WEAU: Colorado Theater Massacre: Wis. Sen. Johnson says guns are not the problem
(WEAU) - The mass shooting at a Colorado theater showing The Dark Knight Rises is once stirring the gun control debate in Washington.
On Sunday, U.S. Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin defended the 2nd Amendment and gun rights.
"This isn't an issue about guns. This is really an issue about sick, demented individuals. It's a tragedy, and I don't think there’s a solution in Washington to solve that problem, other than look to our families, look to our communities, starting with our education system. We've got to re-instill values in what we're teaching our children. We need to look at families and the education system,” the Republican Senator said on Fox News Sunday.
On the other side of the debate on the Sunday political show, California Democrat Dianne Feinstein.
The Senator said the federal government should ban rapid-fire weapons and large magazines.
Some magazines can hold up to 100 rounds of ammunition at a time.
One of the weapons used by the alleged theater gunman was an AR-15 assault rifle. In many ways, it mimics the M-16 service rifle used in the military.
The suspect, James Holmes, was said to have a 100 round drum filled with bullets attached to the weapon.
“Weapons of war don’t belong on the streets. We’ve got to sit down and really come to grips on what is sold to average citizens.” Feinstein said.
It was back in 2004 that Feinstein's legislation to ban assault weapons exipred.
Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, also a Democrat, said tougher controls on weapons likely would not have stopped Holmes from going on an a rampage. He spoke on CNN's State of the Union.
Many lawmakers on Capitol Hill who would like to do something about guns have doubts whether any single event will have the power to overcome the powerful NRA gun lobby.
