Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called for more gun control measures Tuesday to restrict the ability for people to acquire “weapons of mass death” and “destruction.”
Whitmer appeared on “MSNBC Live,” and was asked by host Katy Tur if she thought “assault-style weapons” should be subject to a nationwide ban. The broadcast follows Monday’s shooting in Boulder, Colorado. (RELATED: Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin Breaks With Party On Gun Control, ‘Doesn’t Support’ House Measures)
“There is a lot of talk about banning assault-style weapons, semi-assault-style weapons … Where do you stand on banning them nationwide?” Tur asked Whitmer.
Whitmer explained she thinks Congress should take action because the country has seen too many tragedies such as the Boulder shooting but didn’t go into greater detail. She added it’s important to recognize changes need to be made to ensure “weapons of mass death” don’t fall into the hands of people with violent motives.
Tur jumped in and asked what changes Whitmer would support.
“Well, I think that there are a lot of changes that we could make. I mean, we’ve seen Congress debate some things in terms of background checks, in terms of the things that can be used to modify guns to make them weapons of mass destruction,” Whitmer answered. “I think there are a lot of things that common sense would dictate make good sense in terms of how we keep these guns out of hands of people who shouldn’t have them.”
“It sounds like you’re not for a nationwide ban on semi-assault style weapons,” Tur said.
Whitmer avoided directly answering the question and instead said as governor of Michigan she “can’t propose that.” She went on to say there needs to be a “conversation and robust debate” with “responsible gun owners” as part of the conversation.
“I know here in Michigan we’ve got a lot of people who love to hunt. They’re responsible gun owners who recognize background checks are important. Some of these mass destruction weapons don’t have a place in the common sale in this country. So I do think that there is space for common ground here,” she concluded.
President Joe Biden has called on Congress to pass H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446 and ban “assault weapons” with high-capacity magazines. The bills would mandate universal background checks on all gun purchases and would extend the length of time that a background check can be completed.