Bengals quarterback pushes for new gun control: ‘You’ve gotta at least make it harder’

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on Tuesday called for new gun control legislation, saying lawmakers should “make it harder” for people to obtain some firearms. 

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Burrow, who led the Bengals to their first Super Bowl in 33 years last season, suggested that those seeking to own a firearm should go through a “rigorous process” to purchase “crazy guns,” likely referencing assault-style weapons.   

“With everything that’s going on, if you’re not going to outlaw everything, you’ve gotta at least make it harder to get those crazy guns that everybody is using. I don’t think you should be able to just walk in there and buy one. You gotta be able to go through a rigorous process to buy something like that, I think,” the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner said in response to a reporter’s question. 

“Hopefully, the people who get paid to make those decisions figure that out. My job is to play football, but hopefully the politicians can figure that out,” Burrow concluded. 

The U.S. has seen a recent string of fatal mass shootings, including in Uvalde, Texas, Buffalo, N.Y., and Tulsa, Okla. 

Burrow, who’s entering his third season in the NFL, follows other prominent sports figures such as Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott who have called for new gun control legislation in response to the massacres. 

A bipartisan group of senators announced Sunday they have reached a framework on potential legislation to curb the surge of gun violence in the country.

The framework includes funding for school safety resources, expanded background checks for buyers under the age of 21, incentives for states to implement their own red flag laws, penalties for straw purchases of firearms and new protections for domestic violence victims.

President Biden said in a statement that he plans to sign the proposed legislation into law if it passes.