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Joe Manchin trolled for saying yes to raising age for gun purchase: 'Let's see if he VOTES'

Sen Joe Manchin of West Virginia has spoken out in support of raising the age for buying semi-automatic weapons to 21

Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has spoken out in support of raising the age for buying semi-automatic weapons to 21. He has also questioned why one would need to own high-powered AR-15-style weapons. Manchin is now at odds with Republicans who are resisting the imposition of any restrictions on access to firearms.

"I never thought I had a need for that type of a high-capacity automatic weapon," Manchin told CNN on Monday," June 6. "I like to shoot, I like to go out and hunt. I like to go out sports shooting. I do all of that. But I've never felt I needed something of that magnitude."

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Manchin further claimed that he "wouldn't have a problem on looking at" backing a ban on so-called assault weapons. A proposal pushed by the White House and Democratic leaders, it stands little chances of winning the required 60-votes in the Senate. "It depends on what they, how they would approach it," Manchin said. "I'm open to anything that makes gun sense."

Manchin's comments come amid an ongoing discussion about ways to curb gun violence in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting. A deadly massacre unfolded at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde on May 24 when 18-year-old Salvador Ramos barricaded himself inside a classroom and slaughtered 19 students and two teachers. Police faced sharp criticism for allegedly failing to stop the shooting quickly enough and come to the victims' rescue on time. Ramos was shot dead by an off-duty Customs and Border Protection agent from an elite tactical unit.

Manchin has called himself a "centrist, moderate, conservative Democrat", and he is generally cited as the most conservative Democrat in the Senate. After his comments on raising the age for buying guns, Manchin has been trolled, with many questioning whether he actually will end up voting.

People on social media have expressed this doubts after Manchin was slammed for breaking his word after he publicly said 'no' to President Joe Biden's Build Back Better initiative last year. The development came after several months of negotiations over the social spending legislation. The Build Back Better Act is a social spending and climate package considered a key element of President Biden's agenda.

"He SAYS, but let’s see if he VOTES," a user wrote on Twitter after his comments on the gun issue. "Wow!! Joe Manchin became a Democrat again today. He’s supporting 21 age to purchase guns and Ban Assault rifles!! Thank you Joe for being a Democrat again. Although we are sure it’s only temporary!!" another user said. "Manchin's answer to the question, "would you support" is always "if it makes sense I'm willing to support anything". Again his response to doing something about Guns is the same meaningless bul***** "if it makes sense". Thanks for your input @Sen_JoeManchin you make no sense," wrote another user.

"Never trust what Joe Manchin says…watch how he votes. He knows this isn’t going anywhere with meaningful gun reform," one user wrote, while another said, "I wouldn’t trust him to do anything. What he has shown of himself lately, he could be bought by the gun industry just like he is from the coal."