Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) used the Senate hearing on the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump to criticize the “easy accessibility” of AR-15s.
When questioning FBI deputy director Paul Abbate, Hirono asked that he clarify the type of firearm used in the assassination attempt.
Abbate noted that it was an AR-15 style rifle made by Panther Arms.
Hirono then claimed that the United States is “a nation awash in guns.”
She then zeroed in on AR-style rifles and asked, “Shouldn’t we be doing more to prevent the easy accessibility of these kinds of firearms in our country?”
Abbate refused to wade into a gun control debate, making clear he is “focused on collecting facts.”
This is disgusting. Democrats are turning this into another anti-gun witch hunt where they are trying to demonize the tool and not the person.
— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) July 30, 2024
Someone tried to assassinate a former president—that should be the focus of these hearings. Period. pic.twitter.com/l2Ws5N1JOI
Hirono expressed disappointment that Abbate would not enter into the gun control debate and then said, “To many people in our country there is a causal factor here: the easy accessibility of guns.”
She then repeated another of her earlier statements, describing America as a nation “that is awash in guns.”
Hirono later added, “We have not done enough to promote gun safety in our country.”
Breitbart News reported that Sen. Dick Durbin (D) also used the Senate hearing to criticize “easy access to AR-15 rifles.”
Neither Durbin nor Hirono addressed the fact that the AR-15 used in the assassination attempt was “legally purchased,” which means it was acquired via a background check at retail.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at
