Former Rep. Asa Hutchison (R-AR), an National Rifle Assocaition official who presented a plan for placing armed personnel in schools Tuesday as head of the NRA’s school safety task force, said he has no personal objection to expanding background checks.
“Yes. Absolutely, I’m open to expanding background checks,” Hutchison said on CNN Tuesday. “You can do it in a way that does not infringe upon an individual and make it hard for an individual to transfer to a friend or a neighbor.”
Pressed by host Wolf Blitzer on whether he supports other gun restriction measures, Hutchison said that he preferred background checks to restrictions.
“I don’t think that there’s any benefit from limitations on firearms and ammunition,” he said. “I think the challenge is to people who have those. And that’s, again, one reason that you can look at proper background checks.”
“I don’t believe further gun control restrictions are the answer to our challenge of violence in our society. I think the answer is particularly when it comes to schools to having better investment and safety,” Hutchison said after being pressed again on the issue.
Watch:
*This post has been updated.
