They are as sick as the shooter...

What lawmakers are saying about AR-15s and gun reform legislation after the Nashville school shooting

Morgan Rimmer and Lauren Fox

CNN spoke with Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, one day after a school shooting in Nashville left three children and three adults dead.

Here what they said:

After the shooting in his district yesterday, Republican Rep. Andy Ogles shut down questions about banning AR-15 rifles. 

Ogles, who represents Nashville, said, "Why not talk about the real issue facing the country? And that’s mental health." 

Remember, Ogles posted a photo on Facebook in Christmas 2022 when he was Mayor of Maury County that showed him and his family standing in front of a Christmas tree holding weapons, with the caption “The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference – they deserve a place of honor with all that’s good.”

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin told reporters that he is “not very hopeful” that the Senate can pass gun legislation this Congress, adding, "yet we have to try." 

“This is uniquely American and the people of this country have to ask themselves a basic question: Had enough? Had enough of sending your children and grandchildren to school and wondering if they’re going to be victims of assault rifles?” he said.

He also went after Republican arguments that semiautomatic weapons are constitutionally protected. 

“I mean, this is madness. To think that some people rationalize this as part of the 2nd Amendment is beyond me,” he said. 

Despite Republican opposition, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal insisted that he is not giving up. 

“We've heard before that gun violence prevention is impossible, and yet we've made progress as we come together. I'm not taking no for an answer,” he said. “I'm going to continue seeking to enlist my Republican colleagues because they know the outrage, the grief.”

Republican Rep. Byron Donalds pushed back on calls for further gun legislation and a ban on AR-15s.

“If you're going to talk about the AR-15, we're talking politics now,” he said. “Let’s not get into politics. Let’s not get into emotion, because emotion feels good, but emotion doesn’t solve problems.”

Indiana Republican Sen. Todd Young, when asked if he'd support a hearing specifically on assault weapons, said he'd back a hearing to understand what happened during the Nashville shooting.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise demurred when asked if the shooting would move Congress to address any sort of reforms.

"The first thing in any kind of tragedy I do is I pray. I pray for the victims, pray to their families. I really get angry when I see people try to politicize it for their own personal agenda, especially when we don't even know the facts or facts coming out,” he said. 

“Let's get the facts. And let's work to see if there's something that we can do to help secure schools,” he said. “We've talked about things that we can do and it just seems like on the other side, all they want to do is take guns away from law-abiding citizens."

Separately, Senate chaplain Barry Black, whose role is traditionally nonpolitical, called for lawmakers to take action on gun violence “beyond thoughts and prayers” after the shooting.

“Lord, when babies die at a church school, it is time for us to move beyond thoughts and prayers," he said on the Senate floor Tuesday morning.