Sen. Casey says he will vote for ban on assault weapons

Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) said his stance on guns has changed in response to the recent shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday Casey said he would support two separate bills on gun control that legislators plan to introduce in response to the shootings, which left 27 dead, including 20 young children.

"The power of the weapon, the number of bullets that hit each child, that was so, to me, just so chilling, it haunts me. It should haunt every public official," Casey said according to the Philadelphia newspaper.

Casey said he would support bills to reinstate the federal ban on assault weapons and ban gun magazines that carry more than 10 bullets.

"If those two bills come before the Senate, I'll vote for both," he said.

The tragedy has renewed the debate over gun control, with President Obama and Democratic lawmakers saying they will push for more restriction on the ownership of firearms.

Obama on Wednesday announced a new task force to be led by Vice President Biden charged with coming up with "real reforms" by January to stem gun violence. 

Casey, who has an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association, had previously resisted proposals for new gun laws. After a shooting at Virginia Tech in 2007 that left 32 people dead Casey said "no man-made law will ever eliminate cruelty and evil from every human heart," according to the Inquirer. 

"I wish that maybe I had spent more time thinking about those other tragedies in the way that I have on this," Casey said to the Inquirer on Wednesday.

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