Panetta backs weapons ban, says only military needs ‘armor-piercing bullets’

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta jumped into the gun-control
debate Thursday, throwing his support behind President Obama’s call for an assault-weapons ban while
talking to U.S. troops in Italy.

{mosads}“Who the hell needs armor-piercing bullets except you guys
in battle?” Panetta told soldiers at the U.S. Army Garrison Vicenza in northern
Italy, according to The Associated Press. “For the life of me, I don’t know why
the hell people have to have assault weapons.”

Panetta weighed in on Obama’s gun-control push
when asked by a soldier what the president would do to protect schoolchildren
without “tearing apart our Second Amendment.”

Panetta said that measures could be taken without infringing upon the rights of gun owners. He backed Obama’s call to renew the assault-weapons ban
and take other measures like universal background checks for all gun owners.

Panetta was President Clinton’s chief of staff when the assault weapons ban was
passed by Congress in 1994.

“Unfortunately, that ban went out of effect,” he
said, according to Reuters.

Panetta noted that he is a hunter and believes in the Second
Amendment, but said that steps can be taken to protect schoolchildren “so that the nuts that are out there
won’t use these kinds of weapons to wipe them out.”