BELLEVUE, WA – After admitting that he was under the influence of multiple drugs, Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) once again has demonstrated that being in the same car with a politician named Kennedy is more risky than hunting with Vice President Dick Cheney, the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) said today.
“I’d rather go quail hunting with Dick Cheney than get in a car being driven by a Kennedy,” said SAF founder Alan M. Gottlieb. “As it stands right now, I think Congress should consider mandating drug testing of its members before they vote on legislation that would take away any of our civil rights.
“Driving under the influence of something seems to run in the family,” Gottlieb observed. “From Chappaquiddick to the Capitol, nobody is safe with a Kennedy behind the wheel.”
Gottlieb noted that, under federal law, 18 USC 922(G)(3), now that Kennedy has acknowledged his drug addiction, it is probably illegal for him to own a firearm.
“Why should he, or his father, have the gall to sponsor, lobby for and especially vote on any kind of legislation that would restrict the rights of law-abiding gun owners,” Gottlieb wondered. “Both of these guys must think that average American gun owners are as irresponsible with their firearms as they have been with their automobiles.
“It’s no wonder, when you think about it, how some legislation gets passed on Capitol Hill,” Gottlieb said, “when the people voting on it may not be sober or are under the influence of drugs.”
A waitress at a Washington, D.C. night spot told reporters that Kennedy had apparently been drinking in the hours before the crash. That has not been confirmed, but even if no alcohol was involved, Gottlieb said mixing two sleep-inducing drugs before getting behind the wheel of a car is grossly irresponsible.
“But, then again, with both Kennedy senior and junior,” Gottlieb said, “irresponsible behavior appears to be something at which they excel.”