On Friday, Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) told CNN host Pamela Brown that he does not believe there should be a ban on every semi-automatic rifle.
BROWN: “I’m just going to ask you a yes or no question. You have said that you respect the second amendment and enjoy shooting. There is a lot of discussions right now on the gun issue and whether there should be tighter restrictions. Do you think there should be a ban on every semi-automatic rifle? Yes or no?
HIMES: “No. I don’t believe there should be a ban every semi-automatic rifle. What I care about, what is important that really matters here is I just don’t won’t weaponry with the ability to fire 30-rounds in 45 seconds and there’s lots of semi-automatic weapons that are designed for hunting where that is not the case. It’s really a question, can someone deliver 40-rounds or 30-rounds in 60 seconds? That’s the kind of weapon that the police fear.”
Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) told CNN host John Berman Thursday that he opposes a ban on all semi-automatic weapons cheered at the CNN town hall Wednesday evening.
Partial transcript below:
BERMAN: “What was interesting there Congressman is the crowd of several thousand people cheered wildly at the notion of banning every semi-automatic weapon. You’ve proposed a ban on assault weapons, but you don’t support a ban on every semi-automatic weapon, do you?”
KILDEE: “No, but I think the cheer gives you a sense of how frustrated people are. They want something done. My view is, let’s do what we know makes sense. Close the gun show loophole.”
BERMAN: “Congressman, I guess what I’m asking is, I think gun rights advocates point to something like that and say ‘look they do want to talk away all of our guns.’ Look, no one is talking about confiscation. I know that much. But they’ll point to that applause and say ‘all those people say ban all semi-automatic weapons. That’s too far they’ll say.”
