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Former Republican senator explains his vote for the '94 assault weapons ban

A photo of a Colt AR-15 taken in 2004, the year the 1994 assault weapons ban expired and it became legal for civilians to purchase. (Thomas Cooper/Getty Images)
A photo of a Colt AR-15 taken in 2004, the year the 1994 assault weapons ban expired and it became legal for civilians to purchase. (Thomas Cooper/Getty Images)

The mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas last week is prompting a familiar call for a federal ban on assault weapons. There was such a measure enacted in 1994, though it expired 10 years later.

That ban passed Congress with bipartisan support, including eight Republican votes in the Senate.

Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with former Colorado Republican Sen. Hank Brown, who voted for the ban.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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