Republican Massachusetts governor expresses support for national ban on assault-style weapons

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) on Wednesday said he would be in favor of federal government officials implementing a ban on assault-style weapons.

Baker told reporters on Wednesday that a similar ban had been positive for Massachusetts.

“Look, I think the assault weapons ban in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, based on all the data that’s available, has served this commonwealth well,” he said, according to MassLive.

{mosads}”And I think it would be appropriate, at this point, for the federal government to adopt something similar.”

His comments come after a 2013 clip of Baker pushing back on a federal ban on assault-style weapons resurfaced.

“We’ve had it since 1998 … and gun crime has gone up since then by a lot,” Baker said at the time.

“If I thought it would solve the problem, I’d be all for it. But I need to see the evidence. I would like to see the evidence.”

Last month, 17 people were killed when a gunman opened fire at a high school in Florida.

Since the shooting, students have been demanding the lawmakers act and pass new gun laws.

President Trump and lawmakers have been discussing measures they could take to curb gun violence in the country, including raising the minimum age for the purchase of certain guns.