Colin Powell On Gun Control: ‘Why Can’t We Test Everybody’ Before Gun Purchases?

Colin Powell addressed the gun control debate on Meet The Press Sunday and told host David Gregory that although he’s a gun owner himself and a “believer in the Second Amendment,” we have a responsibility to “protect our people.” There must be a “meeting of the minds on the issue,” he said.

Powell asked, “Why can’t we test everybody or have everybody run through a screen to make sure that they are a responsible person before they are allowed to buy a weapon, either in a store or in a private transaction? Why can’t we do a better job of registering things?”

RELATED: Gun Advocate Larry Pratt Dismisses Background Checks: ‘We Are Wasting Our Time’

Powell noted that the issue was “very complex” and said “deranged people” were part of the problem. He said that violence in the media and in video games must be examined but that gun control was a large factor as well.

“I see no need for Bushmasters in the hands of an individual person who might be deranged,” Powell said. “Want to fire a Bushmaster? Go out to a range and fire a Bushmaster.”

Although the NRA and gun owners feel “very strongly” on the issue, Powell said he hoped the government would be able to “demonstrate” to the American people that “the problem is being taken seriously.”

Watch below, via NBC:

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