GOP Congressman comes out in support of assault weapons ban after shootings in Uvalde and his hometown of Buffalo
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- GOP Rep. Chris Jacobs said he would support an assault weapons ban.
- Jacobs also said he would support a lower magazine capacity for guns and a ban on body armor sales.
- The congressman reevaluated his stance on assault weapons after shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo.
Republican Rep. Chris Jacobs said Friday that he would vote for an assault weapons ban in Congress if it came to a vote on the House floor.
"I want to be completely transparent of where I am in Congress. If an assault weapons ban bill came to the floor that would ban something like an AR-15, I would vote for it," Jacobs, who represents New York's 27th District, said during a press conference in Lancaster, New York.
—Ryan Whalen (@RyanWhalenCT) May 27, 2022
He also said he would support raising the minimum age for sales of some guns to 21, a limit on the magazine capacity of guns, and a ban on body armor sales, The Hill reported.
Jacobs told the Buffalo News on Friday that the recent shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and his hometown of Buffalo, New York, changed his stance on assault weapons.
On May 14, 10 people died in a mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo. On Tuesday, 21 people, 19 of whom were children, died after a shooter opened fire at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
—Rep. Chris Jacobs (@RepJacobs) May 25, 2022
Jacobs' comments fall out of line with many Republicans' stances on assault weapons bans.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who has received criticism following his comments on Uvalde, said he supported more armed cops at schools rather than implementing any sort of gun control.
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also came out against gun control following the mass shooting in Uvalde saying "We don't need more gun control. We need a return to God."