While never raising her voice or getting frustrated, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) needled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on his views on gun rights.
Their exchange focused on his interpretation, as a judge, of what constitutes “common use” under Supreme Court precedent on gun bans, which Kavanaugh invoked in a dissenting opinion disagreeing with an appeals court decision to uphold a D.C. assault weapons ban.
Feinstein questioned how Kavanaugh could consider assault weapons to be commonly used weapons, while Kavaunaugh argued that they are widely possessed, and thus fit the definition of “common use.”
At one point, Kavanaugh noted he was a native of the D.C. area and was well aware of the gun violence that plagued it.
“I certainly understand the importance of this issue,” he said.