US Olympic Skeet Shooter: 'We Should Have The Right To Keep And Bear Arms'

RIO DE JANEIRO (CBSNewYork) -- America's most-decorated Olympic shooter defended the rights of gun owners in an interview with Time in Rio.

"We should have the right to keep and bear arms, to protect ourselves and our family," Kim Rhode, 37, told Time. "The Second Amendment was put in there not just so we can go shoot skeet or go shoot trap. It was put in so we could defend our First Amendment, the freedom of speech, and also to defend ourselves against our own government."

Rhode, who won the gold medal in skeet shooting in London in 2012, revealed that defending gun rights has cost her mainstream sponsorships. She said there's a "stigma attached to our sport."

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Rhode is hoping to pass down her shooting skills to her 3-year-old son.

"I hope to have him out there shooting, when he becomes of age," Rhode said to Time. "I started when I was like 7 or 8 years old, and it was something that was a big deal in my family, to gain that right of passage."

When talking about the San Bernardino, California, terror attack that left 14 dead, Rhode, who lives near Los Angeles, said her "heart breaks" for the victims, but doesn't agree that the shooting massacre should have led to tougher gun regulations in the state.

"I shoot 500 to 1,000 rounds a day, so having to do a background check every time I purchase ammo, or every time I want to bring ammo in or out of a competition or a match, those are very challenging for me," Rhode said. "Also, I've had guns in my family for generations that have been passed down, and now I'm going to register them as assault weapons. And they will not be passed on to my son, or to me from my father. It definitely does affect me and give me a reason to speak out more."

Rhode could make history on Aug. 12 by becoming the first American to medal in five straight Olympics.