<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1654621061853,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"0000017d-00b6-db7d-abfd-7cb766d10000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1654621061853,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"0000017d-00b6-db7d-abfd-7cb766d10000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_54534247", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1026914"} }); ","_id":"00000181-3f19-dfdd-a99b-bfbfc0480000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedSenate Minority Whip John Thune defended people who want to own an AR-15, claiming that South Dakotans he represents rely on the weapons to “shoot prairie dogs” and “varmints.”
The No. 2 Senate Republican underscored the popularity of the firearm while stressing his opposition to a ban on the semi-automatic weapon, which some critics contend is the weapon of choice for most mass shooters.
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“The challenge you have on that is there’s 20 million of them in the country already. They are a sporting rifle. And it’s something that a lot of people [use] for purposes of going out target shooting. In my state, they use them to shoot prairie dogs and, you know, other types of varmints,” he told CNN’s chief congressional correspondent, Manu Raju.
Instead of banning them, Thune stressed that the focus should be on keeping such weapons away from the mentally ill.
“I think that there are legitimate reasons why people would want to have them,” he continued. “So I just think that the issues that they should be focused on is how do you keep those types of weapons out of the hands of these young, in this case male, very deranged young men.”
https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1534216857812709376?s=20&t=0_en7-MO1WFIRVhjH1u93wThe senator’s remarks drew backlash on social media from some critics such as Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), who emphasized that the weapon has also been used in the nation’s deadliest mass shootings.
“Across the country, ‘they use them to shoot’ human beings in schools, grocery stores, hospitals, churches, synagogues, malls, bars, and workplaces. If you think shooting ‘varmints’ is more important than preventing mass shootings of children at elementary schools, you’re wrong,” he tweeted in response.
https://twitter.com/RepDonBeyer/status/1534207490082189313?s=20&t=wklUlbaPpZVTa9KiUKpR3Q”I’m sure those parents of those dead children will feel better knowing that John Thune uses his AR-15 not for people,” Molly Jong-Fast, a contributing writer for the Atlantic, tweeted.
https://twitter.com/MollyJongFast/status/1534200385187061760CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Thune’s remarks come as senators are working behind the scenes to cut a bipartisan deal on legislation aimed at curbing gun violence in the wake of a recent string of mass shootings, notably those in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York.
A number of key senators, including Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT), John Cornyn (R-TX), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and Thom Tillis (R-NC), have reportedly been huddling behind the scenes in search of a bipartisan breakthrough. Some of those key players have suggested the legislation will likely involve reforms to the background check system but will refrain from controversial measures such as a ban on semi-automatic rifles. In the evenly split Senate, Democrats will need to bring at least 10 Republicans on board to clear the filibuster.
