Following the deadly school shooting in Texas, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts was asked whether an 18 year old should be allowed to buy an AR-15 rifle.
“I would say that in the state of Nebraska, the answer is ‘absolutely yes,’” replied Gov. Pete Ricketts when asked at a press conference. Banning those under 21 from buying military-style rifles emerged as a major issue after a teenager in Texas, just after his 18th birthday, purchased two AR-15s.
He used one of them to kill 19 fourth graders and two teachers inside an elementary school last week in Uvalde, Texas.
Ricketts, a staunch supporter of gun rights who advocated this year for an end to Nebraska’s concealed handgun carry training and registration requirements, told reporters Tuesday that the focus after such mass shootings should be on the person “pulling the trigger” and not the weapon used.
“That’s where the real problem lies,” he said, mentioning that the “root cause” is mental health care. A number of steps have been taken recently to address that cause, the Republican governor said, including the allocation of $40 million this year from the state’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for new mental health care facilities.
He added that a study last year by Stanford University found that 28 of 35 recent gunmen in mass shootings had some psychiatric diagnosis. That study looked only at assailants who survived.
You can read the entire Nebraska Examiner story here