In his first floor speech since being elected, Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., on Wednesday called for "a serious, pragmatic and practical discussion" on stemming gun violence and voiced support for a number of gun control measures, including expanding background checks and banning people under 21 years old from buying assault weapons.
Jones, a gun owner who mentioned his interests in hunting and going to the shooting range, called on senators on both sides of the gun issue to find common ground - and for Democrats to stop demonizing the NRA and for Republicans to reject the idea that more guns make society safer.
"There will always be forces that seek to sow division and discord, our challenge and our mission is to prevent them from succeeding," the senator said. "We can seize this moment by changing the conversation and our country."
Alabama's junior senator cited the movement started by the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, as a turning point in the gun debate. At the same time, Jones said, the Second Amendment should be protected.
"In the wake of yet another mass shooting, and the rising voices of young people across the country, it is our responsibility - our duty - to have a serious discussion about guns and gun safety. But that conversation has to be two-fold: we must acknowledge the deadly consequences that can follow when a gun is in the wrong hands, but also recognize and respect the freedom to own and enjoy guns by law-abiding citizens as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the Constitution. Those two concepts ... are not mutually exclusive."
Jones cited several recent shooting deaths in Alabama during his floor speech, including the shooting of 17-year-old Huffman High School student Courtlin Arrington, the killing of Mobile Police Officer Justin Billa, and a 11-month-old Mobile boy who was killed by his 2-year-old brother.
"It is time ... that we have a serious, pragmatic and practical discussion - not a debate, not a negotiation - but a discussion, a dialogue on the steps that we can take to reduce the harm caused by gun violence in this country," Jones said.
Among the measures the senator said he supports is legislation to ban bump stocks and instituting background checks for all gun sales with exemptions for law enforcement, those with a concealed carry permit and transfers between family members.
