut reactions and making changes," McDonald told the Asheville newspaper. "I think it's unnecessary, and I think it's unconstitutional legislation."
McDonald, who was a SWAT commander and has trained military police abroad, went on to say the state's underfunded mental health system in North Carolina needs fixing. He makes the point that video games are like military training — they desensitize people to the idea of killing people.