Rep. Chris Jacobs (RN.Y.) has called for a ban on assault weapons following two notorious mass shootings in his hometown of Buffalo, New York, and in Uvalde, Texas. they claimed more than two dozen lives in total.
Jacobs said at a news conference Friday that if a bill to ban AR-15-style weapons came to the House, he would vote in favor. He added that he would also bet on raising the age required for certain arms sales to 21, imposing a federal limit on the capacity of the gun loader and banning the sale of armor to the public.
Jacobs received a endorsement from the National Rifle Association during his 2020 congressional career, at which point he said he was honored to receive support and vowed to serve as an “ally and fighter” for gun owners in the West New York.
He said Friday in an interview with The Buffalo News that he reconsidered his position on guns after the two mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde. Jacobs represents the 27th congressional district of New York, which contains suburbs outside of Buffalo, but not the city itself. He is currently running in the 23rd district of the state after the decennial process of redistricting New York eliminated the 27th.
“I think it’s important to be transparent about my views on this, and certainly what has happened here in our community, an unprecedented massacre,” Jacobs told a news conference.
He said he studied the federal assault weapons ban that Congress passed in 1994 and concluded that “it was not as effective as one would think,” but the most effective part was its capability limit on weapon loaders. The ban restricted certain semi-automatic weapons for 10 years until they expired in 2004 without congressional renewal. Studies have found that deaths from mass shootings decreased while the law was in place, but the evidence is uncertain as to how far the ban contributed, according to Politifact.
Jacobs said there is currently no bill to ban assault weapons in the House and does not expect Democrats to have the political will to introduce one, but would support it if it comes up. He said that while he would support the ban on the sale of these weapons, he is not in favor of confiscating those that people already have.
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He said it was “perfectly reasonable” for the age limit for buying at least high-capacity semi-automatic weapons to be 21, similar to the threshold for buying alcohol.
He also said he plans to introduce a bill to ban the sale of body armor to people who are not in law enforcement, security or “fields that make sense.” The gunman at the Buffalo supermarket earlier this month was wearing body armor, apparently protecting him from the fire of a security guard.
Jacobs acknowledged that the change in his position could be controversial and lead to political challenges as he ran for re-election in a heavily conservative district.