Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) called for a national ban on assault weapons during an appearance Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, citing a recent school shooting in Minnesota as evidence of urgent need for reform. The Democrat lawmaker argued that taking firearms off the streets is essential to preventing further mass tragedies.
Speaking about the incident, Omar said, “There was someone who came into that school through the window and assassinated two beautiful angels as they prayed and put 214 other children in the hospital who are still fighting for their lives.” She used the example to highlight the scale of violence possible with high-powered weapons.
Omar called for a multi-pronged response. “One is to make sure that we are getting rid of assault weapons in our community,” she said. “Two, that we are addressing mental health issues if there are some.” She stressed that no single solution would suffice but insisted that legislative action must include removing access to so-called assault-style firearms.
She also advocated for more community-level intervention and early detection of potential threats, urging people to speak up when someone displays troubling behavior. “Yes, we do alert law enforcement,” Omar said, “but this is not the moment to point fingers. It is time for us to come together and figure out what the solutions are so that there are no more angels in our communities.”
Omar’s comments come as Democrats continue to push gun control legislation, including the renewal of the federal assault weapons ban. However, with Republicans in control of the House, any such effort is unlikely to pass without bipartisan support.
