A Republican congressional candidate responded to a mass shooting by suggesting that Americans had a constitutional right to own as powerful weaponry as they can afford.

“It is my belief that any, any, any, any weapon that our government and law enforcement possesses ought to be allowed for individuals to possess in this country,” said Jody Hice, a religious right activist, talk radio host, and Georgia congressional candidate.

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The only restriction Hice would place on armament ownership, besides budget, would be prior criminal records.

“The Second Amendment is about us defending ourselves against potentially tyrannical government,” Hice said two years ago on his self-titled radio program. “You cannot defend yourself with a BB gun if your opponent has cannons and bazookas and missiles.”

Right Wing Watch examined recordings of “The Jody Hice Show” after he won a runoff election to become the GOP nominee for Congress, and the site highlighted his response to a 2012 shooting at a Colorado movie theater.

The site reported that Hice had removed most online recordings of his program after launching his congressional bid, but some remain.

“The more the Judeo-Christian principles of our Founders are removed, the more you can expect Batman theater-type events taking place, the more you can expect Columbine and Virginia Tech-type tragedies occurring in America,” Hice said. “This is what you get absent God.”

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Hice, who operates Let Freedom Ring Ministries, blamed the Aurora shooting that left 12 dead and 70 wounded on the separation of church and state, legal abortion, and the theory of evolution.

He said those teachings conditioned Americans to believe “life is meaningless.”

Watch this video recording posted online by RWW Blog:

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