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Rubio: Problem not gun control, but violence

Florida Senator Marco Rubio had a town hall with small business leaders at Firehouse Subs headquarters today, fielding questions from small business leaders on what the future of politics in Washington could mean for the future of small businesses in cities like Jacksonville.  He also discussed the country's debt situation and how inaction, both in the short and long-term, could result in crippling consequences for small business owners around the country.  Afterwards, the Senator took some time to talk about the ever-popular gun control debate.  Only, to him, this isn't a question about guns.

"The issue is not gun control.  The issue is violence," Rubio told reporters after his town hall meeting.

The issue is sure to take on a life of its own in the news media over the next couple of days as President Obama hears suggestions from the Vice President's task force on stricter gun control laws and curbing violence.  He'll also explore several options that would not require him to pass anything through Congress to enact.

Sen. Rubio says the discussion should center around what is happening in this country that is fostering a culture of violence and causing people to carry out shooting massacres like those in Aurora, Colorado and Newtown, Connecticut.

"Ultimately, violence is violence, whether it's carried out with a bomb, a knife, or a gun.  That's the problem is that we have increased violence in our society."

Rubio says he obviously wants to see something done to keep guns out of the hands dangerous people so we don’t have another Newtown or Aurora, but says he won’t support anything that undermines your second amendment rights

"If there are reasonable things that we can do that protect the second amendment right to bare arms but keep guns out of the hands of criminals, we should explore those things.  But to somehow undermine the ability of law-abiding citizens to exercise their second amendment right in exchange for things that won't work, I mean, that's not something I'll support.

Rubio says only law-abiding citizens follow laws anyway, so stricter gun control laws won’t keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

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