Kinzinger says he is ‘open to’ assault weapons ban after Uvalde shooting

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said on Sunday that he is “open to” an assault weapons ban after a gunman killed 21 people in Uvalde, Texas, with an AR-15-style rifle.

“I have opposed a ban fairly recently. I think I’m open to a ban now,” Kinzinger told co-anchor Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“It’s going to depend on what it looks like because there’s a lot of nuances on what constitutes certain things, but I’m getting to the point where I have to wonder,” he added.

Kinzinger also proposed potentially continuing to allow assault weapon purchases while requiring extra training or licenses.

“The question is, is it a ban versus an additional certification?” he asked.

Kinzinger added that many politicians are “scared” to talk about gun control legislation out of fears of splitting with the “cultist position.”

“I’ve talked to a bunch that are where I am, but they won’t say it, or they won’t come out and say it,” he said.

Kinzinger has shifted his position on gun reform after mass shooting incidents before. He supported a ban on bump stocks after one was used in a 2017 massacre in Las Vegas, and he has also voted in favor of background checks.

Kinzinger on Sunday also voiced support for raising the legal age for firearms purchases to 21. The alleged gunmen in Tuesday’s massacre inside a fourth grade classroom at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and a mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., earlier this month were both 18 years old.

“The problem is for those that support the Second Amendment like me, we have to be coming to the table with ways to mitigate 18-year-olds buying these guns and walking into schools,” Kinzinger said. “My side is not doing that. My side is not coming forward with reasonable ways to defend an amendment that we think is very important.”