Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Tennessee Republican, refused to discuss calls to ban AR-15s after the mass shooting at a Christian school killed six people.
“The tragedy that happened in my state was the result of a depraved person and somebody very, very sick. And the result has been absolutely devastating for the people in my community. Right now with the victims, the family and the people in my community — we are all mourning right now,” Hagerty told CNN.
Asked about banning AR-15-style weapons, he added, “I’m certain politics will wave into everything. But right now I’m not focused on the politics of the situation. I’m focused on the victims.”
Police said the shooter was armed with a handgun and two AR-style weapons — one a rifle and an AR-style pistol.
Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley argued that semi-automatic weapons should not be banned because they have other uses.
“A lot of people use ARs and AKs for sporting purposes,” he said.
He said the shooting in Nashville should be investigated as a hate crime and that he has called on FBI Director Christopher Wray and the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to look into it.
“It appears to be a hate crime and it should be investigated as such, and we need to find out more about this individual, whether this person should have firearms at all — maybe should not have,” Hawley said.
