Mitch McConnell says he's open to 'serious suggestions' on how to keep guns from terrorists

Mitch McConnell.
(Image credit: Molly Riley/AFP/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said "nobody wants terrorists to have firearms," and that experts are welcome to give him "serious suggestions" on legislation to address the issue.

McConnell made his remarks days after the Orlando attack in which gunman Omar Mateen shot dead 49 people at a gay nightclub. Mateen had been investigated by the FBI over possible connections to foreign militant groups, and Democrats are pressuring Republicans in the House and Senate to bring up legislation that would prevent people on terrorism watch lists from buying weapons and explosives in the U.S., Reuters reports. "Maybe we can find some middle ground," Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said. "I hope so."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.