Prairie State Wire

U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ottawa) said he’s open to having a ban on AR-15 rifles.

“Look, I have opposed a ban, you know, fairly recently,” Kinzinger told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” when asked if he still opposed “a ban on the kind of assault weapons that were used in the (Uvalde) shooting."

 “I think I’m open to a ban now. It’s going to depend on what it looks like because there’s a lot of nuances on what constitutes ... certain things.”

Kinzinger gained notoriety among Republicans when he was censured by the Republican National Committee for joining the commission investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Gun safety has garnered new attention after the mass shooting event by Salvador Ramos, 18, at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children and 2 adults dead.

“We have to be coming to the table with ways to mitigate 18-year-olds buying these guns and walking into schools – my side’s not doing that,” said the congressman, who’s not running for reelection in the fall. “My side is not coming forward with reasonable ways to defend an amendment that we think is very important. And so I’m looking at this going, ‘Fine, if people are going to put forward solutions about certifying maybe who can buy an assault weapon, I’m certainly open to that.’”

Newsweek reported Kinzinger has called out Republican colleagues for their handling of recent mass shootings.

“What you're seeing right now is all these politicians that are scared to death to talk about the gun issue,” he said, according to Newsweek. “They know that this is an issue, but they're scared to talk about it so they launch into this thing about mental health.”

“If we think that just hardening schools — basically turning schools into military camps [are] going to be the answer,” Kinzinger said, according to Newsweek. “Even if it does work, which it won't. But even if it does, that isn't the type of country I want to live in. I have a kid that's four months old now that will be going to school someday. I don't want to have a military ID to check him into the front gate of his elementary school.”