Blumenthal calls for ban on assault weapons

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal has joined a growing group of lawmakers and other officials calling for reinstating a federal ban on assault weapons.

In a speech to the Senate on Tuesday, the state's junior senator said officials need to do something to effectively ban assault weapons. He referred specifically to weapons that are not designed for self-defense or hunting, but for killing and maiming people.

He spoke four days after a gunman opened fire in a Connecticut school district, killing 20 children and six adults.

Blumenthal, Connecticut's former attorney general, said civilian versions of military weapons should not be sold. He also called for a ban on high-capacity magazines.

He said restrictions on assault weapons are sensible regulations that will not infringe on the constitutional right to own guns.