Bullock defends comment on semiautomatic weapons ban
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock speaks at the Des Moines Register Soapbox during a visit to the Iowa State Fair, Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
HELENA (AP) — Montana’s governor is standing by his comments over the weekend that he’d support a ban on some semiautomatic weapons such as the AR-15 rifle.
Steve Bullock said in a news conference Tuesday that gun violence should be looked at as a public health crisis and that he wants a conversation on a range of restrictions that would make schoolchildren and communities safer.
The two-term Democratic governor first voiced his support for a ban Sunday in answer to a question posed during an interview on CNN.
He says the timing of his announcement has nothing to do with him considering a 2020 presidential run. Bullock is in between trips to early voting states, after speaking at the Iowa state fair last week and heading to New Hampshire on Friday.