Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) announced that he is willing to consider changing the age requirement when it comes to buying AR-15-style rifles.
Rubio made the announcement at a Town Hall meeting Wednesday night, which included survivors of the Parkland school shooting that led to 17 deaths.
The age to buy a handgun is 21, but anyone over 18 can buy an AR-15 under current laws.
Angry teachers and parents were also present, demanding stronger gun-control measures, including Fred Guttenburg, the father of 14-year-old Jamie Guttenberg who died in the shooting.
Guttenberg told Rubio that his comments about the shooting "and those of your president this week have been pathetically weak."
People stood up and cheered Guttenberg as he challenged Rubio to tell him the truth, to acknowledge that "guns were the factor in the hunting of our kids."
Rubio responded that the problems laid bare by the shooting rampage "cannot be solved by gun laws alone," drawing jeering whistles from the crowd. Rubio responded that he would support laws barring those 18 and under from buying such weapons, support changing the background checks system and getting rid of bump stocks.
He said that if he believed an assault weapons ban "would have prevented this from happening, I would have supported it." That drew jeers. Visibly angry, Guttenberg responded: "That is a weapon of war."
