Arkansas GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Sunday praised a bipartisan approach on measures to stem persistent mass shootings around the country.
In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Hutchinson said he envisions a "narrow path" to consensus in Congress on the issue — and says a ban on AR-15s should be "part of the discussion."
‘I applaud the Senators for trying to look at this from a bipartisan way and find out if there is a narrow path that can better protect our children," he said. "It's a discussion that we absolutely need to have and I applaud them for doing it."
But Hutchinson, chairman of the National Governors Association, argued raising the age to purchase weapons will be difficult.
"When you look at the age 21 or 18, there's constitutional issues there, but that has to be part of this discussion. It's difficult, but it's going to be a narrow path. It's a conversation that’s important and governors are willing to engage in that and particularly look at what comes out of the Senate side."
What Hutchison takes particular fault with is raising the age to purchase long guns.
"I believe that somebody who's 18 ought be able to go out there and shoot ducks with a long gun and to be able to purchase that," he said, adding: "AR-15 style is something that should be part of the conversation versus simply a long gun. That's the challenge that we face."
Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.