Van Hollen doubts impact of weapons ban

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen suggested Tuesday that a ban on assault weapons likely wouldn't have prevented the Connecticut school shootings and urged lawmakers not to make "knee-jerk" decisions on new gun-control measures without hard evidence.

The Republican attorney general has led state Justice Department investigators through multiple mass shootings since he took office in 2007, including one in August at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek that left six worshippers dead. He told The Associated Press during an interview no one has any simple answers for stopping mass killers.

"We've known there are going to be crazy people who do horrible things long before I became attorney general, whether you go back to Columbine or whatever the case may be," Van Hollen said, referring to a mass shooting in 1998 at a Littleton, Colo., high school. "If there were simple solutions we would have come up with them then."

Adam Lanza killed 26 people, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., on Friday. Van Hollen said it may have been impossible to stop him because Lanza didn't own any firearms, killed his mother so he could steal her guns and then broke a window at the school to get in.

"The argument can be made the offender in Connecticut never even owned a firearm so how could he have been prevented from getting one?" Van Hollen said. "He actually killed the owner of the firearm to get it. And he broke into a building, breaking and entering to use it. This is one person who's misused this firearm versus the millions who don't abuse it."

The Connecticut shootings have sparked another round of debate on gun control across the country. A trio of Democratic legislators announced Tuesday in Milwaukee that they're working on a package of bills that would ban high-velocity, high damage ammunition like the rounds Lanza used. It also would ban assault rifles and require concealed carry applicants to undergo psychological evaluations.

Applicants already have to pass a background check, but Rep.-elect Evan Goyke said those reviews don't reveal the sort of mental instability that could lead to rampages.

"We believe that law does not go far enough," said Goyke, D-Milwaukee.

Republicans control the Legislature and governor's office, but the Democrats said they can't imagine anyone voting against rules ensuring concealed carry permit-holders are mentally stable.

The Democrats' moves put the GOP in a delicate political situation. If they come out in support of firearm restrictions they risk alienating a broad swatch of constituents who value their Second Amendment right to bear arms. If they don't do anything, they could appear unsympathetic to gun victims.

Republican Gov. Scott Walker's spokesman, Cullen Werwie, issued a statement early Tuesday evening saying Walker plans to focus on how to better address mental illness in children.

The statement marked the first time the governor has signaled possible policy changes since the Newtown shootings but offered no other details. Werwie didn't immediately return email and telephone messages.

Van Hollen, who holds Wisconsin's first concealed carry permit, said he is reluctant to take any action limiting freedoms without clear evidence it would protect the public. When asked if he opposed banning assault weapons, he replied, "I just have no idea."

He said he'd have to see the details of the Democrats' bills and whether they can show the measures would protect the public. People are throwing the term "assault weapon" around loosely, he said, adding the public doesn't have access to true, fully automatic assault weapons.

The type of weapon investigators believe Lanza used, an AR-15-style rifle similar to the U.S. Army's M-16, is one of the most popular guns in the nation, he added, which means many people are using them legally.

Still, he said the debate over gun control should continue. Some restrictions on firearms, such as banning felons from possessing them, are appropriate as long as they protect the public, he said.

States might be better served by investing in more police officers in schools, where they can act as deterrents to would-be attackers, protect children and teach them to respect law enforcement. He also suggested improving techniques for identifying the mentally ill and blocking them from obtaining weapons.

In the end, though, people may have to accept that horrible things happen, Van Hollen said.

"As tragic as this was," the attorney general said, "sometimes some things can't be prevented."

___

Associated Press writer Dinesh Ramde in Milwaukee contributed to this report.