CNN "State of the Union" interviews during 2018: on Gun Control

Stacey Abrams: AR-15s are not necessary on our streets

ABRAMS: In Georgia, you introduce legislation to start conversations. I am happy to work with the legislature to figure out how we make an assault weapons ban work. But what I fundamentally believe is that we have to have commonsense gun safety legislation. I am someone who supports the Second Amendment, who knows how to shoot, who knows how to hunt, but I believe that our responsibility is to make certain that the most vulnerable in our society do not face those who are irresponsible with their weapons. AR-15s are not necessary on our streets. Semiautomatic weapons have to be put under a certain level of responsible control. And I believe that I can work with Democrats and Republicans to come up with commonsense gun safety legislation.

John Kasich: Significant changes, while we protect the Second Amendment

KASICH: I really do believe that. I think the people do want changes here. I think there's three kinds of people who are involved in this gun debate, those that want no changes on guns--believe me, they're there and they're strong--and those people that think there ought to be significant changes, even while we protect the Second Amendment. And the third group are a bunch of politicians who are afraid of their own shadows. But the fact of the matter is, it's a massive effort here. If we can keep the pressure on, we're not going to change everything overnight, but you can get significant changes. And I hope so. And if they do not bring about change, I think people should be held absolutely accountable at the ballot box, and no question about it.

Tim Kaine: Background checks get bipartisan support after marches

KAINE: Bluntly, the NRA leadership, funded by gun manufacturers, has basically been able to gridlock everything in Congress now for nearly decades. That's why Congress has not been willing to act, even to do things that an overwhelming majority of the American public want us to do. But the activism of these young people is actually changing the equation.

Q: These young people see inaction from all of Congress, Republicans and Democrats. Does your party bear responsibility too?

KAINE: Yes, Democrats participated, for example, to give gun manufacturers liability protection, to wall off the CDC from researching gun violence. But this now goes back a ways. In recent years, the Democratic Party in Congress has been nearly unified, especially on background checks, for example. Very few Republicans would support it.

Rick Scott: Don't ban AR-15s; fully automatic weapons already illegal

Sen. Ron JOHNSON (R-WI): I would not support the law. You know, we send our sons and daughters over to Afghanistan, in Iraq. They defend our freedoms. If they do that, they ought to be able to buy a hunting rifle.

Q: What about an AR-15? 18-year-olds with AR-15s, that's OK?

JOHNSON: We ought to really detail what the operational characteristics are of weapons, rather than just a scary name or a gun that looks a little bit scarier. There are plenty of hunting weapons that basically have the same operational characteristics. And it's already illegal to have a fully automatic weapon. It's illegal to convert a legal weapon into an automatic weapon.