McCaskill, O'Dear favor assault weapons bans, Hawley doesn't
Source: AP
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill and an independent candidate running for her job support banning assault weapons to stifle the sort of violence that killed 17 at a Florida high school, while the likely Republican challenger says efforts should focus on keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill.
The Missouri race is among the most closely watched this year, with control of the Senate potentially at stake. The issue of gun violence emerged as a key topic after a 19-year-old with an assault rifle killed 14 students and three teachers last week in Parkland, Florida.
McCaskill supports an assault weapons ban, a campaign spokeswoman said Thursday, and voted for a ban in 2013. Meanwhile, independent candidate Craig O'Dear called for a "responsible ban on assault rifles and large capacity magazines," while acknowledging he owns such a gun.
"As a gun owner and strong supporter of Second Amendment rights, I have concluded that the presence of assault rifles in American civilian life is not a Second Amendment issue," O'Dear, a Kansas City attorney who announced his candidacy last week, said in a news release. He also favors measures such as better background checks and modification of mental health privacy laws.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/state-and-regional/mccaskill-o-dear-favor-assault-weapons-bans-hawley-doesn-t/article_aaf6dacf-a076-5b96-94eb-15491dc14fdf.html
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