Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told reporters Monday that he supports raising the age for buying semi-automatic rifles and is open to an assault weapons ban.
Commenting on the availability of the AR-15, the West Virginia Democrat told CNN he doesn’t see a need for “that type of a high-capacity automatic weapon.”
Contrary to popular opinion, the AR in AR-15 stands for ArmaLite Rifle, not “assault rifle.”
It is a semi-automatic firearm.
The Hill has more on Manchin’s stance:
Speaking to CNN’s Manu Raju, Manchin said he supports raising the purchase age for such weapons following the elementary school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, carried out by an 18-year-old suspect who legally purchased two rifles.
“We know we can do something that would have prevented this. Raising the age, making sure that the age at least gives us a chance to work with that person, see and evaluate if they have a little maturity to them,” Manchin said Monday.
Manchin added he’s “open to doing something that makes sense” regarding age-based restrictions, adding he believes raising the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic weapons could potentially curb gun violence.
Manchin further added that while he enjoys shooting, he doesn’t see why anyone needs an AR-15.
A bipartisan group of senators has been discussing a range of measures recently, including expanded background checks, following the shooting in Uvalde and other mass shootings.
Mass shootings over the weekend left at least a dozen Americans dead and over 60 injured. The two deadliest were in Philadelphia and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
This article originally appeared in American Liberty News. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of The Republican Standard. Republished with permission.