Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson took an hour out of his campaign Friday, Oct. 9, to speak about his upbringing, gun control and cyber-attacks from another country.
Carson spoke at a luncheon at the National Press Club in Northwest, where he took the time to promote his new book, “A More Perfect Union: What We the People Can Do to Reclaim Our Constitutional Liberties.”
The retired neurosurgeon from John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore spoke candidly about why America is the best country in the world, especially with his mother raising him in Detroit.
“America is such a great place, and I am so glad that I was born here. I have traveled to 57 different countries. This remains the place that is the land of dreams,” Carson, 64, said. “I know a lot of people like to criticize and demonize and say it’s responsible for a lot of horrible things. A lot of people are trying to (come to America), and not a lot of people are trying to get out.”
According to a national Republican poll released Oct. 6 by Public Policy Polling of Raleigh, North Carolina, Carson remains second to businessman Donald Trump among the more than dozen candidates.
At the National Press Club, Carson blamed the media for outrage at his comments that suggested armed Jews during the Holocaust would have “greatly diminished” Hitler’s power in the 1930s.
“Basically, what I said is when tyranny occurs traditionally around the world, they try to disarm the people first, and that’s exactly what happened in Germany,” Carson said during a question-and-answer period. “With the mass shootings, (shooters) tend to go to places that are gun-free zones. Even though they may be mentally disturbed, they’re not so mentally disturbed as not to be able to realize that if you go somewhere where people can shoot you, you’re probably going to get shot.
“My position is I would feel much safer if there are people in the schools who have access to arms and who are trained,” Carson said to reporters after his formal discussion. “There could be a host of possibilities. (Mass shooters) go to a gun-free zone for a reason.”
Due to increased tension between the black community and law enforcement, Carson was asked about how he would bridge the gap as president.
“Respect. That is the key thing. The law enforcement agency must respect the community, and the community must respect law enforcement,” he said. “We can emphasize the whole concept of body cameras (and) relationship building. If we can start introducing police on a regular basis into neighborhoods so that little Johnny’s first experience with the police is a pleasant one, it’s going to change things dramatically.”
One topic not mentioned comes from a post Oct. 9 on Carson’s Twitter account, @RealBenCarson.
A skit pokes fun at different ways for people to use Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s book “Hard Choices,” as a coaster, computer stand, step stool or door stopper.
Clinton’s campaign did not respond to email requests Oct. 9 and 12 for comment.