Illinois’ Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger has change his position on federally banning AR-15 rifles in the aftermath of the Uvalde, Texas, shooting, which led to the deaths of 19 children and two adults last week.
On Sunday, while speaking to ABC’s “This Week” program, Kinzinger said he is in favor of stricter gun laws, including a ban on AR-15-style weapons and raising the minimum legal age to purchase other types of guns to 21.
We know from the past Kinzinger has strongly opposed any bans on guns, but now, he is changing his tune and want to speak with the Democrats.
Kinzinger also is one of the few Republicans who voted to impeach Trump last year.
Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois said that he’s open to supporting a federal ban on AR-15 rifles, saying his position on the issue has changed in the wake of a mass shooting at a Texas elementary school last week. https://t.co/A3HTOnx0ty
— CNN (@CNN) May 29, 2022
More details of this story from CNN:
Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois said Sunday that he’s open to supporting a federal ban on AR-15 rifles, saying his position on the issue has changed in the wake of a mass shooting at a Texas elementary school last week that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
“Look, I have opposed a ban, you know, fairly recently. I think I’m open to a ban now. It’s going to depend on what it looks like because there’s a lot of nuances on what constitutes, you know, certain things,” Kinzinger told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” when asked if he still opposed “a ban on the kind of assault weapons that were used in the shooting.”
Kinzinger noted that an “extra license,” or “extra training” may be required to own such weapons. But he said it was up to those who support the Second Amendment, like himself, to also be offering solutions to the discussion.
“We have to be coming to the table with ways to mitigate 18-year-olds buying these guns and walking into schools — my side’s not doing that,” said the congressman, who’s not running for reelection in the fall. “My side is not coming forward with reasonable ways to defend an amendment that we think is very important. And so I’m looking at this going, ‘Fine, if people are going to put forward solutions about certifying maybe who can buy an assault weapon, I’m certainly open to that.’”
Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger on AR-15 rifles: “Look, I have opposed a ban, you know, fairly recently. I think I’m open to a ban now.” https://t.co/KzEA8mpriK
— Newsmax (@newsmax) May 30, 2022
“Can we stop all of it? No. Can we mitigate it? Certainly. And we should be doing that now,” the Illinois Republican said of gun violence following last week’s mass shooting. https://t.co/NHNYHEJJGy
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) May 29, 2022
More from NewsMax:
Democrats, for their part, face an uphill battle with gun control legislation.
The Senate filibuster currently requires a 60-vote threshold to enact sweeping changes to any established constitutional law; and last week, moderate Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said, “The filibuster is the only thing that prevents us from total insanity.”
For the November midterm elections, Republicans need a net positive of five seats to claim the majority in the House chamber, and just a net of one seat to control the Senate.