Jun 6, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Manchin is open to "looking at" assault weapons ban

Herb Scribner

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., attends the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. — Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told CNN on Monday that he would support raising the age to 21 for gun purchases and "wouldn't have a problem on looking at" a ban on AR-15 style weapons.

Why it matters: Manchin, viewed as the most conservative Democrat in the Senate and from a state largely supportive of gun rights, is a member of a bipartisan group of senators working to strike a deal on gun control following a string of horrific mass shootings in recent weeks.

Manchin has been involved in previous gun control efforts, including a bipartisan background check bill in 2013 that failed in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The big picture: Manchin told CNN that he could support a ban on assault weapons, a move supported by the White House and Democratic leaders, depending on "how they would approach it."

"I'm open to anything that makes gun sense," he said.
Manchin also said he has never personally "had a need for that type of a high-capacity automatic weapon. ... I like to shoot, I like to go out and hunt. I like to go out sports shooting," he noted. "I do all of that. But I've never felt I needed something of that magnitude."

President Biden called on Congress to reinstate the assault weapons ban, which was passed in 1994 and expired in 2004 under President George W. Bush.

Several Republicans in recent weeks have voiced support for raising the federal minimum age to purchase a gun from 18 to 21.

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Manchin is open to "looking at" assault weapons ban

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