Kaine supports banning assault-style weapons

Senator Timothy M. Kaine, D-Va., announced this morning that he will vote in favor of a federal ban on certain types of assault-style weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

In an editorial published in the Virginian Pilot today, Kaine wrote that he is convinced that reasonable limits on gun trafficking across state lines, super-size magazines and certain combat-style weapons make sense and that he would be “pleased to vote in support” of such measures.

“There is no piece of legislation that will eliminate violence. But if we take concrete steps, we can make our communities safer,” Kaine wrote.

It is the first time that Kaine has committed to voting for a proposed ban on combat-style weapons.

Almost four months after the Newtown elementary school shooting that left 20 children and several adults dead, the Senate is poised to debate measures on reducing gun violence – a step that several Republican lawmakers have vowed to filibuster.

“Instead of just voting against restrictions they don’t like, they are trying to block any vote whatsoever,” Kaine wrote.

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