Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY-13) has declared that average citizens don’t need guns — but he and his congressional colleagues “deserve” to be surrounded by them for protection.

The Daily Caller column was written by Kerry Picket, who asked Rangel what he thought about the difficult and circuitous path to securing a New York City carry permit. Rangel said:

I’m glad to you say that very few people can get it. We don’t need that many guns … Overall if it’s difficult to get a concealed weapon permit, I’m glad to hear that.

Picket pressed the point by pointing out that celebrities and the “very wealthy” appear to have no problem getting a permit, while average, law-abiding Americans are forced to move through the city unarmed. She also suggested that “many” of Rangel’s constituents would “want to carry a concealed carry” weapon if they could get a permit. Rangel brushed off Picket’s suggestion, stating his position that “law-abiding citizens just shouldn’t have to carry a gun.”

Picket pointed out that Congress is surrounded by armed security for their defense and Rangel said, “Well, that’s a little different. I think we deserve, I think we need to be protected down here.”

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.