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Former Bush AG Gonzales Throws Support Behind Ban on ‘Killing Machine’ AR-15s

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Appearing on CNN’s “New Day,” former George W. Bush Attorney General Alberto Gonzales stated that he supports a ban on AR-15s, while surprising host John Berman after calling the high-powered weapons “killing machines.”

Reacting to reports that lawmakers from both sides of the aisle will be having a Zoom meeting on Tuesday to discuss changes needed in gun laws following the latest mass shooting, this time in Texas that took the lives of 19 elementary school students and two teachers, Gonzales said he parts company with other conservatives that the 2nd Amendment is as inflexible as the National Rifle Association insists it is.

“I was the attorney general during the time of the Virginia Tech shooting where is we lost, I think, 30 people,” he began. “And part of my responsibility was to work with the secretary of education, secretary of health and human service and try to understand what happened at Virginia Tech and come up with a list of recommendations that would help to prevent those kinds of incidents from happening again.”

“Having a discussion about this, I think it’s important,” he continued. “I think Congress can be very, very helpful. This is not about ending gun ownership, it’s about expanding gun safety. I grew up in Texas, I live in Tennessee, two very red states and gun ownership is very, very important. I think if you talk to most people in the red states, even they’ll tell you what they really support is responsible gun ownership and that’s what we are looking to have our Congress look to provide.”

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Host Berman pressed, “You don’t think, for instance, as often we hear from some people, the Second Amendment isn’t absolute, in the sense that there can be no regulation on firearms?”

“Oh, absolutely,” the attorney replied. “I absolutely disagree with the notion that the Second Amendment is unlimited. The Supreme Court has already issued a decision indicating that restrictions are constitutional. Those who say any regulation is an infringement on my constitutional rights — they’re just making a political statement.”

Calling AR-15s “killing machines” he went on, “It’s possible we might get some movement there. But again, a complete ban? I quite frankly, think politically it’s not viable. No matter what it is with respect to assault weapons or any other kind of weapon, you have millions of these weapons already in the hands of gun owners in this country so there are limitations. I think what we ought to focus on is what is possible, what is really possible, as opposed to going for something that has absolutely no chance of being passed in the law.”

“I’m actually a little surprised you just used the phrase ‘killing machines’ because that’s something that people who do want to see a ban on AR-15s, that’s a phrase that they use,” Berman prompted. “You were, I believe, still White House counsel in 2004 when the assault ban expired which is something that the Bush administration, if I’m not mistaken, wanted to see expire. Do you regret at this point that the 1994 assault weapons ban expired?”

“Well, again, because there are millions already in the hands of gun owners that doesn’t mean that it would have eliminated or stopped a mass shooting,” Gonzales explained. “Quite frankly, personally, I have no issue with respect to bans on assault weapons. But I, again, John, I just don’t think it’s possible in this country at this particular point in time. I don’t know what it would take to get that passed. Look at the make-up of the members of the Senate, members of the House, I just don’t see it happening.”

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“I’m actually a little surprised you just used the phrase ‘killing machines’ because that’s something that people who do want to see a ban on AR-15s, that’s a phrase that they use,” Berman prompted. “You were, I believe, still White House counsel in 2004 when the assault ban expired which is something that the Bush administration, if I’m not mistaken, wanted to see expire. Do you regret at this point that the 1994 assault weapons ban expired?”

“Well, again, because there are millions already in the hands of gun owners that doesn’t mean that it would have eliminated or stopped a mass shooting,” Gonzales explained. “Quite frankly, personally, I have no issue with respect to bans on assault weapons. But I, again, John, I just don’t think it’s possible in this country at this particular point in time. I don’t know what it would take to get that passed. Look at the make-up of the members of the Senate, members of the House, I just don’t see it happening.”

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‘He Was the Only One’: Trump Mocked for Declaring Iran’s Moves ‘Shocked’ Him

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March 16, 2026

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President Donald Trump is facing criticism and mockery after admitting he was “shocked” that Iran fought back against Operation Epic Fury.

“Trump just admitted publicly that his administration underestimated the Iranian response to his attack,” The Washington Post’s Josh Rogin reported.

During a meeting of the board governing the Kennedy Center, Trump said, “look what happened. In the last two weeks, they weren’t supposed to go after all these other countries in the Middle East. Those missiles were set to go after them. So they hit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait. Nobody expected that. We were shocked.”

