Sports: MLB Hall of Famer and avid hunter Chipper Jones makes surprising call for stricter gun laws

Chipper Jones said he supports legislation that would raise the age that people can buy guns to 21 and limit the sale of AR-15s.

• Chipper Jones spoke out in support of raising the age limit on buying guns and restricting the sale of automatic and semi-automatic weapons.
• The comments come in the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 dead.
• An avid hunter, the comments came as something of a surprise, but Jones said that while he supports the second amendment, there are some guns that simply don't belong in the hands of civilians.

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MLB Hall of Famer Chipper Jones expressed support for some restrictions on gun sales in the wake of the recent mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Jones, an avid hunter and Florida native, said while speaking with Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that while he supports the second amendment, he has a problem with semi-automatic weapons that he believes belong in the hands of soldiers rather than everyday Americans.

"I believe in our Constitutional right to bear arms and protect ourselves," Jones said. "But I do not believe there is any need for civilians to own assault rifles. I just don't."

Jones went on to compare limitations on guns to laws against drugs, saying that while we might not be able to fully prevent the horrors they cause, there are steps that can be taken to mitigate the damage, and added that while some guns are tools used for hunting or self-defense, he didn't believe guns like the AR-15, which the shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School used to take the lives of 17 people, had any place outside of war.

"I would like to see something (new legislation) happen. I liken it to drugs – you're not going to get rid of all the guns. But AR-15s and AK-47s and all this kind of stuff – they belong in the hands of soldiers. Those belong in the hands of people who know how to operate them, and whose lives depend on them operating them. Not with civilians. I have no problem with hunting rifles and shotguns and pistols and what-not. But I’m totally against civilians having those kinds of automatic and semi-automatic weapons."

The comments come as something of a surprise — Jones has been a gun-owner most of his life, and says he was just five or six years old when he first learned to shoot. But the recent school shooting stuck with Jones, as he told Schultz that one of his six sons was recently threatened by another student that claimed to have a knife.

"The kid was suspended and he hasn’t been back. That’s being strict" Jones said. "I don't know where he is now, I don't know if he’s getting help, but that's not my concern. My concern is my kids and they took a proactive approach, which I was thankful for. That's the kind of leadership we need in our schools."

Chipper Jones said he supports legislation that would raise the age that people can buy guns to 21 and limit the sale of AR-15s. Read Full Story