House Republican Deflects Three Times When Asked Why 18-Year-Olds Are Allowed to Buy AR-15s
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) was asked three times why he believes 18-year-olds should be permitted to buy AR-15 rifles Thursday, and he evaded the question each time.
The question has been asked more frequently since May 14, when an 18-year-old in Buffalo, New York, murdered 10 Black Americans at a grocery store, police say.
On Tuesday, an 18-year-old in Uvalde, Texas, bought two rifles and carried out the deadliest school shooting in Texas history. Nineteen children and two adults were massacred at Robb Elementary School in the city.
In both cases, the suspected killers had just turned 18, used an AR-15, and both broke no laws prior to turning their weapons on innocent people.
MSNBC’s Garrett Haake asked Gonzalez on Thursday why he thinks the 18-year-old should be allowed to buy guns. He either could not, or would not, answer the question.
“You can’t buy a beer when you’re 18 years old,” Haake noted, before he asked Gonzales, “Why do you need to be able to buy an assault rifle?”
The Texas Republican responded, “You know, I think part of the conversation, we have to be unified. This country is not unified.”
Haake went in for another attempt, asking, “Why does an 18-year-old in Texas need to be able to buy an assault rifle?”
Gonzales again refrained from answering.
“The reality is this isn’t a new topic,” he said. “There has been a lot of legislation that has been out there.”
“You haven’t answered my question, though,” Haake noted, before he again asked, “Why does an 18-year-old need an AR-15 in the state of Texas?”
Gonzales replied, “This is how the legislative process works. Congress determines the laws. Right now, we have a Congress that won’t talk to one another. There’s so much rhetoric and hate.”
As the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives notes, “Shotguns and rifles, and ammunition for shotguns or rifles may be sold only to individuals 18 years of age or older. All firearms other than shotguns and rifles, and all ammunition other than ammunition for shotguns or rifles may be sold only to individuals 21 years of age or older.”
Watch above, via MSNBC.
