"In the meantime, our priority is on tax reform," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters Tuesday. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images McConnell swats away talk of gun control

Mitch McConnell did not want to discuss gun control on Tuesday.

The Senate majority leader shut down all talk of legislative remedies to gun violence after a man killed 58 people in Las Vegas on Sunday night and injured hundreds more, mirroring the Tuesday morning remarks by his GOP counterpart in the House, Speaker Paul Ryan.


McConnell declared this is simply not the time to be talking about legislation targeting firearms.

Asked if he could support a bill banning the conversion of semi-automatic guns to automatic guns being written by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), McConnell responded: "The investigation has not even been completed. I think it's premature to be discussing legislative solutions, if there are any."

The GOP leader similarly parried when pressed on why Democratic efforts have failed to resonate with voters. Senate Democrats put forward a universal background checks bill in 2013 that won the support of four GOP senators but was filibustered by most other Republicans. They lost the Senate in 2014 and the effort has never regained steam.

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"It's particularly inappropriate to politicize an event like this. It just happened within the last day and half. Entirely premature to be discussing about legislative solutions if any," McConnell said.

Finally, McConnell was asked whether converting semi-automatic weapons to automatic weapons should ever be legal, to which he responded that the investigation is ongoing and "at the end of that there will be an appropriate time to discuss that."

He then switched to more comfortable territory before ending his weekly press conference.

"In the meantime, our priority is on tax reform. We're going to move ahead with that in the budget committee this week and it will be out on the floor after recess. Thank you very much," McConnell said.

Earlier Tuesday, Ryan also dodged questions about legislation that would loosen restrictions on gun silencers by talking about the House's budget resolution, and saying the House has not scheduled a vote on the silencer legislation.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer suggested that President Donald Trump is the only Republican that can break the logjam in the congressional GOP, and referred to earlier statements by Trump that suggested he could support some new safeguards on firearm purchases.

"Let's hold him to that," Schumer said. "Break from the NRA, which is making things worse, and work with us to get things done."