Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., doesn’t believe it should be harder to buy an AR-15 after the assault rifle was used to massacre 17 people at a Florida high school.
Lankford said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” there needs to be legislation to strengthen background checks. He shied away from restrictions on buying the AR-15, which has been used in multiple mass shootings.
“It is the individual himself that becomes an issue, not the weapon they are holding,” he said.
Under Florida state law, you need to be 21 years old to buy a handgun but only 19 to buy an AR-15.
Nicolas Cruz, 19, is charged with using an AR-15 to slaughter 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., earlier this week.
Lankford said there are three to five times more crimes committed with handguns than a rifle, hence the need for greater restrictions.
Host Chuck Todd asked Lankford if the AR-15, which can be modified to include high-capacity magazines with as many as 100 rounds, is a hunting rifle.
“Some do hunt with an AR-15 as well,” Lankford replied.
The senator added that more needs to be done to strengthen background checks and pointed to legislation introduced by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, last year after a shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas. The legislation would fix the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
“We are not getting information from some rural departments or federal entities,” Lankford said. “That absolutely needs to be fixed and that legislation needs to be pushed.”
