This Republican Lawmaker Wants To Ban AR-15s

Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois wants to ban AR-15s.

In his latest interview with ABC, Kinzinger expressed how he is now open to banning the use of AR-15 assault rifles in the wake of the elementary school shooting in Texas.

Kinzinger stated that in the past he has opposed any bans but now he is willing to talk with Democrats on what a ban would look like.

Last year Kinzinger was one of the few Republicans who voted to impeach Trump.

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

CNN had more on the story:

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

Newsmax got the scoop too:

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., has modified 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.

While speaking to ABC’s “This Week” program on Sunday, the Illinois Republican said, “I’m a strong defender of the Second Amendment. And one of the things I believe that for some reason is a very rare thing is that as a person that appreciates and believes in the Second Amendment, we have to be the ones putting forward reasonable solutions to gun violence.”

Later on CNN, Kinzinger was more definitive about the banishment talk: “Look, I have opposed a ban, you know, fairly recently. I think I’m open to a ban now.”