Focusing on Trump’s “shocked” remark, some critics blasted the president, once again, for what many have previously said is a Commander-in-Chief who was unprepared to go to war against Iran.

The New Yorker’s Susan Glasser called Trump’s comments a “Remarkable admission.”

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Former Republican U.S. Rep. Justin Amash declared, “We are governed by complete morons.”

Podcaster Clint Russell noted, “Just FYI, this is the EXACT reason our generals have consistently advised against a war with Iran. Even Charlie Kirk had laid this all out on his show a couple years ago. Iran was no threat to America but they were fully capable of destroying the global economy by striking oil facilities and transit throughout the region.”

Robert Manning, a Distinguished Fellow in Global Foresight at the nonpartisan Stimson Center, wrote: “If so, he was the only one surprised. Strategic planners have war games this for 40 years. Hard to believe JCS [Joint Chiefs of Staff] didn’t advise Trump this was likely.”

“I’m pretty confident every war plan US has ever done in last 30 years gaming out this conflict was based on expectation that Iran could in fact [and] would in fact do this,” noted The Nation’s Jeet Heer.

“Every institution built to prevent exactly this outcome existed, was bypassed, and we are now watching the president express shock at conclusions that were already written in the classified assessments he didn’t read,” observed Christine Villaverde, the chairwoman of Anchoring Democracy.

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‘Lazy and Unstrategic’: GOP Senator Slams ‘Republican on Republican Violence’

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14 hours ago

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March 16, 2026

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A prominent Republican senator is denouncing his own party while lamenting the lack of an official presidential endorsement in the highly contentious Texas Republican Senate runoff election.

Agreeing that it is a mistake for President Donald Trump to withhold his endorsement of either Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton or U.S. Senator John Cornyn, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) warned, “I think the more time we spend millions of dollars with Republican-on-Republican violence, Democrats are in the marketing department, loving the idea of a competitive runoff.”

“I get tired of Republicans being lazy and unstrategic,” he told CNN’s Manu Raju, appearing to suggest there are other ways for one of the candidates to pull ahead.

“People on my side of the aisle, and people at the far right of the political spectrum, are trying to swing for the fences, and they’re not gonna succeed,” he warned.

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A runoff election between Cornyn and Paxton will take place on May 26, and the president has yet to endorse either contender.

Reports suggest a Cornyn endorsement is more likely, although Paxton has been a reliable MAGA supporter. Trump has even suggested that whichever candidate does not get his backing should quit the race entirely, clearing the way for the presumptive nominee to battle the Democratic nominee, James Talarico.

“The Republican Primary Race for the United States Senate in the Great State of Texas,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, on March 4, “cannot, for the good of the Party, and our Country, itself, be allowed to go on any longer. IT MUST STOP NOW! We have an easy to beat, Radical Left Opponent, and we have to TOTALLY FOCUS on putting him away, quickly and decisively!”

He vowed to make his endorsement “soon,” but has yet to do so.

Each passing day gives Talarico more time to campaign and build his war chest as the two GOP contenders spend their time and money battling each other.

READ MORE: Gas Prices Near $4 in These Five States

 

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Gas Prices Near $4 in These Five States

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17 hours ago

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March 16, 2026

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Gas prices are continuing to substantially increase, with five states now hovering near $4 a gallon and several others seeing sharp increases as President Donald Trump’s war in Iran enters its 17th day.

“Big gas price hikes just now starting to happen in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri today, which will likely push the national average to $3.75-$3.80 by mid-week,” reports Patrick De Haan, the head of Petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy.

But, he also notes that Michigan and the Chicago area are already seeing $3.99 per gallon as of Monday. Indiana drivers are seeing $3.89, and Ohio and Kentucky are seeing $3.79 per gallon.

De Haan directly attributes the increases to the summer gasoline changeover and the ongoing Iran situation.

“The national average is up 80.0 cents from a month ago and is 66.1 cents per gallon higher than a year ago,” WANE reports, citing GasBuddy’s data.

Drivers should not expect to see prices come down significantly anytime soon.

“Until we see a meaningful resumption of oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, upward pressure on fuel prices is likely to persist,” De Haan said. “At the same time, seasonal forces are beginning to intensify as several regions complete the transition to summer gasoline, creating a double headwind that could continue driving pump prices higher in the weeks ahead.”

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