WATCH: John McCain gives Aurora victim's mother 'straight talk' on guns

A town hall crowd cheers as the senator says, "The assault weapons ban will not pass"

U.S. Sen. John McCain speaks during a town hall meeting in Arizona, Feb. 19.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Matt York)

Sen. John McCain's townhall tour of his home state of Arizona has once again offered a vivid illumination of the deep passions surrounding hot-button issues being debated in Congress. Earlier this week, McCain was assailed by a constituent over immigration reform, and on Wednesday McCain waded into the debate over gun control. "My 24-year-old son, Alex, was murdered in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo.," a woman identified as Caren Teves told him (at the 0:50 mark of the video). "These assault rifles allow the shooter to fire many rounds without having to reload. These weapons to do not belong on our streets."

McCain responded, "I can tell you right now you need some straight talk. That assault weapons ban will not pass the Congress of the United States." McCain's response was met with applause by other attendees. He continued, "I owe it to you to give you my opinion," saying that a majority of lawmakers don't support such a ban. (via Talking Points Memo)

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Ryu Spaeth

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.