Rand Paul Says Baltimore Rioting Caused By 'Breakdown of Family Structure'

2016 presidential hopeful Rand Paul has spoken out regarding the recent protests in Baltimore, Maryland over the death of Freddie Gray, saying that the violence in the protests is related to the "breakdown of the family structure" in the U.S.

The GOP senator from Kentucky made his comments this week while speaking with Laura Ingraham on her radio talk show "The Laura Ingraham Show."

"It's something we talk about not in the immediate aftermath, but over time," Paul, who recently announced his plans to run for president in 2016, said on the radio program. "The breakdown of the family structure, the lack of fathers, the lack of sort of a moral code in our society. This isn't just a racial thing. It goes across racial boundaries. But we do have problems in our country, and you see that we're close to the tipping point — closer to the tipping point than many [think]."

Protesters have taken to the streets of Baltimore, Maryland for the past week to voice their opposition to the recent death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who recently died of a spinal cord injury after being arrested by Baltimore police.

Some have criticized Baltimore's local government for not speaking out regarding the protests soon enough. While the protests remained peaceful for several days, they grew violent on Monday and Tuesday following Gray's funeral, with some participating in the looting of stores and the burning of police vehicles.

When asked if he thinks the federal government could do more to prevent violent protesting, as seen in Baltimore, Paul replied: "It obviously is a local problem, primarily. But you do have to have enough show of security, enough of show of a police force, to deter the kind of action."