Trump DOD nominee: ‘Insane’ that civilians can buy assault rifles

A nominee for a top Defense Department post said Tuesday he thinks it’s “insane” that civilians can buy assault rifles in the United States, days after a deadly mass shooting in Texas.

“I’d also like to, and I may get in trouble with other members of the committee, just say how insane it is that in the United States of America a civilian can go out and buy … a semiautomatic assault rifle like an AR-15,” said Dean Winslow, nominee for assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs, during a Tuesday hearing.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) interjected, telling Winslow, “I don’t think that’s in your area of responsibility or expertise.”

{mosads}Winslow’s remarks come two days after a gunman used an assault rifle to kill at least 26 people and injure 20 others at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

Authorities identified the gunman as 26-year-old Devin Kelley. Kelley had served in the Air Force but was court-martialed in 2012 after he assaulted his wife and stepson.

However, the Air Force failed to enter Kelley’s conviction into a federal database, a move that could have prevented him from purchasing a rifle.

Winslow’s comments before the committee came after Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) asked him if he believed individuals with domestic violence convictions should be given a dishonorable discharge from the military instead of a bad conduct discharge, which Kelley received.

His response broke with that of President Trump, who on Monday said the incident was the result of a mental health issue, not a “guns situation.”